Issue #139 / Jun 2012

Did you leave your system running? Did you forget to start a critical backup? Control your Linux computer from anywhere with an Android phone.

PowerPoint shapes. We investigate how the two office modules work together.

Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine.com

To check on the health of a Linux system, administrators can turn to vmstat, iostat, netstat, and ifstat. Or, you can just use the versatile dstat, which combines the features of several tools in a single package.

LXC is fully integrated into the kernel, providing a fast and easy approach to virtualizing individual programs and whole systems on Linux without the need for patches and additional modules.

When it comes to daily tasks such as monitoring network traffic, administrators should choose a tool that is sufficiently functional and not too complicated.

Programmers and Linux administrators appreciate the benefits of event logs. The Glogg tool is the perfect choice for searching even large logfiles.

Combining Puppet, Foreman, Pulp, Candlepin, and Katello lets you deploy software and servers automatically and securely.

On the Amazon Kindle eBook reader, you can save personal clippings, or “highlights,” in a file; later, you can connect the Kindle to a USB port on a Linux machine and grab the data with a Perl script that stores it in a database.

The Ardesia sketchpad software and compositing manager allow you to draw freehand on the desktop, so you can quickly sketch a presentation and give the audience an extra dash of information on top.