How to do fast, repeatable Linux installations #3 — Ansible
In previous articles about my use of automation in performing post-install tasks for new Linux installations, Those approaches worked well for the times I used them, but as the requirements of my network and the hosts connected to it grew and became more complex, the capabilities of those tools couldn’t keep up.
I needed a new method for doing post-install tasks. I also needed new ways to perform other tasks, too. I started working with Ansible to first familiarize myself with it and then to perform more complex tasks such as Fedora updates and my post-install tasks.
How to create and use Public/Private/KeyPairs with SSH
SSH is an important mechanism for secure connections between Linux hosts. SSH is a software-based virtual private network (VPN) tool that can create a secure connection whenever needed. It can be used to securely login to any remote host so long as you have proper credentials, and it can be used to enhance tools such as tar and other backup programs like rsync so that remote hosts can be easily backed up to a local system. The scp (secure copy) program uses the SSH encrypted tunnel to copy files between a local host and a remote one.
Linux Malware scanning using ClamAV
Image via Creative Commons, modified by Both.org Introduction There are many different ways of protecting a system, right from keeping the software up-to-date, to removing...
Intro to the Linux chgrp and newgrp commands
In a recent article, I introduced the chown command, which is used for modifying ownership of files on systems. Recall that ownership is the combination...
Intro to the Linux chown command
Image by: Opensource.com CC-by-SA 4.0 Every file and directory on a Linux system is owned by someone, and the owner has complete control to change...
Intro to the Linux chmod command
Every object on your Linux system has a permission mode that describes what actions a user can perform on it. There are three types of...
How my easy, home-made backup program saves time, space on the storage medium, and network bandwidth
Nothing can ever go wrong with my computer and I will never lose my data. Riiiiight.
This article discusses the backup program I created to prevent catastrophic data loss and facilitate easy recovery. I also show how you can install and use it yourself.
Intro to the Linux useradd command
Adding a user is one of the most fundamental exercises on any computer system; this article focuses on how to do it on a Linux system.
Linux Boot and Startup
Understanding the boot and Linux startup processes is important to being able to both configure Linux and to resolving startup issues.
An introduction to Linux’s EXT4 filesystem
Take a walk through EXT4’s history, features, and optimal use, and learn how it differs from previous iterations of the EXT filesystem.
Linux su vs sudo: what’s the difference?
A comparison of Linux commands for escalating privileges for non-root users