How to use a custom DNS server on Ubuntu Desktop

In Linux, DNS servers are specified in /etc/resolv.conf. However, a proper way to configure custom DNS settings on Ubuntu Desktop is not manually modifying /etc/resolv.conf, but using a separate GUI-based network management program which controls the content of /etc/resolv.conf.Read more »

How to find the IP address of VMware virtual machine

When you run a virtual machine (VM) created by VMware Player or VMware Server, there can be circumstances where you don't have console access to the VM. For example, you could be running your VM without VMware Player GUI, or you may have trouble opening a remote console from VMware Server. If you don't have access to VM console, you will need to remotely ssh to the VM by using its IP address. But how do you find out its IP address in the first place?Read more »

How to manage a wired network on Ubuntu Desktop

On Ubuntu Desktop, a separate GUI program called NetworkManager is responsible for configuring network settings (e.g., wired network, wireless network, proxy settings). However, on a fresh installation of Ubuntu Desktop, your wired network is NOT managed by NetworkManager, but by /etc/network/interfaces.Read more »

How to backup a hard disk on Linux

If you would like to backup your hard disk, there is a simple way to do it by using "dd" command. The dd command utility is used to copy files or disk images from one location to another. Using dd, you can backup an unmounted disk as a (compressed) disk image which is then stored in a separate local or remote disk. Here is how to backup and restore a hard drive using dd command.Read more »

How to use svn behind proxy

If your Linux host is behind a corporate proxy, and you are trying to access a svn repository located outside the corporate network, you will need to configure proxy settings in svn, so that svn traffic can traverse the proxy properly.Read more »

How to configure http proxy exceptions on Linux

When you are behind http proxy, you need to configure proxy settings for your applications in one way or another. Typically you define http_proxy environment variable pointing to your proxy, so that all http requests go through the proxy. But what if you want to bypass http proxy for specific destination web servers? That's when you need to configure http proxy exceptions.Read more »

How to diff remote files over ssh

Diff command line utility compares contents of two files (or directories), and shows how they differ line by line. It's straightforward to use diff if both input files are located on local host. But what if input files located on two different hosts? You can actually diff remote files over ssh. Here is how.Read more »