[TriLUG] Want to create a Linux "Tool Box".

[Ryan Leathers]

I don't know if you'll find the same sort of "toolbox" for Linux that
you keep around for Windows - and that's good.  With Windows, there are
lots of things that go on "under the hood" which few of us ever get to
really see and understand.  I think this is a big reason why people like
to collect the kinds of tools you have collected for Windows.  Now
before you discount this as anti-Microsoft rhetoric, let me just assure
you that I've spent my time as an MCSE in MS-centric IT shops.  I was
even born and raised in Redmond -- really -- and its a beautiful place,
but none of this changes the fact that you don't get to, and don't
really need to, understand exactly what is happening in the bowels of
Windows, because by and large you can't see or modify its behavior
anyway, short of manipulating the user interface MS has decided to
provide to you. 
 
With Linux, you have the benefit of being able to see, understand, and
manipulate anything and everything.  Best of all, even if you don't want
to change a thing, you get to see what is happening - exactly - when
things go wrong.  

Your Linux toolkit then might consist of these:

1. A boot CD - there are lots to choose from with all the things you'd
probably consider "the tools"

2. knowledge and comfort with ssh and netcat - these get you where you
need to be

3. knowledge and comfort reading man pages and log files - these tell
you what you need to know - really




 

On Wed, 2006-02-22 at 09:01 -0500, Chad Thomsen wrote:
> I work as a net admin and over the years I have accumulated quite a few free
> Windows based tools I have burned to a CD and call it my "Windows Tool
> Box".  It contains all sorts of utilties for troubleshooting, recovering and
> fixing windows based issues.
> 
> That being said I was wanting to put togather a Linux tool box.  Thing is my
> knowledge and experience is much less then windows so I am not sure what
> cool tools are available for this sort of thing.
> 
> Any suggestions much appreciated.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Chad