Field Notes / Systems & Networks
Keep systems simple.
Make the details count.
Practical notes about Linux administration, network measurements, and maintaining small services.
01 / Networking
Measure the path, not just the endpoint
Latency, throughput, and reliability describe different properties of a connection. Compare the same endpoints at different times, and record whether the route is direct or proxied.
Read the TCP throughput testing framework02 / Operations
Backups are part of the change
Before updating a service, preserve its working configuration and write down the rollback procedure. Validate the new configuration before restarting, then check the actual running process.
03 / Security
Certificates need a lifecycle
Issuing a certificate is only the first step. Automated renewal, a tested reload hook, and an expiration check keep a small HTTPS service reliable.
Let's Encrypt documentation