Learning the Linux command line - shell commands

Learning the Linux command line - shell commands

In my ongoing quest to get people to actually learn Linux, which includes learning the command line as a requisite, I present this interesting article I found which explains some of the various categories of shell commands and their usage and purpose.

#Linux  
http://www.tecmint.com/understanding-different-linux-shell-commands-usage/

Making the most of Linux in a Windows world - WINE via Play On Linux

Making the most of Linux in a Windows world - WINE via Play On Linux
An OpenSUSE oriented HowTo

Like it or not, we live in a world in which Microsoft still has quite a hold on the computing desktop. While home users can happily run Linux and never even care that Windows exists, Enterprises and Gamers both face a reality in which some software is only produced for Windows and has no reasonable substitute (or their work can't/won't accept a substitute).
For these instances, there are a lot of options to stay with Linux, from running a full on Windows installation in a Virtual Machine using VirtualBox, VMWare or similar, to running individual software applications right on Linux using WINE. WINE is an amazing labour of love by generations of developers that allows a huge number of Windows applications to run directly on Linux with WINE acting as an intermediary between the application and Linux.
The problem with WINE is that it's a complex bit of kit with a powerful suite of options. This power also means it can be difficult to setup and requires a unique customization of settings for each application you install. Thankfully there are solutions to this problem as well. One such solution is Play On Linux which is a front end for WINE that not only provides a nice GUI front end for installing Windows applications, but it also pulls from a lovingly maintained online database of configuration settings for hundreds of Windows applications. Like the name implies, Play On Linux is geared towards installing Windows games, but it also has a solid set of configurations for many other types of Windows software, including a fair bit of productivity software like Microsoft Office, Adobe CS, etc.

You can go to the main post link and read more, including install sources for various Linux distros.

For OpenSUSE Linux users, keep reading, we're going to walk you through installing it

First, just a reminder that OpenSUSE has one of the largest pools of Linux software packages in the Linux world. The default repositories are quite large themselves, and adding the Packman repo from the Community Repositories section in YaST2 gets you that many more packages to pull from, but even those large pools of software don't have everything. So next we go to OBS, or the "OpenSUSE Build Service" which developers and savvy users can use to submit source packages and configure so that the OBS system can automatically build repos and packages for multiple Linux platforms, not just including several releases of OpenSUSE. Find OBS at:
https://software.opensuse.org/search

Now, for OpenSUSE Leap 42.x users, you can install Play On Linux using the following commands in a root shell (ie open a shell and type su followed by your root password).

Now type:
zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/games:/tools/openSUSE_Leap_42.2/games:tools.repo
(all one line, then hit ENTER)
This will add the repository containing Play On Linux to your system.
Now type:
zypper in PlayOnLinux
This will install the package from the repository you just added.
It will ask you about the repository's key. I recommend you type "a" for Always and hit ENTER. This will accept the repository key permanently allowing it to be updated with each new update as part of your standard system updates process.
NOTE: The above is for those running OpenSUSE Leap 42.2. If you are running version 42.1 (type cat /etc/SuSE-release to verify) then simply edit the first line above starting with "zypper ar ..." and change the 42.2 part to 42.1.

Voila! You now have Play On Linux installed on your OpenSUSE Linux system. You can find it in the "System" section of the start menu. Run it and say yes to the data submission option to help the developers make the program better without submitting any personally identifying information.
From here on out you can get instructions on using Play On Linux at the main link below.
Oh, and keep in mind that you also need to have WINE installed (of course) and a few other dependencies that zypper can handle for you automatically.

#Linux   #Windows   #WINE   #OpenSUSE  
https://www.playonlinux.com/en/

Learning the Linux command line - The find command

Learning the Linux command line - The find command

Unix/Linux have extermely powerful search capabilities and they're well worth learning to use.
http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2009/03/15-practical-linux-find-command-examples/

Installing Google's "GO" programming language on Linux

Installing Google's "GO" programming language on Linux

For anyone interested in checking out the GO language under Linux, here's an article with some fairly generic instructions.

For OpenSUSE users it's much simpler.
Open a root shell and type
zypper in go
then approve the packages listed which should be "go" and "go-doc".
Enjoy.

#Linux   #development   #programming   #golang  
http://www.tecmint.com/install-go-in-linux/

Linux Tips & Tricks - Housekeeping with agedu

Linux Tips & Tricks - Housekeeping with agedu

If you're like most people, your computers tend to collect lots of digital piles of stuff you're hoarding for whatever reason. Sometimes it gets to be too much and it's time for a little house cleaning. One of MANY *NIX tools for this purpose is agedu (Say "age dee you"). It's like the traditional du command but with more features and a web based GUI.

Another application with similar intent is k4dirstat and it's one I use for the task of finding and deleting space hogs. It's in the package repos of most Linux distributions, but you can also find it at https://bitbucket.org/jeromerobert/k4dirstat/wiki/Home
OpenSUSE users can find it at https://software.opensuse.org/package/k4dirstat
https://www.ostechnix.com/agedu-find-out-wasted-disk-space-in-linux/

Linux Tips & Tricks - Security scanning with Nmap

Linux Tips & Tricks - Security scanning with Nmap

In my last post* I told you about checking your Linux box from the inside to see if you've left any "windows or doors" open to the outside world. This article will show you how to check a computer from the outside, over a LAN or other network.


*See https://plus.google.com/+ChristopherGaul/posts/bX98GQx5Cg2
http://www.linuxandubuntu.com/home/how-to-use-nmap-security-scanner-nmap-commands

Linux Tips & Tricks - Securing your Linux box

Linux Tips & Tricks - Securing your Linux box

You wouldn't go home from work at night and leave the windows open and the doors unlocked, so don't do the same thing with your computer.
Every computer communicates through a set of semi-standardized "ports". Like windows or doors in your home, leaving them open is an invitation to criminals, vandals, and mischief makers.
Before you can lock your windows and doors, you need to know which ones are open. Here's how.


Note: The next step is to close the open ports with your firewall, but that's another topic.
https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/unix-linux-check-if-port-is-in-use-command/

Does your Linux box's security have holes in it?

Does your Linux box's security have holes in it?

Here's a good article describing how to check.

On a personal note I would always confirm these results by running an nmap scan of your system from another computer on the same network.

See http://www.cyberciti.biz/networking/nmap-command-examples-tutorials/
http://www.tecmint.com/find-open-ports-in-linux/

Linux Tips & Tricks - Mastering the command line - SED

Linux Tips & Tricks - Mastering the command line - SED

Manipulating text in files is a common daily task for any sysadmin and learning to use the powerful tools available to do this can make an administrator's life vastly easier.
One of the most common and powerful tools for doing this is 'sed'.

Here's a sed tutorial to get you started.

Also note that sed has a partner 'awk' that is equally powerful in different ways. The two are often learned and used together.

To learn more about sed and awk, check out:
http://www.theunixschool.com/p/awk-sed.html
https://quickleft.com/blog/command-line-tutorials-sed-awk/
http://docstore.mik.ua/orelly/unix/sedawk/

#Linux   #Sysadmin   #CommandLine  
http://www.tecmint.com/linux-sed-command-tips-tricks/

Securing Linux

Securing Linux

If you're going to implement Linux in an Enterprise or government environment, you'll need to know this.
http://www.tecmint.com/mandatory-access-control-with-selinux-or-apparmor-linux/

Using Network Manager from the command line

Using Network Manager from the command line

In recent years Linux has been under major assault from a young generation of Apple using, form over function loving, change for the sake of change making kiddies that have attention spans too short to bother to learn how to properly use Linux, never mind how and why things were done the way they were done on Linux and UNIX.
This led to such ridiculous situations as many Linux distros switching to Network Manager for network configuration, even before it could fully perform all of the functions of the systems it replaced. Worst of all there was, for a looong time, no way to configure it from the command line. Making it useless for any serious applications requiring for example, headless operation, remote shell administration, scripted operation, etc. Finally this was rectified with the introduction of nmcli. Though nmcli eventually offered full command line configuration functionality, it seems to have been made intentionally obtuse in it's operation and syntax, as if to punish you for wanting to use the command line instead of a GUI.
For those of you that learned Linux in recent years, under the anti CLI mentality that's become so pervasive, you may by now be advanced enough to want or need to do things from the command line anyway. Here's an article to get you started on using nmcli. Good luck and keep learning the command line.

#Linux   #NetworkManager   #CommandLine   #SysAdmin  
http://www.tecmint.com/configure-network-connections-using-nmcli-tool-in-linux/

Linux Tips & Tricks - image processing from the command line

Linux Tips & Tricks - image processing from the command line

The first time you have to process a lot of images in the same way or need to process them from a script, you'll be thrilled to learn about the wealth of command line tools available. Here is a small sampling of those tools to get you started.
https://opensource.com/life/16/9/command-line-image-tools-linux

Linux Tips & Tricks - using the tar command

Linux Tips & Tricks - using the tar command

tar is one of the core administration tools of the *NIX world, it's been around forever and it's still highly useful today.
Here's a link to get you started using this powerful command-line tool.

#Linux   #tar   #sysadmin  
http://www.linuxtechi.com/17-tar-command-examples-in-linux/

Linux Tips & Tricks - Hardware Encryption Acceleration

Linux Tips & Tricks - Hardware Encryption Acceleration
Does I has it?

Many systems and CPU's have built in encryption acceleration hardware. To find out if your system includes such hardware and how fast it is, run the following commands and compare the output. If your system has working hw acceleration, the line with -evp in it will return higher rates.

$ openssl speed aes-256-cbc
$ openssl speed -evp aes-256-cbc

For example, here's the relevant portions of the above output from one of my systems.

type 16 bytes 64 bytes 256 bytes 1024 bytes 8192 bytes
aes-256 cbc 68577.43k 72631.80k 73771.43k 74353.36k 74506.10k

type 16 bytes 64 bytes 256 bytes 1024 bytes 8192 bytes
aes-256-cbc 351297.11k 383059.63k 418126.17k 429977.26k 432078.85k

As you can see, the system is roughly 6 times faster with hw acceleration at processing 8k AES-256-CBC packets.

To just see what acceleration engines your system supports, type (with sample output):
# sort -u /proc/crypto | grep module
module : aesni_intel
module : aes_x86_64
module : crc32c_intel
module : crc32_pclmul
module : crct10dif_pclmul
module : kernel

To do a full encryption benchmark run on your system, type:
# openssl speed


#Linux   #Encryption

Accessing Google Drive from the Linux command line

Accessing Google Drive from the Linux command line

As much as we love Google, sometimes they suck too. Like for example, the fact that they've never produced an official Linux client for Google Drive really sucks.
However, Linux users are innovative and have come up with several different workaround solutions. Here's a popular one.

#Linux   #Google   #Drive  
Google Google for Work 
https://www.howtoforge.com/tutorial/how-to-access-google-drive-from-linux-gdrive/

Linux Tips & Tricks:

Linux Tips & Tricks:
Surviving systemd - "Where the hell are my logs?!"

At some point even casual Linux users are going to want to have a look at their system logs for one reason or another. It's an important part of many diagnostic processes. However, most of the how to's out there on the Internet are geared towards using the UNIX style system logs that Linux used for decades until it was struck with the plague that is systemd. If your system uses systemd, and these days nearly all do, then all of your nice, easily readable and grep'able text logs are gone! What to do. Well, those logs have nearly all been replaced by a binary journal that systemd keeps in a database. To access them you'll need to learn to use journalctl which is systemd's front end to the log database. Here's a nice tutorial to get you started on the basics of using it.
For the impatient, you can type the following to see what's been logged since yesterday. Be prepared for a deluge.
From a root shell:
journalctl --since yesterday
(Note the ^ double dash)


#Linux   #systemd   #Logs   #sysadmin  
https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-journalctl-to-view-and-manipulate-systemd-logs

Linux Tips & Tricks - Bash shell pitfalls

Linux Tips & Tricks - Bash shell pitfalls

In my ongoing quest to get people to either start using the command line, or use it more effectively, here's a great little resource for using the most common Linux command shell.

#sysadmin #Linux #CommandLine #bash

Via Carlos F. Lange​
http://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashPitfalls

Split terminal windows with Terminator for Linux

Split terminal windows with Terminator for Linux

While I personally prefer a tabbed style terminal emulator, I can see the appeal of this setup, especially if you live in the CLI.

NOTE to OpenSUSE users
If you are using Leap 42.1 or higher, ignore the instructions at the link and just type "zypper in terminator" from a root shell, or find the terminator package in YaST2's software manager.

#Linux   #CommandLine  
http://www.linuxandubuntu.com/home/terminator-a-linux-terminal-emulator-with-multiple-terminals-in-one-window

Permanently mounting a Windows share from Linux

Permanently mounting a Windows share from Linux

If you're like most Linux users, you work in a mixed platform environment that likely includes Windows systems. Linux is quite capable of interacting with Windows systems and mounting Windows network shares on the fly. However, if you want to setup a particular Windows share to be always mounted at boot, here's a basic, generic tutorial. Keep in mind that this is a simple tutorial based on command line file editing that should work on most Linux systems. Please note that many Linux distributions have their own, often simpler, methods of performing this task so be sure to RTFM before using this method.

#Linux   #Windows   #SAMBA   #CIFS   #Networking  
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-permanently-mount-a-windows-share-on-linux/

Linux Terminal access via web browser

Linux Terminal access via web browser

This is a program that could really be handy for some folks, especially sysadmins who do a lot of remote administration.
http://www.tecmint.com/access-linux-server-terminal-in-web-browser-using-wetty/

Linux sysadmin skills - too much time on your hands

Linux sysadmin skills - too much time on your hands

We don't often think about it, but having the correct time on our systems is critical. From small errors, to big fails, to security breaches, managing time securely is a critical sysadmin skill.

For years I've been in the habit of typing the following whenever I login to a system I'm working on. From a root prompt:
ntpdate -u pool.ntp.org
Actually, I usually use time.nrc.ca for servers in Canada and tick.usno.navy.mil for US systems but pool.ntp.org is a public time server pool that will work well for anyone, anywhere.
I follow that command with this one.
hwclock --systohc
(that's two dashes)

The first command reaches out to one of the official time servers on the Internet and uses it to set the local system clock to match. The -u just assures that it will work even if the system is already running a time daemon.
The second command takes the newly atomic clock accurate system clock time and stores it in the computer's hardware clock, assuring that they are in sync and that the system will still have an accurate clock upon reboot.
These two commands are something you can type into your system any time you want to update it's clock. It wouldn't hurt for regular home users to type them once a week.
Why not a script you ask? Good question. For two reasons.
The first reason is diagnostic. when you type the first command you'll get output like shown.
# ntpdate -u time.nrc.ca
16 Jun 14:53:21 ntpdate[16201]: adjust time server 132.246.11.238 offset 0.007741 sec

You can see that the command returns some information including the newly set time, the server IP used, and how far off your system clock was. In this case you can see that my clock was very close to correct, probably closer than the fine grained accuracy of the hardware clock. What this tells me is that my system is keeping time correctly and that there are likely no problems with the system timing or the hardware clock.
If there were an offset of minutes or more then you may want to start some system diagnostics, starting with your motherboard's CMOS battery.

The second reason not to put this into a script is that on most modern Linux/UNIX distributions, there is already a system in place to automate this. You'll need to look at using that system and this article is a start on how to do it securely.
Another thing that I do on most networks is to designate one or two servers as local time servers. The rest of the computers on the network use one of those two, setup as primary and backup, time servers to set their clocks. The reason for doing it this way it to be polite and reduce the load on the public time servers, and also to reduce your own network bandwidth usage and security risks.

The linked article covers using ntpd in more depth and with a focus on security as the ntp protocol is often a vector of attack.

#Linux   #Unix   #NTP #Time  
http://www.linux-server-security.com/linux_servers_howtos/linux_ntp_time_servers.html

Learning Linux -Make your own motion detecting security camera with "motion"

Learning Linux -Make your own motion detecting security camera with "motion"

I've covered motion before, but it's a powerful and complex piece of software so configuring it can be confusing at first. Plus there are many different ways to use it so I'm happy to link any tutorials I find.

Motion is simply software motion detection that can turn any Linux supported webcam into a sophisticated security system. Configuring it properly will lead to optimal results with better detection and fewer false positives.

This article is geared toward Ubuntu but it will be similar for any Linux without training wheels too.

#Linux   #Security   #MotionDetection   #Webcam  
https://www.howtoforge.com/tutorial/motion-detection-on-linux/

Learning Linux - Make your servers more resilient with monit

Learning Linux - Make your servers more resilient with monit

Sometimes server services stop, crash, or hang and you can't be around 24/7 to monitor them, but monit can. Hence the name.
With monit you can setup a watchdog service to monitor the goings on of your Linux system and customize the reaction to each individual monitored service, file, port, etc. From logging it, to restarting it, to notifying you or all the above, monit can do it.

The article's instructions are geared towards Debian, but OpenSUSE users can install very simply by typing the following in a root shell.
zypper in monit

Enjoy.
#Linux   #Sysadmin  
http://www.linux-server-security.com/linux_servers_howtos/linux_monitor_services_monit.html

Learning Linux - master rsync by starting with these examples

Learning Linux - master rsync by starting with these examples

For backups and copying multiple files, especially over networks or to backup media, rsync is an essential tool for Linux users to master.
Personally I use it every day to move clumps of files around the network, and I have scripts on systems all over the planet using rsync to do backups. It's a powerful and efficient tool that's an essential part of any sysadmin or Linux user's tool kit.
Like most things, rsync is easiest to learn by seeing some examples and expanding your knowledge from there as necessary.
http://www.librebyte.net/en/gnulinux/14-practical-examples-of-the-rsync-command/

Learning Linux - monitoring long running processes with pv

Learning Linux - monitoring long running processes with pv

Some things just take time. Even on modern computers with ever faster processors and storage systems, things still take time. It's easy to start a long running process and then mistakenly CTRL-C out of it, thinking it has died or locked up. Of course the more important that task, the higher the odds you'll do this. Murphy's law. However, for many processes you can reduce the chances of doing this by using the pv command to give you feedback where none normally exists. This is especially useful for really long running processes. For example backing up over a slow WAN link.

Another thing to consider is that many classic UNIX commands have been upgraded on Linux to add features including status output. For example, rsync has a progress indicator option to give you some feedback on it's status during a copy.

#Linux  
http://www.tecmint.com/monitor-copy-backup-tar-progress-in-linux-using-pv-command/

Linux for beginners - Storage information gathering

Linux for beginners - Storage information gathering

Linux is always about power and choice. There's usually multiple ways to do any given task. It's up to you to explore them and decide which ones work best for you.

For example, when it comes down to gathering technical information on your installed storage devices, Linux can give you a much greater breadth and depth of information than most other operating systems.
Here's a breakdown of some of the many tools available to help you do that.

#Linux  
http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/find-hard-disk-hardware-specs-on-linux/

Limiting bandwidth hogs by application rather than by user in Linux

Limiting bandwidth hogs by application rather than by user in Linux

There are a lot of ways to do this, but Trickle does give a fairly simple way to limit applications on the fly (or globally). Unlike more traditional methods like IPtables or bandwidthd etc., this is a quick, easy, and (unless you want it to be) non permenant solution to using applications that normally hog bandwidth while allowing other applications to function smoothly. For example, downloading a big file without disrupting your YouTube cats viewing session.

Note that this article isn't for everyone. The author uses a long demonstration format to teach the concepts. Setting up ncftp and testing it before and after. But you can skim through and pickup the concepts easily enough.
My other issue with the article is the subtle backdoor Mormon Church advertising, but you can easily ignore that by just not watching the sample video.

#Linux   #sysadmin   #Networking   #Bandwidth  
http://www.tecmint.com/manage-and-limit-downloadupload-bandwidth-with-trickle-in-linux/

One Linux tool to extract them all - DTRX

One Linux tool to extract them all - DTRX

I've been using dtrx for a long time now and it's invaluable when you just want to quickly extract an archive without dealing with the particular archive type and it's associated tools and options. It's also great in scripts, eliminating the need for complex archive type checking and multiple binary dependencies.

OpenSUSE Leap 42.1 users can install as follows:
From a root shell
zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Archiving/openSUSE_Leap_42.1/Archiving.repo
zypper in dtrx
Press 'a' to accept the new repo key
Press 'y' to install dtrx and dependencies


#Linux   #CommandLine  
http://www.tecmint.com/dtrx-an-intelligent-archive-extraction-tar-zip-cpio-rpm-deb-rar-tool-for-linux/

Escaping Outlook

Escaping Outlook
Linux tips & tricks

This brief article gives a couple of suggestions for moving from Outlook to Thunderbird, a great move for anyone, but essential for migrating from Windows to Linux.
While the article does have some ideas, there are some even better ones in the comments.
Personally I've done this many times and I usually use a tool to convert PST to MBOX, then export contacts to CSV, and go.
However, often an even easier option is to install Thunderbird on the same Windows box running your Outlook and tell it to import mail and settings from Outlook. Then copy the Thunderbird files over to the Linux box.
http://freedompenguin.com/articles/just-ask-matt/locked-outlook-linux/

Linux Tips & Tricks - Linux file system basics

Linux Tips & Tricks - Linux file system basics

This is a very basic overview of a sometimes confusing subject. Linux file systems.
One issue I have here is that I don't think the Linux File System Heirarchy belongs in this discussion since it can cause confusion due to similar terminologies. However, it's there so keep in mind that these are two different thing that have similar nomenclatures. Both are important to have an understanding of.

#Linux   #FileSystems  
http://blog.linuxacademy.com/blog/linux/anatomy-of-a-file-system/

Linux Tips & Tricks - Command Line school

Linux Tips & Tricks - Command Line school

For those of you old enough to remember the old phone company ads, it's time to "reach out and touch" someone. Or in this case, some files.
The touch command is another command that must be in your bag of sysadmin and user skills. While it seems like a simplistic command of little practical use, in reality it is a very powerful and useful tool.

Note: If you use an SSD with Linux, you may find touch even more useful given many distributions now disable the at-time function on SSD drives. Even if you use the preferred option of using relatime
instead of noatime in your SSD mounts, you wont have accurate at-time information for files on that drive. This can lead to circumstances where applications, scripts, or system functions may fail. In these circumstances, any kludge of a workaround will likely involve the touch command.

#Linux   #Sysadmin   #CommandLIne  
http://www.binarytides.com/linux-touch-command/

Linux Tips & Tricks - Using dmesg

Linux Tips & Tricks - Using dmesg

dmesg is one of the most basic Linux diagnostic and system information tools. It's also one of the first you should learn to use and should be part of your system troubleshooting toolkit.
http://www.tecmint.com/dmesg-commands/

Linux security certification process up and running

Linux security certification process up and running

The Linux community is adopting a professional certification approach to security. Individual projects can apply for certification and if they pass certain criteria and tests, they receive a badge that will let potential users know that project is following security best practices.
This is an especially great idea for corporate Linux users that require certifications for everything.

FTA:
Back in August 2015, the Linux Foundation Core Infrastructure Initiative (CII) announced a new badging effort to help open-source projects with security best practices. On May 3, the first groups to achieve the security badge were formally announced, and they include Curl, GitLab, OpenBlox, OpenSSL, Node.js, Zephyr and the Linux kernel.
To earn a badge, projects must comply with a set of security best practices as outlined in the CII Best Practices Badge GitHub repository. Most of the items are either automatically verified—for example, providing encrypted access to a repository—or obvious, such as providing good release notes, according to Dan Kohn, senior adviser to CII and the Linux Foundation...
http://www.eweek.com/security/linux-foundation-advances-security-efforts-via-badging-program.html

Encrypt all the thingz! - Privacy from the Linux command line

Encrypt all the thingz! - Privacy from the Linux command line

With everyone from cyber-criminals to our own governments snooping on us these days, encryption's importance grows daily. What if you just need to encrypt a few individual files or directories?
Here are a few options you can fire up from the command line.

#Encryption   #MassSurveillance   #Linux  
http://www.tecmint.com/linux-password-protect-files-with-encryption/

Got a bunch of Linux boxen you're administering?

Got a bunch of Linux boxen you're administering?
Make life easier with DSH

DSH, or Distributed Shell, let's you handle multiple systems at once. Handy stuff.

#Linux   #SysAdmin   #CommandLine  
http://www.tecmint.com/using-dsh-distributed-shell-to-run-linux-commands-across-multiple-machines/

Linux tips and tricks - Managing your $PATH

Linux tips and tricks - Managing your $PATH

As you progress as a Linux user, expand your command line skills, and take on more complex tasks, eventually you will cross paths with $PATH (see what I did there? ;')
In fact this is true on most operating systems. The system path determines where the system looks for commands you enter. This is handy when you add new applications to the system. 
Here's a basic overview of checking and changing your $PATH to suit your needs. Be careful though. This has the potential to break your system or allow malware to break free of the standard Linux security restrictions so check into and understand any changes you make here before you make them. Also note that order matters. The system checks the path locations in the order they appear in the $PATH variable. This can cause system binaries to replaced by other binaries and break functionality etc.

#Linux   #CommandLine   #BASH   #SysAdmin  
http://www.tecmint.com/set-path-variable-linux-permanently/

Make the already awesome Linux clipboard even better

Make the already awesome Linux clipboard even better

One of the things I've hated when I'm forced to work on other platforms is that most of them have terrible clipboards (I'm looking at you Windows). Linux has always had great, UNIX style, clipboard support with seamless integration, history, etc. These days however there are options above and beyond the stock clipboard. Many DE's have their own enhanced versions, and there are optional clipboard managers with enhanced features, including synced clipboards with your other devices including your Android devices!

Check out these examples.

#Linux   #Android   #Clipboard  
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-tools-manage-linux-clipboard/

Linux - command line tips & tricks

Linux - command line tips & tricks

More skills for your sysadmin bag.

#Linux #sysadmin #commandline

http://www.tecmint.com/find-top-large-directories-and-files-sizes-in-linux/

Learning Linux - shell scripting

Learning Linux - shell scripting

This is the introduction to a multipart series on Linux shell scripting, a skill worth having for nearly every Linux user. An absolute must have for any sysadmin. And BTW, also handy for advanced Android users.
https://www.eduonix.com/blog/shell-scripting/introduction-to-linux-shell-scripting/

Linux Tips & Tricks - Finding the text editor for you

Linux Tips & Tricks - Finding the text editor for you

Linux is blessed with a wealth of text editors to suit every person and editing need. Here's a list of some and a guide to choosing one that's right for both you and the task at hand.

#Linux   #SysAdmin   #Editors  
http://www.linuxlinks.com/article/2016041003054574/TextEditors.html

Linux Tips & Tricks - Adding bookmarks to PDF files in Linux

Linux Tips & Tricks - Adding bookmarks to PDF files in Linux

While there are plenty of great tools to create, edit and modify PDF files in Linux, you might find these simple command line tricks quicker and easier.

#Linux   #SysAdmin   #PDF  
http://ask.xmodulo.com/add-bookmarks-pdf-document-linux.html

Linux Tips & Tricks - Using "cat" and "tac"

Linux Tips & Tricks - Using "cat" and "tac"

More tools for your command line arsenal. 
"cat" is one of those core command line tools you should learn to master. "tac" is a handy companion tool.

#Linux   #SysAdmin   #CommandLine  
http://www.tecmint.com/learn-linux-cat-command-and-tac-command/

Share file-systems the Unix/Linux way with NFS

Share file-systems the Unix/Linux way with NFS

I know a lot of people use other methods to share drives and folders between computers, including SMB (via SAMBA), but most often the right/best way is with the Network File System (NFS).

With NFS you can mount a drive or folder from your Linux server to a folder on your Linux PC (or other NFS supporting device). This makes for a seamless method of file sharing that also retains all the the native security and access control features of native Linux file systems. Like owner, group, and permissions information.

Take a look and learn NFS.

#Linux   #UNIX   #NFS   #SysAdmin  
http://ask.xmodulo.com/nfs-server-client-centos.html

Using the right software sources with OpenSUSE

Using the right software sources with OpenSUSE

OpenSUSE Linux has one of the largest software repositories in the Linux world. However, there will always be things you don't find right out of the box. Instead of rushing off and manually installing software, try doing it the right way first.
- First off, make sure it really isn't in the default repos. Often package names on SUSE are different than on Ubuntu, RedHat, Fedora, Debian etc. Instead of trying to install by package name, run YaST2 and use the excellent search capabilities of the package manager. Try disabling case sensitivity and enabling searching in descriptions and "provides". Then try variations on your search terms. Eg if you can't find UAE (the Amiga emulator) try searching for "Amiga".
- Next go to the package manager and see if there's a repository you need to add.
- If that fails, then search for the package in the OpenSUSE Build Service (OBS), at http://software.opensuse.org/search

#Linux   #OpenSUSE   #Sysadmin  

Linux - Upping your sysadmin game

Linux - Upping your sysadmin game

Here are 50 tutorials to help bring your Linux skills to the next level.

#Linux   #Unix   #MacOS   #SysAdmin   #Tutorials  
http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/12/50-unix-linux-sysadmin-tutorials/

Linux - Mastering the command line

Linux - Mastering the command line

As I always say, until you've mastered the command line, you've mastered nothing. The Command Line and the GUI are the inseperable Yin and Yang of any serious operating system, especially the Unix/Linux family.

Here's a great tutorial on 50 frequently used command line tools and their basic usage. As always, use the man pages for more detailed info.

#Linux   #Unix   #MacOS   #Sysadmin   #1337skills  
http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/11/50-linux-commands/

Linux or bust! - Video editing in Linux

Linux or bust! - Video editing in Linux

If you've migrated from another platform, or are already a Linux user but are newly getting into video, then you may be wondering "How do I edit video on Linux?" (or "Where's Adobe?"). 
Have no fear, there are a LOT of very good video editing suits on Linux. From simple and free packages to complete, high end video suites used by Hollywood Studios. One right in the middle is Open Shot. A free, but comprehensive video editor.

This article's tutorial will get you started using Open Shot.

#Linux   #Video   #VideoEditing  
https://www.howtoforge.com/tutorial/an-introduction-to-video-editing-in-openshot-2-0/

Linux Tips - Translate any highlighted text

Linux Tips - Translate any highlighted text

Give your Linux desktop universal translation capabilities.

Note that while this article is geared towards Ubuntu/Mint, it can be adapted to nearly any Linux distribution.

#Linux   #Desktop  
http://www.webupd8.org/2016/03/translate-any-text-you-select-on-your.html

The Linux Mint breach hack explained

The Linux Mint breach hack explained

The Linux Mint website and forums were hacked recently resulting in stolen user data and a backdoored version of the Mint ISO's being uploaded to the download area. At least several hundred systems were backdoored as a result.

#Linux   #Security   #Webmaster  
http://www.zdnet.com/article/hacker-hundreds-were-tricked-into-installing-linux-mint-backdoor/

Linux file permissions - Understanding Sticky Bits

Linux file permissions - Understanding Sticky Bits

For users coming from less advanced Operating Systems, the file permissions system on Linux/UNIX can be quite confusing. This article explains one of the more confusing aspects, that of "Sticky Bits". 
The article also links to other articles that explain the basics of file permissions so check those out first if you need to catch up.

#Linux   #CommandLine   #CLI  
http://www.linuxnix.com/sticky-bit-set-linux/

Linux fun

Linux fun

There are a lot of fun, interesting, and just plain odd commands available at the Linux command line. Here are 9 of them.
For an even 10, I'll throw in the "fortune" command.

#Linux  
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3035480/linux/9-really-odd-linux-commands.html