KVM Virtualization 102

  Background In my original post KVM Virtualization 101 I explained some basic commands that are necessary to get on using KVM. In this article I move on to some slightly more obscure topics in using KVM.   Routine Operations CPU Type When you are operating in a KVM virtual machine the processor will report

Bootstrapping and Rooting Documentation: Part3

Background In Part 1, I described a method of documentation where the introduction of the system is made using the documentation. This builds consensus, enculturates an operations group, and provides a platform unto which more automation can be built. In Part 2, I elaborated on the ideas of Bootstrapping & Rooting, Self Service Culture, and

KVM Virtualization 101

Background For those of you who are familiar with virtualization, KVM is a hypervisor which is built into the Linux Kernel. This allows a Linux desktop or server to simulate multiple pieces of hardware, which can then have different operating systems installed. KVM uses the QEMU virtual machine format. QEMU may be familiar to those

Bootstrapping and Rooting Documentation: Part 2

Background In Bootstrapping and Rooting Documentation: Part 1, I laid out a blueprint for using documentation as the bootstrap for entry into an operations environment. In this article I will dig into the three main concepts mentioned in Part 1. In Part 3, I will demonstrate our use case for a data center of about

Bootstrapping and Rooting Documentation: Part 1

Bootstrapping and rooting are two concepts often associated with computing, but not the documentation of computing environments. Sometimes concepts such as these are called design patterns and I would like to try and introduce a new pattern called Documentation Bootstrapping. I think this is a critical pattern for the creation of any successful and useful documentation.

Unix/Linux Signals 101

Background Unix/Linux allows a user to have control over a program that they are running by sending what are called signals. These signals are then normally handled by the program in a way that is compliant with Unix/Linux standards. Two of the most important signals that are commonly sent to a program are called SIGTERM

Unix/Linux Filesystem Permissions 101

Background Standard Unix filesystem permissions are less complex than Windows file system permissions and Linux ACLs. Though, this lacks flexibility which is sometimes needed, In many cases it can be leveraged as an advantage. Often the complexity of ACLs can allow administrators to create file system permissions which are cumbersome to audit and document. The

Browser & Web Server Cache Control Headers 101

Background Caching between a browser and an origin server is controlled by request and response headers . Quite often these headers are misunderstood by users and business owners, so it is important that we as systems administrators and developers understand them well. Secondly, caching can have an impact on web site performance and bandwidth usage.

Browser & Web Server Headers 101

Background Understanding the basic interaction between a web server and a web browser is critical for a beginning systems administrator or web developer. Basically, text is sent back and forth in a way that is specified by the HTTP protocol. Several versions of the protocol exist, but the details are not required to understand the