Use these hacks to keep your Linux box running
Keep It Running
Article from Issue 304/2026
You know the phrase "Never change a running system," which is rooted in the fear that things may break when you change them? If you do want to keep your systems running, I have a few suggestions. Adding a backup routine to your workflow is just one of them.
Linux doesn't force you to install updates, it doesn't force you to reboot and interrupt your work, and it's very verbatim about all that's going on under the hood: If you're interested, you can take a look, both at log files and at the kernel message buffer, and you can modify many aspects of its daily operation on your computer.
For this article I've compiled a few tools and also some suggestions to help you keep the system running.
- We'll look at etckeeper which tracks changes to your configuration files,
- and you can run the Caffeine applet that bans your screensaver and energy saving modes so that your display keeps on displaying.
- Regular backups are important, as we all know, but they're also a bit annoying, so I'll help you set up automatic backups.
- We suggest you create a second user account for complex experiments that might destroy your personal settings, and I'll show you how to let it access your documents, music, and other files.
- And I'll finish with two short tips that let you run
dmesgwith the right options to make its output intelligible and replace the file viewercatwith an improved version namedbatthat adds syntax highlighting.
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