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/