Unix as a Second Language

RSS Link

Sandra Henry-Stocker has been administering Unix systems for more than 25 years. She describes herself as "USL" (Unix as a second language) but remembers enough English to write books and buy groceries. She currently works for TeleCommunication Systems -- a company that builds innovative technologies to make critical connections happen -- where no one else necessarily shares any of her opinions. This blog offers advice for everyday Unix systems administration and some clever ways to approach more challenging problems. Send comments and suggestions to mailto:bugfarm@gmail.com.

by Sandra Henry-Stocker

Trusted Voice

  • How to harden your RHEL 5 servers

    Posted Dec 17, 2012 - 09:03 pm

    Hardening tips for Unix systems have been issued for decades, but when's the last time you stopped to review how your servers stack up against the latest advice from the sages? Let's check out some of the recommendations provided for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and see what you might gain or lose by implementing them.

  • Why SELinux is more work, but well worth the trouble

    Posted Dec 24, 2012 - 05:09 pm

    Complexity isn't all bad. Sometimes it comes with a tremendous boon to security. Are you ready to cozy up to SELinux? Maybe it's time.

  • Unix tip: Using Bash's regular expressions

    Posted May 05, 2013 - 08:37 pm

    Bash has quietly made scripting on Unix systems a lot easier with its own regular expressions. If you're still leaning on grep and sed commands to get your scripts to do what you need from them, maybe it's time to look into what bash can do on its own.

  • Python for kids ... and adults intimidated by the very idea of programming

    Posted Dec 29, 2012 - 05:32 pm

    If you love Unix but fear programming or have a kid who you'd like to convince that programming is fun, here's a book you really should consider.

  • How to freeze Unix accounts

    Posted Jan 07, 2013 - 08:31 pm

    Before the chilly winds of a RIF blow in your direction or a pile of your friends take off for greener pastures, you need to be prepared with an easy way to freeze account and preserve what might be of value in the abandoned home directories. In today's post, we'll look at some commands for inactivating accounts on Unix systems and provide some starter scripts for you to adapt to your environment.

  • How to wrap your brain around CIDR

    Posted Jan 13, 2013 - 10:37 pm

    If you're only comfortable with CIDR when the / is followed by a multiple of 8, a quick refresher on how the numbers work might be just what you need for a balmy January afternoon.

  • Maybe you should read the Bad Data Handbook

    Posted Jan 21, 2013 - 07:02 pm

    Planning to spend the next six months fighting with troublesome data that you might have to scrub, decode, reformat, store, classify, annotate, visualize, analyze, explain, report and then start all over again? Maybe you should first get some advice from others who have been there, done that.

  • So you want to be a Unix sysadmin?

    Posted Apr 07, 2013 - 10:41 pm

    A number of people have asked recently what it takes to be a Unix systems administrator, what “core competencies” are required, and what are the best and worst aspects of the job. Here are some answers that might work once we get beyond “it depends”.

  • The beauty of hard links

    Posted Jan 27, 2013 - 06:08 pm

    Hard links are not called "hard" because they're difficult. They're just ... mildly elusive. Read on and find out why one long-time Unix admin thinks hard links are the penguin's meow.

  • Counting processors on your Linux box

    Posted Feb 04, 2013 - 11:52 am

    The quickest way to determine what and how many processors are installed on a Linux system is to turn to the mighty gateway of kernel data -- the /proc pseudo-filesystem. In it, you'll find a file called /proc/cpuinfo that provides a lot of information in the processors in your system. Read on to see how easily you can get answers to questions and an explanation of what those answers really tell you.

Join today!

See more content

Answers - Powered by ITworld

ITworld Answers helps you solve problems and share expertise. Ask a question or take a crack at answering the new questions below.

Do you choose companies based on how they respond to government demands for data?
0 answers
How to use time machine to restore a partition in OS X Mountain Lion?
0 answers
Is the Facebook phone a failure?
0 answers
More questions

Unix as a Second Language Archive

See all blogs
2013
May (1)
April (4)
March (5)
February (4)
January (4)
2012
December (5)
November (4)
October (5)
September (4)
August (4)
Ask a Question