storage

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Introduction to Ranger file manager

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Ranger is a free and open source file manager written in Python. It is designed to work from the command line and its keybindings are inspired by the Vim text editor. The application has a lot of features and, working together with other utilities, can display previews for a vast range of files. In this tutorial we learn how to use it, and explore some of its functionality.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install Ranger on the most used Linux distributions
  • How to launch Ranger and copy its configuration files locally
  • Ranger basic movements and keybindings
  • How to visualize hidden files
  • How to get preview of various types of documents
  • How to create, access and remove bookmarks
  • How to select files and perform actions on them
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Listing the biggest directories on Linux

List all directories and sort by size

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When it comes to tidying up your hard drive on Linux, either to free up space or to become more organized, it’s helpful to identify which directories are consuming the most storage space.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to list all directories and sort them by their total size on Linux, through command line examples, a Bash script, and GUI methods.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to list directories by size with du command examples
  • How to list directories by size with a Bash script
  • How to check directory sizes with Disk Usage Analyzer GUI utility

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How to configure, mount, and access encrypted partition on Linux

How to encrypt partition in Linux

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One of the best ways to protect your files on a Linux system is to enable hard disk encryption. It’s possible to encrypt an entire hard drive or partition, which will keep every file that resides there safe. Without the correct decryption key, prying eyes will only be able to see cryptic gibberish when they try to read your files.

In this guide, we’ll go over the step by step instructions of using LUKS to encrypt a Linux partition. Regardless of what Linux distro you’re running, these steps should work the same. Follow along with us below to get partition encryption configured on your own system.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install cryptsetup on major Linux distros
  • How to create an encrypted partition
  • How to mount or unmount encrypted partition
  • How to setup disk encryption during Linux install
How to configure, mount, and access encrypted partition on Linux

How to configure, mount, and access encrypted partition on Linux

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How to setup raid1 on Linux

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RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks; depending on the RAID level we setup, we can achieve data replication and/or data distribution. A RAID setup can be achieved via dedicated hardware or via software. In this tutorial we see how to implement a RAID1 (mirror) via software on Linux, using
the mdadm utility.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • The peculiarities of the most used RAID levels
  • How to install mdadm on the major Linux distributions
  • How to configure a RAID1 with two disks
  • How to replace a disk in the RAID array

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How to keep files and directories synchronized across different devices using syncthing on Linux

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Syncthing is defined as a continuous file synchronization program: it can be used to keep files and directories synchronized across different devices or “nodes”. The application uses TLS as encryption method, and it is, together with its protocol, free and open source software. When using Syncthing, our data remains on our device, and is transferred directly to the destination without relaying on a central server (peer to peer). In this tutorial we will see how to install, configure and use Syncthing on Linux.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install Syncthing on the most used Linux distributions
  • How to setup the firewall for Syncthing to work correctly
  • How to share and keep a directory synchronized across two devices
  • How to austostart the Syncthing daemon automatically on user login

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Using mdadm to create a software RAID 1 array on Linux

Linux Software Raid 1 Setup

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RAID 1 is a hard disk configuration where the contents from one hard disk are mirrored onto another. This provides the user with some redundancy in case a disk fails. On your Linux system, the two hard drives are represented as a single file system. But in the background, making changes to your files is actually writing the changes to two disks at the same time. You can also add more than two disks to the configuration, as long as you keep the number even. Otherwise, something like RAID 5 will be more suitable.

There are many ways to configure a RAID setup. One of the easiest and most accessible ways is through the mdadm software package, which can be installed and used on any major Linux distribution. This is easier than some other RAID setups, since it doesn’t require any special hardware (like a RAID controller) and isn’t that hard to configure.

In this guide, we’ll go through the step by step instructions to install and setup mdadm on Linux, and create a RAID 1 configuration for two hard disks. Our example scenario will consist of two empty hard disks that are each 10 GB in size. This is in addition to our main hard disk, which is just used for the operating system.

WARNING
Strictly speaking, RAID 1 is not a proper backup solution. It does provide some protection from disk failure, but what if you accidentally delete a file or a virus corrupts multiple files? Those undesirable changes are instantly written to both disks. RAID 1 provides high availability, but you shouldn’t use it as your only backup solution.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install mdadm on major Linux distros
  • How to partition hard disks for RAID setup
  • How to create a new RAID device in mdadm and mount it
  • How to keep the RAID array mount persistent
Using mdadm to create a software RAID 1 array on Linux

Using mdadm to create a software RAID 1 array on Linux

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Logical Volume Manager - Tutorial Scenario

Linux Logical Volume Manager (LVM) tutorial

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Logical Volume Manager (LVM) is used on Linux to manage hard drives and other storage devices. As the name implies, it can sort raw storage into logical volumes, making it easy to configure and use.

In this guide, you’ll learn how LVM works on Linux systems. There’s no better way to learn about LVM than simply running through an example, which is exactly what we’ll do in the steps below. LVM works the same on any Linux distribution, so you can use any of the commands below on your own system.

Follow along with us as we use LVM to create partitions, physical volumes, a virtual group, logical volumes, and filesystems on a hard disk. We’ll also show how to mount, extend, and remove our newly created logical volumes. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a full understanding of how to use LVM and apply your own configurations.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to install LVM on major Linux distros
  • How to create partitions
  • How to create physical volumes
  • How to create a virtual group
  • How to create logical volumes
  • How to create a filesystem on logical volumes
  • How to edit fstab to automatically mount partitions
  • How to mount logical volumes
  • How to extend a logical volume
  • How to remove a logical volume
Logical Volume Manager - Tutorial Scenario

Logical Volume Manager – Tutorial Scenario

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Checking disk usage by folder on Linux

How to check disk usage by folder on Linux

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When it comes to tidying up your hard drive on Linux, either to free up space or to become more organized, it’s helpful to identify which folders are consuming the most storage space.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to check disk usage by folder on Linux, through both command line and GUI methods.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to check disk usage with du command examples
  • How to check disk usage with Disk Usage Analyzer GUI utility
Checking disk usage by folder on Linux

Checking disk usage by folder on Linux

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Splitting tar archive into blocks

How to split tar archive into multiple blocks of a specific size

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Tar archives can be split into multiple archives of a certain size, which is handy if you need to put a lot of content onto discs. It’s also useful if you have a huge archive that you need to upload, but would rather do it in chunks. In this guide, we’ll show you the commands you need in order to split tar archives into multiple blocks on a Linux system.

This will work regardless of what type of compression (or lack thereof) that you use. So files with extensions like .tar, tar.gz, tar.xz, etc. can all be split into chunks. We’ll also show you how to extract files from archives that have been split into numerous files.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to split tar archives into multiple files
  • How to open split tar archives
Splitting tar archive into blocks

Splitting tar archive into blocks

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Combining files into a split zip archive

How to split zip archive into multiple blocks of a specific size

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When compressing large files on a Linux system, it can be handy to split them into multiple blocks of a specific size. This is especially true for squeezing a large archive onto multiple discs, or uploading a large archive online in chunks.

Linux makes this possible with tar files, as we’ve seen in our split tar archive into multiple blocks guide, but you can also do it with zip files.

In this guide, we’ll see the step by step instructions to create a zip archive split into multiple blocks. We’ll also go through the process of unzipping the split archive.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to split zip archives into multiple files
  • How to open split zip archives
Combining files into a split zip archive

Combining files into a split zip archive

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Beginners guide to xz compression on Linux

Beginner’s guide to compression with xz on Linux

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xz compression has been rising in popularity because it offers smaller file sizes than gzip and bzip2. You’re still likely to see all three on a Linux system, but you may want to start opting for xz if you want smaller file archives.

In this guide, we’re going to introduce you to xz compression, starting from basic examples to more specific and advanced usage. If you’ve worked with compressed tar files or gzip compression (files with the .tar.gz extension, for example) in the past, you’ll find that xz feels very familiar.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to create xz compressed archives from command line or GUI
  • How to decompress xz archives from command line or GUI
Beginners guide to xz compression on Linux

Beginners guide to xz compression on Linux

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Clearing the cache in Firefox on Linux

How to clear Firefox cache on Linux

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Does your Firefox web browser have a large cache of temporary files? Do you have an embarrassing web browsing history? Has it been a while since you last cleared your Firefox cache? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you’ve come to the right guide.

In this tutorial, we’ll show step by step instructions for clearing the cache in Firefox on a Linux system. You can do this either via GUI or command line. We’ll show the instructions for both methods below.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to clear Firefox cache via GUI
  • How to clear Firefox cache via command line

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