Debian GNU/Linux System Administration Resources

How to setup Postgresql 9.1 Streaming Replication Debian Squeeze

2012-04-10T13:07:53Z

This is a short HOWTO on setting up a backported Postgresql 9.1 database with streaming replication on Debian Squeeze.

Isolating sudo messages from syslog

2012-03-12T09:58:44Z

sudo is an essential tool in an environment where there are multiple server and system administrators. By default sudo will log to syslog, and it is very straight-forward to isolate the logging to a local file which can be useful.

How to convert a Wheezy (or newer) system to btrfs

2012-03-07T11:16:08Z

Newer GRUBs can handle a /boot partition which is btrfs, so you need not have a separate /boot partition formatted as ext3/4.

How to set up dynamic DNS (DDNS) on WD My Book Live

2012-01-13T06:15:58Z

Western Digital's My Book Live runs on Debian Lenny. It is a pretty nice NAS missing one critical feature for which many people ask on-line: The ability to sit behind a home LAN router and update a dynamic DNS entry as many routers can do.

Installing Redmine with MySQL Thin and Redmine on Debian Squeeze

2011-12-09T08:54:47Z

Redmine (http://www.redmine.org/) is a web-based project management system, often called a forge, built using the Ruby on Rails (http://rubyonrails.org/) framework. It provides bug/issue tracking, time tracking, wiki pages, gantt charting and calendar, multiple project support, and role-based access control for users to name a few. This article will cover the process of installing Redmine on Debian Squeeze using MySQL for data storage, Thin for serving Ruby, and nginx as the outward-facing server.

Optimizing code via compiler flags

2011-09-12T19:12:40Z

When you're developing performance-critical code you will most likely receive performance increases in one of two ways; via the selection of the most appropriate algorithmic solution, or via the expense of additional hardware. Here we'll look at an interesting alternative - optimising via compiler flags.

A simple introduction to fabric

2011-08-01T18:48:32Z

fabric is described as a simple library and command-line tool for performing application deployment and system administration tasks. Here we'll take a look at using it to deploy simple applications remotely.

Extending a libvirt raw storage volume in Debian Squeeze

2011-06-23T10:22:14Z

This article takes you through the necessary steps to extend a raw libvirt storage volume that is part of a libvirt storage pool on a Debian Squeeze GNU/Linux system. A libvirt storage volume is essentially a virtual raw hard-disk image that is used by a virtual machine.

Cloning a Debian system - identical packages and versions

2011-06-15T19:14:38Z

I have long wished for the ability to install a Debian system specifying both the package list and the exact versions of the packages installed. dpkg --get-selections | ssh newhost dpkg --set-selections is useful but always chooses the latest version, and especially when using testing or unstable, it is sometimes necessary to temporarily downgrade a package from the latest version available.

Changing a users password inside a script

2011-05-30T15:05:45Z

In an ideal world you'd never need to change the password associated with a user account without using passwd, but there are times when it is helpful to script such things.