Kernel and Backups

kernel

The kernel is in essence the central nervous system of Linux. It is what is used to access the hardware. Different pars of the kernel interact with NICs, SCSI controllers, sound cards, etc. Without the kernel you would just have a very heavy paperweight.

In order to modify or install a new kernel take the following steps.

1.) Make certain the kernel source code and supporting packages are installed on your system.
2.) Configure the modules you would like to use by looking in /lib/modules/version/kernel (the version is the version number of the kernel that is on your system.) and then use the modprobe to manually enter the modules you want.
3.) Use a string of make commands to compile your new kernel.

To maintain your Linux kernel modules you can use the modinfo command to learn about each of the modules that are currently installed, the rmmod command to remove a module, and the insmod command to install a new module into a running kernel.

Backups

For the command line utility that we are using in Pandora. I would do a backup of all the work that the students are doing. This way if there is a memory loss on the server the students do not lose all of there work.

By backing up once a month it would protect the students work, and if there is a loss then there would not be as much to catch up on.

Linux components are very reliable so I would use the dump command to do my backups, and then the restore command if a restore is neccessary.

I would have a backup server that is a clone of the first. This way there is a large enough space to hold several months worth of backups. If there is a problem with a backup there will be more on the server to take its place.