We know that using Linux swap space instead of RAM (memory) can severely slow down performance. So, one might ask, since I have more than enough memory available, wouldn’t it better to delete swap space? The short answer is, No. There are performance benefits when swap space is enabled, even when you have more than […]
25 Best CDN Providers 2021
November 26, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxA content delivery network also referred to as a content distribution network (CDN), is a geographically distributed network of data centers containing proxy servers. CDN providers serve internet content, including web objects (text, graphics, and scripts), downloadable objects (media files, software, documents), applications (e-commerce, portals), live streaming media, to name closer to and thus faster, to end-users. Some of […]
uptime command in Linux
November 17, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxThis uptime command guide is a follow-up to my previous 90 Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins article. As time allows, I will continue to publish articles on these 90 commands geared toward Linux sysadmins and power users. Let’s continue this series with the uptime command. The uptime outputs the current time, system uptime, number of logged-in […]
Best Linux Distros in 2022 for Beginner, Experienced and Expert users.
November 11, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxAre you searching for the best Linux distro (distribution) for your desktop computer or laptop to take you into 2022? This article will guide you to what I believe are the best Linux distros for beginner, experienced, and expert users. Whether you are a power user or just getting your feet wet, there are indeed […]
btop – the htop alternative
November 3, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxMeet btop, an aesthetically pleasing system resource monitor showing usage and stats for processor, memory, disks, network, and processes. btop is the lighter and faster C++ version and continuation of bashtop and bpytop. Over the years, the available options for command-line system monitoring tools have grown quite a bit. There is top, htop, glances, nmon, ytop, gtop, vtop, and […]
MySQL Database Performance: Avoid this common mistake
November 1, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxOne frequent topic of support request emails I receive is MySQL database performance. Clients complain about MySQL using too much server memory, too many MySQL slow queries, the famous Mysql server has gone away error and many other MySQL performance-related issues. As such, I wanted to share the solution to a common MySQL configuration mistake. […]
Could not increase number of max_open_files to more than… (Solution)
November 1, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxA quick solution to the warning “Could not increase number of max_open_files to more than” when starting MySQL or MariaDB. For some background, read How MySQL Opens and Closes Tables. Here’s an excerpt: “The table_open_cache and max_connections system variables affect the maximum number of files the server keeps open. If you increase one or both of […]
50 Top ‘Internet of Things’ Security Solutions
October 25, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxA couple of months back, I decided to maintain a list of companies that offer IoT (internet of things) security tools and solutions which you can find below. Feel free to share your solutions, feedback, and tips for securing IoT devices. Going forward, I will update this list continuously. A few key questions arose after […]
78% of the web powered by PHP, 1% on PHP 8
October 21, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxToday, PHP is used by almost 80% of all the websites whose server-side programming language we know. Popular websites such as Slack, Etsy, Wikipedia, WordPress, Mailchimp, Canva, Indeed, Investing.com, and others are powered by PHP. However, in the coming months, many websites that fail to upgrade to the latest version of PHP 8 will be […]
Linux Performance: Almost Always Add Swap. Part 2: ZRAM
October 18, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxPreviously, we looked at how swap space, particularly swapping, can severely slow down Linux performance. We then tweaked Linux kernel parameters to make better use of server memory and to avoid heavy swapping. That article created some debate and good arguments for and against swap space. For example, if you have more than enough memory […]
Zorin Linux – As a Windows OS (and MacOS) Replacement
October 18, 2021 by Hayden James, in Blog LinuxThis article has been edited and updated from the original 2014 article. Zorin Linux makes a great Windows OS replacement and now even MacOS replacement. Seven years later and I’m more confident about this recommendation. In the past, you’ve probably heard about or been affected by the retirement of Windows XP support on April 8, […]