Server Administration

You are reading Part 8 of the 57-part series: Harden and Secure Linux Servers. [Level 1] This series covers progressive security measures, from fundamental hardening techniques to enterprise-grade defense strategies. Each article delves into a specific security practice, explaining its importance and providing step-by-step guidance for implementation. To explore more security best practices, visit the main guide for a full breakdown of all levels and recommendations. File permissions control who can read, write, or execute files on your Linux server. If sensitive files, such as SSH configuration files or log files, have weak permissions, attackers or unauthorized users co…

You are reading Part 7 of the 57-part series: Harden and Secure Linux Servers. [Level 1] This series covers progressive security measures, from fundamental hardening techniques to enterprise-grade defense strategies. Each article delves into a specific security practice, explaining its importance and providing step-by-step guidance for implementation. To explore more security best practices, visit the main guide for a full breakdown of all levels and recommendations. Every running service on your Linux server can be a potential entry point for attackers. The more services you have enabled, the greater the attack surface. Disabling unnecessary services helps improve securi…

You are reading Part 6 of the 57-part series: Harden and Secure Linux Servers. [Level 1] This series covers progressive security measures, from fundamental hardening techniques to enterprise-grade defense strategies. Each article delves into a specific security practice, explaining its importance and providing step-by-step guidance for implementation. To explore more security best practices, visit the main guide for a full breakdown of all levels and recommendations. Fail2Ban is a security tool that protects your Linux server from brute-force attacks by automatically blocking IP addresses after multiple failed login attempts. This prevents attackers from repeatedly trying…

You are reading Part 5 of the 57-part series: Harden and Secure Linux Servers. [Level 1] This series covers progressive security measures, from fundamental hardening techniques to enterprise-grade defense strategies. Each article delves into a specific security practice, explaining its importance and providing step-by-step guidance for implementation. To explore more security best practices, visit the main guide for a full breakdown of all levels and recommendations. A firewall acts as a protective barrier between your server and the outside world, controlling incoming and outgoing traffic. It helps block unauthorized access, reduces the risk of cyberattacks, and ensures …

You are reading Part 4 of the 57-part series: Harden and Secure Linux Servers. [Level 1] This series covers progressive security measures, from fundamental hardening techniques to enterprise-grade defense strategies. Each article delves into a specific security practice, explaining its importance and providing step-by-step guidance for implementation. To explore more security best practices, visit the main guide for a full breakdown of all levels and recommendations. Software vulnerabilities are constantly discovered and exploited by attackers. Updates include security patches that fix known vulnerabilities, preventing hackers from exploiting weaknesses in your system. Ke…

You are reading Part 3 of the 57-part series: Harden and Secure Linux Servers. [Level 1] This series covers progressive security measures, from fundamental hardening techniques to enterprise-grade defense strategies. Each article delves into a specific security practice, explaining its importance and providing step-by-step guidance for implementation. To explore more security best practices, visit the main guide for a full breakdown of all levels and recommendations. Weak passwords are one of the easiest ways for attackers to gain unauthorized access to your system. If users create simple or easily guessed passwords, they are vulnerable to brute-force attacks and credenti…

You are reading Part 2 of the 57-part series: Harden and Secure Linux Servers. [Level 1] This series covers progressive security measures, from fundamental hardening techniques to enterprise-grade defense strategies. Each article delves into a specific security practice, explaining its importance and providing step-by-step guidance for implementation. To explore more security best practices, visit the main guide for a full breakdown of all levels and recommendations. Password-based authentication is a weak point in server security because passwords can be guessed, stolen, or brute-forced. SSH key pairs provide a much stronger authentication method by using a public-privat…

You are reading Part 1 of the 57-part series: Harden and Secure Linux Servers. [Level 1] This series covers progressive security measures, from fundamental hardening techniques to enterprise-grade defense strategies. Each article delves into a specific security practice, explaining its importance and providing step-by-step guidance for implementation. To explore more security best practices, visit the main guide for a full breakdown of all levels and recommendations. The root user has unrestricted access to the entire system, making it a high-value target for attackers. If an attacker gains access to the root account, they can control everything on the server. Disabling d…

Apache Maven 🔗 is a powerful build automation tool primarily designed for Java projects. As a comprehensive software project management and comprehension tool, Maven provides developers with a unified platform to manage a project's build, reporting, and documentation. It is based on the concept of a Project Object Model (POM), which acts as a central piece of information to simplify project management. What is Apache Maven? Introduced by the Apache Software Foundation, Maven addresses the challenges of managing complex Java projects by streamlining the build process and providing a consistent project structure. The tool not only manages project builds but also ha…

Apache Ant 🔗 is a powerful automation build tool, similar in concept to the traditional Make utility. It is a Java-based library and command-line tool whose primary mission is to drive processes described in build files as targets and extension points dependent upon each other. Designed to simplify the process of building, testing, and deploying software, Apache Ant is a go-to solution for developers working with Java applications. What is Apache Ant? Apache Ant (Another Neat Tool) was developed as a replacement for the Make build tool, aiming to address the platform dependency issues inherent in Make. Written entirely in Java, Ant is platform-independent and lev…

RHEL 8 (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) is a robust and secure operating system, but like any system, it can present challenges. Below, we explore ten common issues and provide actionable solutions with detailed explanations suitable for beginners. 1. Dependency Resolution Errors During Software Installation Problem: When using dnf or yum, you might encounter errors like: Error: Package dependency conflicts Cause: Missing or conflicting dependencies in the repository. Solution: Clear the DNF or YUM cache and retry: sudo dnf clean all sudo dnf update sudo dnf install <package> This ensures that outdated or corrupted cache file…

Nix-OS introduces a unique concept of declarative configuration, enabling precise system reproduction and rollback capabilities. By isolating dependencies akin to container formats, Nix-OS minimizes conflicts and ensures consistent system behavior. This approach is invaluable for cloud providers and desktop users alike. The ability to roll back to previous states effortlessly provides added security and convenience, especially for administrators managing complex environments.

OpenSUSE Leap 16 will adopt an “immutable” Linux architecture, focusing on a write-protected base system for enhanced security and stability. Software delivery via isolated containers, such as Flatpaks, will align the distribution with cloud and automated management trends. While this model enhances security, it may limit flexibility for desktop users who prefer customizable systems. Nevertheless, openSUSE's focus on enterprise and cloud environments ensures it remains a leader in innovation for automated and secure Linux systems.

Debian's regular two-year release cycle ensures a steady stream of updates, with version 13 (“Trixie”) expected in 2025, following the 2023 release of “Bookworm.” Debian 13 will retain support for 32-bit processors but drop very old I386 CPUs in favor of i686 or newer. This shift reflects the aging of these processors, which date back over 25 years. Supporting modern hardware allows Debian to maintain its reputation for stability and reliability. As a foundational distribution, Debian's updates ripple across numerous derivatives, including Antix, MX Linux, and Tails, ensuring widespread impact in the Linux ecosystem.

Ubuntu Support for Ubuntu 20.04 ends in April 2025, unless users opt for the Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) via Ubuntu Pro. This means systems running this version will no longer receive security updates, potentially leaving them vulnerable to threats. Upgrading to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is recommended for server systems to ensure continued support and improved features, such as better hardware compatibility and performance optimizations.

After 14 October 2025, Microsoft will no longer offer free updates for Windows 10 and technical support will be discontinued (EOL, End of Life). As a simple upgrade to Windows 11 will fail for many laptops and PCs due to the high hardware requirements, a significant wave of users switching to Linux desktops can be expected over the course of the next year. Last year’s Linux growth to a market share of around 4.5 percent is probably already linked to this Windows date. Unicon is launching the eLux operating system for companies. The system is designed to combine security, hardware flexibility, and performance. The download requires registration with an email address.

While exploring Invision Board's documentation, I noticed a topic that seems to be underrepresented: selecting the right web server engine. At the time of writing this, there was only one brief mention about which server engine to use, and the information was quite limited. Based on this, I decided to configure nGinX. After browsing through their forums, I stumbled upon a helpful discussion about enabling the API functionality on nGinX. It's worth noting that Invision Board does not officially support nGinX or PHP 8.3, so proceed with caution if you're using these configurations. If you're running nGinX and want to get the API working, adding the following confi…

Introduction Linux has an incredibly diverse ecosystem of software, making it a powerful and versatile operating system for both personal and professional use. However, finding the right tools for specific tasks can be daunting due to the sheer number of options available. The GitHub repository Awesome-Linux-Software is an invaluable resource that curates a comprehensive list of high-quality Linux applications across various categories. In this topic, we’ll explore the repository, its structure, and how it can simplify software discovery for Linux users. What is Awesome-Linux-Software? Awesome-Linux-Software is a community-driven repository hosted on Git…

Introduction Managing processes is a critical task for Linux system administrators. While tools like top have been around for decades, htop provides a modern, user-friendly alternative that enhances usability and functionality. In this topic, we will explore the features, installation, and use cases of htop and why it is a must-have tool for every Linux administrator. What is htop? htop is an interactive process viewer for Unix systems. It allows users to monitor system resources, manage processes, and analyze system performance in a more visual and intuitive way than traditional command-line tools like top. Key features include: A color-coded, graphi…