Linux Server Hacks

Book notes - Linux Server Hacks by Rob Flickenger and Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two (Tips & Tools for Connecting, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting) by William von Hagen and Brian K. Jones, published by O’Reilly.

Notes

Linux Server Hacks Volume 1: Table of Contents - Highlights

1. Server Basics

• 1. Removing Unnecessary Services
• 1. Forgoing the Console Login
• 1. Common Boot Parameters
• 1. Creating a Persistent Daemon with init
• 1. n>&m: Swap Standard Output and Standard Error
• 1. Building Complex Command Lines
• 1. Working with Tricky Files in xargs
• 1. Immutable Files in ext2/ext3
• 1. Speeding Up Compiles
• 1. At Home in Your Shell Environment
• 1. Finding and Eliminating setuid/setgid Binaries
• 1. Make sudo Work Harder
• 1. Using a Makefile to Automate Admin Tasks
• 1. Brute Forcing Your New Domain Name
• 1. Playing Hunt the Disk Hog
• 1. Fun with /proc
• 1. Manipulating Processes Symbolically with procps
• 1. Managing System Resources per Process
• 1. Cleaning Up after Ex-Users
• 1. Eliminating Unnecessary Drivers from the Kernel
• 1. Using Large Amounts of RAM
• 1. hdparm: Fine Tune IDE Drive Parameters

2. Revision Control

• 1. Getting Started with RCS
• 1. Checking Out a Previous Revision in RCS
• 1. Tracking Changes with rcs2log
• 1. Getting Started with CVS
• 1. CVS: Checking Out a Module
• 1. CVS: Updating Your Working Copy
• 1. CVS: Using Tags
• 1. CVS: Making Changes to a Module
• 1. CVS: Merging Files
• 1. CVS: Adding and Removing Files and Directories
• 1. CVS: Branching Development
• 1. CVS: Watching and Locking Files
• 1. CVS: Keeping CVS Secure
• 1. CVS: Anonymous Repositories

3. Backups

• 1. Backing Up with tar over ssh
• 1. Using rsync over ssh
• 1. Archiving with Pax
• 1. Backing Up Your Boot Sector
• 1. Keeping Parts of Filesystems in sync with rsync
• 1. Automated Snapshot-Style Incremental Backups with rsync
• 1. Working with ISOs and CDR/CDRWs
• 1. Burning a CD Without Creating an ISO File

4. Networking

• 1. Creating a Firewall from the Command Line of any Server
• 1. Simple IP Masquerading
• 1. iptables Tips & Tricks
• 1. Forwarding TCP Ports to Arbitrary Machines
• 1. Using Custom Chains in iptables
• 1. Tunneling: IPIP Encapsulation
• 1. Tunneling: GRE Encapsulation
• 1. Using vtun over ssh to Circumvent NAT
• 1. Automatic vtund.conf Generator

5. Monitoring

• 1. Steering syslog
• 1. Watching Jobs with watch
• 1. What’s Holding That Port Open?
• 1. Checking On Open Files and Sockets with lsof
• 1. Monitor System Resources with top
• 1. Constant Load Average Display in the Titlebar
• 1. Network Monitoring with ngrep
• 1. Scanning Your Own Machines with nmap
• 1. Disk Age Analysis
• 1. Cheap IP Takeover
• 1. Running ntop for Real-Time Network Stats
• 1. Monitoring Web Traffic in Real Time with httptop

6. SSH

• 1. Quick Logins with ssh Client Keys
• 1. Turbo-mode ssh Logins
• 1. Using ssh-Agent Effectively
• 1. Running the ssh-Agent in a GUI
• 1. X over ssh
• 1. Forwarding Ports over ssh

7. Scripting

• 1. Get Settled in Quickly with movein.sh
• 1. Global Search and Replace with Perl
• 1. Mincing Your Data into Arbitrary Chunks (in bash)
• 1. Colorized Log Analysis in Your Terminal

8. Information Servers

• 1. Running BIND in a chroot Jail
• 1. Views in BIND 9
• 1. Setting Up Caching DNS with Authority for Local Domains
• 1. Distributing Server Load with Round-Robin DNS
• 1. Running Your Own Top-Level Domain
• 1. Monitoring MySQL Health with mtop
• 1. Setting Up Replication in MySQL
• 1. Restoring a Single Table from a Large MySQL Dump
• 1. MySQL Server Tuning
• 1. Using proftpd with a mysql Authentication Source
• 1. Optimizing glibc, linuxthreads, and the Kernel for a Super MySQL Server
• 1. Apache Toolbox
• 1. Display the Full Filename in Indexes
• 1. Quick Configuration Changes with IfDefine
• 1. Simplistic Ad Referral Tracking
• 1. Mimicking FTP Servers with Apache
• 1. Rotate and compress Apache Server Logs
• 1. Generating an SSL cert and Certificate Signing Request
• 1. Creating Your Own CA
• 1. Distributing Your CA to Client Browsers
• 1. Serving multiple sites with the same DocumentRoot
• 1. Delivering Content Based on the Query String Using mod_rewrite
• 1. Using mod_proxy on Apache for Speed
• 1. Distributing Load with Apache RewriteMap
• 1. Ultrahosting: Mass Web Site Hosting with Wildcards, Proxy, and Rewrite

Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two: Table of Contents - Highlights

Tips & Tools for Connecting, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting

1. Linux Authentication

• 1. Disable User Accounts Instantly
• 1. Edit Your Password File for Greater Access Control
• 1. Deny All Access in One Second or Less
• 1. Customize Authentication with PAMs
• 1. Authenticate Linux Users with a Windows Domain Controller
• 1. Centralize Logins with LDAP
• 1. Secure Your System with Kerberos
• 1. Authenticate NFS-Lovers with NIS
• 1. Sync LDAP Data with NIS

2. Remote GUI Connectivity

• 1. Access Systems Remotely with VNC
• 1. Access VNC Servers over the Web
• 1. Secure VNC via SSH
• 1. Autostart VNC Servers on Demand
• 1. Put Your Desktops on a Thin Client Diet (LTSP)
• 1. Run Windows over the Network
• 1. Secure, Lightweight X Connections with FreeNX
• 1. Secure VNC Connections with FreeNX
• 1. Secure Windows Terminal Connections with FreeNX
• 1. Remote Administration with Webmin

3. System Services

• 1. Quick and Easy DHCP Setup
• 1. Integrate DHCP and DNS with Dynamic DNS Updates (BIND, ISC DHCP)
• 1. Synchronize Your Watches!
• 1. Centralize X Window System Font Resources
• 1. Create a CUPS Print Server
• 1. Configure Linux Connections to Remote CUPS Printers
• 1. Integrate Windows Printing with CUPS
• 1. Centralize Macintosh Printing with CUPS
• 1. Define a Secure CUPS Printer

4. Cool Sysadmin Tools and Tips

• 1. Execute Commands Simultaneously on Multiple Servers
• 1. Collaborate Safely with a Secured Wiki (MediaWiki)
• 1. Edit Your GRUB Configuration with grubby
• 1. Give Your Tab Key a Workout
• 1. Keep Processes Running After a Shell Exits (nohup, disown)
• 1. Disconnect Your Console Without Ending Your Session (screen)
• 1. Use script to Save Yourself Time and Train Others
• 1. Install Linux Simply by Booting
• 1. Turn Your Laptop into a Makeshift Console
• 1. Usable Documentation for the Inherently Lazy
• 1. Exploit the Power of Vim
• 1. Move Your PHP Web Scripting Skills to the Command Line
• 1. Enable Quick telnet/SSH Connections from the Desktop
• 1. Speed Up Compiles (distcc)
• 1. Avoid Common Junior Mistakes
• 1. Get Linux Past the Gatekeeper
• 1. Prioritize Your Work

5. Storage Management and Backups

• 1. Create Flexible Storage with LVM
• 1. Combine LVM and Software RAID
• 1. Create a Copy-on-Write Snapshot of an LVM Volume
• 1. Clone Systems Quickly and Easily (partimage)
• 1. Make Disk-to-Disk Backups for Large Drives
• 1. Free Up Disk Space Now
• 1. Share Files Using Linux Groups
• 1. Refine Permissions with ACLs
• 1. Make Files Easier to Find with Extended Attributes
• 1. Prevent Disk Hogs with Quotas

6. Standardizing, Sharing, and Synchronizing Resources

• 1. Centralize Resources Using NFS
• 1. Automount NFS Home Directories with autofs
• 1. Keep Filesystems Handy, but Out of Your Way
• 1. Synchronize root Environments with rsync
• 1. Share Files Across Platforms Using Samba
• 1. Quick and Dirty NAS
• 1. Share Files and Directories over the Web

7. Security

• 1. Increase Security by Disabling Unnecessary Services
• 1. Allow or Deny Access by IP Address
• 1. Detect Network Intruders with snort
• 1. Tame Tripwire
• 1. Verify Fileystem Integrity with Afick
• 1. Check for Rootkits and Other Attacks (chkrootkit)

8. Troubleshooting and Performance

• 1. Find Resource Hogs with Standard Commands
• 1. Reduce Restart Times with Journaling Filesystems
• 1. Grok and Optimize Your System with sysctl
• 1. Get the Big Picture with Multiple Displays
• 1. Maximize Resources with a Minimalist Window Manager (Fluxbox)
• 1. Profile Your Systems Using /proc
• 1. Kill Processes the Right Way
• 1. Use a Serial Console for Centralized Access to Your Systems
• 1. Clean Up NIS After Users Depart

9. Logfiles and Monitoring

• 1. Avoid Catastrophic Disk Failure
• 1. Monitor Network Traffic with MRTG
• 1. Keep a Constant Watch on Hosts
• 1. Remotely Monitor and Configure a Variety of Networked Equipment
• 1. Force Standalone Apps to Use syslog
• 1. Monitor Your Logfiles (log-guardian, logcheck)
• 1. Send Log Messages to Your Jabber Client
• 1. Monitor Service Availability with Zabbix
• 1. Fine-Tune the syslog Daemon
• 1. Centralize System Logs Securely (stunnel, syslog-ng)
• 1. Keep Tabs on Systems and Services (Nagios)

10. System Rescue, Recovery, and Repair

• 1. Resolve Common Boot and Startup Problems (BIOS, runlevel)
• 1. Rescue Me! (rescue disk)
• 1. Bypass the Standard Init Sequence for Quick Repairs
• 1. Find Out Why You Can’t Unmount a Partition
• 1. Recover Lost Partitions
• 1. Recover Data from Crashed Disks
• 1. Repair and Recover ReiserFS Filesystems
• 1. Piece Together Data from the lost+found
• 1. Recover Deleted Files
• 1. Permanently Delete Files (shred)
• 1. Permanently Erase Hard Disks (shred, Darik’s Boot and Nuke)
• 1. Recover Lost Files and Perform Forensic Analysis (The Sleuth Kit, Autopsy)

Getting the Source

Volume 1 examples are available form the O’Reilly git server:

git clone https://resources.oreilly.com/examples/9780596004613.git example_source/vol1

It seems there is no published example code for volume 2.

Credits and References

• Linux Server Hacks, Volume One:
  • O’Reilly
  • goodreads
  • example source
• Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two
  • O’Reilly
  • goodreads