Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins – Part 5

This is the final part of the five-part series entitled: Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins. So far, we’ve covered over 50  commands regularly used by Linux sysadmins and power users. Refer to part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4. This article will look into another set of commands and command-line tools […]

90 Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins

If you are interested in Linux commands frequently used by Linux sysadmins and power users, you’ve come to the place. I’ve published this five-part series covering commands often used by Linux sysadmins. Below, I’ve listed over 90 Linux commands with links to each of the five articles in this series – click on each subheading. […]

Could not increase number of max_open_files to more than… (Solution)

A 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 […]

Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins – Part 4

We are now up to part 4 of this five-part series entitled: Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins. By the end of this series, we will cover at least 50 commands. Thus far, we have touched on around 60 commands often used by Linux Sysadmins and power users. Refer also to part 1, part […]

atop – For Linux server performance analysis

We’re all familiar with top, a real-time system monitor. Some prefer htop and previously, I mentioned iotop for use with storage read/write monitoring. Let’s look at another popular tool for Linux server performance analysis: atop.   Advantages of atop Atop is an ASCII full-screen performance monitor which can log and report the activity of all server […]

Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins – Part 3

Last week and the week before, I published part 1 and part 2 of this five-part series entitled: Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins. Those two articles took us a bit deeper into what I believe are around 50 to 100 commands often used by Linux Sysadmins and power users. Also, see Part 4 and Part 5. […]

Choosing the Best Linux Server Distro 2023

Are you in the process of choosing a Linux server distro (distribution) for your next project? This article will help you decide by pointing out the strengths of the top Linux server distributions in contention. If you are looking for a Linux desktop distro, look at this post instead: Choosing the Best Linux Distro for […]

Enable Automatic Updates – Fedora/Red Hat + Bonus Tip

Linux server security is crucial to Linux server administration. Part of keeping Linux servers secure is installing security updates shortly after they become available. Too often, compromised servers are a result of pending security updates awaiting manual installation. In general, for critical servers where you cannot afford unplanned downtime should be very careful with automatic updates. While there are […]

Linux Performance: Almost Always Add Swap. Part 2: ZRAM

Previously, we looked at how swap space, particularly swapping, can severely slow down Linux performance. We then tweaked Linux kernel parameters to better use server memory and 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 available, wouldn’t it […]

Using CentOS CR (Continuous Release) Repo

CentOS (Community Enterprise Operating System) is a Linux distribution that attempts to provide free, enterprise-class, community-supported computing platform functionally compatible with its upstream source, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). CentOS is run by volunteers who work directly with Red Hat’s RPM source files and pushing them to CentOS for release. At times the project will fall behind […]