Karan Sharma

Making sad servers happy

2 minutes (392 words)

πŸ”—Introduction to SadServers

Recently, I stumbled upon sadservers, a platform described as β€œLike LeetCode for Linux”. The premise is: you are given access to a full remote Linux server with a pre-configured problem. Your mission is to diagnose and fix the issues in a fixed time window.

With the goal of documenting my journey through these challenges and sharing the knowledge gained, I decided to not only tackle these puzzles but also to record my solutions in a video format. The format is twofold in its purpose: it allows me to reflect on my problem-solving approach and provides a resource for others who may encounter similar problems, whether in real-world scenarios or in preparation for an SRE/DevOps interview.

πŸ”—The Learning Curve

Each server presented a different issue, from misconfigured network settings to services failing to start, from permission issues to resource overutilization. One server, for instance, had a failing database service because of a disk full partition. The cause? Stale backup files. Another had a web server throwing errors because of incorrect file permissions.

πŸ”—Recording the Solutions

The video recordings start with an introduction to the problem and my initial thoughts. Viewers can see my screen as I work through the issue, making the troubleshooting process transparent and educational. The commentary explains my thought process, the tools/CLI utilities used, and the solutions applied.

πŸ”—Part 1

πŸ”—Part 2

πŸ”—Part 3

πŸ”—Conclusion

For those looking to enhance their Linux troubleshooting skills, sadservers.com is a gold mine. It’s an excellent preparation ground for anyone aiming to step into the SRE/DevOps field or wanting to keep their skills sharp.

As I continue to record and share these troubleshooting escapades, I invite you to subscribe, comment with your insights, or even suggest what types of challenges you’d like to see addressed next.

Tags: #Linux #Devops