Juliet Kemp

Even the largest disks will eventually begin to fill up, and sometimes you notice this (or at least, I do!) only when strange errors start to occur. If you’re seeing odd errors, however, it’s always worth starting with df -h to quickly check out whether there’s a disk space problem. When disks fill up, strange […]

Given my fondness for the console and for bare-bones window managers like ratpoison, I’m always pleased when I find another neat console tool. This time it was Ranger (hat-tip to K.Mandla), an ncurses-based file manager. The ncurses-based file manager Ranger is a console tool worth checking out and taking the time to learn. Unfortunately, Ranger […]

More about Vim and open source software I’ve been using the open source editor Vim for an alarming number of years now, but I only very recently encountered its scripting capabilities. Here I’ll look at writing a quick script in Vim’s built-in scripting language. You can also use another scripting language if you prefer. Get […]

More on proxy servers The open source proxy server and accelerator Squid has been around since the mid-1990s, helping speed up Internet traffic at both the user and the server end. Squid plays two main roles, although it can be configured for a wide variety of situations. The first role is to act as a […]

If you’re running an X session, cut-and-paste is easy: Just use the mouse. But what about when you’re running in a non-graphical console? Or if you just prefer to keep your fingers on the keyboard? The utility screen, which enables you to run multiple screens on the same console (along with many other useful tricks), […]

More on open source software I’m a big fan of screen, but I only recently encountered Byobu, a neat enhancement of it. Enhance Screen on your screen with Byobu, open source software that makes Screen more user friendly and functional. Fire up Byobu (available via apt-get install for Debian/Ubuntu or from the project’s homepage), and […]

Zimbra Server is an email and collaboration server for Linux or Mac OS X. It can run email, group calendaring, address book/contacts software, and instant messaging, as well as deal with file and web document management. There’s a (free) Zimbra desktop client available, and the server can also sync with Outlook and Thunderbird. A free […]

Axigen is a mail server for Windows, Linux, BSD, and Solaris. It’s not open source, but it is available in a free edition for home or small office, as well as in business, enterprise, and service provider versions. It’s full-featured, with a straightforward browser-based interface. I took the Business level server for a test drive. […]

You may already be familiar with Gordano Messaging Suite, whose mail server component was reviewed here on ServerWatch earlier in the year. GMS is a fully-featured email and collaboration suite alternative to Microsoft Exchange that has been around since 2002 (before which it was known as NTMail). The latest incarnation, v17, introduced document management facilities […]

CrushFTP is a Java FTP server for Mac, Windows and Linux that also handles HTTP, HTTPS, SFTP, FTPS (FTP over SSL), and WebDAV. Its major selling point is its ability to compress transfers on the fly, thus speeding them up, in some cases significantly. I took the recently released version 5.0.3 for a test run. […]

As you’ve probably seen, Canonical just released the latest LTS (long-term support) version of Ubuntu. Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) exists in both desktop and server form. The desktop form will be supported for three years and the server version five years, making the OS an appealing option for enterprise users. I looked at the server […]

More on Open Source Software FreeBSD is a UNIX-like OS that has been around since 1993. If you’re familiar with Linux or other UNIXes, you have most of the knowledge required to try it out, but you will also notice a few differences. Those familiar with the underpinnings of Mac OSX know that it, too, […]