Linux Basics

Introduction> Introduction # Emacs is one of the oldest and most versatile text editors. The GNU Emacs version was originally written in 1984 and is well known for its powerful and rich editing features.

To ensure that the most imperative programs remain online as much as possible (even after a server crash or reboot), one can create a short bash script to check if the program is running, and if it is not, to launch it.

Status: Deprecated> Status: Deprecated # This article is deprecated and no longer maintained. It may still be useful as a reference, but may not be up to date with the latest best practices.

Introduction> Introduction # Linux is, by definition, a multi-user OS that is based on the Unix concepts of file ownership and permissions to provide security at the file system level. To reliably administer a cloud server, it is essential that you have a decent understanding of how ownership and permissions work.

Introduction> Introduction # Package management is one of the fundamental features of a Linux system. The packaging format and the package management tools differ from distribution to distribution, but most distributions use one of two core sets of tools.

Introduction> Introduction # In a previous tutorial, we discussed how the ps, kill, and nice commands can be used to control processes on your system. This guide highlights how bash, the Linux system, and your terminal come together to offer process and job control.

Status: Deprecated> Status: Deprecated # This article covers a version of Ubuntu that is no longer supported. If you are currently operate a server running Ubuntu 12.04, we highly recommend upgrading or migrating to a supported version of Ubuntu:

Introduction> Introduction # The Ubuntu operating system’s most recent Long Term Support version, version 16.04 (Xenial Xerus), was released on April 21, 2016. This guide is intended as a brief overview of new features and significant changes to the system as a whole, since 14.

Introduction> Introduction # FTP, the File Transfer Protocol, was a popular, unencrypted method of transferring files between two remote systems. As of 2022, it has been deprecated by most modern software due to a lack of security, and can mostly only be used in legacy applications.

Introduction> Introduction # LVM, or Logical Volume Management, is a storage device management technology that gives users the power to pool and abstract the physical layout of component storage devices for easier and flexible administration.

Introduction> Introduction # Adding and removing users on a Linux system is one of the most important system administration tasks to familiarize yourself with. When you create a new system, you are often only given access to the root account by default.

Introduction> Introduction # After setting up the bare minimum configuration for a new server, there are some additional steps that are highly recommended in most cases. In this guide, we’ll continue the configuration of our servers by tackling some recommended, but optional procedures.

Introduction> Introduction # Increasingly, Linux distributions are adopting the systemd init system. This powerful suite of software can manage many aspects of your server, from services to mounted devices and system states.

Introduction> Introduction # This tutorial, which is the first in a series that teaches Linux fundamentals, covers getting started with the terminal, the Linux command line, and executing commands. If you are new to Linux, you will want to familiarize yourself with the terminal, as it is the standard way to interact with a Linux server.

[*]Introduction[*] Privilege separation is one of the fundamental security paradigms implemented in Linux and Unix-like operating systems. Regular users operate with limited privileges in order to reduce the scope of their influence to their own environment, and not the wider operating system.

Introduction> Introduction # Linux is known for having a great number of mature, useful command line utilities available out of the box in most distributions. Often, system administrators can do much of their work using the built-in tools without having to install additional software.

Introduction> Introduction # Linux utilities often follow the Unix philosophy of design. Tools are encouraged to be small, use plain text files for input and output, and operate in a modular manner.

Status: Deprecated> Status: Deprecated # This article covers a version of Ubuntu that is no longer supported. If you are currently operate a server running Ubuntu 12.04, we highly recommend upgrading or migrating to a supported version of Ubuntu:

Introduction> Introduction # Ubuntu has two types of releases, standard and Long Term Support (or “LTS”). Standard updates are released every six months and receive security updates from Ubuntu for at least nine months, while LTS updates are released every two years and are supported for at least five years.

Introduction> Introduction # The more you operate on the command line, the more you will find that the majority of the commands you use are a very small subset of the available commands.