System logs are a critical part of system and network maintenance. They are, in fact, one of the key components for managing just about ANY system related incident. Unfortunately these logs are completely inaccessible or untrustable if a system reaches an unbootable state, suffers a catastrophic disk failure, or is compromised by an attacker. For these scenarios, and for general ease of maintenance, one of the best moves that you can make toward converting a group of machines into a manageable network is to set up remote Syslog services. Continue reading “Centralize Your System Logging Using Syslog”
Should You Take Your Eyes Off the Cloud?
Questions you should ask before considering “Cloud Computing” applications.
More and more, it seems, business and IT managers are being told that “Cloud Computing” is the wave of the future. We are being bombarded with salesman who want to explain this “new technology” to us, and show us why putting our applications in the cloud is a great way to improve services and cut cost. There are many critical considerations which are often not being discussed. It often boils down to asking the right questions. Do you know what to ask?
We’ll take a relatively non-technical look at some questions that should help you make a better decision. Continue reading “Should You Take Your Eyes Off the Cloud?”
Setting Context Sensitivity in VIM
VIM is one of the kings of the editing world. Built for speed and for flexibility, it is a critical tool for *nix admins. the one thing it lacks for many people, though, is context sensitivity. This is easy enough to fix. Simply create a new document in your home directory named .vimrc (please note the leading period, denoting “hidden”), and add the line “syntax on” to set sensitivity. the first few lines of my .vimrc file are listed below for reference. If you are looking for more info on using, or customizing, VIM you should start at the VIM tips Wiki. Continue reading “Setting Context Sensitivity in VIM”
In Memorium
Many times in our lives we will cross paths with someone who will have a lasting impact on us. These people may be relatives, friends, or just someone we meet once in passing. The memories of these people, and what we learn from them, are what we come to define as ourselves; as what we pattern ourselves to be. These people are the fabric of our being. This is our basis of self, and our understanding of worth. Continue reading “In Memorium”