Install and Configure Auth Shadow on Debian/Ubuntu

Auth Shadow or mod-auth-shadow is a module for apache (and apache2, sort of) that enables authentication against /etc/shadow. The benefits being that any system user with a password can be authenticated for web_dav, subversion or simply an https server. The only other way to do this is with PAM. That method is dangerous because the apache user (www-data in my case) must be able to read /etc/shadow. Obviously, not a good idea. Auth Shadow accomplishes this safely by using a intermediate program called validate. This works because validate can be owned by root but executable by everyone. In the event that your server is compromised through apache, your password file will not be readable.

Installing Multiple OS's Without A Floppy/CD/DVD/Etc. 

This article explains how I managed to install over 50 various operating systems on my computer (one hard drive) without having to burn the distro ISO to disk to boot from. (No floppy, usb, cd, dvd, etc. needed!) The final result after some fun experimenting, is when I boot, I have a cool grub boot screen come up with the option to boot into whatever OS I want, this is handy for multiple reasons.

Replacing A Failed Hard Drive In A Software RAID1 Array

This guide shows how to remove a failed hard drive from a Linux RAID1 array (software RAID), and how to add a new hard disk to the RAID1 array without losing data.

Modify Your Partitions With GParted Without Losing Data

This article shows how you can modify the partitioning of your Linux system with GParted (Gnome Partition Editor) without losing data. This includes resizing partitions (enlarging and shrinking), moving partitions on the hard drive, creating and deleting partitions, and even modifying filesystem types. GParted is a free partition editor available as a desktop program and also as a Live-CD. It supports the following filesystems: ext2, ext3, fat16, fat32, hfs, hfs+, jfs, linux-swap, reiserfs, reiser4, ufs, xfs, and even ntfs (Windows).

A Beginner's Guide To LVM

This guide shows how to work with LVM (Logical Volume Management) on Linux. It also describes how to use LVM together with RAID1 in an extra chapter. As LVM is a rather abstract topic, this article comes with a Debian Etch VMware image that you can download and start, and on that Debian Etch system you can run all the commands I execute here and compare your results with mine. Through this practical approach you should get used to LVM very fast.

How To Set Up Linux As A Dial-In Server 

This document describes how to attach modems to a Linux box and allow it to receive calls to connect users to the network. Its like being your own ISP (Internet Service Provider). If your Linux box is connected to the Internet, then the users will also be connected to the Internet. Your Linux box becomes a router. This is also known as RAS (Remote Access Services) in the Microsoft world. In the Linux world its called PPP (Point to Point Protocol).

How To Resize ext3 Partitions Without Losing Data

This article is about resizing ext3 partitions without losing data. It shows how to shrink and enlarge existing ext3 partitions and how to merge two ext3 partitions. This can be quite useful if you do not use LVM and you realize that your existing partitioning does not meet your actual needs anymore.

How To Install Slackware 11 In VMware On Windows XP

Slackware 11 is out! All slackware users must be anxious to see this long waited version (Yes, I am a slacker ^^). To feel the new Slackware, I decided to install it in VMware on a laptop.

screen: Keep Your Processes Running Despite A Dropped Connection

I guess you all know this: you are connected to your server with SSH and in the middle of compiling some software (e.g. a new kernel) or doing some other task which takes lots of time, and suddenly your connection drops for some reason, and you lose your labour. This can be very annoying, but fortunately there is a small utility called screen which lets you reattach to a previous session so that you can finish your task. This short tutorial shows how to use screen for just this purpose.

Accessing Windows Or Samba Shares Using AutoFS

You already installed Linux on your networked desktop PC and now you want to work with files stored on some other PCs in your network. This is where autofs comes into play. This tutorial shows how to configure autofs to use CIFS to access Windows or Samba shares from Linux Desktop PCs. It also includes a tailored configuration file.