ISO images are sector-by-sector copies of optical media stored as binary files. They’re useful for archiving DVDs or creating portable copies without keeping physical disks around. On Linux, several tools can accomplish this—dd is the simplest, but modern alternatives offer better features. Using dd to Create an ISO Image The most straightforward approach uses dd:…
Installing NVIDIA drivers on Fedora is straightforward when using RPM Fusion repositories. This guide covers modern Fedora releases (39+) using DNF package management. Prerequisites Before starting, determine which driver your GPU requires. Check the NVIDIA driver download page or use this command to identify your GPU: lspci | grep -i nvidia For newer GPUs (Maxwell…
Compiz Fusion is a lightweight 3D window manager and compositing system that can replace your standard window manager. While it’s rarely the default choice on modern Fedora installations, it remains available for users who want its visual effects and functionality. Note: Compiz development has slowed significantly. Most Fedora users today use Wayland-based desktops (GNOME, KDE…
The default number of loop devices on most Linux systems is 8, which is often insufficient for scenarios like running multiple virtual machines with loop device-backed storage, containerized environments, or disk image management. If you need more than the default allocation, you’ll need to increase max_loop. First, check your current loop device count: losetup -f…
DNS lookups can be a bottleneck in Firefox browsing performance. Here are practical methods to optimize DNS resolution and related network behavior. Disable IPv6 (if not needed) If your network doesn’t use IPv6, disabling it can eliminate unnecessary lookup delays. In Firefox, navigate to about:config and set these preferences: network.dns.disableIPv6 → true This prevents Firefox…
Xen remains a robust hypervisor for production environments—AWS EC2, Citrix Hypervisor, and many hosting providers still rely on it. However, KVM has become the default for most Linux distributions due to simpler management and better integration with standard tooling. For new deployments on standard Linux, evaluate KVM with libvirt or container solutions like Docker and…
To connect to HKUST’s sMobileNet wireless network via NetworkManager, you’ll need to configure WPA2 Enterprise authentication with PEAP. This guide covers the required settings. Network Settings Configure the following parameters in NetworkManager: Basic Settings: SSID: sMobileNet Wireless security: WPA & WPA2 Enterprise Authentication method: Protected EAP (PEAP) Authentication Details: Anonymous identity: (leave empty) PEAP version:…
Configuring proper Chinese character rendering in Fedora requires attention to font selection and system settings. This guide covers configuration for contemporary Fedora/RHEL systems where you run an English locale but need reliable Chinese character display. Font Selection You have several solid open-source options for Chinese fonts. Each has different characteristics suited to different use cases….
Customizing your desktop environment to match macOS aesthetics remains popular on Linux, though the approach differs significantly from GNOME 2 era configurations. Modern desktop environments like GNOME (40+) and KDE Plasma (5/6) use different theming systems, but achieving an Apple-inspired look is still straightforward. Current Desktop Environment Options GNOME 40+ uses CSS-based theming and GTK…
Converting audio tracks from video files is useful for extracting soundtracks, creating audio-only versions for podcasts, or generating files optimized for audio playback. While MPlayer was historically used for this task, ffmpeg is now the standard tool—it’s actively maintained, more efficient, and handles both extraction and encoding in one step. Installation Install ffmpeg on your…
Free virtualization on Linux has multiple solid options. While VMware Player is still available, QEMU combined with libvirt has become the standard approach for most sysadmins. This guide covers creating VM disk images and configurations that work across multiple hypervisors. Creating Virtual Disk Images The first step is creating a virtual disk. QEMU’s qemu-img tool…
Split the current window horizontally: Ctrl-W Ctrl-S Switch between windows: Ctrl-W Ctrl-W ” toggle to next window Ctrl-W j ” move to window below Ctrl-W k ” move to window above Ctrl-W h ” move to window left Ctrl-W l ” move to window right Rotate window positions: Ctrl-W Ctrl-R ” rotate clockwise Ctrl-W Ctrl-X…
Modern GNOME uses dconf as its configuration backend, replacing the older GConf system. Whether you’re managing a single workstation or deploying across multiple systems, understanding dconf and gsettings is essential for customizing GNOME environments efficiently. Understanding the Configuration Stack GNOME’s configuration hierarchy works like this: dconf — the low-level database storing all settings gsettings —…
Mounting an ISO on Linux requires a loop device. Modern systems support this directly with mount: sudo mount -o loop /path/to/image.iso /mnt/mount-point Or use the -t iso9660 option for explicit filesystem specification: sudo mount -t iso9660 -o loop /path/to/image.iso /mnt/mount-point To unmount: sudo umount /mnt/mount-point For temporary mounts that don’t require persistence across reboots, consider…
After running on MediaWiki, we migrated back to WordPress. Both platforms have their strengths, but WordPress proved to be the better fit for our site’s goals. What WordPress Does Better for This Site Plugin Ecosystem and Content Discovery WordPress’s plugin landscape is significantly deeper than MediaWiki’s. The YARPP (Yet Another Related Posts) plugin and its…
Crontab controls what runs and when. Each crontab entry has this format: .—————- minute (0-59) | .————- hour (0-23) | | .———- day of month (1-31) | | | .——- month (1-12) OR jan,feb,mar,apr … | | | | .—- day of week (0-6) (Sunday=0 or 7) OR sun,mon,tue … | | | | |…
File compression is a routine task in Linux administration. You’ll encounter several tools, each with different tradeoffs between compression ratio, speed, and compatibility. This guide covers the most common compression formats: gzip, bzip2, 7z, xz, and zip. The examples below assume you’re compressing a directory called dir. Each tool supports compression level options — you…
Andrew Fikes, Principal Engineer at Google, presented on storage architecture and the fundamental challenges that emerge when operating at scale. The presentation from the 2010 Faculty Summit remains relevant for understanding how distributed storage systems must be designed and the trade-offs inherent in large-scale deployments. Core Storage Challenges at Scale Google’s storage systems had to…
Jeff Dean’s “Designs, Lessons and Advice from Building Large Distributed Systems” is essential reading for anyone building or operating distributed infrastructure. This talk, presented at multiple conferences including LADIS and various tech events, distills decades of experience at Google and now at Google Research. If you’re designing systems that scale beyond a single machine, you…
MapReduce remains a foundational programming model for processing large-scale distributed datasets, though its role has evolved alongside modern data processing frameworks. Hadoop implementations and other MapReduce systems require objective performance evaluation to guide infrastructure decisions and optimization efforts. PUMA (Princeton University MapReduce Benchmark) is a comprehensive benchmark suite developed by Faraz Ahmad and colleagues to…