Field notes from the terminal.
Long-form, slowly written essays on Linux, networking, DevOps, and the boring infrastructure that keeps the rest of it standing. No guides written by SEO. No newsletter signup.
Linux tutorials and DevOps guides — Linux administration, server security, bash scripting, Docker, SSH security, cron jobs, file permissions.Essential Linux Tools List: 50+ Must-Have Commands for Every Admin
A comprehensive list of essential Linux tools and commands organized by category — networking, file management, monitoring, security, and more.
written by Khimananda Oli · sysadmin, recovering kubernaut
Showing all 30 articles
- ai
Reviewing AI-Generated Shell Scripts Before You Run Them
A concrete review process for AI-written bash — the seven mistakes models repeat, ShellCheck and dry-run gates, container testing, and a checklist to run before production.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
Debugging systemd Unit Failures with an LLM Assistant
Collect the right systemd context in one command, hand it to a local model, and verify what it tells you — plus the directives models routinely invent and how to catch them.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read - ai
Using AI to Explain a Linux Command Before You Run It
Build a local explain function that decodes any shell command before execution — prompt design, dangerous patterns to catch, and how to verify the answer against real documentation.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read - ai
Air-Gapped AI: Running Local Models on Linux with No Internet
Move models, Python wheels and container images onto an offline Linux host — Ollama blob transfer, GGUF plus Modelfile, pip wheelhouses, checksum verification and update process.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
Benchmarking LLM Inference on Linux: Measuring Tokens per Second Properly
Measure local LLM performance you can trust — TTFT vs tokens/sec, llama-bench, throughput under concurrency, and the confounders that make most published numbers useless.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read - ai
Fine-Tuning an LLM on a Single Linux GPU with LoRA and QLoRA
When fine-tuning is the right tool, how LoRA and QLoRA fit training onto one consumer GPU, dataset format, the hyperparameters that matter, and exporting to Ollama.
13 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli13 min · est. read - ai
Kubernetes GPU Scheduling for AI Workloads
Schedule GPUs in Kubernetes — device plugin vs GPU Operator, requesting nvidia.com/gpu, taints and node selectors, time-slicing and MIG for sharing, and why pods stay Pending.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
Self-Hosted ChatGPT Alternatives on Linux: Open WebUI and text-generation-webui
Set up a private chat interface for local models on Linux — Open WebUI with Ollama, or text-generation-webui with multiple loaders — plus systemd units and safe remote access.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
Local RAG on Linux: Search Your Own Documents with a Local LLM
Build a fully offline retrieval-augmented generation setup on Linux — embeddings with Ollama, a vector store, sensible chunking, and how to tell when retrieval is failing.
13 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli13 min · est. read - ai
GPU-Accelerated Docker Containers on Linux with NVIDIA Container Toolkit
Give Docker and Podman containers GPU access on Linux — install the NVIDIA Container Toolkit, pick the right CUDA image, use Compose GPU reservations, and fix driver errors.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
Monitoring GPU Usage on Linux: nvidia-smi, nvtop and rocm-smi
Read GPU utilization, VRAM, power and throttling correctly on Linux — nvidia-smi query mode, nvtop, rocm-smi, intel_gpu_top, CSV logging and Prometheus metrics.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read - ai
Running JupyterLab as a systemd Service on a Linux Server
Install JupyterLab in a venv, run it as a hardened systemd service, set a password, put nginx and TLS in front, cap resources, and fix the usual proxy and kernel errors.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
Intel GPUs and NPUs on Linux: OpenVINO for Local Inference
Get Intel Arc, integrated Xe graphics and Core Ultra NPUs running AI workloads on Linux — driver stack, OpenVINO setup, device selection, and troubleshooting.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read - ai
Running AI Models on a Raspberry Pi: What's Actually Possible
An honest look at local AI on Raspberry Pi — which models run usefully, how to set up Ollama and whisper.cpp on ARM, when to add an accelerator, and thermal and memory limits.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read - ai
LLM Quantization Explained: GGUF, AWQ, GPTQ and Choosing a Format
How quantization shrinks LLMs to fit consumer GPUs — the memory math, what Q4_K_M actually means, how GGUF, GPTQ, AWQ and bitsandbytes differ, and which to pick.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read - ai
vLLM vs llama.cpp vs TGI: Choosing an LLM Server for Linux
How vLLM, llama.cpp, TGI and Ollama differ on hardware requirements, concurrency, quantization support and operations — with a decision guide and setup commands for each.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
Whisper on Linux: Local Speech-to-Text from the Command Line
Run OpenAI's Whisper offline on Linux with whisper.cpp or faster-whisper — build it, pick a model size, convert audio correctly, batch transcribe, and generate subtitles.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read - ai
Running Stable Diffusion Locally on Linux with ComfyUI or A1111
Install ComfyUI and AUTOMATIC1111 on Linux, size VRAM correctly, manage models safely, run them as systemd services, and fix the usual CUDA and VRAM errors.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
AMD ROCm on Linux: Getting Radeon GPUs Working for AI
Install ROCm on Linux, fix device permissions, run PyTorch and llama.cpp on Radeon, use HSA_OVERRIDE_GFX_VERSION for unsupported cards, and debug the common failures.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
Install NVIDIA Drivers and CUDA on Linux Without Breaking Your System
Driver vs toolkit vs container runtime, distro-native installation, Secure Boot and DKMS, GPU containers, and fixes for every common NVIDIA error on Linux.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - ai
Best Linux Distro for AI and Machine Learning Workstations
Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Debian or RHEL for AI work? A practical comparison focused on GPU driver packaging, kernel cadence, vendor support, and what actually breaks.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read - ai
Building llama.cpp on Linux: CUDA, ROCm, Vulkan, and CPU Backends
Compile llama.cpp from source on Linux with the right backend — CUDA, ROCm/HIP, Vulkan, or optimized CPU — then run, serve, quantize, and benchmark GGUF models.
13 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli13 min · est. read - ai
How to Run Local LLMs on Linux with Ollama: Complete Setup Guide
Install Ollama on Linux, run your first local LLM, enable GPU acceleration, tune the systemd service, and use the API — a practical guide for admins and developers.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - linux
Linux Tools Cheat Sheet: The Only Reference You Need
A concise, printable Linux command cheat sheet covering file ops, networking, permissions, processes, and more. Print it or bookmark it.
8 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli8 min · est. read - linux
Linux File Permissions Explained: A Complete Guide
Understand how Linux file permissions work — from the basics of read, write, and execute to advanced topics like setuid, setgid, sticky bits, and ACLs.
10 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli10 min · est. read - linux
Cron Jobs: The Complete Guide to Scheduling Tasks in Linux
Learn how to schedule automated tasks with cron — syntax, examples, common pitfalls, and best practices for production crontabs.
9 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli9 min · est. read - docker
Docker for Linux Admins: From Basics to Production
A practical guide to Docker for Linux administrators — containers, images, Dockerfiles, networking, volumes, and production deployment tips.
12 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli12 min · est. read - security
SSH Security Best Practices for Production Servers
Harden your SSH configuration with key-based authentication, port changes, fail2ban, jump hosts, and modern security techniques.
10 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli10 min · est. read - security
Linux Server Hardening Checklist: 20 Essential Steps
A practical checklist for securing Linux servers — from initial setup to firewall rules, kernel tuning, audit logging, and intrusion detection.
11 minKhimananda OliKhimananda Oli11 min · est. read