Sysadmin & IT Pro Guides on Pragmatic Tech

Compiling a Custom Linux Kernel & Adding systemd (Part 2)

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In Part 1, we built a minimal Linux system using BusyBox and a prebuilt kernel. You got a shell running inside a container, mounted pseudo-filesystems, and saw the boot sequence from init to prompt.

That was the “hello world” of custom Linux. Now we’re doing the real thing.

Today we’re going to compile our own kernel from source, configure only the hardware support we actually need, and compress it to under 10MB. Then we’ll rip out that hand-written init script and replace it with systemd — the same init system that runs on virtually every modern Linux distribution. Finally, we’ll get a real service running (OpenSSH) so you can actually log into your custom system remotely.

Building Your Own Linux from Scratch (And Testing It in a Container)

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

If you’ve been administering Linux servers for a while, you’ve probably developed a love-hate relationship with it. You know how to configure services, debug networking issues, and keep systems running. But somewhere deep down, you’ve wondered: what actually holds this thing together?

I don’t mean “how does systemd work” (nobody truly knows). I mean: what happens between hitting the power button and seeing a login prompt?

Today, we’re going to build our own minimal Linux system from scratch. And because I’m not a sadist, we’ll test it using Docker containers - spin it up in seconds, tear it down just as fast.

The Mistakes I Made (And Why They Led Me to Build My Own Password Manager)

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The Mistakes I Made (And Why They Led Me to Build My Own Password Manager)

Every IT professional has a graveyard of mistakes behind them. Most of us just don’t talk about them until we’re several drinks in at a conference, or until we’re writing a blog post that we hope will save someone else the same pain.

What IT Pros Actually Do On Their Own Machines (vs What They Tell You)

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:30:00 +0000

What IT Pros Actually Do On Their Own Machines (vs What They Tell You)

There’s the advice IT hands out. The official line. The stuff in the company handbook.

Then there’s what actually happens on the machines of the people who wrote that handbook.

I’m not here to throw anyone under the bus. But after years in this industry, there are some pretty consistent gaps between what gets preached and what gets practised. And honestly? Closing that gap will make your computing life significantly better.

Your OS Has Been Hiding Things From You (Windows & Linux Edition)

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 06:06:00 +0000

Your OS Has Been Hiding Things From You (Windows & Linux Edition)

Windows users think Linux is complicated. Linux users think Windows is a toy.

Both are wrong. Both operating systems are packed with powerful features that most people — on either side — have never touched.

This isn’t a “which is better” post. That argument is boring. This is about what your machine can actually do, regardless of which camp you’re in.

I Was the Only IT Person for 3 Years: The Documentation I Wish I'd Written

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:10:00 +0000

The Call I Didn’t Want to Get

Three weeks after leaving my job as the only IT person at a mid-sized company, my phone rang. It was Mike, the guy they hired to replace me.

“Hey, uh, do you remember that backup script you set up? The one that runs on Sundays? It’s throwing an error and I can’t find where it’s configured.”

The Art of Reading Logs Like a Detective: Finding Needles in Haystacks

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:41:00 +0000

The Log File Problem Nobody Talks About

It’s 2 PM on a Friday. Your application is throwing errors. Your manager is hovering. And you’re staring at a 50GB log file wondering where the hell to even start.

Every sysadmin has been there. You know the answer is somewhere in those logs, but finding it feels like looking for a specific grain of sand on a beach. While blindfolded. In the dark.

The Friday Backup Audit: Because Hope Is Not a Strategy

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The Nightmare Scenario

We’ve all heard the horror stories. A database corruption hits production. The team stays calm because “Don’t worry, we have nightly backups.”

Then comes the moment of truth: tar -xvf backup.tar.gz.

Error: Unexpected EOF in archive. Or worse: The file extracts perfectly, but the database inside is empty because the mysqldump command failed silently three months ago.

If you haven’t restored a backup, you don’t have a backup. You just have a file taking up disk space.

The 5-Minute Server Health Check That Could Save Your Career

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 11:22:00 +0000

The Problem Every Sysadmin Knows Too Well

It’s 3 AM. Your phone buzzes with a critical alert. Production is down, customers are angry, and your manager is asking questions you don’t have good answers to.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. According to a recent survey, 78% of sysadmin emergencies could have been prevented with better proactive monitoring. But here’s the thing: most monitoring solutions are overkill for what you really need.

Why Your Monitoring is Broken (And How to Fix It Before Your Boss Notices)

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 17:41:00 +0000

Why Your Monitoring is Broken (And How to Fix It Before Your Boss Notices)

Last Monday, my phone started buzzing at 3 AM. “CRITICAL: Database server down!” it screamed. I stumbled to my laptop, logged in, and found… nothing wrong. The database was running fine. My monitoring system had been crying wolf for the past month.

Sound familiar? Yeah, monitoring systems are like smoke detectors - they’re either screaming bloody murder all the time, or they’re mysteriously silent right before your house burns down.

AI for IT Troubleshooting: Real-World Use Cases

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

AI for IT Troubleshooting: Real-World Use Cases

AI isn’t just hype — it’s helping sysadmins solve problems faster and smarter. In this post, we share real-world examples of AI-powered troubleshooting and how you can start using these tools today.

Where AI Actually Helps (And Where It Doesn’t)

Before we dive into specific use cases, let’s be honest about what AI is good at and what it’s terrible at. I’ve seen too many people treat ChatGPT like an oracle that never lies, and equally too many dismiss it entirely because “it hallucinated an Ansible module that doesn’t exist.” Both extremes are wrong.

How to Actually Reduce Your Cloud Spend Before Year-End 2025

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

How to Actually Reduce Your Cloud Spend Before Year-End 2025

Disclosure: This article contains Amazon affiliate links. I only recommend products and services I genuinely use and believe will help you reduce cloud costs.

As we approach year-end, many organizations are scrambling to optimize their cloud spend before budget renewals. If you’re a sysadmin or DevOps engineer looking to make a real impact, this guide will help you identify and eliminate cloud waste while improving performance.

Setting Up a Home Lab: A Beginner's Guide

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Title: Setting Up a Home Lab: A Beginner’s Guide Description Learn how to build your first home lab for learning DevOps, containerization, and system administration. This practical guide covers hardware recommendations, essential software, and step-by-step setup instructions.

Slug setting-up-home-lab-beginners-guide

Content (Markdown) Setting Up a Home Lab: A Beginner’s Guide Why Build a Home Lab? Before diving into the technical details, let’s understand why a home lab is invaluable for system administrators and DevOps engineers:

Zero Trust for Small Teams: Practical Steps

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Zero Trust for Small Teams: Practical Steps

Zero trust isn’t just for big enterprises. In this post, we break down how small teams can adopt zero trust principles with practical, budget-friendly steps.

What Zero Trust Actually Means (Without the Buzzword Salad)

Let me save you some time: zero trust does not mean “trust nobody and buy our product.” That’s what vendors want you to think. Here’s what it actually means at its core — never assume that anything inside your network is safe by default.

Sysadmin Myths Busted: What Actually Works in 2026

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sysadmin Myths Busted: What Actually Works in 2026

Forget what you heard in 2015. In this post, we bust the most common sysadmin myths and show you what actually works today. From automation fears to cloud confusion, get the facts and actionable tips for modern IT.

Why These Myths Refuse to Die

I’ve been doing this job for over a decade now, and I keep running into the same tired advice at conferences, on Reddit, and in the break room. Some of these myths come from a place of fear — nobody wants to be replaced by a script. Others come from vendor marketing that wants you to believe the cloud solves everything if you just spend enough. And some? Pure laziness dressed up as “we’ve always done it this way.”

Tech Survival Guide: AI Edition 2026 (From 'Help!' to 'I'm a Genius!')

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Tech Survival Guide: AI Edition 2026

Look, we’ve all been there. It’s 11 PM, something’s broken, and you’re frantically googling error messages while your AI assistant keeps suggesting solutions that make absolutely no sense. Fun times.

But here’s the thing: Most tech problems (and AI conversations) fail for the same reason - garbage in, garbage out. Today, I’m going to show you how to turn both your tech disasters and your AI interactions from “Oh God Why” into “I’m Actually a Genius.”

Kubernetes Without Jargon: Pods = Processes, Services = Stable Names

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

If you’ve ever tried to Google “What is Kubernetes?” you’ve probably seen a wall of buzzwords: orchestration, scalability, microservices, YAML manifests. Somewhere in there, someone will tell you it’s like “a shipping port for containers,” and you’ll want to slam your laptop shut.

Let’s skip the abstract metaphors and get to the point. Kubernetes (K8s if you want to sound cool and save keystrokes) is just a smart way to run a bunch of apps across multiple machines without losing your mind.

Stop Doing Things Manually: 5 Scripts That'll Make You Look Like a Genius

Pragmatic Sysadmin — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Stop Doing Things Manually: 5 Scripts That’ll Make You Look Like a Genius

Look, I’ll be honest with you. Last week I caught myself manually checking disk space on 15 servers. FIFTEEN. Like some kind of caveman clicking through Server Manager while my coffee got cold.

That’s when I remembered why I got into this job in the first place - to make computers do the boring stuff so I don’t have to. If you’re still doing repetitive tasks manually, this post is for you.