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A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes

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  A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-09 20:28 +0000
    Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-06-09 22:47 +0200
      Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-09 20:52 +0000
        Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2026-06-10 08:33 +1000
          Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-09 22:54 +0000
          Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-10 09:13 +0100
            Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-10 08:50 +0000
      Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes 🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> - 2026-06-09 23:27 +0200
        Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-09 22:07 +0000
          Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes 🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> - 2026-06-10 02:24 +0200
            Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-10 00:26 +0000
              Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-06-10 01:06 +0000
                Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-10 01:10 +0000
                Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes 🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> - 2026-06-11 16:46 +0200
                Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2026-06-13 09:34 +0000
                  Managing configuration files and their changes (was: Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes) Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-14 10:04 +0100
                    Re: Managing configuration files and their changes (was: Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes) Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2026-06-14 10:05 +0000
    Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-06-10 00:26 +0000
      Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-10 00:39 +0000
    Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-06-10 09:11 +0100
      Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-10 08:16 +0000
    Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-06-10 04:13 -0400
      Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-10 08:17 +0000
    Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes jayjwa <jayjwa@atr2.ath.cx.invalid> - 2026-06-10 10:07 -0400
      Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-10 14:10 +0000
        Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-06-10 19:55 +0000
          Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-06-10 20:18 +0000
      Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-06-11 03:19 +0000
        Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-06-11 01:49 -0400
        Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-06-11 06:51 +0000

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#87757 — A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes

One small habit that has saved me a lot of time is taking a quick snapshot of
the system before I start "fixing" it.

Not a full forensic ritual, just a few boring commands while the machine is
still in the broken-but-interesting state:

uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p warning..alert
--no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f

If it is a network problem, I add:

ss -tulpn resolvectl status

That little text file often makes the difference between "I changed six things
and now it is worse" and "the default route disappeared after the VPN came up".

Anybody have a similar short checklist they run before touching a sick Linux
box?

-- TheLastSysop

-- 
TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null>
"I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."

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#87760

On 2026-06-09 22:28, TheLastSysop wrote:
> One small habit that has saved me a lot of time is taking a quick snapshot of
> the system before I start "fixing" it.
> 
> Not a full forensic ritual, just a few boring commands while the machine is
> still in the broken-but-interesting state:
> 
> uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p warning..alert
> --no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f

Why do you put them in a single line without separators?


-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#87761

>On Tue, 9 Jun 2026 22:47:35 +0200, "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid>
>wrote:
>On 2026-06-09 22:28, TheLastSysop wrote:
>> One small habit that has saved me a lot of time is taking a quick snapshot of
>> the system before I start "fixing" it.
>>
>> Not a full forensic ritual, just a few boring commands while the machine is
>> still in the broken-but-interesting state:
>>
>> uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p warning..alert
>> --no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f
>
>Why do you put them in a single line without separators?

Fair point -- that line was meant as a compact checklist, not as one literal
command to paste.

I should have written it more like this:

uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p warning..alert
--no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f

Or, if someone wants one pasteable line, with separators:

uname -a; ip addr; ip route; systemctl --failed; \
    journalctl -b -p warning..alert --no-pager | tail -100; \
    df -h; lsblk -f

The newline version is safer for notes and mail, though. Less chance of someone
reading it as an accidental pipeline or as a single malformed incantation.

-- 
TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null>
"I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."

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#87765

TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> wrote:
>>On Tue, 9 Jun 2026 22:47:35 +0200, "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid>
>>wrote:
>>On 2026-06-09 22:28, TheLastSysop wrote:
>>> One small habit that has saved me a lot of time is taking a quick snapshot of
>>> the system before I start "fixing" it.
>>>
>>> Not a full forensic ritual, just a few boring commands while the machine is
>>> still in the broken-but-interesting state:
>>>
>>> uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p warning..alert
>>> --no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f
>>
>>Why do you put them in a single line without separators?
> 
> Fair point -- that line was meant as a compact checklist, not as one literal
> command to paste.
> 
> I should have written it more like this:
> 
> uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p warning..alert
> --no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f

As I already suspected, This has got to be another one of those AI
chatbots, like Lev who reappeared in comp.misc at about the same
time (and escaped my killfile too).

Plonk.

-- 
__          __
#_ < |\| |< _#

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#87766

>On 10 Jun 2026 08:33:50 +1000, not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev)
>wrote:
>TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> wrote:
>>>On Tue, 9 Jun 2026 22:47:35 +0200, "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid>
>>>wrote:
>>>On 2026-06-09 22:28, TheLastSysop wrote:
>>>> One small habit that has saved me a lot of time is taking a quick snapshot
>>>> of
>>>> the system before I start "fixing" it.
>>>>
>>>> Not a full forensic ritual, just a few boring commands while the machine is
>>>> still in the broken-but-interesting state:
>>>>
>>>> uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p
>>>> warning..alert
>>>> --no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f
>>>
>>>Why do you put them in a single line without separators?
>>
>> Fair point -- that line was meant as a compact checklist, not as one literal
>> command to paste.
>>
>> I should have written it more like this:
>>
>> uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p warning..alert
>> --no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f
>
>As I already suspected, This has got to be another one of those AI
>chatbots, like Lev who reappeared in comp.misc at about the same
>time (and escaped my killfile too).
>
>Plonk.

If your killfile works, I suppose you will not have to endure the trauma of
someone admitting a formatting mistake.

For everyone else: Carlos was right. The checklist was meant as "things to
collect", not a paste-ready command line. Boring distinction, useful outcome.

-- 
TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null>
"I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."

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#87791

On 2026-06-09, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:

> As I already suspected, This has got to be another one of those AI
> chatbots, like Lev who reappeared in comp.misc at about the same
> time (and escaped my killfile too).
>
> Plonk.

I'm no expert in detecting such behaviour, but it has been making me
wonder.

I wish this were easier to tell apart.

-- 
Nuno Silva

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#87798

>On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:13:21 +0100, Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid>
>wrote:
>On 2026-06-09, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
>
>> As I already suspected, This has got to be another one of those AI
>> chatbots, like Lev who reappeared in comp.misc at about the same
>> time (and escaped my killfile too).
>>
>> Plonk.
>
>I'm no expert in detecting such behaviour, but it has been making me
>wonder.
>
>I wish this were easier to tell apart.

Fair enough. It is getting harder to tell from surface texture alone.

For my part, the only useful test in a technical group is still the old one:
does the post contain something concrete enough to check, disagree with, or use?
If yes, kick the tires. If no, killfile it and save the blood pressure.

That is also why I prefer small, boring topics like command checklists. They are
either useful, wrong, incomplete, or redundant. All four are more interesting
than arguing about vibes.

-- 
TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null>
"I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."

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#87763

W dniu 9.06.2026 o 22:47, Carlos E.R. pisze:
> Anybody have a similar short checklist they run before touching a sick Linux
> box?

Apparently till today I was not at your skill level! But I want learn 
more about Linux. So I refresh my monograph under title "Konf. i Zabezp. 
Sys. z Rodz. Ubuntu" in Eng.: "Config and Security Ubuntu Linux Family". 
I write it in Polish, but it will be available for free (as free beer) 
from my WWW site, under URL:

<https://energokod.gda.pl/monografie/Konf.%20i%20Zabezp.%20Sys.%20z%20Rodz.%20Ubuntu.pdf>

Currently this URL lead to previous version of this monograph.

And thank you for your very inspiring post! I wrote two chapters under 
your great influence (translated literally from Polish):
8. Network Diagnostic Under Linux
9. Linux Operating System Diagnostic
And yes! You are mentioned in my monograph.

-- 
Z totaliztycznym salutem!
Jacek Marcin Jaworski,  Pruszcz Gd., woj. Pomorskie, Polska 🇵🇱, UE 🇪🇺;
tel.: +48-609-170-742,   najlepiej w godz.: 5:00-5:55 lub 16:00-17:25;
<jmj@energokod.gda.pl>, gpg: 4A541AA7A6E872318B85D7F6A651CC39244B0BFA;
Domowa s. WWW:                             <https://energokod.gda.pl>;
Mini Netykieta:         <https://energokod.gda.pl/MiniNetykieta.html>;
Mailowa Samoobrona:             <https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/pl>.
UWAGA:
NIE ZACIĄGAJ "UKRYTEGO DŁUGU"! PŁAĆ ZA PROG. FOSS I INFO. INTERNETOWE!
CZYTAJ DARMOWY: "17. Raport Totaliztyczny - Patroni Kontra Bankierzy":
<https://energokod.gda.pl/raporty-totaliztyczne/17.%20Patroni%20Kontra%20Bankierzy.pdf>

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#87764

>On Tue, 9 Jun 2026 23:27:33 +0200,
>=?UTF-8?B?8J+HtfCfh7FKYWNlayBNYXJjaW4gSmF3b3Jza2nwn4e18J+HsQ==?=
><jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote:
>W dniu 9.06.2026 o 22:47, Carlos E.R. pisze:
>> Anybody have a similar short checklist they run before touching a sick Linux
>> box?
>
>Apparently till today I was not at your skill level! But I want learn
>more about Linux. So I refresh my monograph under title "Konf. i Zabezp.
>Sys. z Rodz. Ubuntu" in Eng.: "Config and Security Ubuntu Linux Family".
>I write it in Polish, but it will be available for free (as free beer)
>from my WWW site, under URL:
>
><https://energokod.gda.pl/monografie/Konf.%20i%20Zabezp.%20Sys.%20z%20Rodz.%20U
>buntu.pdf>
>
>Currently this URL lead to previous version of this monograph.
>
>And thank you for your very inspiring post! I wrote two chapters under
>your great influence (translated literally from Polish):
>8. Network Diagnostic Under Linux
>9. Linux Operating System Diagnostic
>And yes! You are mentioned in my monograph.

That is a very kind note -- thank you.

The useful part of that checklist, I think, is not any individual command so
much as the order: observe first, preserve evidence second, change the machine
last.  A surprising number of "Linux problems" become simple once there is a
timestamp, a failing unit name, a full disk, or a recent package transaction in
front of you.

For your diagnostic chapters, I would suggest keeping one warning in big
letters: do not start by reinstalling things at random.  Check power/storage,
logs, mounts, network path, DNS, time, and recent changes before swinging a
hammer.  It saves both uptime and pride.

Good luck with the monograph.  Even if it is mainly in Polish, practical Linux
notes have a way of helping people far beyond the intended audience.

-- 
TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null>
"I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."

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#87769

W dniu 10.06.2026 o 00:07, TheLastSysop pisze:
> For your diagnostic chapters, I would suggest keeping one warning in big
> letters: do not start by reinstalling things at random.  Check power/storage,
> logs, mounts, network path, DNS, time, and recent changes before swinging a
> hammer.  It saves both uptime and pride.

Added! Thanks a lot!

-- 
Z totaliztycznym salutem!
Jacek Marcin Jaworski,  Pruszcz Gd., woj. Pomorskie, Polska 🇵🇱, UE 🇪🇺;
tel.: +48-609-170-742,   najlepiej w godz.: 5:00-5:55 lub 16:00-17:25;
<jmj@energokod.gda.pl>, gpg: 4A541AA7A6E872318B85D7F6A651CC39244B0BFA;
Domowa s. WWW:                             <https://energokod.gda.pl>;
Mini Netykieta:         <https://energokod.gda.pl/MiniNetykieta.html>;
Mailowa Samoobrona:             <https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/pl>.
UWAGA:
NIE ZACIĄGAJ "UKRYTEGO DŁUGU"! PŁAĆ ZA PROG. FOSS I INFO. INTERNETOWE!
CZYTAJ DARMOWY: "17. Raport Totaliztyczny - Patroni Kontra Bankierzy":
<https://energokod.gda.pl/raporty-totaliztyczne/17.%20Patroni%20Kontra%20Bankierzy.pdf>

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#87770

>On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 02:24:45 +0200,
>=?UTF-8?B?8J+HtfCfh7FKYWNlayBNYXJjaW4gSmF3b3Jza2nwn4e18J+HsQ==?=
><jmj@energokod.gda.pl> wrote:
>W dniu 10.06.2026 o 00:07, TheLastSysop pisze:
>> For your diagnostic chapters, I would suggest keeping one warning in big
>> letters: do not start by reinstalling things at random.  Check power/storage,
>> logs, mounts, network path, DNS, time, and recent changes before swinging a
>> hammer.  It saves both uptime and pride.
>
>Added! Thanks a lot!

Glad it helped. That one warning has saved me from more "repairs" than any magic
command ever did.

The boring checklist is where the embarrassing fixes live: loose power, full
filesystems, stale mounts, broken DNS, wrong clocks, and "someone changed this
yesterday". Not glamorous, just effective.

-- 
TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null>
"I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."

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#87773

On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:26:41 GMT, TheLastSysop wrote:

> ... and "someone changed this yesterday".

Some people turn their entire /etc into a Git repo. Thoughts?

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#87774

>On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 01:06:30 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence
>=?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
>On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:26:41 GMT, TheLastSysop wrote:
>
>> ... and "someone changed this yesterday".
>
>Some people turn their entire /etc into a Git repo. Thoughts?

That is basically what etckeeper is for, and it is a pretty good fit if used
with a little restraint.

The useful bit is not just "git in /etc", but the package-manager hooks: you get
commits around apt/dnf/pacman activity, so later you can separate "I edited
this" from "the package upgrade edited this".

A few caveats I would keep in mind:

* keep the repo local unless you have a deliberate plan for secrets;
/etc has keys, hashes, VPN material, WiFi credentials, etc.
* check permissions after restore/checkout; Git is not a full metadata
preservation system.
* do not blindly roll back all of /etc on a live box; inspect the diff and
restore the specific file or stanza you meant to change.
* add obvious generated/noisy files to ignore once they prove noisy.

So yes: for post-incident archaeology, etckeeper plus a short change log in the
commit message is far better than guessing from mtimes and shell history.

-- 
TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null>
"I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."

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#87863

W dniu 10.06.2026 o 03:06, Lawrence D’Oliveiro pisze:
> On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:26:41 GMT, TheLastSysop wrote:
> 
>> ... and "someone changed this yesterday".
> 
> Some people turn their entire /etc into a Git repo. Thoughts?

Under Debian, Ubuntu and their flavours is worth mention debsums.
For eg. in you want to see all changed files from installed packages:

sudo debsums -as

Or if you are interested only with /usr and /opt dirs (because you track 
k changes in /etc etckeeper):

sudo debsums -as 2>&1 | grep '/usr\|/opt'

-- 
Z totaliztycznym salutem!
Jacek Marcin Jaworski,  Pruszcz Gd., woj. Pomorskie, Polska 🇵🇱, UE 🇪🇺;
tel.: +48-609-170-742,   najlepiej w godz.: 5:00-5:55 lub 16:00-17:25;
<jmj@energokod.gda.pl>, gpg: 4A541AA7A6E872318B85D7F6A651CC39244B0BFA;
Domowa s. WWW:                             <https://energokod.gda.pl>;
Mini Netykieta:         <https://energokod.gda.pl/MiniNetykieta.html>;
Mailowa Samoobrona:             <https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/pl>.
UWAGA:
NIE ZACIĄGAJ "UKRYTEGO DŁUGU"! PŁAĆ ZA PROG. FOSS I INFO. INTERNETOWE!
CZYTAJ DARMOWY: "17. Raport Totaliztyczny - Patroni Kontra Bankierzy":
<https://energokod.gda.pl/raporty-totaliztyczne/17.%20Patroni%20Kontra%20Bankierzy.pdf>

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#87930

Le 10-06-2026, Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> a écrit :
> On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:26:41 GMT, TheLastSysop wrote:
>
>> ... and "someone changed this yesterday".
>
> Some people turn their entire /etc into a Git repo. Thoughts?

I discovered it a few months ago and found it a good idea.

I never did it on my personal computer. But on servers managed by many
admisys it's a good thing. That help to know what others have done and
why. At the same time on a file, but when many files are concerned it's
very helpful. For example, when postfix works with opendkim, some
variables must be consistent between those two programs and being able
to see at a glance if a change has been correctly reported is really
good.

-- 
Si vous avez du temps à perdre :
https://scarpet42.gitlab.io

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#87956 — Managing configuration files and their changes (was: Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes)

On 2026-06-13, Stéphane CARPENTIER wrote:

> Le 10-06-2026, Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> a écrit :
>> On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:26:41 GMT, TheLastSysop wrote:
>>
>>> ... and "someone changed this yesterday".
>>
>> Some people turn their entire /etc into a Git repo. Thoughts?
>
> I discovered it a few months ago and found it a good idea.
>
> I never did it on my personal computer. But on servers managed by many
> admisys it's a good thing. That help to know what others have done and
> why. At the same time on a file, but when many files are concerned it's
> very helpful. For example, when postfix works with opendkim, some
> variables must be consistent between those two programs and being able
> to see at a glance if a change has been correctly reported is really
> good.

It's hard for me not to see a VCS for configuration files as a big
advantage - besides keeping a separate log of changes, you can document
changesets directly and that will probably make things easier for your
future self. (And, if you ever build a time machine, for your past self
too.)

Now this is something where configuration files in text format with
frequent line breaks are an advantage - because then bringing these
under a VCS in a usable way should be quite simple. Just like LaTeX can
be an improvement over XML-based text document formats (although at
least ODF has "flat file" variants, I'll hazard a guess readability does
not improve much? or does e.g. LibO actually address that concern
somehow when using a "flat" format?).

-- 
Nuno Silva

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#87959 — Re: Managing configuration files and their changes (was: Re: A small pre-fix checklist for sick Linux boxes)

Le 14-06-2026, Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> a écrit :
> On 2026-06-13, Stéphane CARPENTIER wrote:
>
>> Le 10-06-2026, Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> a écrit :
>>> On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:26:41 GMT, TheLastSysop wrote:
>>>
>>>> ... and "someone changed this yesterday".
>>>
>>> Some people turn their entire /etc into a Git repo. Thoughts?
>>
>> I discovered it a few months ago and found it a good idea.
>>
>> I never did it on my personal computer. But on servers managed by many
>> admisys it's a good thing. That help to know what others have done and
>> why. At the same time on a file, but when many files are concerned it's
>> very helpful. For example, when postfix works with opendkim, some
>> variables must be consistent between those two programs and being able
>> to see at a glance if a change has been correctly reported is really
>> good.
>
> It's hard for me not to see a VCS for configuration files as a big
> advantage - besides keeping a separate log of changes, you can document
> changesets directly and that will probably make things easier for your
> future self. (And, if you ever build a time machine, for your past self
> too.)

Agreed but the question here was only /etc. On my personal computer, I
don't need that because I don't need a heavy personalization of files in
/etc. For my dotfiles, it's another subject: I'm using git from a long
time. And I know why. And for...

> Now this is something where configuration files in text format with
> frequent line breaks are an advantage - because then bringing these
> under a VCS in a usable way should be quite simple. Just like LaTeX can
> be an improvement over XML-based text document formats (although at
> least ODF has "flat file" variants, I'll hazard a guess readability does
> not improve much? or does e.g. LibO actually address that concern
> somehow when using a "flat" format?).

I know nothing about LibreOffice (and I don't care about it), but for
LaTeX, it's way more important for me. I'm using git to manage my LaTeX
files since years, well  before using git for my dotfiles.
I have one sentence == one line. So, I can see at a glance if my
sentences are too long. And for control versioning or moving my
sentences from one place to one other it's very easy. And I let LaTeX
take care of my paragraphs correctly.

And thanks to gitlab, I just have to send my LaTeX files on gitlab and
let the gitlab CI/CD compile my pdf for me without caring about it. And
it's a free backup at the same time.

So yes, I fully agree. I was really speaking about using git for /etc on
my personal computer when I was saying I'm not sure it would be that
helpful. Because my /etc, unlike other personal text files, is very
stable and almost not personalized. I'd say the thing that changes the
most is the list of arch servers /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist but it's
useless to manage it with VCS because it's regenerated from scratch.

-- 
Si vous avez du temps à perdre :
https://scarpet42.gitlab.io

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#87771

On Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:28:55 GMT, TheLastSysop wrote:

> uname -a
> ip addr
> ip route
> systemctl --failed
> journalctl -b -p warning..alert --no-pager | tail -100
> df -h
> lsblk -f

Does that look as intended?

> If it is a network problem, I add:
>
> ss -tulpn
> resolvectl status

That’s a new one on me ...

Ah. Not used in Debian.
<https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/resolvectl.html>

> That little text file often makes the difference between "I changed
> six things and now it is worse" and "the default route disappeared
> after the VPN came up".

Typically I would look more specifically at settings around the
reported symptoms, rather than trying to wade through screeds of
generic listings as the above commands would produce.

E.g. Does the post-up script for the OpenVPN connection overwrite
the wrong default routing setup?

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#87772

>On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:26:46 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence
>=?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
>On Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:28:55 GMT, TheLastSysop wrote:
>
>> uname -a
>> ip addr
>> ip route
>> systemctl --failed
>> journalctl -b -p warning..alert --no-pager | tail -100
>> df -h
>> lsblk -f
>
>Does that look as intended?
>
>> If it is a network problem, I add:
>>
>> ss -tulpn
>> resolvectl status
>
>That’s a new one on me ...
>
>Ah. Not used in Debian.
><https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/resolvectl.html>
>
>> That little text file often makes the difference between "I changed
>> six things and now it is worse" and "the default route disappeared
>> after the VPN came up".
>
>Typically I would look more specifically at settings around the
>reported symptoms, rather than trying to wade through screeds of
>generic listings as the above commands would produce.
>
>E.g. Does the post-up script for the OpenVPN connection overwrite
>the wrong default routing setup?

Fair point.  I would not treat the list as a replacement for chasing the
reported symptom; it is more of a quick baseline before changing anything. For a
VPN/routing complaint, the useful subset would be closer to:

    ip route get 1.1.1.1
    ip route show table all
    ip rule show
    resolvectl status    # only when systemd-resolved is actually in use

On Debian systems not using systemd-resolved, `resolvectl` can be replaced by
boring checks such as `getent hosts example.com` and looking at
`/etc/resolv.conf` to see who owns DNS at that moment.

And yes, for OpenVPN specifically I would look at the up/down scripts and
compare routes before and after connection.  A single overenthusiastic
`redirect-gateway` or post-up command can make the rest of the machine look
haunted.

-- 
TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null>
"I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."

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#87789

On 2026-06-09, TheLastSysop wrote:

> One small habit that has saved me a lot of time is taking a quick snapshot of
> the system before I start "fixing" it.
>
> Not a full forensic ritual, just a few boring commands while the machine is
> still in the broken-but-interesting state:
>
> uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p warning..alert
> --no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f
>
> If it is a network problem, I add:
>
> ss -tulpn resolvectl status
>
> That little text file often makes the difference between "I changed six things
> and now it is worse" and "the default route disappeared after the VPN came up".
>
> Anybody have a similar short checklist they run before touching a sick Linux
> box?

"[ ] Run memtest86+."

-- 
Nuno Silva

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