Finally, a script!

I've done System Adminstratory type things for years now without actually being a system admin. If I was a real sysad I wouldn't spend so much time not quite sure of what I was doing and what I should do next to avoid killing a server at the far end of an 45 mile drive in Washington DC traffic.

I'm not a System Administrator, but I can play one on TV. Normal people probably can't tell the difference. They think it's perfectly reasonable that I'd use command line perl for something any decent sysad would do in less than 10 magical characters of sed or awk. Real sysads though, they can tell, and the notion that I have root anywhere probably makes them shudder. If it doesn't, it should.

Today though, I came across a script! Someone who has no doubt forgotten more system adminy awesomeness than I'll ever know put together a little handbook that covers all sorts of wonderful stuff.

Want to know

• how to setup a Subversion server without having to hunt through the manual,
• what about reading stuff from the BIOS (I've wanted to know this way too often and been unwilling to reboot the box to find out),
• how to disable logins,
• mount a Windows share,
• make and burn an ISO image,
• add a route (without getting an SCIOADDRT error),
• setup Network Address Translation,
• and literally dozens of other things...

Go to the Unix Toolbox.

My wife says I sound like a paid promoter.

That's ridiculous, of course. I'm throwing in the free Ginzu knives only because I have too many.