OpenStack Debuts TryStack

Open source cloud computing platform gets a new on-ramp with TryStack effort.

Dell Leans on SUSE for OEM Linux Solutions

What's sitting inside your Dell OEM solution? If it's Linux, then it's likely to be SUSE.

Cloudera Expands Hadoop Management for the Enterprise

Cloudera Enterprise 3.7 debuts providing enterprise tools for managing Big Data.

Fedora 16 Goes Exploring With Verne

New Linux release embraces OpenStack and improved GNOME desktop.

Use s3cmd for Managing Amazon S3 Storage from the CLI

If you're looking to script backups or other operations, a reliable CLI tool that works with S3 is a must. s3cmd fits the bill.

Opscode Brings Chef to Windows

The open source server configuration management tool makes the leap to Windows, enabling automation for both Linux and Windows.

Zend Debuts PHPcloud

New cloud service for PHP developers takes flight with tools to help build and test cloud applications.

Use httperf for Server Benchmarking

Prototyping Web applications? Trying to test and tune your Web servers? httperf makes it easy to test HTTP server workloads.

Ubuntu 11.10 Ocelot Heads to the Cloud

New Ubuntu release builds in OpenStack, Juju and updated Unity interface on the desktop.

There's a New GNU fdisk in Town

The latest GNU fdisk is now in alpha. Not anywhere ready for production, but ready for the adventurous to take out for a spin.

Rackspace Opens Up OpenStack With Planned Foundation

A new open source foundation is set to take shape.

Kernel Developers Share Security Tips

Learn tips for keeping your Linux system safe in this post-kernel.org-breach world.

Engine Yard Brings JRuby to Cloud

Java on Ruby implementation takes a big leap forward enabling deployment of production supported cloud.

Piston Computing Secures OpenStack

A new take on OpenStack debuts with automated deployment and security baked in.

Give Yourself a Menu in Vim

Completing filenames when using Vim in command mode can be tricky. These tips will make it a simpler task.

Puppet Enterprise 2.0 Expands Configuration Management

Configuration management tool gets new reporting user interface and  faster synchronization.

OpenStack Diablo Open Source Cloud Platform Accelerates High-Availability

Identity, networking, management and high-availability get a boost in new release of open source cloud platform.

User Limits Made Easy

Linux admins looking for an easy way to set hard and soft limits for users will find much to like about the pam_limits module. With pam_limits, you can set parameters on system resources on a per-user (or per-group) basis for all variables--from the maximum number of files a user can have open to the amount of CPU time.

A Look at the Compgen Bash Builtin

Linux and other Unix-type systems contain a wealth of features under the surface. Oftentimes, however, these features are non-obvious and hard to find. Compgen, a GNU Bash builtin that shows all possible completions, is one such feature.

HP's OpenStack Cloud Goes Into Private Beta

OpenStack ecosystem continues to grow, but how do you move data across different OpenStack vendors?

Boost WordPress Performance With W3 Total Cache

Is your hardware inadequate for your site? Throwing more resources at it may not be the best answer. For WordPress sites, W3 Total Cache is an inexpensive way to wring the most out of what you already have.

Rename and Copy Files Easily in Your Text Editor

Renameutils is aptly named. The easy-to-use collection of utilities makes renaming files as easy as using your favorite text editor.

Try collectlfor System Monitoring

When it comes to collecting system status data, sar is a veritable workhorse. It is not, however, without its limitations. If you're in the market for a utility that also handles NFS, Slab data, and sub-second intervals, consider collectl.

HP Joins OpenStack

HP joins Dell, Citrix, Cisco, Ubuntu and more than 86 other vendors in the land-grab rush for open source stack superemacy.

Monitor Progress with Pipe Viewer

For sys admins, running a process can feel like driving cross-country without a road map. Pipe Viewer is one way to answer the question, 'are we there yet?'

Recover and Preserve Data With GNU ddrescue

With GNU ddrescue you need never worry about the impact of optical media degradation on your data.

Whip Up Regular Expressions With Txt2regex

Understanding regular expressions is important for anyone who spends time doing system administration or programming. If that describes you and regexes are not your strong suit, txt2regex is an excellent tool to have handy.

Red Hat Previews JBoss Application Server 7

New open source middleware Java Server release nears completion.

Load Testing and Benchmarking With Siege

Ready to roll out a site, but not sure how it will perform in real-world use? Consider Siege, an open source load-testing and benchmarking utility that will help stress test your setup before exposing it to the world.

WS02 Updates Middleware Servers

Moving messages from .NET to Java platforms get easier with new middleware messaging engine.

ActiveState Expands Platform-as-a-Service Cloud Tech for Perl

Perl cloud vendor run by a 15 year old entrepreneur gets snapped up.

5 Tips for Managing Debian Packages

Debian's package tools makes it easy to install and manage packages. For more complex tasks, however, tools are not as well-advertised. Here are five options worth checking out.

Detach Processes With Disown and Nohup

Have a long-running job you want to "detach" from the terminal? Don't use tmux or Screen? If you haven't started the job yet, nohup is an easy to use option, and if you must stop a job in the middle, there's disown.

Track Issues With Roundup

No matter what the size is of your IT environment, issue tracking is a critical component of system administration. If you're looking for a simple issue tracking system that can be scaled as your shop grows, check out Roundup, an interesting solution that is easy to both test out and deploy.

Citrix Adopts OpenStack for Project Olympus

Citrix formally announces the name and direction of their OpenStack open source cloud virtualization stack initiative

DenyHosts: Keep on Knocking but You Can't Come In

DenyHosts makes it easy to ward off unauthorized SSH connection attempts. The utility blocks attempts to connect to your server via SSH after too many failed attempts or from a blacklisted host.

Discover Rootkits With Unhide

When your system is rooted, you can't trust most utilities to show processes from the rootkit. To identify the problem, check out unhide and unhide.rb.

This Week's Linux Top 5: Red Hat, Ubuntu, Attachmate and More

Red Hat rolls out new cloud services at the Red Hat Summit, Ubuntu's CTO calls it quits, Attachmate makes some post-acquisition moves and takes aim at the Mono Project, and more.

Track Multiple Files Simultaneously With MultiTail

The tail utility is one of the most useful admin tools, but it's limited and outdated. Bring your log-watching capabilities into the 21st century and view multiple logs at one time with MultiTail.

ActiveState Stackato Delivers Perl and Python to the Cloud

ActiveState chooses VMware's Cloud Foundry instead of Red Hat OpenShift for new platform.

Red Hat Debuts CloudForms and OpenShift for Cloud Deployment

New solutions for creating and managing clouds announced, but they're not all open source -- yet.

Simplify Perl Module Management With CPAN Minus

Perl may not be glamorous, but its modules are often hard to avoid. Oftentimes, the standard CPAN shell makes using them more difficult than it needs to be. If that's the case for you, consider switching to CPAN Minus.

Get More Out of Git: Use Gist With Vim

If you use git to collaborate, you probably also know about Gist, a Pastebin-type service from Github. But did you also know, that if you're a Vim user you can get even more out of it with the script Gist.vim?

OpenStack Cactus Advances Open Source Cloud Computing

OpenStack expands with new API to create extensions.

This Week's Linux Top 5: Groklaw, GNOME, KDE and More

Groklaw declares 'mission-accomplished', KDE and GNOME have some news of their own, Android stays open and more.

Use Telnet to Troubleshoot

Telnet remains a useful, albeit insecure, way to troubleshoot Linux-powered servers.

Pretty Python Plotting With CairoPlot

Data aficionados constantly on the lookout for better ways to display charts and graphs will appreciate CairoPlot, Python-based plotting software pretty enough to impress even the most jaded Mac user.

Scientific Linux 6.0 Released

Linux adoption in the scientific community is very high. For the many organizations that want Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0 but don't want to pay for it or wait for the next release of CentOS, Scientific Linux is worth a look.

Use Linux and WebDAV to Facilitate Online Collaboration

There are many options for online collaboration, but WebDAV remains a useful and straightforward way to share files. Software support at both the server and client ends sweetens the deal further.

Introduction to tmux: A GNU Screen Alternative

Need to run multiple sessions in the same terminal but aren't fond of screen? Consider tmux, open source software that offers Emacs and vi-style keybindings.

Oracle Debuts GlassFish Server 3.1, Improving JavaEE 6 Middleware

Reference middleware architecture for JavaEE 6 is updated, tying the former Sun tech even closer to Oracle's broader Java platform offerings.

Red Hat Fights Back

These days, open source software is not just about peace, love and digital freedom; it's also about turning a profit. Red Hat, clearly tired of the other Linux vendors using its Linux server OS as a foundation for their services, is changing its rules with the latest release of RHEL.

Start Taming Your Mutt

Mutts can be lovable companions, but they still must be trained. The same is true of the Mutt mail client. Out of the proverbial box it's a powerful mail client, but that's nothing compared to what you can do with a well-trained Mutt.

Sudo 1.8 Brings Pluggable Policies to Root Access Control

If Sudo is part of your toolkit, and it should be, it's time to upgrade and start taking advantage of the new features in this latest version.

IBM DB2, Novell Partner for Linux Software Appliances

Linux software appliance builders now can leverage IBM's DB2 database in SUSE Studio as part of a new deal announced today between IBM and Novell.

Use Logger to Write Messages to Log Files

Want a quick and easy way to write to system logs? Check out logger, an shell utility that works with syslog. Don't let its ease of use cause you to overlook its value.

Setting Up a VPN Server on a Tomato Router, Part 2

Tomato Router is one way to bypass expensive equipment to give users secure remote access or connect offices. Learn how to configure the VPN server and clients as well as how to best test it out.

5 Key Things to Know About Debian 6.0 'Squeeze'

Wrap your arms around the five biggest changes in the latest release of Debian -- everything you need to know about version 6 of the open source server OS.

VMware Updates Zimbra

The first release of the open source Zimbra email collaboration software since leaving Yahoo debuts. What's new and what's different about VMware's spin on the popular open source software?

NASA Tech Gets Open Source Apache Blessing

The OODT (Object-Oriented Data Technology) project hits top-level status -- could it usher in a new era of open source semantic middleware?

Cisco, Cloud Computing and Open Source Software

What do Cisco, the cloud and open source software have in common? Much more than you might think.

Does CPTN Spell the End for Open Source Software?

As part of the sale of Novell to Attachmate, Microsoft, Apple, Oracle and EMC have done the unlikely: They've joined together under the CPTN banner to acquire more than 800 patents. Is the OSI right to be concerned that this could be the beginning of the end?

More Yum Plugins: Security and Package Priority

Yum Plugins make it easy to extend the open source tool's functionality. The security plugin and the priorities plugins are a great place to start.

Managing Yum Plugins

Yum is one of the most widely used package management tools, but many users don't know that Yum has a plugin system to extend its capabilities. Learn how to add some very useful features by extending this open source tool.

Two Open Source Software Alternatives to Cron

Looking to avoid Cron? Hcron and the at utility are two tools that make it easy to bypass Cron in favor of other open source software alternatives.

Apache Tomcat Gets New Support with WSO2 Application Server 4.0

What do you get when you cross web services and web applications? A new web services integrated app serving platform.

Using Powertop to Lower System Power Usage

If you've been wondering what's sucking the life out of your Linux laptop's battery or driving those higher electric bills in the server room, be sure to check out Powertop. The popular Linux tool profiles systems to help determine which programs are using the most power.

Using Taskset for Priority Tasks

A tisket, a tasket, be sure to use the open source server tool taskset for priority tasks.

5 Operating Systems Making News This Week

With OpenSUSE safe for the time being and Novell holding fast to its UNIX copyrights, many in the open source world have much to smile about this week. Ubuntu's announcement that it is not moving to a rolling release and yet another Chrome delay are also top of mind, as is some info on jailbreaking your Windows Phone 7.

Red Hat Acquires Makara in Cloud Dev Tools Play

New acquisition is targeted at expanding Linux vendor's Platform as a Service cloud foundations portfolio.

Easy Crontab Editing with Corntab

Not an expert on cron? No need to worry -- just use the Corntab site or its iPhone app.

Novell Sells Out to Attachmate, Leaves the Future of Suse Linux Unclear

The announcement that Novell has agreed to sell itself is no surprise. The buyer -- Attachmate -- is, as is the agreed-upon price of $2.2 billion. Meanwhile, the future of Suse Linux Enterprise Server remains unclear, as does Microsoft's role in the deal.

Getting Started With Apache Tomcat 7

Apache Tomcat is open source software that implements Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages, enabling sites to run Java servlets and Java-based dynamic content. Version 7.0.2 is in a mature beta, but is it data center ready?

Getting Started With FreeBSD 8.1

FreeBSD may not be as popular or as well known as other operating systems, but that doesn't mean it's not reliable or robust enough for most enterprise tasks. See how it fares when taken out for a spin.