The MySysAd Archive
From 2006 to 2014 this site was My SysAd Blog: 429 terse UNIX HOWTOs, shell one-liners and troubleshooting notes, most of them written on Solaris. They're back at their original addresses, with only small fixes so they display correctly.
A lot of it is history now, so every post notes what has changed since and reminds you to check it before using it on a live system. For today's systems, the toolkit is the place to start.
2014 · 1 post
June
2013 · 5 posts
September
2012 · 2 posts
September
February
2011 · 5 posts
November
October
June
March
2010 · 7 posts
September
July
June
May
April
March
February
2009 · 12 posts
November
October
September
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2008 · 55 posts
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
- Creating an Encrypted DVD with Debian Linux
- Perform Elementary Encryption with tr Command
- Using XAMPP From Apache Friends
- UNIX From Command Prints Mailbox Header Lines
- Protect your Site Against Questionable Redirects and Frames
- Shell Based Random Number Generator
- Insightful Quotes by the Revered Physicist Albert Einstein
April
March
February
January
2007 · 291 posts
December
- MIT's OpenCourseWare Model is Proliferating Online
- Shutdown a Sybase Adaptive and Backup Server
- Assign Unique Numbers to Columns in Database - Oracle
- Search String Within Paragraph and Print the Paragraph - UNIX
- Merge Multiple Files and Sort Simultaneously
- Java Programming Language Tutorial
- The Irony of a UNIX System Administrator
- Convert Length, Weight, Pressure, Volume and Temperature
- HTTP Response Status Code List
November
- The Great Wall Visit and UNIX wall
- Determine the Number of Login/Logout Sessions - UNIX
- List, Remove or Rename Multi-spaced Filenames - UNIX
- Log Repeated Login Failures
- Sort a File by a Defined Delimiter
- Strip an Extension From a Filename - UNIX
- Remove First 10 or 100 or 1000 Lines in a Log File - UNIX
- Add User Information with .project and .plan files
- Are Blogspot blogs being blocked in South Korea?
October
- Evaluate Constants and Strings with expr Command
- Remove the PHPSESSID From URL
- Get Better Compression with bzip2 Command - UNIX
- Display MAC, IP and DNS information for Windows
- Modify a Command's Scheduling Priority with nice
- Check Sent Mail Status with mailq
- Recovering a Corrupted Mailbox -- UNIX
- The Popular XV Image Viewer for UNIX
- Display a Specified Number of Lines From Multiple Files
- Delete Extra Spaces Between Words in a File
- Manage Removing Directories from a Stack with popd
- Manage Adding Directories to a Stack with pushd
September
- Download an XML feed with wget
- Ping Multiple Workstations and Mail Results
- Use .htaccess to Deny Internet Protocol (IP) Address or Domain Name
- Joining and Renaming Multiple Files Using a for loop
- Delete Tabs, Newlines, Carriage Returns, or Spaces from a File
- Evaluate NFS Statistical Information with nfsstat
- My SysAd Blog Reader Appreciation Shout
- Setup a nisplus Server and Populate its Tables
- Forward Mail to a Different Account with .forward
- Output Strings in Lowercase -- UNIX
- Traverse an Argument List using shift Command
- Print a File in Landscape Mode via Command Line
- Set File or Directory Access Control List with setfacl
- Get the Access Control List on a File or Directory
- Free Virtual Network Computing Remote Control Software
August
- Send Network Packets to a Host with spray
- Troubleshooting a Network with the Snoop Utility
- Date Command in Debian Linux
- System Activity Reporter Command Monitors CPU, Disk and Virtual Memory
- Text Editor for Simple Formatting
- Merge Lines From One or More Files
- Limit User's File Size -- UNIX
- Convert Tab to Specified Number of Spaces
- Remove Tabs From a File -- UNIX
- Double Space a Single Spaced File -- UNIX
- Sun Studio 12 C/C++ & Fortran Compilers and Tools
- Nvu or "New View" Web Authoring Application
- Specify or Report Default Permissions with umask
- Change the Operational Status of Processors
- Log Telnet and FTP Sessions in Log File
- Reverse the Contents of a File
- Display either Files or Directories -- UNIX
- Display Non-printable Characters in a Text File
- Using the UNIX repeat Command
- Display Specific Lines in a File using sed
- Recreate the /dev/null Link using devlinks
- Capitalize Strings in UNIX
- Display the core File Configuration
- Z Shell for loop -- UNIX zsh
- Display the Checksum and Size for a File
- Process Control for UNIX
July
- View the Value of a UNIX Variable
- Copy the Contents of a Magnetic Tape to Another
- Clear the Terminal Screen
- Send Message to Users with Write All Command
- Using the Common UNIX Find Command
- Enable Stop-A or Disable Stop-A
- Disable C2 Security Audits on Solaris
- Enable C2 Security Audits on Solaris
- Drop User From a Sybase Database
- Drop a Sybase Group
- Change a Sybase User's Group
- Create a Sybase Group
- Dumping Sybase Transaction Log
- Display Sybase Login Information
- Change Default Database for Sybase User
- Change Password for a Sybase User
- Reset sa Password for Sybase
- Using UNIX Redirection Symbols for Sybase
- Start a Sybase Adaptive and Backup Server
- Terminate or Kill a Sybase Process
June
- Sort Files by Their Filesizes
- Recursively Display File and Directory Inodes
- Paginate a File or Command Output for Printing
- Unzip Zip Files in Unix
- Recursively Zip Files and Directories
- Add, Change, Delete, Monitor, and Flush the Routing Table
- Check Link Mode, Link Status, and Link Speed for Ethernet Interface
- Full Duplex Settings for Network Interface
- User Switching to root or root Switching to User
- Display Binary Audit Log Information in ASCII Format
- Display System or User Defined Mail Aliases
- Find Total Number of Reboots for a Workstation or Server
- Disk to Disk Backup using ufsdump
- Delete a User Account via passmgmt
- Modify a User Account via passmgmt
- Add a User Account via passmgmt
- Find the Prime Factors of a Number
- Convert Quantities in Standard Scales to Their Equivalents in Other Scales
- Clone Primary Partition Table to Second Hard Drive
- Display the Internet to Ethernet Address Translation Tables
- Disable All Users From Logging Into the System
- Select Fields or Columns Using the cut Command
- Wrap or Fold Long Lines in a File for Printing
- Locate Commands by Keyword Lookup
- The Universal Java FTP Client -- Free for Non-Commerical Use
- Getting Technical: "Be all you can be"
- Display Kernel Statistics with kstat
- Display Input and Output (I/O) Statistics with iostat
- Display Virtual Memory Statistics with vmstat
- Adding and Deleting a Swap File
- ASCII, HTML and Conversion Tables - Decimal, Hexadecimal, Octal, Binary
- Create a Crontab That Preserves Existing Entries
- Download Solaris 10 Operating System at no Cost
May
- Convert Decimal to Hexadecimal, Octal or Binary using typeset
- Calculate with the Basic Calculator -- bc
- Exclude Files or Directories from an Archive using tar
- Encrypt and Decrypt the Contents of a File
- Remove the UNIX root Password
- Display the Address Space of a Process
- Sun Fire V1280 is Crashing
- Remove Zero Length and Core Files With Inline Script
- Drop a Sybase Database and its Device
- Extract the Contents of a Compressed Tar File
- Identify Process Hierarchy for an Application
- Get Information on a Domain Name
- Nested Inline For Loop for Recursive Directory Creation
- Add String to Filenames Using an Inline For Loop
- Dump Sybase Database to Tape
- Load Sybase Database From Tape
- List Logged In Users on System
- Lookup an Internet Protocol (IP) Address for a URL
April
- Define Two IPs on a Network Interface Card (NIC)
- Create Virtual Screen Covering Two Monitors
- Copy Contents of One Tape to Another
- Create a Clone Disk Drive
- Change Filename Extensions with Inline Script
- Determine Why a Process is Hanging with truss
- Repeat the Previous UNIX Argument
- Repeat the Previous UNIX Command
- Install a Solaris Boot Block
- Change Access and Modification Times on a File
- Conduct Interactive Communications Between Workstations
- Unlock Screenlock With a Group Account Named xlock
- Determine the Manual Page for a Given Command
- NEdit is a Multi-purpose Text Editor
- Determine Processes Accessing a File System
- List User Login Information with listusers or logins
- Skip the Power On Self Test (POST)
- Reset NVRAM Parameters with set-defaults
- Interesting UNIX Commands
- Remove Device Alias with nvunalias
- Create a Device Alias with nvedit
- Create a Device Alias with nvalias
- Display NVRAM Parameters
March
- Display CPU, UPA, PCI or SBus Speeds
- Setup an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Server
- Restrict FTP User Access to Host
- Automate FTP Connection to Remote Host
- Determine POP3 or Sendmail Availability
- Defined Shell Determines FTP user Access
- Solaris Operating System - Freeware
- Delete Group Account with groupdel via Command Line
- Modify a Group Account via groupmod via Command Line
- Add a Group Account with groupadd via Command Line
- Delete a User Account with userdel via Command Line
- Modify a User Account with usermod via Command Line
- Add a User with useradd via Command Line
- Download Free Solaris Freeware (Software Packages)
- Remove Software Package from Operating System
- Check if Software Package was Installed Correctly
- Add a Software Package with pkgadd Utility
- Display Information about Software Packages
- Create SQL Insert Script with Inline Korn Script
- Determine Inode Count for Filesystem
- Display Workstation or Server System Information via GUI
- How to Perform an Interactive Restore with ufsrestore
- Find a Record on a Data Tape
- Client Workstations Can't Print to the Print Server
- Client Workstations Access to Print Server
- Setup a Local Printer Configuration
- Display Space Used by Users on Filesystems
- Remove a Patch from a Solaris Operating System
- Install a Solaris Patch Cluster
- Download Sun Solaris Cluster Patches
- Check Solaris Patch Levels
- Recover Filesystem's Primary Superblock with FSCK
- Stop and Start the Volume Manager Daemon
- Allow Clients to Access Applications on the Server
- Allow Clients Access to Home Directories on Server
- Characters not Recommended in Filename Convention
- Filename Completion Wild Card Characters
- Determine the Time to Execute a Process
- Determine the Command Type or Description
- Add a Patch to the Solaris Operating System
- Create a Shell Function via the Command Line
- Problem Changing the root Password
- Perform Recursive Pattern Searches on Files
- Compare Files and Directories
- Output to Screen and Append to a File
- Schedule a Job At a Specified Time
- Delete a Row From a Database Table
- Update Value in Database Table Oracle or Sybase
- Create Database Table in Oracle or Sybase
- Insert a Row into a Database Table
- Protect the Literal Meaning of Special Characters
- Protect Strings Within Double Quotes
February
- Check the Status of a File or Directory on Tape
- How to Rewind and Eject a Tape
- Check the Local Tape Device
- Recover a File with vi After System Crash
- Display the Status of Print Jobs Or Cancel a Job
- Determine Computer Uptimes for Remote and Local
- Unix System Administration Task: Delete Log Files
- Create a Command Alias in .cshrc
- Add Third Monitor and Restart dtlogin (XVR-1000/XVR-1200)
- Create Large Files to Test Throughput Rates
- Create Named Pipes for Interprocess Communications
- Change the Hostname of a Workstation
- Remove NIS+ From a Workstation
- Determine What a File Contains
- Add Security Banners for Login Screen, Telnet, and FTP
- Display Non-printable Characters in Binary Files
- Display Printable Characters in a Binary File
- Display Diagnostic Information to Sceen
- Get Firmware, H/W Platform, RAM, Ethernet Address and Host ID
- Display the PROM Versions for All Boards
- Display the NVRAM Configuration
- Make a Filesystem Read Only
- Delete or Filter Lines in a File
- Find Day of the Month for Years Past and Forward
- Using the Banner Command to Print to STDOUT
- Delete a Filename with an Invalid Character
- Rebuild the /etc/path_to_inst File
- Boot to Single User Mode
- XVR-1200 Card with a Second Monitor Setup
- Mount the Backup Disk to Recover a File or Directory
- Copy Time of Day to IO Board(s)
- Display Line Numbers for a File to STDOUT
- Determine System Routing Tables
- Creating a Symbolic Link or Removing a Symbolic Link
- Prevent Remote Logins by root
- Monitor CPU Usage for Each Process
- Invoke a Remote Terminal via CDE's Main Panel
- Setting the Terminal to Reasonable Values
- Add a Net With a Static Route
- Determine Controller, Target, Disk Size, and Slice
- Create New Filesystems via Command Line
- Monitor Processor Statistics
- Determine Times When a User Logged in and Out
- Tracing Network Paths
- Commit NIS+ Transaction Log
- Replace Contents of a NIS+ Table
- Backup NIS+ Tables
- Confirm 64-bit Application Support
- Add Login to Sybase
- Add a User to a Database for Sybase
- Automatically Dump the Database for Sybase
- Run Debugger and Verbose Modes in a Script
- Print From the Buffer via the Command Line
- Count the Lines, Words and Characters in a File
- Methods of Accessing a Workstation
- Add a Scroll Bar to xterm
- Remap Buttons on a Mouse
- Get System Identification for Solaris
- Limit Access from Remote Workstations
- Copy Files to a Remote Workstation
- Determine Who is Logged on
- Set EDITOR Variable for vi
- Trouble With Strange Characters -- Might be TERM
- Determine the Directory Size Recursively
- Determine Available Space on a Filesystem
- Perform a Network File System Mount
- Prevent Process Hangup on Log Out
- Problems Recovering Hard Drive with FSCK
January
2006 · 51 posts
December
- Quick and Dirty Setup of the Internet
- How to Check email via Command Line
- Troubleshooting with mailx -v (Sendmail and Mail)
- Attach a File to Message via Command Line
- Set up a Cron Job and Email the Results
- Convert a ISO Standard to DOS and vice versa
- How to Capture xterm/cmdtool Output
- How to Change the Values of the PROM (EEPROM)
- Append an Entry to a File
- Display Only Unique Lines From a File
November
October
- Remove a File or Directory Recursively
- Restore OS After Major File System Crash
- Dump File System and Suggested Backup Schedule
- A Quick and Dirty Tutorial on VI Editor
- Detailed Hardware Specification Information --- Solaris
- View Processor Speed and RAM Size --- Solaris
- Write to An Unwritable Partition
- Create a Directory and its Subdirectories All At Once
- Get Time and Then Set Date and Time
- Dump Filesystems to Tape via Command Line
- First 10 Lines and Last 10 Lines of a File
- Find and Delete Files
- Split Up a Big Binary or ASCII File and Email
- Copying a File/Directory
- Renaming a File
- Open Floppy Disk Sometime Today!
- Server/workstation Uptime Please
- Don't Remove Those Log Files! -- Zero Them Out.
- Combine Contents of Multiple Files Into One.
- Install 4mm Tape Drive
- Installing LTO3 tape drives
September
- Change User/Group Attributes to a File
- File Permissions -- Solaris
- Dump File and Load File -- Sybase
- Archived one RAID to Another
- Create a Database Table -- Oracle
- Finding a User With Niscat
- Create an Index for Manual Pages
- Restrict Row Count (Database) -- Sybase
- Extracting an Archive From 4mm/8mm Tape
- Creating an Archive to 4mm/8mm Tape
- An Inline Shell Script with a For Loop
- Perform Recursive Searches for Strings in Hidden Files
- Find, Copy or Delete Hidden Files in a Directory