MPlayer and mencoder are obsolete. FFmpeg and mpv (the actively maintained fork of MPlayer) are the standard tools for video manipulation on Linux systems today. While some MPlayer syntax still works in mpv, FFmpeg is more performant, better documented, and handles modern codecs reliably. This guide covers practical tasks using FFmpeg and mpv, with mpv…
You may need to prevent certain packages from being updated during system maintenance—the kernel on production servers, or specific library versions you’ve carefully tuned. When you run dnf update or yum update, you want those packages skipped entirely. The solution is straightforward: add an exclusion to DNF or YUM’s configuration file. Configuration Syntax Add this…
On Fedora/RHEL-based systems: dnf install ecryptfs-utils On Debian/Ubuntu: apt-get install ecryptfs-utils Load the kernel module modprobe ecryptfs To ensure the module loads automatically on boot, add it to /etc/modules-load.d/: echo “ecryptfs” | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/ecryptfs.conf Create directories You’ll need two directories: one for encrypted storage (.private) and one as the mount point (private). The .private…
Firefox performance on Linux can be significantly improved through configuration tuning. Most of these settings apply across platforms, though this guide focuses on Linux-specific considerations. Network Pipelining HTTP pipelining allows Firefox to send multiple requests on a single connection before waiting for responses. Modern HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 handle multiplexing more efficiently, but pipelining can still…
Xen remains a production hypervisor for enterprise deployments (AWS EC2, Citrix Hypervisor), though KVM has become the default for most Linux distributions. If you’re deploying Xen in 2026, you’ll likely be working with recent stable releases rather than the legacy versions covered in older guides. This guide covers building a modern Xen Dom0 environment on…
rsync is a reliable choice for backing up your Linux home directory, especially when dealing with large files and incremental changes. Unlike git (which struggles with files >5GB), rsync efficiently handles large files and only transfers what’s changed on subsequent runs. Basic Backup Command The fundamental syntax is straightforward: rsync -avxP \ /path/to/directory/to/backup \ /path/to/directory/for/storing/backup…
Installing the NVIDIA driver on Fedora via akmod (automatic kernel module) is the cleanest approach when using RPM Fusion. The driver rebuilds automatically whenever the kernel updates, saving you manual reinstalls. Prerequisites First, verify your GPU is supported. Check the NVIDIA driver support matrix for your hardware. Most consumer and professional cards from the past…
This post analyzes I/O performance between loopback and blktap backends for Xen file-backed virtual block devices (VBDs), based on testing from 2013. While Xen remains in production use (AWS EC2, Citrix Hypervisor), most Linux deployments now default to KVM. For modern virtualization needs, consider KVM/libvirt or container solutions like Docker and Kubernetes. This post is…
DNS caching helps reduce lookups but sometimes you need to clear it after DNS changes, certificate updates, or to troubleshoot resolution issues. Modern Linux with systemd-resolved Most contemporary Linux distributions use systemd-resolved as the default DNS resolver. Flush the cache with: sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved Or use the resolvectl command: sudo resolvectl flush-caches To verify…
This article documents performance benchmarks for Xen virtualization, comparing CPU and memory performance between Dom0 (privileged domain), DomU (unprivileged guest), and bare metal. While Xen remains in production use (AWS EC2, Citrix Hypervisor, Oracle Cloud), most Linux distributions default to KVM for new deployments. For contemporary virtualization needs, evaluate both Xen and KVM based on…
Fedora 中文字体的显示一直是个常见问题，特别是在英文环境中。通过合理的字体配置，可以获得清晰舒适的中文显示效果。本文介绍的方案使用开源字体，这些字体在 Fedora 的标准仓库中都可以获得。 快速配置 如果你只想快速完成配置，运行以下命令： sudo dnf install cjkuni-ukai-fonts cjkuni-uming-fonts sudo wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zma/config_files/master/others/local.conf \ -O /etc/fonts/local.conf 这会安装文鼎楷体和文鼎明体，并配置字体渲染优先级。注销后重新登录即可生效。 推荐字体包 Fedora 仓库中提供了多个中文字体包： 基础中文字体： # 文鼎明体 — 适合正文阅读，清晰度高 sudo dnf install cjkuni-uming-fonts # 文鼎楷体 — 适合标题和打印 sudo dnf install cjkuni-ukai-fonts Google Noto 字体（推荐）： # Noto Sans CJK — 现代、清晰、覆盖全面 sudo dnf install google-noto-sans-cjk-fonts # Noto Serif CJK…
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…