ADMIN - Explore the new world of system administration! Special introductory offer! Order by September 30th to save 10% off the regular subscription price! Each issue delivers technical solutions to the real-world problems you face every day. Learn the latest techniques for better:
network security
system management
troubleshooting
performance tuning
virtualization
cloud computing
on Windows, Linux, Solaris, and popular varieties of Unix.
DVD Theme:
openSUSE 11.3 & Special Bonus: Linux Mint 9 "KDE"
Advances in the web realm are creating a more vital, dynamic, and secure Internet. This month, we take you on a tour of the new HTML 5 standard. We also get you online with the Drupal CMS, show you an innovative, client-side database, and describe a tool for testing your websites.
This jam-packed issue includes:
News: The Linux Foundation announces the Open Compliance Program; Eclipse SDK 4.0 Released; Interview with Chris DiBona, open source and public manager for Google; Openstack Code Released; Gnome 3 Delayed
Tech Tools
Letter from the Editor
Drupal: Simplify site management and build in new features with the Drupal CMS and its many add-on modules.
PublicSQL: A web-ready SQL database that runs on the client.
HTML 5: The new HTML 5 standard embraces dynamic content, multimedia, and semantic processing.
PAC: The Perl Auto Connector helps admins manage large numbers of remote servers.
C/C++ Interpreters: Kick-start your projects with the C/C++ interpreters Tcc, PicoC, EiC, and CINT.
Charly: My Traceroute -- Ping the virtual world.
Security Lessons: Secure wireless on the cheap.
Perl: Pidgin Stock Alerts
eMount: Let eMount help you manage your encrypted partitions.
Ask Klaus! Knoppix creator Klaus Knopper answers your Linux questions.
Command Line: Create PDFs from the command line with a2ps, Ghostscript, and ps2pdf.
Org-Mode: An Emacs extension with your best interests at heart.
Workspace: iKog and Taskwarrior -- productivity tools for the terminal window.
Barebones CMS: Build a website fast with this lightweight content management system.
Cache: LinuxCon 2010
Dog House: A discriminating taste in cloud services
Kernel News
KDE Akademy: Tampere, Finland, welcomed the KDE developer conference.
Projects on the Move: Collaborative writing with Etherpad; VoIP with Mumble.
Virtualization: This month, we explore some variations on the theme of virtualization in Linux. You will learn how to configure better authentication in VirtualBox environments, how to manage multi-gigabyte VM disk images, and how to achieve high-availability fault tolerance with Xen 4 and Remus.
Cloud computing is changing the way businesses, home users, and even mobile phone users interact with their systems. This month we examine some practical tools that bring the promise of cloud computing to Linux environments. We examine Scalr and RightScale, which scale your cloud presences automatically -- so you never have more or less than you need. We show you how to deploy and manage your own virtual machines with Amazon Web Services. We also look at icloud, eyeOS, and other tools for the cloud user.
There's more! Our August issue also includes:
News: Meego 1.0, Qimo, Android 2.2, the Defensive Patent License, Peppermint, and more.
IPv6: Where will you be when the Internet runs out of addresses? Surfing on the new IP?
Perl: The Perlmeister shows how to drill a temporary SSH tunnel to send an email message.
Sys Admin: Protect your system with an ingenious one-liner that sends a warning when an intruder logs in.
DNSSEC: DNS has some severe flaws that make it easy for attackers to inject malicious data. DNSSEC keeps the names straight.
ZK: Use the ZK toolkit to build rich, Ajax-based Internet applications without the usual overhead.
Ask Klaus! Knoppix create Klaus Knopper answers questions about print sharing, GRUB, and ACPI settings.
Emacs: The Emacs editor is too arcane for some, but others love its power and versatility.
Thingamablog: Maintain a blog the easy way with this handy desktop tool.
JessyInk: The JessyInk extension builds presentations in Inkscape.
E-books: Building e-books with Sane and ImageMagick.
Skrooge: Keep your accounts balanced with this free banking tool.
When we set out to look for emerging technologies that are making their way into real projects, our focus quickly fell on the innovative KDE project. We show you the semantic web technology in KOffice, and we study how to build a custom plasmoid applet. Then we round out our emerging technology set with a study of 3D printing. Also in this issue:
Comment: Our editor in chief introduces our fresh new look.
News: Our new news editor, Trevan McGee, rounds up tech news from around the world.
FSlint: Clean up unwanted files with this helpful janitor app.
Coding in Go: Two Unix veterans create a language with the best of old and new.
Synfig: Use this free app to create your own animations.
RHEV: Losing track of virtual machines? We take a close look at Red Hat's enterprise virtualization manager.
Ask Klaus: Knoppix creator Klaus Knopper answers questions about Eee PC troubleshooting and NTLDR masks.
Perl: Add a command history feature to a custom Perl app.
DVD Theme:
2-SIDED DVD: LINUX MINT 8 & CALCULATE LINUX
Life was so easy when all the data for a stand-alone computer stayed on a little local hard drive. This month we look at filesystems for solid-state drives and show how to connect Linux clients with Microsoft Active Directory networks. Also in this issue:
Security Blanket: Analyze security compliance with a few easy clicks.
KDE SC 4.4: The latest KDE includes some important improvements.
Practical Git: Use the Git version control system to access community source code repositories -- or even to create your own repository.
Ask Klaus! Knoppix creator Klaus Knopper answers your Linux configuration questions.
Charly's Column: Apache's Mod_qos module keeps your web server safe from the slow-moving Slowloris attack.
Rsyslog: Make sure your logfiles are secure and reliable with ryslog, a replacement for sysklogd.
Shinken: The Nagios-like Shinken monitoring tool uses multiple processes to distribute the workload.
Perl - Video Playback: We'll show you a Perl script that remembers how far a video has played.
Permissions: Security begins with the proper use of permissions.
Docky: A Mac-style dock in Linux.
Scratch: Cool tool for teaching programming.
OOo Basic Macros: Converting formatted files.
Nepomuk: Explore KDE's semantic desktop.
Plus: News, maddog, SXSW, and Projects on the Move
DVD Theme:
DEBIAN 5.0.4 LENNY & LINUX FROM SCRATCH LIVE CD
Customize Your Linux: The infinitely flexible Linux lets you customize almost anything. This month Marcel Gagné tours some alternative windows managers and desktops for Linux. We take a close look at some popular Linux filesystems and help you decide which filesystem is right for your environment. Learn how to automate your desktop with Sikuli, an innovative tool that lets you build scripts from screenshots, and find out how to create your own applets for KDE 4’s powerful Plasma desktop.
Also in this issue:
Hotel Hack: This simple study in how to slip past the hotel login page shows why casual port blocking just isn’t enough.
PCI Passthrough with KVM: If you know what you are doing, you can access a real PCI device from with a KVM virtual machine.
Ask Klaus! Knoppix creator Klaus Knopper answers your Linux questions. This month Klaus looks at laptops, video brightness, and Windows dual boot.
SpamAssassin 3.3: Charly takes a turn at fighting spam with this classic tool.
Spoofed Browsers: So you think you can trust your certificate authority? Security columnist Kurt Seifried takes a look behind the curtain.
SUMO Access Manager: Manage list servers simply from a web browser, no matter how large or decentralized your groups.
Dialog and Xdialog: Add GUI elements to your text-based scripts.
Remus: Use this cool tool to organize personal information, RSS feeds, and even Twitter data.
Shutter: Get clicking with an extraordinary screenshot app.
TDFSB: This 3D file browser will help you visualize your directories.
GRUB 2: Get to know the next generation GRUB boot loader.
Event reports: SCALE 8x and FOSDEM 2010.
Projects on the Move: Replace dictionaries and notepads with StarDict, the dictionary application, and RedNotebook, a combined notepad, diary, and calendar.
DVD Theme:
Double-sided DVD: Knoppix 6.3 exclusive! Plus Mandriva 2010
Most people don’t give a second thought to Bluetooth security, but that address book on your mobile phone might be more vulnerable than you think. Bluetooth devices are surprisingly susceptible to snooping, but the new Bluetooth 2.1 specification could floss some of the gaps. This month we’ll show you how an intruder can get past your phone’s defenses.
Also in this issue:
Knoppix 6.3: Knoppix creator Klaus Knopper tells about the Knoppix 6.3 Live boot Linux included on this month’s DVD.
Firefox for Mobile (Fennec): Discover the Firefox browser for mobile devices from Mozilla.
MySQL Workbench 5.1: Too many tables and too many complex relationships? Visualize your MySQL database with MySQL Workbench.
Chatbots: Many were introduced to artificial intelligence by interacting with electronic shrinks. Learn more about chatbots and their language.
Charly’s Column: Charly cooks up some ClamFS and ClamAV soup to inoculate his file servers against viruses.
Security Lessons: ClamAV Come back for seconds, as Kurt shows you how to protect Windows clients on the Internet.
Sympa 6: Manage list servers simply from a web browser, no matter how large or decentralized your groups.
Qt 4.6 and KDE 4.4: Learn what’s new on the KDE desktop, courtesy of Qt.
CodeSynthesis XSD: Generate C++ classes that let you access the data stored in XML documents. Then stream C++ objects back to XML.
Perl – Flip It: Hack a recorder to play your secret messages backward.
Workspace: DAM with digiKam Manage your digital assets with this useful photo management app.
SocialVPN: Secure virtual private networks.
FontForge: Create homemade symbol fonts.
Legacy GRUB: Get to know this Linux bootloader.
maddog's Column: Fix it for free!
Chaos Computer Club Congress: The CCC stages its 26th conference.
Linux Conf Australia: New Zealand hosts annual meeting.
Steganography and Other Security Techniques –You've configured a firewall and set up an intrusion detection framework. What else can you do to lock down your network and protect your privacy? This month we study some smart security techniques:
Steganography: We show you how to hide secrets in an ordinary digital image.
PDF Attack: The GhostNet attack infected computers around the world. We show you how intruders used some simple PDF tricks to slip inside.
SELinux Sandbox: A new tool based on the SELinux access control system locks down your desktop environment to prevent browser-based attacks.
Password Managers: We examine some practical tools for managing Internet passwords.
Additional articles in this issue include:
Media Players: Looking for a place to put your sounds? We compare the Banshee, Ryhthmbox, Amarok, and Songbird media players.
Tiny Core: Tired of drinking coffee and watching a startup screen? This sleek little Linux will boot your system in less than 30 seconds.
Ask Klaus! Knoppix creator Klaus Knopper answers reader-submitted questions.
Charly’s Sys Admin Column: Charly rolls his own URL-shortening service.
SSL Security: Kurt Seifried studies some techniques intruders use for compromising SSL security.
Samhain: To keep the storehouse safe, you’ll need a night watchman. This hostbased intrusion detection tool notifies users of intrusion attempts.
Perl – Pidgin English: Playing personal sounds with the Pidgin instant messenger.
AbiWord: Heavyweight word processing in a lightweight package.
PiTiVi: Edit your favorite video clips.
Solang: Fast and easy photo manager.
Command Line – ImageMagick: Edit images at the command line.
Doghouse: Community news from maddog.
SuperComputing 2009: IT meets academics in Portland.
Projects on the Move: We look at new sound landscapes. C2h lets people talk to dolphins and whales, and if you happen to be a jazz musician, you will find a creative helper in Impro-Visor.
Surviving Windows: Every new Microsoft Windows release brings a new crop of interoperability challenges. This month we look at some Linux interoperability tools in Windows and discuss some apps for running Linux on Windows 7:
Linux Services in Windows 7: Talk to your Linux systems with Windows 7's Telnet server, NFS client, and Subsystem for Unix-based applications.
Linux on Windows: Several tools offer a means for running Linux on Windows. We look at Cygwin, coLinux, Wubi, and some of the leading virtualization options.
Web Operating Systems: Throw out your old assumptions about where the system lives. Marcel Gagné studies some web-based OS options.
Additional articles in this issue include:
Opera Unite: The latest Opera release puts a web server in your browser.
OpenGTS: This handy app helps you keep track of vehicles in the filed.
UPnP and Coherence: Stream sound and video to mobile devices with your own UPnP server.
Ask Klaus: Knoppix creator Klaus Knopper answers your Linux questions.
Charly's Column – sslh: Manage encrypted traffic with the SSL/SSH multiplexer.
Security Lessons – Secure Programming: Kurt studies some software tools that will help you audit and secure your network.
GRUB 2: The latest release signals a new beginning for the GRUB bootloader.
Virtual Sand: Learn about a project that is taking a new approach to the goal of animating sand.
Perl – Mencoder and Sox: Add opening credits to your home videos with Mencoder, Sox, and Perl.
DOSBox: Resurrect your ancient DOS programs with this emulator of bygone PCs.
Workspace – Build an E-Book: Creating an e-book with OpenOffice FBTools.
Meld: Compare files and directories.
Command Line – Bash Builtins: We study the powerful bash command and other builtin tools.
System Administration: This month we look at traffic shaping and other techniques for the sys admin. We'll show you some process monitoring tools, and we'll examine a distro designed to turn your PC into a network-attached storage device:
FreeNAS: Turn your old computer into a network-attached storage device.
Wondershaper: Traffic shaping used to be for experts only. This helpful tool offers an easy way to manage your bandwidth.
Admin Tools: Marcel Gagné looks at the Top family and other important tools, including pstree, Krunner, and Gnome System Monitor.
Sudo: We'll show you why it is wise to be careful with this powerful security tool.
In our January 2009 issue you'll also find articles on:
Gnome 2.28: A look at the new Gnome
TonidoPlug and Bubba Two: Put a Linux server app on your home network
Fcron: A snappy job scheduler that takes Cron to new places
Syntext Serna Free: Check out the GPL version of Syntext's popular XML editor
Q&A with Klaus Knopper
Archivemail: Find out about a handy tool for archiving old mail
Rate limiting: Learn about a promising technique for stopping denial of service attacks
mod-selinux: An open source network vulnerability scanner
Kernel news
Squeak: Will this easy programming language bring new life to Smalltalk?
Perl: The Perlmeister bowls vertically with a new look at a popular programming challenge
Marble: Travel the planet with this globe in a window
Stacey: Build an online portfolio of your creative work
Empathy: Stay in touch with this versatile IM client
Parted: Managing partitions
Ontario Linux Fest 2009
ZendCon 2009
Projects: Gnusolidario supplies the Medical OpenERP solution to hospitals, and GOSM provides a free alternative to Google Earth
Stop by Rikki's Open Source Exchange for dispatches from the world of women in open source.
Rikki Kite examines the experience of women across the spectrum of open source – the people, projects, organizations, events, articles, issues, and news.
