System and Kernel Management: The Complete Guide To Linux System Administration

Chapter 13: System And Kernel Management
The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration
Objectives
Establish a Linux backup strategy Configure and review system log files Understand the use of kernel modules and the features of a high-end kernel Upgrade and recompile the Linux kernel
Backing Up a Linux System

Backup
Copy of data on computer system Form of insurance
Designing a Backup Strategy

Backup plan
Written document that outlines:
When and how files are backed up How files are stored How files are restored
Backup media
Item that holds backed-up data
Restore data
Copy from backup media to file system
The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration 4
Designing a Backup Strategy (continued)

Backup plan questions
What files should be backed up? Who will back up files? Where are files located? How should backups be performed? Must you be able to restore data within a specific period of time?
Designing a Backup Strategy (continued)

Determining value of data
Spend more to protect integrity of expensive data
Opportunity cost Determine when to back up data

Data changes frequently in most organizations
User data Log files E-mail archives Constitutes daily work of users within organization
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A Linux Backup Strategy

Backup level
Defines how much data is backed up Backup operation at given backup level stores all data that has changed since last backup of previous level Levels
Level 0, full backup Level 1, weekly differential backup Level 2, daily differential backup
A Linux Backup Strategy (continued)

Full backup
Also called epoch backup Everything on system is backed up
Differential backup stores only files that changed since full backup Incremental backup stores files that changed since most recent incremental backup or differential backup

Restoring file from three-level backup
Check most recent level 2 backup, level 1backup, and level 0 backup
Entire system restore from three-level backup

Restore most recent level 0 backup, level 1 backup, and level 2 backup
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Managing and storing backup media
Determine how many backup media needed for each level Carefully label media Most organizations store one set of monthly backup media off-site
Possibly weekly as well
Can reuse same set of level 1 weekly tape cartridges each month starting with oldest one
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Backing up root file system
Requires special attention in backup plan Contains tools normally used to restore damaged data Think about how to respond if root file system is damaged
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Hardware and Software Issues

Determine best tools to get job done Linux includes all necessary software utilities for many backup tasks Backup media such as tape cartridges cost much less than hard disk Verify backups regularly Check backup log each morning
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Hardware and Software Issues (continued)

Know exactly what information is backed up
Backup utilities normally include options to maintain or ignore file ownership and permissions
Choose whether to use compression feature

When data compressed, redundancy removed
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Using Linux Backup Utilities

tar cpio dump restore dd (Data dump)
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Using Linux Backup Utilities (continued)

Graphical utilities rely on tar, cpio, or dump and restore in background Common to use Linux backup utilities across network Most full-featured backup utilities create own network connections ark
Graphical tool for managing data backup operations
Using Linux Backup Utilities (continued)

Specialized software for maintaining large numbers of backup media for large volumes of data
BRU (backup and restore utility) Arkeia Storix Hypertape Amanda Legato
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Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID

Redundant arrays of inexpensive disks
Called RAID subsystems or RAID arrays Group or array of inexpensive hard disks If one disk fails, others can take over until failed disk replaced Can be implemented by Linux kernel
As device called /dev/md0 Composed of several actual hard disk partitions
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Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID (continued)

Defining RAID levels
Levels differ in:
Amount of fault tolerance provided Speed of reading or writing data Cost of implementation
RAID-Linear
Combine multiple physical devices into single logical device Not truly RAID level
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RAID-0
Data storage technique called striping Single block of data divided into pieces Stored on more than one hard disk
RAID-1
Mirrors data across multiple hard disks
RAID-3
Stripes data across multiple hard disks Provides additional protection against failure by using parity
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Mirroring
Two or more hard disks contain identical information
Duplexing
Mirrored hard disks on separate controller cards
Parity
Technique that allows corrupted data to be reconstructed using extra information created as data stored

RAID-5
Similar to RAID-3 Parity information and stored data striped across multiple hard disks
Write caching stores information in memory until it can be written to multiple hard disks without degrading performance overall
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Hardware-based RAID
Control and management of disk array depends on separate hardware system All special technology contained in RAID device Often allow hot-swapping disks Main disadvantage: cost
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Understanding Logical Volume Management

Logical volume manager (LVM) used to manage large hard disks Physical volumes
Use Disk Druid to set up real partitions on multiple hard disks Grouped together into logical volume group Treated as regular hard disk Boot loader not able to work directly with LVM
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Log files
System Logs
Detailed records of events within system Created by many programs
/var/log/messages
Many different programs write messages
Message
Description of what is happening within program Uses standard format
whatis command
Looks at database of program descriptions Prints one-line description of program
The syslogd and klogd Daemons

syslogd
System logging daemon Watches for messages submitted by programs
klogd
Kernel log daemon Watches for messages submitted by kernel Logs kernel messages to /var/log/messages
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syslogd and klogd Work Together to Process Log Messages
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Configuring the System Log

/etc/syslog.conf
Configure syslogd and klogd Each line in syslog.conf file contains two parts:
Selector Action
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Configuring the System Log (continued)
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Configuration File Syntax

Comment lines
Begin with # character Precede and explain purpose of each line
Some aspects of configuration file syntax not obvious even after reading about facilities and actions After changing syslog.conf configuration file, service syslog restart
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Configuration File Syntax (continued)

SIGHUP signal
Send with kill command Tells daemon to reread configuration files kill -HUP cat /var/run/syslogd.pid
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Using the Logger Utility

Logger utility sends message to syslog function Example: logger compression utility started Logged wherever syslog.conf file has configured messages matching selector
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Analyzing Log Files

System administrator should regularly check log files for indications of trouble
Become accustomed to what is normal and what is unexpected Use standard Linux tools to search for information in log files Use special log management utilities that watch log files for specified conditions
Notify via e-mail about problems
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Rotating Log Files

Erase old log files to free up disk space for new log information Compress log files and store them on archive medium Rename and compress log files Common log rotation system stores log files for a month logrotate utility
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Exploring Kernel Components

Learn how Linux keeps track of time Learn about /proc file system Work with kernel modules and several high-end features of Linux kernel
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Timekeeping in Linux
Hardware clock
Electronic clock with small battery Maintains correct time even when computer is off
System clock
Internal clock in kernel Maintained internally as single number
Number of seconds since January 1, 1970
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Timekeeping in Linux (continued)

date command
See current date and time from system clock
hwclock command
See current date and time from hardware clock
Network time server

Computer that maintains highly accurate time based on atomic or radio clocks Network Time Protocol (NTP)
/etc/ntp.conf file
Kernel Management Using the /proc File System

/proc file system
Interact with system resources as if they were files Query to learn about system hardware Can also write information to some file names in /proc
sysctl command
Preferred method of viewing and updating many kernel parameters Operates on values stored in /proc/sys
Using Kernel Modules

Linux kernel modules
Files containing computer code Can be loaded into kernel or removed from kernel as needed
lsmod command lists modules that are installed modinfo command

Learn about modules
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Using Kernel Modules (continued)

Adding and removing modules
modprobe command loads module with any required supporting modules rmmod command removes module from kernel Module parameters provides information needed by module to locate system resources
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Configuring and Upgrading Kernel Components

Add features to kernel by inserting kernel modules
Some kernel features not available as modules
Recompile Linux kernel from source code

File vmlinuz-26.5-1.358 contains Linux kernel Usually located in / or /boot directory
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Installing Kernel Source Code

Source code in single rpm
Named kernel-source Use rpm command to install
Explore source code files in directory /usr/src/linux-26.5-1.358 Patch file Patch command
Insert and change lines based on patch file
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Configuring Kernel Features

Select which kernel options to include or activate for system Configuration utilities
config menuconfig xconfig
make command
Programming utility uses instructions in configuration file to execute series of instructions
Compiling a New Kernel

Execute series of make commands
Prepare all source code files Compile them into kernel image
Requires between 30 minutes and 3 hours Example: make dep; make bzimage; make modules; make modules_install
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Summary
Backup plan creates orderly system for backing up data on regular basis and restoring lost data as needed Log files record activities of Linux programs System clock in Linux kernel maintains time and date for system events RAID systems improve speed and fault tolerance
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Summary (continued)
/proc file system
View details about
Kernel Running processes Other system information
Linux kernel sometimes updated by Linux vendors via new rpm file
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System and Kernel Management: The Complete Guide To Linux System Administration

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Chapter 13: System And Kernel Management

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Backing Up a Linux System

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Designing a Backup Strategy

Designing a Backup Strategy (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Designing a Backup Strategy (continued)

Opportunity cost Determine when to back up data

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

A Linux Backup Strategy

A Linux Backup Strategy (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

A Linux Backup Strategy (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

A Linux Backup Strategy (continued)

Entire system restore from three-level backup

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

A Linux Backup Strategy (continued)

A Linux Backup Strategy (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

A Linux Backup Strategy (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Hardware and Software Issues

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Hardware and Software Issues (continued)

Choose whether to use compression feature

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Using Linux Backup Utilities

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Using Linux Backup Utilities (continued)

Using Linux Backup Utilities (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID (continued)

Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID (continued)

Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Redundant Disk Systems and RAID (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Understanding Logical Volume Management

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Detailed records of events within system Created by many programs

The syslogd and klogd Daemons

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

syslogd and klogd Work Together to Process Log Messages

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Configuring the System Log

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Configuring the System Log (continued)

The Complete Guide to Linux System Administration

Configuration File Syntax