Linux from the command line | Linux tips & tricks -- benchmarking Linux

Linux from the command line | Linux tips & tricks -- benchmarking Linux

At some point you just have to know, how fast is it? Your car, your hamster, and your Linux box. Here you go.

Lately I've been running sysbench after every system update in order to try and track any change in performance due to the ongoing fixes for Meltdown/Spectre using:
sysbench --test=cpu --cpu-max-prime=10000 run --num-threads=
https://www.howtoforge.com/how-to-benchmark-your-system-cpu-file-io-mysql-with-sysbench

Linux for sysadmins -- Installing SquidGuard & Squid proxy server on CentOS 7

Linux for sysadmins -- Installing SquidGuard & Squid proxy server on CentOS 7

The combination of Squid and SquidGuard is one that most businesses should consider. It allows you to reduce Internet bandwidth usage, monitor usage, increase speed and responsiveness to the users, and filter unwanted sites and content easily but at as fine a grained level as you need for your application. CentOS is a great choice to host this combo and the whole system runs well on everything from virtual machines, to last year's upcycled desktop PC, to high end dedicated server hardware.

In smaller shops I've often taken desktop PC's that were pulled when new PC upgrade cycles were complete, maxed out their RAM, and added a quality hard drive and an external storage solution, like a RAID enclosure, or simple external SATA drive. Throw it all on a UPS and keep some cold spares handy from the rest of the old PC's and away you go.

I've even run this at home at times when I lived in locations with slow and or metered Internet access.
http://linuxtechlab.com/install-squidguard-with-squid-proxy-server-complete-guide/

Linux tips & tricks | Linux for sysadmins -- creating and expanding swap partitions with LVM

Linux tips & tricks | Linux for sysadmins -- creating and expanding swap partitions with LVM

LVM is a great tool that every sysadmin and many home users should be familiar with. It let's you remove the hard connection between volumes and partitions on your storage devices, enabling you to grow, shrink, move, and span your partitions across multiple physical devices and partitions.
Using it under your swap partition allows you to grow your swap size down the road should your swap needs grow.

Note that OpenSUSE users can, and should, perform these functions using the YaST2 administration tool's partition manager function ("Partitioner").
https://www.2daygeek.com/how-to-create-extend-swap-partition-in-linux-using-lvm/

Linux from the command line -- Getting your news from the terminal

Linux from the command line -- Getting your news from the terminal

OK, this is a bit much even to me, but hey if you really don't like to use the GUI or the web, here's your answer.

https://www.tecmint.com/newsroom-commandline-linux-news-reader/#

Linux from the command line -- Working with calendars on Linux

Linux from the command line -- Working with calendars on Linux

If you think about it, there are a lot of reasons to want calendar tools available from the command line, especially for sysadmins. Some of these tools can be integrated into scripts as well for even more utility.
https://www.networkworld.com/article/3265752/linux/working-with-calendars-on-linux.html

Learning Linux | Linux from the command line -- How to read man pages, a core Linux skill

Learning Linux | Linux from the command line -- How to read man pages, a core Linux skill

People often say Linux (UNIX) is hard to learn or use, but really they are not. They are simply unfamiliar. Luckily the system has built in tools to teach you how to use it. The man command is key to that. For any Linux, or UNIX, command there is a corresponding MANual page that will teach you how to use it. Just type "man "
Here's how to get the most out of the result.
https://www.maketecheasier.com/read-linux-man-page/

Linux from the command line -- Using tar to backup files and directories

Linux from the command line -- Using tar to backup files and directories

The tar command is one that has been around since the early days of Unix. It's a simple yet powerful tool that is the grandfather of zip and other tools like it.
https://www.ostechnix.com/how-to-archive-files-and-directories-in-linux-part-1/