Archive for linux operating system

Modify / remove xorg.conf via Terminal/Command Line – Linux – Ubuntu

If you have added options to the xorg.conf file that breaks something, for example not being able to get to the login screen, to modify or remove xorg.conf, close to when the login screen would usually appear, press CTRL + ALT + F1 and, by now, you should have an Internet connection active; for example, if you have connected to your WiFi network before.

First, install vim if you haven’t already got it installed already:

sudo apt-get install vim

Afterwards, edit the xorg.conf file using vim:

sudo vim /etc/X11/xorg.conf

To insert text, press i, then esc when done. To delete an entire line, dd (that is, the d key twice). To quit without saving changes, :q. To save changes, :wq. So, for example, press esc then type the : (colon character) then q (the Q key).

Other interesting information if applicable

To remove xorg.conf, use:

sudo rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf

To reconfigure xorg.conf, use:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

Then reboot:

sudo reboot

Want to remove vim afterwards?

sudo apt-get remove vim

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Introduction to Fedora Project

Red Hat Desktop – one of the first Linux distributions that was mostly used until 2003, when by surprisingly they announced the it discontinue the current system by focusing on Red Hat Enterprise, which was the distribution especially developed for business use and the support and certification programs that were mostly responsible for company’s sales.

The discontinuance of Red Hat Desktop has elevated serious doubts about the viability of using Linux on desktops, however all the doubts were quickly dispelled by the announcement of Fedora project, which became the authorized heir to the Red Hat Desktop, that was going to be developed by a community with the support and contributions from the developers at Red Hat.

The initial idea was of announcing the Fedora development for Red Hat was to lower the cost of distribution and at the same time, inspire community contributions, making the project grow. The reason behind not using the name “Red Hat” for its new release has more to do with its marketing. The Red Hat brand is generally used only in commercial products as a way to inspire the purchase.

The desktop of Fedora operating system is quite similar to the Ubuntu, since both the distribution are based on GNOME and use the classic looks, with two bars.

All the modern versions of Fedora OS uses the Network Manager for network setup, and beyond, you will observe that it also has several other tools in common with Ubuntu which makes both the distribution much closer. Its because most of these utilities both the distributions offers were developed by the Red Hat team and Fedora and thenceforth integrated into other distributions that use GNOME.

Even if you don’t prefer the Fedora OS, we must thank the original developers of it, as many of the innovations we see in the recent distributions to make our lives simple, were originally created and improved by the Fedora team.

Despite of not having a good user base, it shows how the Fedora distribution is important for the growth of the system, serving as a production base for the development of many elements that were lately integrated into other distributions.

The most appealing feature of Fedora is the frenetic pace of updates. The system is not only updated every six months, but also includes a set of spectacularly updated packages as compare to the Windows versions.

Fedora is one of the distributions highly prefered in dedicated server hosting plans. The main reason behind it is that the packets related to servers acquire more attention and are well tested. The approach to the active contribution on Fedora, and prioritizing the development of server related functions have surprisingly made Fedora as the best distribution in corporate servers.

If you wish to use a highly stable desktop, you can prefer Fedora for a long time and just install the security pathches and minor updates that are frequently released. Using the Ubuntu or Debian would be less desirable options. If you want to enjoy new features and have access to all the new versions of packages before they are available in other distributions, then Fedora is what you must choose.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Customized Kernel

Linux OS Kernel

You may have come across some system administrators saying that their web servers delivers high performance than others. The only reason behind this is that they have taken efforts in building their own kernel from source.

They might be using a Linux distribution that allows customized kernels. Probably, if you are having a dedicated server, running an operating system that utilizes a pre-rolled binary of the kernel, however, even those can also provide you the ability to customize your own kernel.

Advantages of Customizing Your Own Kernel:

  • Whenever a program is customized for a specific architecture, usually the level of performance increases and becomes more stable version. Generic binaries need to function on various processors, which makes it inferior to your system.
  • Another advantage is that you are able to eliminate the unnecessary modules and components from it. Removing excess modules and components will reduce the size of the compiled kernel and helps it to boot quickly.
  • Building your own kernel allows you to add various features and optimize it for better performance.

Disadvantages of Customizing Your Own Kernel:

  • When you build your own kernel, you need to maintain the updates, security patches.
  • Its better to know how to customize the kernel, if you do things wrong, it could lead in stopping of the server.
  • Possibly, customizing a kernel is very time consuming and can take a lot of time. Building a kernel requires good technical skills and knowledge as well as it consumes a lot of CPU power.

Consider the above discussed advantages and disadvantages and decide which kernel to choose for your dedicated server, pre-compiled or a customized one. People using the customized kernels are satisfied with it and people using the ready kernels are pleased as well. Now, its up to you, which kernel is best for your server that will offer optimum performance.

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Considerations Before Upgrading Kernel on Linux Server

Unlike other operating systems, kernel on Linux operating systems are slightly different. Kernel has a control on the functionality of drivers and hardware, whereas the applications and services are independent. It simply means that you can upgrade other part of your machine, without changing the exising kernel.

Probably, most of the system administrators would never like to change the existing kernel on their dedicated server, even they wants to upgrade other applications and services. Keeping the same kernel guarantees stability and continuous service to your clients and users. However, when an update of a security patch of your Linux distribution is unveiled it is recommended to upgrade your kernel as soon as possible or it may create a security hole for hackers and attackers.

Most of the Linux distributions allows the latest kernel version to be installed next to the old. This is beneficial, if your new kernel is not working fine, you can boot into the old kernel easily. Ensuring the correct kernel will help you to get rid of troubles. You must match your existing kernel type with the upgrade and then proceed.

Whenever a kernel is updated, a server reboot is necessary for things to take effect. Rebooting the Linux server in day time, when the traffic is higher, may have adverse effect on your traffic stats as well as running softwares. In this case, it is advisable to reboot your dedicated server only in the low usage times (ie. when the traffic is low on your website).

Lastly, you need to understand that, any customized kernel modules, especially those which are required for virtualization, will need to customization after the upgrade is done. However, some of the applications has the ability to compile the modules automatically to match with the new updated kernel.

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Operating Systems for Dedicated Servers

Operating system is an important aspect and requirement to manage programs, data, hardware resources and offers some important services in order to execute several application software. There are various operating systems FREE as well as premium to choose. However, choosing a perfect operating system for your dedicated server depends on your requirements.

Following are the server operating systems widely used and preferred by 99% people which are available for dedicated servers:

  • Linux
  • Unix
  • Windows

Each operating system has its own advantages and disadvantages. Unix OS is mainly popular in the corporate environments and is capable of serving the requirements of large networks. Linux is also achieving the same level of technical quality. In the recent years, Linux has acquired a strong combat area and most of the webmasters now prefers Linux as their primary server operating system.

Since, it is an free open source software and offers greater flexibility it has becoming the most popular operating system among individual web developers.

Once, windows was a very popular operating system and used by most of the corporate users on servers as well as on their desktops. Though windows is stong in many areas, it has some disadvantages in it which need to be consider. Since, windows is a Microsoft product, it cannot be called as an open source software. The server administators need to be specialists in using the windows server software, because the updates are released frequently, it simply means more security issues, if the updates are not installed  on your uk windows hosting server.

Windows operating systems has some strengths as well, which includes multiple versions to server a variety of requirements. It is one of the most preferred operating systems for corporate people and web developers who uses technologies like ASP.NET .

You are not limited to a specific operating system, you are free to choose an operating system depending on your requirements. Before choosing an operating systems for your web hosting server consider the advantages and disadvantages of each operating systems.

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