Linux Kernel Parameters Tuning for Better Performance
This morning I sat down to update my Kali workstation running XFCE4, and instead of a quick sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y I ended up reinstalling from scratch. Took about…
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Linux ssh-keygen: Set Up SSH Key Authentication the Right Way
Password-based SSH login is convenient. It’s also one of the fastest ways to get a server compromised. Stand up a VPS with a public IP and password auth left on, then tail the…
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Nginx tuning tips: HTTPS/TLS – Turbocharge TTFB/Latency
Nginx TLS tuning won’t fix a slow application, but it does cut handshake overhead and improve connection reuse, which shaves milliseconds off every HTTPS request. This guide covers the TLS, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3…
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Linux: Guide to useradd, usermod, and groupadd
User and group management is one of those sysadmin fundamentals you touch constantly without always thinking about it. Creating a service account, locking down a shared server, adding a new team member, adjusting…
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Linux Network Bonding: Combine Network Interfaces
Two network interfaces are better than one. With Linux network bonding (also known as NIC bonding or link aggregation), you can combine multiple NICs into a single logical interface, gaining either increased throughput,…
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Fail2ban on Linux: Protect Your Server from Brute-Force Attacks
Every Linux server exposed to the internet is getting hammered. SSH brute-force attempts, WordPress login floods, bad bots probing your web server. It never stops. If you check your auth logs right now,…
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nmap on Linux: Guide to Network Scanning and Discovery
nmap is one of those tools every sysadmin eventually needs. For auditing servers, mapping out a home lab, or troubleshooting a connectivity issue, knowing how to use nmap properly saves a lot of…
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Linux Log Files: Guide to Reading, Searching, and Managing Logs
If something breaks on a Linux system, logs are almost always the first place to look. Yet many users treat log files as a last resort, digging through them only when things go…
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After 20 Years of Linux Desktop, I Learned Cadence Matching
After twenty years on the Linux desktop, more than a dozen distros, multiple desktop environments, a seven-year tiling window manager phase, and one detour through whatever I thought of as the stable answer…
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systemd Services: Writing, Managing, and Troubleshooting Unit Files on Linux
If you’ve been using Linux for any length of time, you’ve run systemctl start or systemctl enable without thinking much about what’s happening underneath. systemd is the init system on almost every major…
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DistroWatch: Why Most People Misunderstand the Linux Rankings
If you spend any time in Linux forums, you’ve seen DistroWatch’s Page Hit Ranking cited as proof one distro is “more popular” than another. It isn’t. The DistroWatch Page Hit Ranking (PHR) is…
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Why VRAM Can Ruin Your Linux Desktop Experience on Thin and Light Laptops
If the Linux desktop and applications on your thin and light laptop or low-end PC feel sluggish under a busy session, the usual suspects are slow storage R/W, not enough RAM, or occasionally…
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Bash Aliases: Speed Up Your Linux Workflow (Updated with Zsh)
Every sysadmin has a set of commands they type dozens of times per day. Long ssh strings, grep pipelines, systemctl restarts, directory jumps. You type them, you forget a flag, you retype them….
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A New Home for MATE Desktop Users and Some Long Overdue Forum Updates
A few days ago I received an email from Eric Marceau, a longtime member of the ubuntu-mate.community forum, reaching out to ask whether LinuxCommunity.io would be willing to accommodate a group for MATE…
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strace: Trace System Calls and Debug Processes on Linux
The strace command in Linux separates the sysadmins who guess from the ones who actually know what’s happening. When a process misbehaves, hangs, eats CPU, or refuses to start, strace shows you exactly…
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Linux Server Setup – Part 1: A Beginner’s Guide
Setting up a Linux server is one of the best ways to learn Linux and server management hands-on. Linux servers offer unmatched flexibility, performance, and control for hosting services, running applications, supporting production…
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Why Small VPSs Feel Slower Than They Used To
Servers aren’t what they used to be. If you’ve spun up a small VPS (Virtual Private Server) recently and felt underwhelmed by its snappiness, you’re not alone. A basic 1-core CPU with 1…
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9 Most Stable Linux “Rolling Release” Distributions
Choosing a rolling release Linux distribution means you get the latest software without having to reinstall the OS. But not all Linux rolling releases are created equal in terms of stability. Hopefully, this…
