nixCraft: Linux Tips, Hacks, Tutorials, And Ideas In Blog Format

5 Linux / Unix Commands For Connecting To The Serial Console

Most embedded Linux / BSD systems such as routers, servers and nas devices comes with console interface (serial port with RS-232). BIOS can uses this, and after boot BIOS screen I/O is redirected so that you can use the device. RS-232 is also used for communicating to headless server, where no monitor or keyboard is installed, during boot when operating system is not running yet and therefore no network connection is possible. You need to use a serial cable between your computer and embedded system or server. In this post I will cover five conman utilities used for serial communication under Linux / Unix / *BSD and Mac OS X.

Linux / Unix pv Command: Monitor Progress of Data Sent Via a Pipe

The pv command allows you to see the progress of data through a pipeline. It provides the following info:

Time elapsed
Percentage completed (with progress bar)
Current throughput rate
Total data transferred
ETA

Top 6 Open Source Disk Cloning and Imaging Softwares

Disk cloning is nothing but the process of copying the contents of one hard disk (or partition) to another disk or to an “image” file. I make backup regularly using rsnapshot tool, but I also clone my hard disk once or twice a month. This option allows me to restore my OS and installed software quickly. Linux comes with various utilities for performing disk cloning. In this post, I’m going to list my favourite open source disk cloning softwares that has saved my butt multiple times.

Linux pidstat Command: Get Statistics For Individual Tasks / Process

Process identifier (PID) is a number used by Linux / Unix kernels (and Windows operating systems) to identify a process. Usually, new processes are created using the fork() system call. Each PID (or so called tasks) can be monitored under Linux. In this quick tutorial, I will explain how to use the pidstat command for monitoring individual tasks currently being managed by the Linux kernel.

Amazon Glacier: Cloud Storage For Archives And Backups Launched

Amazon web services (AWS) launched a new service called Amazon Glacier. You can use this service for archiving mission-critical data and backups in a reliable way in an enterprise IT or for personal usage. This service cost as low as $0.01 (one US penny, one one-hundredth of a dollar) per Gigabyte, per month. You can store a lot of data in various geographically distinct facilities and verifying hardware or data integrity, irrespective of the length of your retention periods. The first thing comes to mind is, the Glacier would be a good place for a backup off family photos and videos from my local 12TB nas.

Linux Firefox X11: Turn On 3D View Button

Mozilla Firefox version 11.x+ has support for 3D view. It is a WebGL based website visualization tool that highlights page structure. You can see relationship between your code and the page output by stacking elements as they are nested in the DOM and lets you see elements that are hidden or off the page. You can zoom in and out, rotate and pan the view to see the page from any angle that is helpful to you. In this blog post I will explain how to enable 3D view on X11. Please note that the 3D view is not for your daily browsing needs. It is useful for finding out bugs such as nesting issues or even XSS vulnerabilities. Personally, I use 3D view as a tool to understand divs, spans, and other elements on the page.

ls* Commands Are Even More Useful Than You May Have Thought

Everything is a file under Linux and ls* and friends can help you to dig out more information from the system than you originally thought.

Debian Linux Install Avant: A MacOS X Like Panel for GNOME Desktop

Avant Window Navigator (AWN or Awn) is a fully customisable dock-like bar for the GNOME desktop environment.This quick blog post explains how to install and use Avant Window Navigator (AWN) under Debian Linux 6.x+.

Happy System Administrator Appreciation Day – 2012

Tomorrow is a SysAdmin appreciation day. The holiday exists to show appreciation for the work of sysadmins and other IT professionals. It is celebrated on the last Friday in July i.e. Friday, July 27, 2012, is the 13th annual System Administrator Appreciation Day.

Why Valve Wants to Port 2500 Games on Linux?

Gabe Newell is the co-founder and managing director of the video game development and online distribution company called Valve Corporation. He want to port 2500 game titles on Linux. But, why? First, Gabe hates Windows 8. He recently made a rare appearance last night at Casual Connect, an annual videogame conference in Seattle.

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