Like the amber in “Jurassic Park,” immutable Linux distros safeguard the core system. Here’s a story about how I, like many of you, have been using Linux for a very long time. I’ve used most of the popular distros and have even seen some distros come and go over the years. I’ve run Arch, Ubuntu, […]
Ubuntu LTS Support Extended to 15 Years
If you’re like me and value a rock-solid Linux setup that you don’t have to reinstall every couple of years, you’ll appreciate this news. I recently wrote about switching my daily OS from Kali Linux Rolling to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (with Ubuntu Pro’s ESM) specifically for its long-term support benefits. That move meant I could […]
Firewalla Gold Plus vs. Ubiquiti UDM Pro Max
In the market for a multi‑gigabit firewall/router, two names come up repeatedly: Firewalla Gold Plus and Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro Max (UDM Pro Max). Both cost around $600 USD, sit at or near the top of their respective product lines, and promise enterprise‑class security for home labs, home offices, and small business networks. Despite serving […]
Windows 11 vs Linux: A Year Later, I’m Switching Back
About a year ago, I set up a dual-boot system to test whether Windows 11 could replace Linux as my primary work environment. I wanted to see how well Windows handled daily tasks, performance, and sysadmin tools compared to what I was used to on Linux. After a year of switching between both, I’ve learned […]
How to Upgrade ThinkPad Firmware on Linux (fwupd)
Two days ago I ran the command hostnamectl status and noticed that my laptop’s firmware date was Tue 2023-08-08. I purchased this ThinkPad T14s laptop 2 years ago. So it seems, since removing Windows 11, the firmware remained on the same version. No cool! However, updating your ThinkPad’s firmware (BIOS/UEFI and other controller firmware) on […]
How to Keep ConfigServer Firewall (CSF) Running After the Shutdown
When news broke that ConfigServer (Way to the Web Ltd.) would shut down on August 31, 2025, it sent shockwaves through the hosting community. Like many longtime users, I was both surprised and disappointed by how this shutdown was handled. The announcement gave us barely a month’s notice to scramble for solutions. As someone who […]
Replace ISP Modem / Router
Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like AT&T, Comcast, Xfinity, Cox, Verizon, Spectrum, T-Mobile, and others supply a basic modem/router combo (gateway) to customers. These devices are often adequate to get online, but they may have limited Wi-Fi range, features, and firmware support. They also come with a small number of Ethernet LAN ports, usually two […]
SSH command in Linux, with examples
This article is a follow-up to the previous 90 Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins post. Every week, as time allows, I will publish articles on the 90 commands geared toward Linux sysadmins and Linux power users. What is the SSH command? The ssh command in Linux is an acronym for Secure Shell, which is a […]
Remove Snap Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and 24.04 LTS
The first thing I did after installing Ubuntu 22.04 LTS was to remove Snap and its snap packages completely. I’m not proud of that approach, as I have nothing against snap packages per se; I simply enjoy using apt (advanced package tool). Update: A member of our community forums suggested the following: “…you could also […]
10 pfSense Setup Changes to Make Post Install
Just installed pfSense? Before diving into VLANs, firewall rules, or VPN tunnels, take a few minutes to lock in these essential setup changes. These quick tweaks will boost security, improve reliability, and prevent many future headaches. This is my post-install checklist for pfSense deployment. 1 — Bump the local backup count well past the default […]
