System statistics with sar and the /proc filesystem
SAR, the System Activity Reporter, is my starting place for accessing historical performance data to solve problems.
SysAdmin careers: Curiosity is an asset
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it helps the sysadmin grow and thrive.
How curiosity helped me solve a hardware problem
Curiosity fuels the quest for knowledge and truth, whether it's about hardware, open source software, programming, building a PC, optimizing settings, or just learning a...
When Does a Power Cord Fail?
When it's junk. I have a self-imposed limit of 12 working computers in my house. Said limit being strongly suggested by my sweetie. It's really...
Strange Windows Failure Explained
Back in August I wrote a post about helping a friend who had a problem with her laptop. I had determined that a strange but...
Saving Another Computer with Linux: Updated
Last week a friend from church asked me if I could help her with an Acer Aspire 5 (A515-56 ) laptop which was causing problems....
Fedora 33 name resolution fails
I just installed Fedora 33 today, the first day it became available. One of the major changes, a switch from the ancient nss resolver to...