Linux guides
12 guides in Maintenance & Troubleshooting · beginner.
Install Netdata for Real-Time Monitoring
Install Netdata on Linux with kickstart.sh, connect to Netdata Cloud, configure alarms and plugins, and tune performance impact — step-by-step for all major distros.
Manage Old Kernels and Clean /boot
Keep /boot from filling up by safely removing old kernel packages on Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch — with autoremove tips and emergency recovery steps.
Analyse Linux Logs with journalctl, lnav and grep
Learn to investigate Linux logs using journalctl filters, grep pipelines, and lnav's interactive interface — then know when ELK or Loki makes more sense.
Fix Locale, Charset and Timezone Issues
Fix broken locale, charset, and timezone settings on Linux—covering locale-gen, LC_* variables, timedatectl, container images, and cron environment traps.
How to Fix "Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock"
Fix the /var/lib/dpkg/lock error safely: identify the process holding the lock, handle stale files, and repair the package database without causing corruption.
How to Read Logs with journalctl
Learn to filter systemd journal logs by unit, time, and priority with journalctl, follow logs live, and manage disk usage on any modern Linux system.
How to Mount and Unmount Drives
Learn how to mount and unmount drives on Linux using mount, umount, and /etc/fstab with UUIDs for reliable, persistent automounting across reboots.
How to Manage Services with systemctl
Learn to start, stop, enable, disable, and mask Linux services using systemctl, plus how to read failures and diagnose problems with journalctl.
Linux Troubleshooting: A Practical First-Response Guide
A repeatable first-response method for Linux problems: read the error carefully, query journalctl, isolate the triggering change, search precisely, and ask for help effectively.
How to Keep Linux Updated
Learn how to safely update Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, RHEL, and Arch Linux systems using apt, dnf, and pacman — including how to hold or exclude packages.
How to Free Up Disk Space on Linux
Recover gigabytes on any Linux system by clearing package caches, trimming the systemd journal, removing old kernels, and hunting large files with ncdu.
How to Check Disk Health with SMART
Learn to use smartctl to read SMART attributes, run drive self-tests, and identify early warning signs of HDD and SSD failure before data loss occurs.