Joshua Drake

(LinuxWorld) -- Let's start from the beginning. In July 2001, I was responsible for upgrading a customer's server from Red Hat 6.2 to Mandrake 8.0. The machine was built from scratch, and Mandrake was installed onto a freshly formatted RAID 5 array. We then migrated the Red Hat 6... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- Caldera's Volution Messaging Server 1.0 allows system administrators to support different e-mail and collaboration clients, including Microsoft Outlook, on a Linux server. This avoids the use of a Windows 2000 or NT server, and buying licenses for Exchange. I test... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- We all get spam. It is a fact. It is like unsolicited postal mail. The only way to way to avoid spam is to not have an e-mail account. Phone solicitation has gotten better, as some local telephone companies will put a pre-screen on your calls for $1 per month. I p... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- Ximian Evolution 1.0 is a GNOME/GTK-based groupware application that sports e-mail contact management, to-do lists, and a calendar. With all of this hoopla from my fellow columnist Nicholas Petreley on the mutt e-mail client, (see resources below) I thought could ... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- My first article on LXP was essentially an introduction, and a basic HOWTO on LXP as a whole. This article will detail the basics of creating an actual application with LXP. However, before we get into that, I would like to introduce you to a particular feature of... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- This week I discuss my experiences with Arkeia backup software, which is available in both fee and zero-cost licenses. Arkeia backs-up heterogeneous systems on a network. The good news for Linux users is Knox Software, the company behind Arkeia, charges bupkis for... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- This is the start of a series on general Linux software. Some installments will contain partial product reviews. This article, for example, looks at Red Hat 7.2 and my experience with it versus Mandrake 8.1. Later in the series, I plan to discuss Caldera's Volutio... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- This is a technical overview of the features and use of the LXP Application Server, which was developed by Command Prompt, Inc. Before we begin, let me share a brief disclaimer: I work for Command Prompt. I don't think LXP is a cure-all or replacement for Perl, Py... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- As I wrap up my SysAdmin series on Linux security, I would like to write about something out of the ordinary; something that most people -- unless you are absolute security junkies, or Slashdot trolls -- would not know about. It's called SELinux. SELinux, also kn... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- In our most recent SysAdmin article I promised an overview of Snort, the open source network intrusion detection system. I considered not writing the article after seeing the volume of options available to users of Snort, but decided that since I have received Int... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- Last week, we talked about some simple steps that a user or administrator can take to see if his or her machine had been hacked. (See How to tell if your Linux box has been cracked.) This week, I update that article and introduce you to some products I am evaluati... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- Over the last two weeks, I've discussed how to prevent crackers from gaining access to your Linux computer (see 10 minutes to an iptables-based Linux firewall and How to stop crackers with PortSentry). This week, we continue the series with ways you can tell if so... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- My last SysAdmin column was a modest attempt to bring some basic awareness on Linux 2.4 firewalling. This week we will continue on the security-focused path, bringing forth a plethora of knowledge for the uninitiated. The topic: PortSentry from Psionic Software. ... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- As I write this column, the world suffers infestation by yet another Internet worm, and again the worms are intended to attack Microsoft-based machines. Fortunately for my company, we don't run any Microsoft-based machines, but the Nimda worm still affects us.  ... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- Web statistics are one of the keys to unlocking a constant flow of traffic to your site. They allow you to see who is visiting and what pages they find valuable. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a free package that gives me everything I want when viewing Apache l... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- Technical documentation is the savior and bane of every programmer and system administrator. On one hand, we need documentation as it helps us learn and understand what we need to accomplish. As long as we don't need to write it, we value documentation above all e... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- Unix offers a powerful command line that can provide solutions quickly for a variety of problems -- problems that graphical interfaces such as KDE or Gnome often are not suited for. The Bash (Bourne Again SHell) Shell is the default shell for Linux, and provides a... (more)

Recently, I ran into a problem with Linux. A customer was running a brand-new Linux Mandrake 8.0 machine with a 2.4.3 kernel-enterprise kernel. Originally, the machine ran a stock 2.4.3 Mandrake kernel, but try as I might, the stock 2.4.3 would not recognize the computer's 1 gig... (more)

(LinuxWorld) -- As a Linux consultant and programmer, I find many newcomers to Linux have preconceived ideas of how Linux should work, which leads to confusion and problems. Whether they are former Macintosh or Windows users, Linux newbies are accustomed to frequent crashes and ... (more)

When we roll into April, LinuxWorld.com is going to see many changes. Many of you have probably noticed that it will migrate into a Linux section of ITworld.com. The fate of the Ask the Geek column is currently unknown. I do know that the Ask the Geek forum will remain. If you ar... (more)