Issue #139 / Jun 2012

SYSADMIN: Customizing PortSentry

Do you have a sentry to keep an eye on your servers?

PortSentry monitors your ports and lets you know when they’ve been scanned.

KNOW-HOW: Remote Launcher

Controlling PCs with an Android smartphone

Did you leave your system running? Did you forget to start a critical backup? Control your Linux computer from anywhere with an Android phone.

KNOW-HOW: LibreOffice 3.5

New LibreOffice import filters

PowerPoint shapes. We investigate how the two office modules work together.

KNOW-HOW: Ask Klaus!

Klaus Knopper answers your Linux questions

Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine.com

KNOW-HOW: System Diagnosis Tools

Tune in to your system with these popular diagnostic tools

To check on the health of a Linux system, administrators can turn to vmstat, iostat, netstat, and ifstat. Or, you can just use the versatile dstat, which combines the features of several tools in a single package.

KNOW-HOW: LXC: Linux Containers

Virtualization with LXC

LXC is fully integrated into the kernel, providing a fast and easy approach to virtualizing individual programs and whole systems on Linux without the need for patches and additional modules.

SYSADMIN: Charly's Column: Pktstat

The sys admin’s daily grind – Pktstat

When it comes to daily tasks such as monitoring network traffic, administrators should choose a tool that is sufficiently functional and not too complicated.

SYSADMIN: Glogg

Searching in large logfiles with Glogg

Programmers and Linux administrators appreciate the benefits of event logs. The Glogg tool is the perfect choice for searching even large logfiles.

SYSADMIN: Security Lessons: Admin Automation

Deploying with confidence

Combining Puppet, Foreman, Pulp, Candlepin, and Katello lets you deploy software and servers automatically and securely.

PROGRAMMING: Perl: Slurping Kindle Highlights

Extract the highlights stored on an Amazon Kindle from a Linux machine

On the Amazon Kindle eBook reader, you can save personal clippings, or “highlights,” in a file; later, you can connect the Kindle to a USB port on a Linux machine and grab the data with a Perl script that stores it in a database.