Advance Your Open Source Skills with These Essential Articles, Videos, and More

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November 6, 2018

Recent industry events have underscored the strength of open source in today’s computing landscape. With billions of dollars being spent, the power of open source development, collaboration, and organization seems unstoppable.

Toward that end, we recently provided an array of articles, videos, and other resources to meet you where you are on your open source journey and help you master the basics, improve your skills, or explore the broader ecosystem. Let’s take a look.

To start, we provided some Linux basics in our two-part series exploring Linux links:

Understanding Linux Links: Part 1 By Paul Brown – This beginning tutorial provides an overview of hard links, soft links, and when and how to use them.
Understanding Linux Links: Part 2 By Paul Brown – This tutorial follows up with a look at some linking quirks you should know about.

Then, we covered some basic tools for open source logging and monitoring:

Open Source Logging Tools for Linux By Jack Wallen – Here, Jack provides an overview of some tools to help you mine the depths of your log files.
4 Must-Have Tools for Monitoring Linux By Jack Wallen – Jack examines four tools you should consider for monitoring your desktops and servers.

We also took an in-depth look at the Introduction to Open Source, Git, and Linux training course from The Linux Foundation. This course presents a comprehensive learning path focused on development, Linux systems, and the Git revision control system. The $299 course is self-paced and comes with extensive and easily referenced learning materials. Get a preview of the course curriculum in this four-part series by Sam Dean:

Get an Introduction to Open Source, Git, and Linux with New Training Course

As the default compiler for the Linux kernel, the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) delivers trusted, stable performance along with the additional extensions needed to correctly build the kernel. We took a closer look at this vital tool in this whitepaper:

GCC: Optimizing Linux, the Internet, and Everything By Margaret Lewis

Security is another vital component of Linux. In this video interview, Linux kernel maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman provides a glimpse into how the kernel community deals with vulnerabilities.

Greg Kroah-Hartman Explains How the Kernel Community Is Securing Linux By Swapnil Bhartiya

Along with all these articles, we also recently published videos from some of our October events. Follow the links below to watch complete keynote and technical session presentations from Open Source Summit, Linux Security Summit, and Open FinTech Forum.

Check out 90+ sessions from Open Source Summit Europe & ELC + OpenIoT Summit Europe.
These 21 videos from Linux Security Summit Europe provide an overview of recent kernel development.
The 9 keynote videos from Open FinTech Forum cover cutting-edge open source technologies including AI, blockchain, and Kubernetes.

Stay tuned for more event coverage and essential open source resources.

How to Manage Storage on Linux with LVM

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OpenSource.com

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November 6, 2018

Logical Volume Manager (LVM) is a software-based RAID-like system that lets you create “pools” of storage and add hard drive space to those pools as needed. There are lots of reasons to use it, especially in a data center or any place where storage requirements change over time. Many Linux distributions use it by default for desktop installations, though, because users find the flexibility convenient and there are some built-in encryption features that the LVM structure simplifies.

However, if you aren’t used to seeing an LVM volume when booting off of a Live CD for data rescue or migration purposes, LVM can be confusing because the mountcommand can’t mount LVM volumes. For that, you need LVM tools installed. The chances are great that your distribution has LVM utils available—if they aren’t already installed.

This tutorial explains how to create and deal with LVM volumes.

GNU Linux-Libre 4.19 Kernel Is Now Available for Those Seeking 100% Freedom

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Softpedia

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November 6, 2018

With Linux kernel 4.19 hitting the streets, a new version of the GNU Linux-libre kernel is now available, version 4.19, based on the upstream kernel but without any proprietary drivers.

Based on the recently released Linux 4.19 kernel series, the GNU Linux-libre 4.17-gnu kernel borrows all the new features, including the experimental EROFS (Enhanced Read-Only File System) file system, initial support for the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) wireless protocol, and mitigations for the L1FT and SpectreRSB security flaws.

While the GNU Linux-Libre 4.19 kernel comes with all these goodies found in the upstream Linux 4.19 kernel, it doesn’t ship with proprietary code. Deblobbed drivers include Aspeed ColdFire FSI Master, MT76x0U and MT76x2U Wi-Fi, MTk Bluetooth UART, as well as Keystone and Qualcomm Hexagon Remoteproc.

HPC Advances with Perlmutter and Sierra Supercomputers

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ServerWatch

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November 6, 2018

There is a lot of activity and investment in the U.S supercomputer space now. After years of falling behind China for supercomputer superiority, the U.S is now storming back.

On Oct. 26, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) formally dedicated the Sierra system, which is now the world’s third fastest supercomputer.

The Sierra system is built with the same basic design as the IBM Summit system, which became the world’s most powerful supercomputer in June. Summit is a 200 petaflop system, while the newly dedicated Sierra currently tops out at 125 petaflops.

Sierra is a massive system spread out across 7,000 square feet of data center space. The system has 240 computing racks and 4,320 nodes.

17 Fun Linux Commands to Run in the Terminal

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MakeTechEasier

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November 6, 2018

The terminal is a very powerful tool, and it’s probably the most interesting part in Unix. Among the plethora of useful commands and scripts you can use, some seem less practical, if not completely useless. Here are some Bash commands that are fun, and some of them are useful as well.

Oneko

This command adds some spice to your terminal by adding a cat to your screen which will chase after your (mouse) cursor. Install it by running this script:

sudo apt install oneko

Type oneko to display the cat.

linux-fun-commands-oneko

figlet

Figlet is a command for those who love to write in ASCII art. It greatly simplifies this task as it automatically transforms any given string. It comes with a bunch of fonts by default at “/usr/share/figlet/fonts/,” and you can of course add your own.

figlet [-f path to the font] [string]

How to Work with Git and GitHub

By

Sam Dean

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November 5, 2018

Enterprises of all sizes are reporting dramatic and widening skills gaps in Linux and open source skills. Meanwhile, Linux tops the list as the most in-demand open source skill, according to the 2018 Open Source Jobs Report. In this article series, we are taking a closer look at one of the best new ways to gain open source and Linux fluency: the Introduction to Open Source Software Development, Git and Linux training course from The Linux Foundation.

This article is the final one in a four-part article series that highlights the major aspects of the training course, in chronological order. The initial article in the series covered the course’s general introduction to working with open source software, with a focus on such essentials as project collaboration, licensing, legal issues and getting help. With that groundwork laid, the course delves into working with Bash, the standard shell for most Linux distributions. The second article covered the course curriculum dedicated to working with Bash and Linux basics. The third article covered working with the command line as well as command-line tools. Here we will look at the course’s extensive content on working with Git and GitHub.

Working with Git, is, of course, essential for working with open source in today’s environment, especially if you will be collaborating with others. Git is a distributed version control system that makes collaborating on projects easy, while at the same time minimizing version-related errors and unwanted duplication of effort. Once you are working with Git you can also leverage a valuable repository called GitHub, where teams can house their projects, access and update code, and more.

The course covers Git as well as working with GitHub, and also notes that there are alternatives to GitHub that are worth knowing about, such as:

Why are Git and GitHub essentials important?

Git began as an offshoot of the Linux kernel development community, initially created by Linus Torvalds himself. However, people quickly realized that it could be used for any project that had collaborative needs. The course comprehensively covers Git essentials as they apply to collaborating on projects. In focusing on GitHub, it notes that collaborators can designate hosted projects as public or private, and that public repositories are free of charge.

The course devotes 11 chapters to installing, using, and working with Git, covering the following topics:

Git Installation
Git and Revision Control Systems
Using Git: An Example
Git Concepts and Architecture
Managing Files and the Index
Commits
Branches
Diffs
Merges
Managing Local and Remote Repositories
Using Patches

As is true throughout the Introduction to Open Source Software Development, Git and Linux training course, there are Labs modules that encourage students to get hands-on experience with Git and GitHub. An initial module guides students through creating a GitHub account that can go on to be used for working with open source projects over time.

In this part of the course, the focus is very much on applying Git and GitHub skills to collaborative project management and tasks. As students go through these lessons, they should keep in mind that the online course includes many summary slides, useful bullet lists, graphics, and more. It’s definitely worth setting up a desktop folder and regularly saving screenshots of especially useful topics to the folder.

Are you interested in advancing your open source skills? If so, this training course can help. Learn more about the Introduction to Open Source Development, Git, and Linux (LFD201) course and sign up now to start your open source journey.

Tim Berners-Lee Introduces “Solid” Decentralized Identity Platform

By

Info Q

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November 5, 2018

Solid is a new decentralized identity platform from WWW Creator Tim Berners-Lee which provides a mechanism for users to own and better control the usage of their data.

With several large companies trusted with large amounts of user data, and with several high profile data breaches and misuses of consumer data, Berners-Lee writes that:

The changes we’ve managed to bring have created a better and more connected world. But for all the good we’ve achieved, the web has evolved into an engine of inequity and division; swayed by powerful forces who use it for their own agendas. I believe we’ve reached a critical tipping point, and that powerful change for the better is possible — and necessary.

Berners-Lee and colleagues have been working on the open-source Solid project in an attempt to restore the power of individuals on the web.

The Eight Rules of Good Documentation

By

O'Reilly

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November 5, 2018

If useful documentation is so important to the success of projects and developer well-being, why don’t all projects have it? The answer, I believe, is that like good code, good documentation is difficult and time consuming to write.

In my eyes, there are eight rules that we can follow to produce good documentation:

Write documentation that is inviting and clear
Write documentation that is comprehensive, detailing all aspects of the project
Write documentation that is skimmable
Write documentation that offers examples of how to use the software
Write documentation that has repetition, when useful
Write documentation that is up-to-date
Write documentation that is easy to contribute to
Write documentation that is easy to find

Connect Everything: A Look at How NATS.io can Lead to a Securely Connected World

By

Cloud Native Computing Foundation

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November 5, 2018

Developing and deploying applications that communicate in distributed systems, especially in cloud computing, is complex. Messaging has evolved to address the general needs of distributed applications but hasn’t gone far enough. We need a messaging system that takes the next steps to address cloud, edge, and IoT needs. These include ever-increasing scalability requirements in terms of millions, if not billions of endpoints, a new emphasis toward resiliency of the system as a whole over individual components, end-to-end security, and the ability to have a zero-trust system. In this post we’ll discuss the steps NATS is taking to address these needs, leading toward a securely connected world.

Let’s break down the challenges into scalability, resiliency at scale, and security.

Scalability

To support millions, or even billions of endpoints spanning the globe, most architectures would involve a federated approach with many layers filtering up to a control layer, driven by a required central authority for configuration and security. Instead, NATS is taking a distributed and decentralized approach.

New Intel CPU Flaw Exploits Hyper-Threading to Steal Encrypted Data

By

Hacker News

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November 5, 2018

A team of security researchers has discovered another serious side-channel vulnerability in Intel CPUs that could allow an attacker to sniff out sensitive protected data, like passwords and cryptographic keys, from other processes running in the same CPU core with simultaneous multi-threading feature enabled.

The vulnerability, codenamed PortSmash (CVE-2018-5407), has joined the list of other dangerous side-channel vulnerabilities discovered in the past year, including Meltdown and Spectre, TLBleed, and Foreshadow.