How to Configure a BIND Server on Ubuntu

DNS BIND

Introduction Within this article, we will configure a BIND server within Ubuntu. The advantages of having a local DNS server include: Reduced latency to DNS requests/responses Ability to add private addresses and full flexibility of zone names. Especially useful for VMware installations. It is important to note that the steps provided, are based on a quick setup. Due … Read more

How do I add a Space to Selected Lines within VIM?

Introduction Most likey there will be a time (for one reason or another) where you need to insert a number of spaces to a set of lines within a text file.Within this short article we will show you how via the use of VIM. Steps 1. Within VIM select blockwise visual mode, by pressing CTRL-V.2. … Read more

A Brief Explanation of Kernel Space and User Space

Introduction Within the Linux kernel, knowing how memory is separated is extremely important. As knowing what programs reside where, and the requirement on the system to move memory from one place to another, can provide a huge insight into the performance, or lack of, within a system. And when it comes to the world of … Read more

What is MacVTap?

Definition MacVTap is a Linux device driver, based upon the combination of – Macvlan and TAP (descriptions below), that allows for the creation of virtual (tap-like) interfaces. Each virtual network interface is assigned its own MAC and IP address, then attached to the physical interface (also know as the lower interface), Macvlan – Linux kernel … Read more

The Journey of a Frame through a Linux Based System

Abstract The scope of this article is to describe, at a high level, the journey a frame takes through a Linux based system. NOTE This article does not cover Linux kernel performance issues and caveats, for more information around this please see pushing the limits of kernel networking. Ingress Lets first look at the path … Read more

What is the Difference between Apt-get Upgrade and Update?

The other day I asked myself, What is the difference between apt-get update and apt-get upgrade? As I’m sure many other people, at some point may ask the same, I thought I would share the answer. Quite simply, apt-get update – updates the list of available packages, and their versions. However it does NOT upgrade … Read more

Yum Error: Thread died in Berkeley DB library | rpmdb open failed

Issue When executing Yum you receive the following error, [root@william-gce blog]# yum install npm rpmdb: Thread/process 3934/139752225695488 failed: Thread died in Berkeley DB library error: db3 error(-30974) from dbenv->failchk: DB_RUNRECOVERY: Fatal error, run database recovery error: cannot open Packages index using db3 – (-30974) error: cannot open Packages database in /var/lib/rpm CRITICAL:yum.main: Error: rpmdb open … Read more

A Beginners Guide to Git

What is Git? Git is a version control system that is used for software development and other version control tasks. As a distributed revision control system it is aimed at speed, data integrity, and support for distributed, non-linear workflows[1]. Create Repository To create a new repository, the command git init is used, within your directory. … Read more

How to Resolve a Git Merge Conflict from the Command Line

Git provides 3 types of merging, Fast-Forward, Automatic and Manual. A manual merge is required when git is unable to resolve any conflicts , this results in a merge conflict. Within this example we will generate a merge conflict and then manually resolve from within the command line. File First, lets look at the contents … Read more

How to Colorize the Git Output within your Shell

Git provides various global configuration options for colorizing the output.[1] In order to enable these options, run the following commands. This will, in turn update your ~/.gitconfig file. git config –global color.ui alwaysgit config –global color.branch alwaysgit config –global color.diff alwaysgit config –global color.interactive alwaysgit config –global color.status alwaysgit config –global color.grep alwaysgit config –global … Read more

How to Display your Local Git Branch in your BASH prompt

In order to make your life easier when working with git, this article provides the steps to display the current local git branch within your bash prompt. This not only saves you time, but also prevents the potential for human error by ensuring you are not making changes to the wrong branch. Download Script First … Read more

How to Set the Time Date and Timezone in Ubuntu

In this article we will show you how to set the time, date and timezone within Ubuntu. Steps Set the time zone Set the time and date Sync the hwclock with the current time and date Commands Below are the commands that are required. For the date command this will set the time and date … Read more

How to Configure the UFW Firewall

Introduction The Uncomplicated Firewall (ufw) is a frontend for iptables and is particularly well-suited for host-based firewalls. ufw provides a framework for managing netfilter, as well as a command-line interface for manipulating the firewall. ufw aims to provide an easy to use interface for people unfamiliar with firewall concepts, while at the same time simplifies … Read more

Linux Network Namespaces

The Linux Network Namespace (netns) is a feature within the 2.6.27+ Linux kernel. Normally a Linux process will run within a network namespace. By default this is inherited from its parent process. Network namespaces allow for the process to run within a different network namespace. This allows  for virtual instances of the Linux network stack … Read more

How do I install g++ via Yum ?

Issue How do you install g++ via Yum ? You may also be asking this due to receiving the following error when trying to compile from source, make[1]: g++: Command not found Solution To install g++ via yum run the command, yum install gcc-c++

How do I install node.js in Centos ?

Within this article we will show you how to compile node.js, version 0.10.25. Note : This article is meant as a quick, and short guide rather then full blown tutorial. Install Dependencies yum install bzip2 gcc gcc-c++ sqlite sqlite-devel Download wget http://nodejs.org/dist/v0.10.25/node-v0.10.25.tar.gz Extract tar xvfz node-v0.10.25.tar.gz cd node-v0.10.25 Compile ./configure make make install  

Connect to a serial device using a USB-to-Serial Convertor in Linux

For years, I had ran my Prolific USB to Serial cable from my Windows 32bit laptop without any issues. Unfortunately, life when running Windows is never easy. After upgrading Windows 7 to 64bit I tried to install the drivers from CNET downloads. This was a HUGE mistake. Even though the CNET downloader told me it … Read more

How to Fix Unreadable Directory Listings within Shell

You may find that when listing directories within the shell and when using a black background that the directory names aren’t clearly readable. To resolve this issue the following command and then log back in.  This command will issue a find and replace against the color setting (for directory listings) within the necessary configuration file. … Read more

Configuring SSL within Apache

Within this article we will show you how to configure Apache to serve your content over a SSL based connection using a self signed certificate. Generate Certificate/Key First of all we generate a self signed certificate using openssl. This will create 2 files, a public certificate and a private key. mkdir -p /opt/ssl/crt/cd /opt/ssl/crt/openssl req … Read more

What is a umask ?

The Umask (User Mask) is a UNIX function that is used to control the permission bitmask applied to newly created files and folders.The Umask value is subtracted from the default permission value. The resulting value is then assigned as the permission bitmask to the newly created file or folder. Note : The default permission values … Read more

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