Linux Café

Introduction to Removable Device Mounting

I’ve seen this go wrong when dealing with multiple removable devices and various file systems - it can get chaotic. As a Linux user, you’re likely familiar with the convenience of removable devices like USB drives and SD cards. To manage these devices effectively, you need to understand how udev and systemd work together.

Understanding udev and systemd

The real trick is to grasp the roles of udev and systemd. udev handles device events, such as device insertion and removal, while systemd manages system services and devices. When a removable device is inserted, udev generates an event, which is then handled by systemd. By default, systemd mounts removable devices under the /media directory. You can verify the current mount points using the findmnt command:

Introduction to High IO Wait

I’ve been running my home server for a while now, and lately, I’ve noticed it’s been experiencing high IO wait times. This has resulted in slower performance and increased latency. I’ve seen this go wrong when disk usage, memory constraints, and system configuration aren’t properly balanced. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps I took to troubleshoot and resolve the high IO wait issue on my home server using systemd and top.

Introduction to systemd-resolved

I’ve been using Linux for years, and I’ve had my fair share of struggles with DNS resolution. Recently, I decided to take a closer look at systemd-resolved, the DNS resolver component of systemd. I was looking for a reliable way to resolve DNS at home, and I’m happy to share what I’ve learned.

What is systemd-resolved?

systemd-resolved is a system service that provides DNS resolution for Linux systems. It’s designed to replace traditional DNS resolvers like bind and dnsmasq. One of the key benefits of systemd-resolved is its integration with the rest of the systemd ecosystem, making it easy to manage and configure. Don’t bother with bind and dnsmasq unless you have a specific reason to - systemd-resolved is a solid choice for most users.

Introduction to Backup Scripts

I’ve been running my own homelab for years, and I’ve learned the hard way that a solid backup strategy is crucial. After trying out various backup tools in 2025, I kept coming back to rsync due to its flexibility and reliability. This year, I’ve been focused on fine-tuning my backup scripts to achieve consistent snapshot rotation. Don’t bother with overly complex backup solutions - rsync is a powerful tool that can get the job done.

Introduction to Job Management

I’ve been using Linux for years, and one thing I’ve learned is that managing jobs is crucial, especially when running long-running commands. You don’t want to keep your terminal open for hours, waiting for a command to finish. That’s where nice, ionice, and nohup come in - they’re essential tools for managing and prioritizing Linux jobs. In this article, I’ll share my experience with these commands and how to use them effectively.

Introduction to Resource Management

I’ve seen this go wrong when you’ve got a bunch of resource-intensive tasks running in the background, slowing down your entire system. In my experience, using nice and ionice can be a game-changer. These two commands let you control the priority of processes and disk I/O, which is especially useful for homelab servers or small machines.

Understanding nice

The nice command is all about setting the priority of a process. By default, Linux gives every process a nice value of 0. You can adjust this using the nice command, where negative values mean higher priority and positive values mean lower priority. For example, if you’ve got a command that’s hogging all your resources, you can run it with a lower priority like this:

Introduction to DNS Resolution Issues

I’ve been running my own homelab for years, and like many of you, I’ve had my fair share of DNS resolution issues. Last year, I decided to ditch my router as a DNS server and set up Unbound and systemd-resolved on my Linux machines instead. The goal was to improve DNS resolution speed and security, but as you can probably guess, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

Introduction to SSH-Agent and Key Forwarding

I’ve been using SSH for years, and one thing that’s always been a bit of a hassle is managing SSH keys and connections when working with multiple servers or jump hosts. That’s where SSH-Agent and key forwarding come in - they can simplify your SSH workflow and make it easier to access remote systems. In this article, I’ll cover how to use these features to improve your SSH experience.

Introduction to Background Tasks

I’ve been running a homelab for years, and one thing I’ve learned is that managing background tasks is crucial. Whether it’s backups, video encoding, or other long-running tasks, they can quickly eat up system resources if not managed properly. That’s where nohup and ionice come in - two tools that have saved me a lot of headaches.

Managing Background Tasks with nohup

nohup is a simple yet powerful command that lets you run a process in the background, ignoring hangup signals. This means you can log out of your terminal without interrupting the process. To use nohup, just prefix your command with nohup and append an ampersand (&) at the end:

Introduction to Linux Rescue

I’ve been there - your Linux system won’t boot, and you’re left staring at a black screen. This can happen due to a variety of reasons, such as a faulty kernel update, a corrupted boot loader, or even a simple mistake during system configuration. That’s where a USB rescue shell comes in - it can be a lifesaver. In this article, I’ll walk you through the process of recovering a borked Linux boot using a USB rescue shell and chroot.