System admins routinely refer to documentation for help with obscure command line options. In this month’s Admin Workshop, we examine the programs and formats behind the command line documentation you read everyday.

Incoming TCP connections do not always end up where they are supposed to. A freely configurable redirector points digital debris in the direction of a new and better place.

Thanks to automatic hardware detection, today’s admins rarely need to configure the X window system manually. But if you want to use X11’s excellent networking capabilities and tuning options, you will certainly benefit from some background knowledge.

A proxy server provides safer and more efficient surfing. Although commercial proxy solutions are available, all you really need is Linux and an old PC in the attic.

If you need fast answers for what's inside, you can use a Bash script to obtain an inventory of hardware on your Linux system.

They run on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, cost money, and juggle email messages: these three commercial mail servers aim to convince admins they are worth the price.

Links deleted on reboot Several multimedia programs I use rely on the existence of “devices” such as /dev/dvd o......
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Zsync handles a special case: large volume download files that change frequently but not drastically. Charly shows how this handy file fetcher can save you time and bandwidth.