Objective
The following article provides some useful tips on how to find all files within any specific directory or entire file-system containing any specific word or string.
Difficulty
EASY
System Administration
How to use Puppet environments in Linux to safely update an agent
Objective
Create and use puppet environments to test new configuration before updating a live production system.
Operating System and Software Versions
- Operating System: Any major linux distribution e.g. Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS
- Software: puppet and puppet-master
Requirements
Privileged access to the puppet master server and the puppet client node.
Conventions
- # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of
sudocommand - $ – given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user
Introduction
Most Puppet installations begin life as a master server running a single branch. The master contains all the manifests and other configuration for all the Puppet agents that are synced to it. This is a fine place to begin but there will rapidly arrive a time when an update needs pushing that has the potential to break a production server. Hoping for the best is not the best way to proceed.
Puppet provides the tools to separate entire branches of configuration. These are called environments. A Puppet environment is a way to supply an isolated group of agent nodes with their own dedicated configuration. Each environment contains an entire Puppet configuration tree and can be considered as a separate Puppet master server.
How to install latest Firefox Browser on Debian 9 Stretch Linux
Objective
Debian Linux comes with Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release) version, which in some rare scenarios may not adequately fit your needs. The objective is to replace the Debian’s default Firefox ESR with the latest bleeding edge Firefox.
Operating System and Software Versions
- Operating System: – Debian 9 Stretch
Requirements
Privileged access to your Debian Linux system will be required.
Difficulty
EASY
Conventions
How to use special permissions: the setuid, setgid and sticky bits
Objective
Getting to know how special permissions works, how to identify and set them.
Requirements
- Knowledge of the standard unix/linux permissions system
Difficulty
EASY
Conventions
- # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either
directly as a root user or by use ofsudocommand - $ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user
Introduction
Normally, on a unix-like operating system, the ownership of files and directories is based on the default uid (user-id) and gid (group-id) of the user who created them. The same thing happens when a process is launched: it runs with the effective user-id and group-id of the user who started it, and with the corresponding privileges. This behavior can be modified by using special permissions.
Debian vs Ubuntu
Ubuntu and Debian are two of the most popular Linux distributions in history. Aside from that, they’re very closely related, making it hard for new Linux users to sort out the differences between the two. Let’s explore Debian vs Ubuntu comparisons.
Thus, is Ubuntu the same as Debian? While, many things may appear to be similar, or even the same, with these powerhouse distributions, there are some sizable differences between them.
Ansible Installation on Debian 9 Stretch Linux from Source
Objective
The following guide describes simple to follow steps on how to install the latest version of the open-source automation engine Ansible.
Operating System and Software Versions
- Operating System: – Debian Stretch 9
Requirements
Privileged access to you Debian Linux system will be required.
Difficulty
EASY
Conventions
How to use partclone to create a “smart” partition backup
Objective
Learning how to use the partclone utility to backup a partition
Requirements
- Root permissions
- Partition to backup must be unmounted
Difficulty
EASY
Conventions
- # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either
directly as a root user or by use ofsudocommand - $ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user
Introduction
If you ever used Clonezilla to create a backup of your operating system, you have already experienced the power of the partclone. Unlike other tools like dd, partclone knows how to interact with specific filesystems, therefore it can create much smaller backups, cloning only the used space in the partition. In this tutorial we will learn how to use partclone from command line.
Get Better Notifications In Your WM With Dunst
Objective
Install and configure Dunst for desktop notifications.
Distributions
Dunst is only distributed as source, so it can be built on any current distribution.
Requirements
A working Linux install with root privileges.
Difficulty
Medium
Conventions
- # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of
sudocommand - $ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user
Introduction
No one wants to spend hours configuring and customizing their tiling window manager only for an ugly, poorly rendered notification window from GNOME to keep popping up and ruining the overall feel of their desktop.
If you’re looking for a more minimal and configurable notification daemon, look no further than Dunst. It provides a basic notification daemon that you can style and configure to match any tiling window manager setup. Plus, it’s super light weight, so there’s no need to worry about it hogging resources.
Tutorial on how to create a paper and digital offline Bitcoin wallet with Linux
Objective
The objective is to create an offline digital and paper bitcoin wallet using Linux operating system, VirtualBox and Electrum Bitcoin wallet. The outcome of this tutorial will be a paper with written keywords which can be used to access your bitcoins. We will also create an encrypted version of virtual machine as a digital backup to be stored digitally on a secure medium which will provide a convenient access to your bitcoins if necessary.
Operating System and Software Versions
- Operating System: – Debian 9 GNU/Linux
- Software: – Electrum 3.0.3 or higher, VirtualBox Version 5.2.2 r119230
Requirements
Privileged access to your host operating system will be required to install Virtual Box virtualization software.
Difficulty
MEDIUM
Conventions
How to reset MySQL root password on your Linux server
The following guide will provide you with simple to follow steps on how to reset your administrative root password on Linux.
Stop MySQL
First, stop MySQL server:
# service mysql stop * Stopping MySQL database server mysqld [ OK ]
Start MySQL server>
Start your MySQL server, but skip all grand privileges and networking:
# mkdir -p /var/run/mysqld # chown mysql:mysql /var/run/mysqld # /usr/sbin/mysqld --skip-grant-tables --skip-networking & [1] 8142
Record Your Linux Desktop With SimpleScreenRecorder
Objective
Install SimpleScreenRecorder and use it to record video of your desktop.
Distributions
SimpleScreenRecorder is available on just about every distribution.
Requirements
A working Linux install with root privileges.
Difficulty
Easy
Conventions
- # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of
sudocommand - $ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user
Introduction
Recording your Linux desktop is… well, simple. With SimpleScreenRecorder, you can easily record your whole desktop or a portion of the screen with very little overhead. To make things even better, SimpleScreenRecorder is a generic X program, so it’s not tied to one specific desktop environment or another.
How to organize your passwords using pass password manager
Objective
Learn to organize your passwords using the “pass” password manager on linux
Requirements
- Root permissions needed to install required packages
Difficulty
EASY
Conventions
- # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either
directly as a root user or by use ofsudocommand - $ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user
Introduction
If you have the good habit to never use the same password for more than one purpose, you have probably already felt the need for a password manager. There are many alternatives to choose from on linux, both proprietary (if you dare) and open source. If you, like me, think that simplicity it’s the way to go, you may be interested in knowing however to use the pass utility.