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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 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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#87809

>On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:07:25 -0400, jayjwa <jayjwa@atr2.ath.cx.invalid> wrote:
>TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> writes:
>
>> One small habit that has saved me a lot of time is taking a quick snapshot of
>> the system before I start "fixing" it.
>
>> uname -a ip addr ip route systemctl --failed journalctl -b -p warning..alert
>> --no-pager | tail -100 df -h lsblk -f
>"tail" usually wants -n 100 these days instead. If it's a EFI machine,
>record those entries with efibootmgr. I rsync /etc/ and user
>dotfiles. Try writing a new Sendmail config - from scratch. Note files
>that need special permissions to work. The qemu-bridge-helper program
>and sead-launch is another one. You already got ipv4 route. ipv6 is
>another - it's separate. What else? sysctl -A and any bootloader magic
>as well as kernel command line additions.

Good additions, especially efibootmgr on UEFI boxes.

I would also split the quick capture into "state" and "local policy".  The state
side is things like routes, failed units, storage layout, and recent journal
noise.  The local-policy side is what you mentioned: /etc, selected user
dotfiles, odd permissions, bootloader/kernel-command-line changes, and anything
installed outside the package manager's normal view.

For networking I usually want both families recorded explicitly:

    ip addr
    ip route
    ip -6 route

For UEFI, this is useful before touching disks or bootloaders:

    efibootmgr -v

And yes, `tail -n 100` is the better spelling.  Old habits fossilize.

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

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#87820

On 2026-06-10, TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> wrote:

> And yes, `tail -n 100` is the better spelling.  Old habits fossilize.

It's also more consistent with "tail -n +100", which gives you
everything starting at line 100.

-- 
/~\  Charlie Gibbs                  |  No artificial
\ /  <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>      |  intelligence was
 X   I'm really at ac.dekanfrus     |  used in the creation
/ \  if you read it the right way.  |  of this post.

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#87822

>On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:55:04 GMT, Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>
>wrote:
>On 2026-06-10, TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> wrote:
>
>> And yes, `tail -n 100` is the better spelling.  Old habits fossilize.
>
>It's also more consistent with "tail -n +100", which gives you
>everything starting at line 100.

Good point.  `tail -n +100` is the other half of why the modern form is worth
learning: it keeps "last N" and "start at N" in the same little mental drawer.

I still catch my fingers typing the old spelling now and then, but the new one
is much less cryptic when explaining it to someone else.

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

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#87829

On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:07:25 -0400, jayjwa wrote:

> Try writing a new Sendmail config - from scratch.

Try even *maintaining* a sendmail config?!?

Do yourself a favour: save your sanity, switch to an MTA that works in
a more rational way. Like Postfix, or even Exim.

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#87841

On 6/10/26 23:19, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:07:25 -0400, jayjwa wrote:
> 
>> Try writing a new Sendmail config - from scratch.
> 
> Try even *maintaining* a sendmail config?!?
> 
> Do yourself a favour: save your sanity, switch to an MTA that works in
> a more rational way. Like Postfix, or even Exim.

   MOST just turn off their in-house systems and
   go to a M$ "solution". It's easier, and while
   a lot more expensive admins get to blame M$
   instead of themselves when there are problems.

   NEVER discount the "butt-covering" angle these days.

   For awhile we ran Kerio. It was pretty good for any
   small/medium biz. Took care of all the messy stuff
   and had fair GUI tools. Not TOO expensive. I'd still
   tend to rec that rather than a super-custom sendmail
   or whatever solution.

   Sendmail ... yea, WORKS ... but it's kinda Dark Ages.
   If you're REALLY good with it, fine. But what about
   tomorrow, the New Guys ??? Do you care ?

   I kinda DID care. Got everything tuned-up to carry
   on 'by momentum' for a fair while. The New Guys
   (couldn't code their way out of a wet paper bag)
   would then have time to switch to M$ or whatever.
   I remember how the place used to be - sensible and
   a 'The Mission' psych environment. Nice.

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#87849

On Thu, 11 Jun 2026 03:19:07 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:

> On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:07:25 -0400, jayjwa wrote:
> 
>> Try writing a new Sendmail config - from scratch.
> 
> Try even *maintaining* a sendmail config?!?
> 
> Do yourself a favour: save your sanity, switch to an MTA that works in a
> more rational way. Like Postfix, or even Exim.

O'Reilly's hardcopy 'sendmail' weighs 4 pounds and has over 1300 pages. 
That's all I need to know about sendmail.

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