Best opensource encryption tools you need to keep

We are spending more and more time online with each passing day, so much so that internet has become an indispensable part of our daily existence. When online, various threats exist that could have some serious implications on the data you send/receive. It is therefore ideal that you make use of good safety tools that can prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands. Encryption tools come in handy here!

1.AxCrypt

Open source file encryption software for Windows that integrates seamlessly with the OS to compress, encrypt, decrypt, store, send and work with individual files.

2.Gnu Privacy Guard

GnuPG allows to encrypt and sign your data and communication, features a versatile key management system as well as access modules for all kinds of public key directories.

3.Mac GNU Privacy Guard

The goal of this project is to create a GnuPG front end for Mac OS X.

4.Gpg4win

Enables users to securely transport emails and files with the help of encryption and digital signatures. Encryption protects the contents against an unwanted party reading it. Digital signatures make sure that it was not modified and comes from a specific sender.

5.PeaZip

Free cross-platform file and archive manager utility that provides an unified portable GUI for many Open Source technologies like 7-Zip, FreeArc, PAQ, UPX.

6.Crypt

An open-source, ultra-fast light-weight encryption utility with no installation procedures.

7.NeoCrypt

Free, open-source File Protection Utility for Windows that helps you to protect your sensitive information easily by encrypting it with password(s).

 

If you have some suggestions of your own please let us know in comments!

 

 

Debian Vs Ubuntu: 10 Years of debate

Ubuntu just celebrated the 10th anniversary with release of Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn. Ubuntu has been the most famous desktop Linux distro. The first Ubuntu versino was launched in 2004 by Canonical. Ubuntu is based on Debian Linux distro. It is important that we revise the changes that has been made in Debian in past 10 years vs the changes in Ubuntu since it’s first version. Let’s take a look at the 10 year history of Linux distro king.

1. Beginning

The first version of Ubuntu was quite ugly. It had brown themed UI and it was nothing but a replica of Debian. Development team behind Ubuntu was only focusing on making the installation process easier as installing Debian was skillful task. Ubuntu’s first version 4.10 was named as Warty Warthog. The text based installer represented all the essential information about Linux to new users. Navigation through the installation process was quite easier as compared to traditional Linux desktop distros. Back in 2004, Debian was not so famous. Users preferred Mandrake Linux over debian back then!

2. Popularity

For next few releases, Ubuntu was focused on bringing latest software packages to the platform, default setup in distro was made more user-friendly. However it seemed more like default setup of GNOME or KDE with different themes. Ubuntu was improving the quality and ease of its installer. User-friendly installation process attracted more users to try this new Linux based OS. Ubuntu featured graphical installer whereas, most other distros like OpenSUSE had confusing text installer.

Then Ubuntu integrated Wubi in the OS, which enabled users to install the distro in dual-boot way. Users could use Windows Boot Manager and easily switch between Windows and Ubuntu. It was integrated in Windows system, which could be easily removed using Add or remove programs tool in Windows. So this was not the best solution for long term usage. Ubuntu removed Wubi in next few releases.

Ubuntu’s focus was to bring long term supported open source OS to end users. Hence, team Ubuntu came out with Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Long Term Release). LTS supported for long term as compared to normal releases. With LTS, users didn’t have to upgrade the whole system every six month. This ensured the stability and durability to users. It made Ubuntu much more attractive as compared to other desktop distros. Ubuntu started adding unique user-friendly features such as easy to use panel to install and manage proprietary drivers. Besides all these small changes, it looked much like Debian. The big UI change was brought in the picture with the release of Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx. It had a new theme, it changed lot of visuals and features and most importantly, 10.04 brought Ubuntu Software Center in picture. This was a biggest change that attracted more and more users towards Ubuntu.

3. Uniqueness

While many distress had repositories in their systems, Ubuntu replaced them with Personal Package Archives (PPAs). This enabled end users to manage and add new repositories very easily. Developers were now able to operate PPAs which users can install. Updating new versions of apps became lot more easier with PPAs. With release of Ubuntu 11.04, team replaced GNOME Shell with Unity desktop environment. This was first major change to the UX of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu proved its uniqueness than Debian with the brand new UX. Ubuntu is also working on Ubuntu for Devices which is going to be its mobile OS. The Ubuntu Touch will bring lot of new features of desktop distro to mobile platform. Canonical has great vision of having standard platform for open source desktop as well as mobile users.

4. Dependent OS

It seems like Ubuntu is lot more different than Debian but there is one basic thing that hasn’t changed and it is important of all, that is, packages. Most of the packages that Ubuntu runs are from Debian’s unstable repositories. Ubuntu cannot differentiate itself from Debian until they remove Debian from the core of Ubuntu. Better yet, the UX (user experience) between Debian and Ubuntu is dramatically different.

It is important for you to decide what suits your use case. If you are a pro Linux user and you like vanilla system then Debian is good for you. Otherwise, Ubuntu is always the best bet due to its user friendly yet attractive UI and easy-to-use features.

 

If you have some suggestions of your own please let us know in comments!

 

 

Complete collection of linux os distros

New To Linux

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a Debian-based distro that uses Unity as a default desktop environment. It’s one of the most popular distros around, and it improves with every release. The latest releases have been quite polished, and have been optimized for desktops, and multi-touch devices such as trackpads and touchscreens.

Kubuntu

Kubuntu is an Ubuntu derivative that uses KDE instead of Unity as the default desktop environment. Beneath this, it is essentially the same as Ubuntu and is released on the same schedule.

Mint

Linux Mint was designed to be an elegant, modern distro that was easy to use, yet powerful. It’s based on Ubuntu and Debian, is reliably safe and comes with one of the best software managers. These days it’s one of the most popular Linux distributions around, claiming to be the most popular home operating system after Windows and Mac OS.

Deepin

Deepin is an Ubuntu based distro that has built the Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE) to appeal to newer Linux users. In fact, we highly recommend new users give Deepin a go. It’s stylish, simple and intuitive, featuring one of the best system settings panel displays of any distro. Deepin also features its own applications, like DMusic, DPlayer and the soon-to-be-released DTalk.

Elementary OS

Yet another Ubuntu-based distro, Elementary OS has differentiated itself superbly since the release of Elementary OS Luna. It features beautiful, simple default apps that follow the OS’s aesthetic appeal, such as Geary for email, Midori web browser, Maya calendar, Totem movie player, and the Noise music player. Some of the default apps were developed in-house in order to meet expectations.

Zorin OS

Zorin OS has been designed specifically for newcomers to Linux, with a look and feel that is all about making a good impression and easing the transition from Windows to Linux. The Ubuntu-based distro features, apps that will be familiar to Windows users, and makes it easy for users to run the Windows apps they still need. Zorin OS 9 has been built to be a lot like Windows 7, hoping to get some new Linux converts from those leaving Windows XP behind.

General

OpenSUSE

The OpenSUSE distribution is a general distro for Linux built by the OpenSUSE Project, aiming to be both a great beginner distro and something that appeals to experienced Linux users. OpenSUSE comes with YAST, an administration program that controls installations, package management and more.

Fedora

Fedora is an innovation-focused distribution, with a short life cycle that lends itself to leading-edge software. It uses the GNOME desktop environment by default, but users can easily switch to KDE, Xfce, LXDE, MATE and Cinnamon, among others. Custom variations of Fedora, known as Fedora spins, are available for users with particular needs.

Xubuntu

Xubuntu is an Ubuntu derivative that uses the Xfce (XForms Common Environment) desktop environment, meaning it is elegant and lightweight. It’s great for laptops and netbooks as well as desktops. Because it is light and uses few system resources, it is perfect for older computers.

Debian

Debian is an older Linux distribution which comes with the GNOME desktop environment by default, and it’s much-loved for both personal computers and for network servers. However, it’s also available for FreeBSD and work is in progress to support other kernels, such as the Hurd. Debian prides itself on coming preloaded with over 37500 packages, and with simple utilities that make it easy to get more.

Korora

Korora was originally based on Gentoo Linux, and evolved with the aim of making Linux easy for newcomers, but also useful for experts. It comes with a choice of desktop environments, including the Cinnamon, GNOME, KDE, MATE and Xfce desktops.

Slackware Linux

Slackware is a distro built specifically for security and simplicity, aiming to be the most UNIX-like Linux distribution. It’s particularly useful for server management, as it has FTP, email and web servers available to use immediately.

Mageia

The French Mageia began as a community-driven, non-profit fork of Mandriva Linux, and features all the major desktop environments. Primarily, KDE and GNOME are available as default desktops.

SparkyLinux

SparkyLinux is a distribution that has evolved from the “testing” branch of Debian. The main edition comes with a customized version of the lightweight LXDE desktop, with other customized desktops available.

Gentoo Linux

Gentoo Linux is a distribution optimized for configurability, and can be adapted to almost any need. Its versatility and performance are what sets it apart from other distros. Gentoo Linux also comes with an advanced package management system called Portage.

CentOS

CentOS (Community Enterprise Operating System) is a Linux distribution that is a community rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It’s designed for people who want to use an enterprise-worthy distribution for free.

PCLinuxOS

PCLinuxOS is designed with regular PC users in mind, and features the KDE Plasma Desktop by default. This distribution makes it easy to install drivers, get Office software, edit photos, get online and start using multimedia. It also makes it easy to do snapshot backups.

PinGuy OS

PinGuyOS is both beautiful and ready to use from the start. The Ubuntu-based distribution comes pre-packaged with all the best software for regular use and for network setup, making it perfect for beginners. It features a modified GNOME user interface.

Educational

DouDou

DouDou Linux is for young children, with the aim of teaching them how to explore computers and learn from them. It provides games and educational programs suitable for kids aged 2-12 and is a safe environment that parents won’t have to watch over.

Edubuntu

Edubuntu is a distro for education which is partnered with Ubuntu. It has been created to be as easy as possible for teachers to set up, and for kids of all ages to use. It comes pre-packaged with all the best free software for education.

Uberstudent

Uberstudent is a distribution specifically designed for tertiary and advanced secondary students. It comes pre-packaged with software that makes it easy to do assignments and manage tasks.

Lightweight/Minimal

Lubuntu

Lubuntu is a lightweight distro based on Ubuntu that’s perfect for laptop usage. It uses the minimal desktop LXDE (Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) and comes with lightweight applications designed for energy-efficiency and speed. It’s great for most older computers, netbooks and mobile devices as it uses minimal RAM and has low system requirements.

Puppy Linux

Puppy Linux is a distribution that’s really small and can be run entirely from RAM. This means Puppy Linux is great for older computers, even without hard drives! It is also easy to use as a malware remover for any existing system.

Manjaro Linux

Manjaro Linux is a fast, easy-to-use, light-weight distribution based on Arch Linux. It aims to give all the benefits of Arch Linux, with more user-friendliness and accessibility, making it easier on newcomers. The Xfce desktop is the default, but other options are available.

Arch Linux

Arch Linux is a distribution designed with experienced users in mind. This light-weight minimalist distribution aims to keep things simple, and uses a rolling release model for updates. It features a custom-made package manager called “Pacman”, which makes it easy to build, modify and share packages.

Tiny Core

Tiny Core Linux is an extremely light, modular distribution noted specifically for its small size (currently 15 MB). It is build on the Linux kernel and uses BusyBox and FLTK (Fast, Light Toolkit).

CrunchBang

The Debian-based CrunchBang Linux distribution is minimalist and highly customizable, featuring the Openbox window manager instead of a desktop environment. It comes with a number of GTK+ applications preinstalled.

Bodhi

The Ubuntu-based Bodhi Linux distribution comes with the light-weight and beautiful Enlightenment desktop. Bodhi is extremely customizable, with themes and apps readily available to expand on the light beginnings.

Specialised:

ArtistX

ArtistX is specifically tailored to artists of all types, from music to graphic design. It’s based on Ubuntu and comes pre-packaged with all the best 2D and 3D graphic design, video production, and audio manufacturing software for GNU/Linux.

Hybryde Fusion

The main point of Hybryde Fusion is to allow you to test out which Linux desktop environment you like best. This distribution is considered a conceptual work, and not something you’d use daily.

Kali Linux

Formerly known as BackTrack, Kali Linux is focused on penetration testing. This Debian-based Linux distribution makes it easy to perform digital forensic tasks.

Parted Magic

Parted Magic is built as a disc management tool, with disc partitioning and copying as primary tools. It also makes it easy to perform disc recovery and erasing.

GParted

GParted is a single-purpose distribution, designed to make it easy to partition hard drives using a graphical interface.

Business:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a commercial derivative of Fedora, designed with enterprise customers in mind. There are a number of variants and addons, and certification is available for both administrators and applications.

SUSE Linux Enterprise

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop is designed for business use and is therefore enterprise-ready from installation, making it easy to work with a variety of office programs. It’s flexible enough to run on a variety of devices, but is reliable enough for extremely critical processes. Also available is the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server edition.

Security:

TAILS

TAILS is a distribution that revolves wholly around the concept of privacy and security. It is a live operating system you can use from a DVD, USB stick or SD card, so that you can be safe using any computer and leave no trace of your activities. All Internet connections are routed through TOR (The Onion Router) for the best possible anonymity, and cryptographic tools are readily available to protect all your communication methods from prying eyes.

Add Your Favourite Distros

This is just a snapshot of our favourite distros today. Please feel free to tell us about your favourite Linux distribution and why you love it. Which distro is your favourite?

 

 

Facebook going to launch “Work apps” for companies

You may already sneak a quick look at Facebook during the day while you’re supposed to be working, but soon visits to the social network could be encouraged or even mandatory. Facebook just unveiled a new app called “Work” designed to create smaller networks within an individual company.

Facebook is launching Work apps for Android and iOS on Wednesday, along with a desktop website, TechCrunch reports. Companies will be able to create separate accounts for their employees, though you’ll also be able to sign-up using your personal Facebook profile. Either way, there’s no crossover between the two apps, and you can run both at the same time on your phone without any issues.

It’s still unclear exactly what the new app will let you do, though it looks like you’ll be able to share documents and post status updates like you would on the regular social network. We may also get the ability to edit files within Work at a later time.

There’s still no word on pricing, though it’s possible Work could be free. That would give the new app an edge over other popular social-enterprise services like Slack. It could also help introduce even more people to Facebook in general, potentially increasing the company’s massive user base even more.

Facebook Work is expected to hit iOS and Android later today, though it could be limited to a handful of pre-selected companies at first.

Use smartphone as webcam

Many would doubt the concept as of why one would prefer using his phone as a webcam? Well, there are a bunch of reasons to push this idea:

• Old phone having no front cam? You could use rear camera for video calling instead of buying one.
• A good chance that it can stand for a pretty good “Security camera”, monitoring your babies or other watch hours, without buying expensive standalone cameras!
Oh yes, it is a matter of concern that you would buy a new camera for the purpose but still if you want to save those few dollars/rupees, you can stick to this idea. Don’t sell that old one in your pocket, it can still serve you well.
Now the question arise on How-to-do stuff? Isn’t it? Well there are certain right apps that would provide you with satisfying interface and make worth it.

Android:

Play store as well as private developers provide a number of apps for this purpose. But beware of those fake tagline, you could be fooled and end up in wasting worthy data or leak of some personal information.
Out of the most tested, IP Webcam is the best one which proves for this purpose. Unlike DroidCam (which require a similar application to be installed in Windows), this app works through your browser, giving you the compatibility and freedom to move over platforms.

Step-to-do:

1. Connect you phone and computer to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Install the app IP Webcam on your phone.
3. It is advisable to close any app which uses your phone’s camera (kill’em using task manager).
4. Launch the app. Scroll down until a tab appears- “Start server”.
5. The app will now display a URL, something like- http://abc.de.fg.ij:klmn (alphabets represents numerical).
6. Enter this URL in your web browser and hit Enter.
7. In the browser, you’ll see a drop down menu next to Video renderer. Select Browser.
8. Next, you’ll see Audio renderer. Select HTML wav.

Now you’re good to go. You’ll see a live video feed in your browser. You can record it via browser. You’ll get used to controls once you use it.

Although there might be some problem in HTML wav audio streaming, you can prefer VLC media player for this purpose.

Download it from here, install it. Go to Media>Network Stream and enter the URL generated from the app.
Once the app is running, you don’t need to keep the phone’s screen on. It works smoothly even if phone is locked but video feed experience is slightly better when phone’s screen is on.

iOS:

EpocCam and PocketCam rule the app market in race of making your iProduct a better webcam. PocketCam is messy to configure, and gives access to only black n white video, no audio in free version. You can rely on the paid one to get better service.

EpocCam is free and quite easy to set up too! Here’s how to make it under use:

1. Download EpocCam on your iDevice as well as for your Mac or PC.
2. Make sure both the devices are connected on the same network.
3. While installing, several prompt may appear asking you to install some drivers. Install them, they essential audio and video drivers used by the app.
4. Start the app on both devices.
5. The app will automatically searches for the device running EpocCam on the same Wi-Fi network. Soon, the video from your iDevice will be shown up on your computer.
6. There might be a few occasions when the app won’t connect your device to your computer. In the case, restarting the app quickly fixes the issue. Also, there is no video recording feature in this app, but video recording apps like CamStudio, ScreenPresso, etc. will work for you.

Video Calling- Setting up your phone as a Webcam:

Android:
Disappointing though, IP Webcam doesn’t work with Skype, so you need to stick with DroidCam and its PC Client to work.

Step-to-do:

1. Install DroidCam on your phone, as well as on your computer. (As DroidCam Client, here)
2. Connect both the devices to the same network.
3. Open the app on the phone and write down the Wi-Fi IP listed on the main screen.
4. Open the Windows client and paste the IP on your computer.
5. If you have slow internet connection, select low from the video quality drop down menu.
6. Click Start.
7. Now you’ll see video feed from your phone on the DroidCam Windows application.
8. Better to keep your phone unlocked, to avoid minimal stutter and lag. Keep android app open and turn off auto-lock.
9. Restart Skype (if it is already opened) and select DroidCamSource1 as webcam.
   Good to go again. Use your phone as the webcam.

iOS:

The procedure is simple. EpocCam enables you to connect to Skype and use your iDevice as Webcam.
Steps-to-do:

1. Install app on both devices, as mentioned earlier.
2. Start the app, it will connect automatically.
3. Now, restart Skype and select EpocCam as the webcam.
4. Now you’ll be using your iDevice as Webcam.

How to set default camera on Skype:
Skype on your PC will require the camera configuration.

Steps-to-do:

1. Download and Install desktop version Skype app.
2. Sign in to your account and enter Tools>Options.
3. Click video setting under the general tab.
4. Select the correct camera from the drop down menu next to Select webcam. The name of the camera will be similar to the name of the app
5. you are using. Select it.
6. Click save.

You can now place video calls from your computer using your phone as a webcam!

Note for iPhone, iPad users: The app stops working if you hit the home button or lock your phone.

 

If you have some suggestions of your own please let us know in comments!

 

 

Top 10 Unbeatable Vulnerability Scanners you need to know

With efficient technology comes the issue of safety and security. Even as technology around us improves drastically, unsolicited vulnerabilities that might creep in have grown smarter and way difficult to detect. Detecting vulnerabilities can be a daunting task in its own right, however, a set of efficient scanners available make the process less cumbersome yet effective!

 

Here are top 10 unbeatable vulnerability scanners:

1. Nessus

-Features: patch, configuration, and compliance auditing; mobile, malware, and botnet discovery; sensitive data identification etc.

-Versions: Nessus and Nessus Perimeter Service (commercial organisations and enterprises), Nessus evaluations (commercial organisations) and Nessus Home (non-commercial, home network).

-Operating Systems supported: Windows, Mac OS X, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Solaris, and/or other UNIX variants.

-Price: Paid

2. OpenVAS

-Framework of several services and tools that offers a comprehensive vulnerability scanning and vulnerability management solution.

-Consists of a daily updated feed of Network Vulnerability Tests (NVTs).

-Majority of components licensed under the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL).

-Operating Systems supported: Linux, Windows and others.

-Price: Free

3. CORE Impact Pro

-Taking vulnerabilty scanning to an all new level beyond traditional exploitation, CORE Impact Pro provides the same level of Advanced Persistent Threat and password-based techniques currently being deployed by various cyber criminals.

-Allowing commercial and government organisations to actively test the security of their network and application infrastructure.

-Operating System supported: Windows

-Price: Paid

4. Nexpose

-Scans for mis-configurations, vulnerabilities, and malware and then provides specific remedies for each issue.

-Scans the entire IT environment including networks, operating systems, web applications, databases, and virtualisation.

-Operating System supported: Windows and Linux.

-Price: Paid

5. GFI Lan Guard

-Scans and detects network vulnerabilities before they are exposed. This considerably reduces the time required to patch machines.

-Provides both security and non-security patches for Microsoft, Mac OS X, Linux and over 50 other third-party operating systems and applications.

-Operating System supported: Windows

-Price: Paid

6. QualysGuard

-Award-winning cloud security and compliance solution that provides global businesses with on demand critical security intelligence.

-Provides auditing, compliance and protection for Internet perimeter systems, internal networks, and web applications.

-Operating System supported: Windows

-Price: Paid

7. MBSA

-The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyser provides a streamlined detection of missing security updates and common security misconfigurations.

– The very recent MBSA 2.3 release adds support for Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2012.

-Operating System supported: Windows

-Price: Free

8. Retina

-Perhaps one of the most sophisticated vulnerability assessment solutions available.

-Available as a standalone application or as part of the Retina CS unified vulnerability management platform.

-Efficiently identifies exposures (missing patches, configuration weaknesses etc.) and then prioritises enterprise-wide remediation.

-Operating System supported: Windows

-Price: Paid

9. Secunia PSI

-The Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) efficiently identifies vulnerable and out-dated programs and plug-ins, that might expose your PC to attacks. It thereafter patch these vulnerable programs.

-Operating System supported: Windows

-Price: Free

10. Nipper

-The Network Infrastructure Parser checks the security of network devices such as switches, routers, and firewalls.

-It was earlier an open source tool. Then its developer (Titania) released a commercial version and tried to hide their old GPL releases.

-Operating System supported: Windows, Apple MAC OSX, Linux

-Price: Paid

 

If you have some suggestions of your own please let us know in comments!

 

 

Best 6 OpenStack Distros For Enterprises

OpenStack has picked up in a big way in the past year or so. With the increase in cloud computing, more and more enterprises are embracing this technology and service providers oblige.

1) Red Hat Distribution of OpenStack

RDO is a community of people using and deploying OpenStack on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora and distributions derived from these (such as CentOS, Scientific Linux and others).

2) Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform

With Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform, you get all the benefits you’ve come to expect from Red Hat Enterprise Linux, plus the fastest-growing cloud infrastructure platform from OpenStack. This means you have a wide selection of hardware partners to choose from to power your cloud. And your customers have a familiar and widely supported application environment for their cloud workloads.

3) Fuel

Fuel is an open source deployment and management tool for OpenStack. Developed as an OpenStack community effort, it provides an intuitive, GUI-driven experience for deployment and management of a variety of OpenStack distributions and plug-ins.

4) Rackspace

This company hosts the biggest open cloud in the world alongisde a number of smaller private clouds. A private cloud is a scalable cloud environment—providing the agility and efficiency of a public cloud—built on infrastructure dedicated exclusively for your organisation. It can be hosted in your own data center, in a partner data center, or at Rackspace.

5) Ubuntu OpenStack

According to the website, “Ubuntu is the world’s most popular operating system for OpenStack. There’s no faster or more reliable way to build an enterprise‐scale cloud, from provisioning to deployment and management.”

6) Open Cloud System

Open Cloud System 2.6 is a complete Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solution powered by OpenStack technology. OCS is designed to meet the requirements of next-generation cloud-based, scale-out applications such as social apps, mobile apps, SaaS/PaaS deployments and Big Data analytics.

If you have some suggestions of your own please let us know in comments!

 

 

 

10 cool linux command line tools to try now

 

Command line tools are an indispensable part of any computer user’s daily routine. While fancy GUIs offer tremendous functionality, they just can’t replace the old-school goodness of the command line. There are many tools you can use to bring out the best of the command line, something you can’t really put on paper in one go. Here’s a list of 10 command line tools you can begin with!

1.Find

-Helps you look for files based on criteria—like name, filetype, or when they were last edited.

2.Pipes

-Class of tools that help you send the output of one command to another command.

3.Grep

-Helps you search through any text within a file on your system for a specific phrase.

4.Wget

-Gives you some serious control over your downloads.

5.SSH

-Connects you to another computer and lets you use its terminal as if you were sitting right in front of it.

6.Chmod

-Edits the permissions of any file, letting you read, write, and/or execute a given file according to your specifications.

7.Chown

-Does the same work as Chmod but it’s particularly more useful while working with multiple files.

8.Ifconfig

-Shows you the IP address of your computer, the MAC address of your Ethernet and Wi-Fi cards etc.

9.Top

Gives you a list of every program running on your system, as well as how much of your system’s resources they’re taking up.

10.Vi

Command line text editor.

 

If you have some suggestions of your own please let us know in comments!

 

 

Top 8 Data Recovery Tools For Linux

Data recovery is an essential part of computer usage. Data recovery tools come very handy while helping you out with your system files and resources. Data backup and recovery are very important if you’re looking to maintain the sanctity of your files. Because. anything could happen, your hard drive may crash, malware attack may erase your important data, anything! Therefore it’s ideal your data is properly backed. Here are 8 open source tools to recover your data.

1. Knoppix

Knoppix is one of the most poular recovery software available for Linux platform. It comes as bootable CD version with list of GNU/Linux software. Knoppix can auto detect the hardware and optimize the recovery tool by itself. Since it comes as bootable CD, you can use it as Linux demo, educational CD, rescue software or even a platform for commercial software product demos.

2. Trinity Rescue Kit

This is a free live Linux distribution that helps user to recovery and repair operations on Windows PCs. However it can be used as it is on Linux systems also. Trinity Rescue Kit v3.4 and later have user friendly interface with scrollable text menu. Anybody can easily use TRK to perform system maintenance and repair tasks such as password reset, disk cleanup to virus scanning on PC.

3. Avira Rescue System

This open source application can access the computer data of a damaged hard drive. It is possible to repair a damaged system, to rescue data or scan the system for viruses using Avira Rescue System. You can burn the software package on CD/DVD and use it to boot the computer.

4. GParted Live

This is a small Linux distribution designed for x86 based computers. It packs all the features of latest GParted apps. You can create a bootable CD, USB or PXE Server to boot GParted Live. GParted Live supports array of filesystem hence, it can be used to recover the damaged partition.

5. System RescueCd

This is a Linux system rescue disk with number of bootable recovery software. You can easily carry out most admin tasks on computer like creating and editing hard disk partitions, clearing memory cache etc. RescueCd packs number of Linux software, system tools, basic tools etc. It can be booted from CD/DVD or USB stick. RescueCd kernel supports all major file systems for Linux.

6. Ubuntu Rescue Remix

This is a robust yet lean system for recovery software, data recovery and forensics. Ubuntu Rescue Remix uses terminal commands UI for operations. This is the best bet for systems with low hardware configuration. The command line environment features all the functions of powerful data recovery software. It has a unique tool called ddrutility, which identifies files affected by unrecoverable blocks on disk image.

7. F-Secure Rescue CD

This data recovery tool is based on Knnopix derivative of Linux OS, which lets user run the software completely from a CD and check integrity of installed applications. It is possible to perform advance data repair and recovery using F-Secure Rescue CD. This tool is capable of recovering the system from malware infections. However, this tool cannot scan the encrypted hard drive.

8. Ddrescue

This data recovery tool from GPU comes very handy in copying data from one file or block device to another. Ddrescue can detect the memory errors, dead blocks, log file as well as rescue the good part of it. It operates automatically. If read error occurs, it automatically rescues the data. You can always terminate any automatically triggered operation in Ddrescue. The basic operation of Ddrescue remains fully automatic.

 

If you have some suggestions of your own please let us know in comments!

 

 

10 Powerful Linux Commands You Should Know!

We always say that the most powerful Linux tools are its Command lines. This is because you can do about everything right from your command line. You can easily explain your computer exactly what you require and it comes back to you with appropriate results. Infact there are some commands that make this tool even more powerful! Here we bring to you a list of 10 such commands that work like energy drinks for you Linux machines!

1. Runing the last command as Root

sudo !!

Also if you want to open some file to make changes and right when want to save it, you realise that you forgot to open it as root, there is nothing to worry. The command above is your solution.

2. To find your external IP address.

curl ifconfig.me

3. Run your previous command with replacing “foo” with “bar”

^foo^bar

Or alternatively you can use the below command:

!!:gs/foo/bar

Also after running a long command, if you realise that you have made a mistake, this command helps you replace that one word instead of running the whole command again, unlike the previous command which can only replace foo.

4. Auto-empty any file without removing it

> file.txt

5. Execute command without saving it in the history

command

6. Slick way to copy or backup a file before you edit it.

cp filename{,.bak}

7. Traceroute is a nice command but how about a single network diagnostic tool that can combine traceroute with ping? mtr is your command.

mtr efytimes.com

8. To Clear your terminal’s screen

ctrl-l

9. List of commands you use most often

history | awk ‘{a[$2]++}END{for(i in a){print a[i] ” ” i}}’ | sort -rn | head

10. Saving the file you edited in vim/vi without the required permissions

:w !sudo tee %

 

If you have some suggestions of your own please comment..