Whether you have one server rolling out many services or separate dedicated servers for each task,  server admin tools are required to handle their operations that ensure smooth and trouble free functioning. Though nothing beats command line tools on Linux, here are 10 powerful GUI tools to make Linux Servers easy to administer.

1. Webmin:

As the name suggests, it’s a web based, all in one administration tool. You can use it to administer system settings, various servers installed, hardware configuration and other utilities to manage files and  aliases. You can even configure webmin itself from its web interface.

Starting and stopping different servers is a breeze. You can set disk quotas, modify groups and settings for users. It makes it easy to configure RAIDs, disk partitions and printers. It’s one indispensable tool in your toolbox for Linux Server Administration.

2. MakeLogic Tail:

Though not open sourced, but MakeLogic Tail is a free java based cross platform real time log analyzer. If you are not comfortable at using the famous terminal command tail -f on Linux, this GUI can be used to display the last few lines of your server logs.

3. Ghost4Linux:

It’s not exactly a GUI tool but it still is user friendly. Ghost4Linux is a Ncurses based cloning tool similar to Norton Ghost, only it is open sourced and free. It comes as a Linux live CD and can be used to backup and restore hard disk partitions and data. You can even create backup images for archival purposes and transfer these images over ftp to store at remote locations.

4. DB Cruiser:

DB Cruuiser is a web based java tool to manage databases and can be used as an alternative to phpMyAdmin. The plus point is that it can manage a whole range of databases including MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle running on Linux servers. Though it’s not open sourced, you can use it free for personal use.

5. CUPS:

For printing on Linux systems, CUPS has emerged as the standard. You can turn any system into a print server by installing CUPS. This system acts as a host which accepts printing jobs from client machines. CUPS has a web based monitoring and configuration system to manage printers and print jobs.

6. ProFTPd Admin:

If you are running an FTP server using proftpd service, you can use ProFTPd Admin tool to manage your it. It is written in php and uses mysql as the dababase. So obviously you will be needing these to run it on the server. But the important part is, that you can remotely manage and monitor FTP user accounts and settings.

7. GAdminHTTPD:

Management of fine tuning of Apache web server requires knowledge on relatively higher side. But with this new GUI tool, GAdminHTTPD, a GTK based front-end for httpd you can monitor access and error logs, manage users and modules. It presents a clear and concise information about the web server.

8. Gparted:

Gparted is GUI partition editor that an administrator can use to re-size partitions, create new ones, copy existing data on hard disks and even mirror partitions. It is relatively easy to use once you understand the partitioning structure of a hard disk. Formatting file systems and checking for errors make this tool a must have in your admin arsenal.

9. Grsync:

No server admin can forget the importance of taking timely backups. Grsync makes an administrators task easy by if you find it hard to use rsync to take backups. It can be used to synchronize directories, data on USB disks and even to network drives.

10. Nagios:

To monitor the host, services running on it and the network, Nagios a web based monitoring and reporting tool can be used. If some problems are detected, server admins can be notified automatically. It displays the status and logs for analysis and can be accessed remotely through a web browser.

These powerful tools can help you to monitor and keep your server in a stable state. In addition to using these tools, make yourself familiar with some command line utilities too. At times they can prove to be quite indispensable too.

Excessive load time does not create a user-friendly experience and encourage regular use. Methods such as load balancing, compression and caching can aid in efficient operation and taking steps to optimize your site are both beneficial and, in most cases, free.

Here is a list of 12 tools that can help you decrease your website’s load times.

1. YSlow

YSlow  is a Firefox extension which makes use of the popular web development tool, Firebug, to analyze and inform you why a particular page is slow based on guidelines for high performance sites and provides you with:

1. Performance report card

2. Summary of HTTP/HTML

3. List of page components

4. Tools including JSLint

5. Visit Yahoo! Exceptional performance on YDN

Yslow will analyze any web page and return a grade for each guideline as well as an overall score. YSlow will produce a list of any changes necessary if any improvements are available. YSlow will provide information on cookies in addition to calculating the size of a page in the instance of both primed and empty cache. All page components are listed inclusive of type, URL, expire date, loading time, ETag and HTTP response headers are also available for viewing for each component.

2. Fiddler 2

Fiddler 2 is a Web Debugging Proxy which is capable of logging all HTTP(S) traffic between the internet and your computer. It enables you to inspect, set breakpoints and ‘fiddle’ with both in and outbound data. Incorporating a powerful scripting subsystem, it can be extended using any .NET language and has the ability to debug traffic from almost any application.

3. mon.itor.us

Monitor.us is a free online service which provides tools to enable monitoring and reporting of site response times and outages as well as resource utilization and tracking of site visitors. You are able to set up automated alerts and compare the effects of changes you make to site efficiency.

4. Httperf

Httperf is an open-source tool, the purpose of which is to measure HTTP server performance on Linux. It is an effective benchmarking tool and allows you to create workload simulations to judge whether your site is capable of coping with high-level traffic and whilst maintaining stability. Httperf can also be used it to calculate maximum server capacity, testing it’s limitations by incrementally increasing the quantity of requests made.

5. Pylot

Pylot is an open-source performance and scalability testing tool which uses HTTP load testing to judge benchmarking, analyzing, system tuning and make capacity plans. To use Pylot, it is necessary to install Python on the server but it is possible to use XML to produce simulations.

6. JMeter

Apache JMeter is a Java desktop tool created to load test and determine performance. It can be utilized to calculate sustainability under heavy load scenarios and judge performance under various load types. It features performance testing across many server types, complete portability and 100% Java purity. It’s multithreaded framework permits simultaneous sampling of various functions by individual thread grouping. JMeter’s well considered GUI design allows for faster operation and more accurate timing. It also provides caching/downtime analysis and is highly extensible.

7. PushToTest TestMaker

Another open-source, performance and scalability testing application is PushToTest TestMaker. It has a host of analytical tools and more than capable GUI. Its resource monitor allows you to view CPU, memory and network usage and produce graphical data. Data can also be exported to a spreadsheet.

8. Wbox HTTP testing tool

Wbox will make sequential request at predetermined intervals in order to judge load capability. It can use an HTTP compression command to enable you to analyze your server’s file compression data. It also has a testing tool complete with a command to verify the condition of a virtual domain you may have set up prior to putting it into full action. Wbox supports Windows, Linux and MacOS X.

9. WebLOAD

WebLoad uses JavaScript to enable utilization of scripts for load testing. It uses client-side data in order to analyze performance, gathering live information to monitor and record. It also comes complete with inbuilt authoring and debugging capabilities.

10. DBMonster

DBMonster assists in determining how well a database will scale by utilizing auto-generated test data. It is open-source and helps to tune structure and table indexes and test performance capabilities under high load. It supports a wide range of databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle and MSSQL and almost any that support the JDBC driver.

11. Web Page Analyzer

Web Page Analyzer is an easy to use online facility to test site speed and help improve performance. Simply enter the URL and it will calculate page size, compilation and download time. It returns data based on various internet connections and generates recommendations and advice on how to improve load times. An ideal resource for beginners.

12. Site-Perf.com

Another online resource is Site-Perf.com. It emulates natural browser behavior, downloading a page complete with CSS, JS and other files in order to estimate realistic loading times. It provides real-time data capture and aids in identifying issues such as bottlenecks, page errors etc without the need to register or install anything.

1. John the Ripper:

Prevention is better than cure. Strong passwords are the first step in securing your web server. Many web servers get exploited just because of weak passwords. John the Ripper is a password auditing tool that can be used to detect weak passwords on web servers. It checks the passwords against a list of words commonly used and their variants. If the passwords on your web server get cracked by this tool, you have a red alert. Change your password to some uncommon mix of alphanumeric characters.

2. NMap:

Next on your checklist should be if any ports have been left open accidentally on your web server. NMap is the just the right tool help you detect port vulnerabilities and prevent your web server from being exploited. If you find any unwanted ports close them. It’s better to run nmap from another server.

3. Firestarter:

How do you close an open unwanted port? Firewall is the answer to your problem here. Linux uses iptables to secure and close unwanted ports. You can use Firestarter which is front end tool for iptables if you find handling iptables tough from the command line. Firestarter is not only easy to use, but you can even implement the firewall rules with immediate effect from the program itself.

4. Chkrootkit:

What if you feel that the security of  your web server has been compromised from the inside? Chkrootkit is the tool to detect the presence of these trojan horses. Root kits are small pieces of software that a hacker might have left hidden on your web server which might be used to gain access to your machine in the future. It should be run from a rescue disk like a live CD.

5. GPG:

You can keep data on your web server confidential even if it gets exploited. To prevent hackers from getting away with your data, you can use encryption tools. GPG is one such tool that uses public key encryption which makes the data in encrypted files inaccessible to an intruder. There are two sets of keys one on the disk an one privately held like on a removable medium. This makes it tough to get the contents even if the encryption key stored on the disk is known.

6. OpenSSh:

For remote maintenance of your web server never use telnet. It sends your login information in a way that can easily be sniffed. OpenSSh is the tool that you can use to remotely login. It uses username and password based authentication to provide a secure encrypted connection over an insecure network like the Internet.

7. Tripwire:

Files on a Linux web server are arranged in their respective directories with the configuration files being under /etc. To verify that the system configuration files have not been manipulated or compromised, an intrusion detection system is used to monitor and report the changes about such files. Tripwire is one such tool that performs this action and sends alerts whenever a file change security breach is detected.

8. Wireshark:

You can analyze live network data or from an existing file with Wireshark. It can reconstruct a TCP session with support for hundreds of protocols.  It is widely used to capture packets across a network and give a detailed visual report. You can use it to sniff packets for troubleshooting and analyzing  network problems.

9. Hping:

To audit security and test firewalls you can use Hping to generate packets over TCP/IP protocol. It can be used in  traceroute mode and has the ability to send files between a covered channel. You can use it for remote OS fingerprinting and uptime guessing.

10. Socat:

Based on netcat, you can use socat to read and write data over network  connections on TCP and UDP. It can also be used as a network debugger and analyzing tool, as it create many types of connections. It supports SSL encryption and proxies.

In addition to using these tools to secure your web server, you can do basic things like stopping unused services, deleting unwanted CGI applications. Run periodic scans and tests to keep your web server healthy and secure.

You can get all these tools from the repositories of your Linux distro. Live rescue and penetration detection CDs also come with these and many more tools to help you secure your Linux web server.

* * *

Brought to you by The Daily Artisan.

Technology has advanced to where it now not only makes sense, it’s financially viable to install a network attached storage device (NAS) to any home network.   Take for example Western Digital’s My Book World Edition NAS device: it has 2 terabytes of storage, installs in less than five minutes and is accessible by almost anything on your network.

Because the My Book plugs directly into your home router via an Ethernet cable, it transfers and streams data at the full speed of your router.  The device shows up in Windows under My Network Places, in OSX under Shared devices and for those running Netbooks with Ubuntu Linux, you aren’t left out in the dark either.  Simply go to Places, Connect to Server and enter the IP address of the NAS.  If you need to expand, the My Book also has a front-facing USB drive on it.

There are several reasons to utilize an NAS: obviously to back up your data, but one new trend is sharing media.  For Netbook users, this is essential, since hard drive space is at a minimum.  Utilize an NAS device to store movies, music and photos and access them at full network speed.  In the event you drop or lose the Netbook, or it gets stolen, all the data you need is still at home.

Windows and Mac users who use iTunes to organize their music can easily set their shared stored music directories to the attached storage device, freeing up hard drive space on their own computer and giving access to other people on the network.

Since it’s now easier than ever to legally acquire movies and TV shows because of licensing deals and broadband internet, it makes sense to download them once, store them on a My Book and then access them from any whatever computer is most easily accessible.

OSX users can also use an NAS to serve as their Time Machine backup; Windows can use the included automatic backup software.  An LED gauge can tell you at a glance how much free space is available on it.

For those who want change that we can believe in, here are wallpapers that say more than any article, any speech, or any debate.

Size: 1280 x 960

This is an excerpt from an interview Obama gave in Rolling Stones Magazine.  It captures Obama’s message for change in a very powerful way.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Obama

Size: 954 x 756

“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.” - Obama

Size: 900 x 655

“I don’t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.” – Obama

Size: 900 x 655

“I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.“ - Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists – to protect them and to promote their common welfare – all else is lost.” – Obama

Size: 1024 x 640 Size: 1888 x 1180

“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” – Obama

Size: 1024 x 647 Size: 1900 x 1200

“In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?“ – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“Issues are never simple. One thing I’m proud of is that very rarely will you hear me simplify the issues.” – Obama

wallpaperforobama.blogspot.com

Size: 1024 x 768

“It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.” – Obama

Size: 1280 x 800

“It’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.“ – Obama

Size: 1024 x 640 Size: 1900 x 1050

“My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.“ – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or blessed, believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.” – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“People of Berlin – people of the world – this is our moment. This is our time.” – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“There is not a liberal America and a conservative America – there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America – there’s the United States of America.” – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768 Size: 1900 x 1200

“This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands.“ – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“Today we are engaged in a deadly global struggle for those who would intimidate, torture, and murder people for exercising the most basic freedoms. If we are to win this struggle and spread those freedoms, we must keep our own moral compass pointed in a true direction.“ – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation – not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago.“ – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it’s like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old – and that’s the criterion by which I’ll be selecting my judges.“ – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in nice apartments but don’t want to work hard to accomplish these things. Everyone should try to realize their full potential.” – Obama

Size: 1024 x 647 Size: 1900 x 1200

“We’re not going to baby sit a civil war. What Washington needs is adult supervision.“ – Obama

Size: 1280 x 960

“Where the stakes are the highest, in the war on terror, we cannot possibly succeed without extraordinary international cooperation. Effective international police actions require the highest degree of intelligence sharing, planning and collaborative enforcement.“ – Obama

Size: 1280 x 960

“We’ve got a tragic history when it comes to race in this country. We’ve got a lot of pent-up anger and bitterness and misunderstanding. … This country wants to move beyond these kinds of things.” – Obama

Size: 1280 x 960

“In Africa, you often see that the difference between a village where everybody eats and a village where people starve is government. One has a functioning government, and the other does not. Which is why it bothers me when I hear people say that government is the enemy. They don’t understand its fundamental role.” – Obama

Size: 1280 x 960

“You know, my faith is one that admits some doubt.” – Obama

Size: 1024 x 768

“America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page of the policies of the past.” – Obama

Wait — you still have that?  If you haven’t converted to enjoy a computer experience that is completely wireless, here are some gadgets that will cut the cords and give your desktop (or even better, your laptop) complete freedom from the wired world in which we live.

Wireless USB Hub

This is essential, especially for laptop users who can be hampered by the wireless USB host adapters.  It gives you a single connection through which you can plug in the four essential USB wireless adapters, thus consolidating your needs to one protrusion.  It can be associated with up to three users, and can easily share peripherals like Digital cameras, Camcorders, and Printers.

MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse

This high-performance mouse gives the best of both worlds: precision and speed.  It’s contoured design fits well into most hand sizes and offers a technology that nothing else has.  On your desk, advanced laser technology gives you precise tracking and instant response. In the air, innovative Freespace motion sensing transforms hand motions into natural, responsive cursor controls. Sit back and listen to music, browse photos, or surf the Web—from your desk or across the room.

Vidabox Premium Wireless Keyboard

For the price, there is nothing better on the market today.  With its optical trackball, everything from navigating the web to playing games is possible, and it’s maintenance-free.  It provides 800dpi of resolution for precise control.  Unlike other conventional infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF) wireless keyboards, special high frequency wireless technology allows a pronounced increase in performance – with a minimum in dropped signals and “dead zones.”

Wireless Routers

Routers are like cell phone providers.  They are a personal decision – some people love a certain brand while others hate them.  Instead of offering a recommendation on which one to pick, I will recommend using the CompNetworking section of About.com.  It will walk you through 6 preferences, allowing you to rate them on a scale from 1-5.  At the end, it makes recommendations based upon how each router scored compared to your responses.

BONUS: Wireless Electricity?

The technology for wireless power is emerging, and Intel Corp. took a significant stride toward a power cord-less future Thursday when it demonstrated a system that made a light bulb glow when it was several feet from its power source.

Intel’s setup was more science fair than Best Buy, but wireless power researchers say the technology points to a future when electricity hot spots coming from a single source in a room provide juice to any number of electronic devices within range.

* * *

Read more about productivity gadgets at the Daily Artisan.

GPS Display

A. It sounds as though you might have a connection issue with your unit. Make sure all cables are properly secured and/or tightened. If that does not solve the problem, your unit might be defective and you should return to the store where you purchased or to the manufacturer.

When you drive down a highway and your system does not reflect the actual roads, that could be what the industry calls a “copycat”. Fake streets are intentionally placed in the software by the companies to trap those who attempt to copy their data. Sometimes these copycat roads are not so obvious. It is a wonderful piece of evidence for court.

I’m sure you can imagine there are many streets and highways throughout your area and/or country. It would be best to take note of the error and contact the company providing the data. You will usually find this information on the bottom of your screen. These companies make frequent updates to reflect all changes made to the data, including errors, new roads, other fixes, new POI’s (points of interest), or other features. It is best to keep your software current.

Company Email Security

As per the orders of court if any employee is using company’s computer network, employer has the right to monitor employee’s work. Though it is possible to procure your browsing to some extent but still its not reliable. For example even if you encode your data, company’s key-logging would look into your work.  So there are few tips on how you can stop your IT staff from peeping in to your work.

First thing is to do all your web browsing work on USB flash drive.  Purchase an IronKey, which is available in market as USB preloaded with Firefox that routes traffic from other servers. This drive costs $79 per GB, and comes with a guarantee of 1 year, and it can be easily operated.

You can even upload to your USB drive with the xB Browser which is the another alternative for Firefox that hides your IP address by pointing your documents through various servers, plus it also erases all your cookies and browsing details.

All these tricks act as speed breakers for IT staff and that is it. If you are using company’s computer there is no assurance that your data is safe from your IT Staff.

The simplest solution is to use a internet capable phone that comes with features to check your email and browse the web without the help of your company network.

Frustrating Termination Clauses

A. There is always a catch. Those contracts are written with the company in mind, not necessarily the consumer. They are in business to make money whether it is through your actual service, equipment, and/ or termination fees.

As cellphones have become more popular, carriers have indeed improved the contract requirements. Eight years ago if you were to cancel your service after two months, the fee would be no different if you canceled one month before it was to expire.

When a cellphone carrier “prorates” your termination fee, it is not in proportion with the amount of time you upheld your contract. Verizon and AT&T have very similar clauses within the service termination of the contract. It is a standard $175 dollars, but for each month you have service, the termination fee would be reduced by $5.

Most carriers will entice new customers by offering free or very cheap phones with a specified length of contract. The termination fee allows the companies to limit their losses for the promotional products. Even if the cost of your phone was at a $30 dollar discount from the retail price, the same termination policy applies.

Q.  I fly frequently and noticed the Wi-Fi at the airports are quite costly.  Do any airports off the service free for free?  Which service providers do they use? Where can I charge my computer and cell phone while inside the terminal?

A.  Only a small number of major airports offer free Wi-Fi, unless you are an elite member of a particular airline and have access to their executive club room.  Denver, Las Vegas, and Phoenix do offer free Wi-Fi, while Jet Blue at JFK has it available for their flyers in the terminal.  Airports use a third party service provider for Wi-Fi which may cost you $8 or more.  Depending on the airports, it could be AT&T, T-Mobile, or any one of many carriers.    Be prepared and install free software that will enable your computer to detect Wi-Fi areas.  NetStumbler or iStumbler work well.    They will scan the areas and do not cost you a dime.

If you have more than an hour before bording, you may want to consider roaming the airport for a hotspot.  Check outside the executive/ first class lounges such as United’s Red Carpet Club.    Find a seat closeby and connect.

When all else fails, try going to the shopping or dining area of the airport.  Places such as a cafe may offer free Wi-Fi to attract customers, or a gift shop using the internet for internal business purposes.  Some airports have hotels in the terminals or close by where you can go to the lounge or lobby area to connect.

As for the electrical outlets to charge your components, many have been covered with plates to assist in reducing energy costs.  Look for wall posts, vending machines, or even the restroom if you need a quick charge for your phone.  It is always best to have fully charged equipment before traveling.  Electrical outlets will have two plugs.  While one is being used by an airport machine, the other should be free.