Expecto Patronum: Harry Potter and the Linux Command Line

Note: This, and other lab sessions, will not be recorded.

Linux commands are like grown-up versions of Harry Potter spells . . . 

• Both use strange-sounding words and phrases
• Both can do some pretty amazing things
• You can combine and chain them to do even more amazing things
• Both can get you into Big Trouble if misused
• Documentation is quite ancient, difficult to understand, and was usually written by long-haired, bearded men who dress funny
• Muggles and mortals have a deep-seated irrational fear of them
• They can be a lot of fun!

This session, originally presented at the 2018 Pacific Northwest Drupal Conference, demonstrates a variety of powerful Linux command-line approaches to solving nasty Drupal problems. It is inteded for intermediate users who want to do more with the Linux command line. Attendees should have had some experience at a Linux or Unix command line, and know how to type. (For command-line muggles, don't worry -- there will be a 10-minute intro and review at the beginning!)

The Cyber Forensics section -- Defense Against The Dark Arts -- is new. It draws from a Cyber Forensic audit I performed for a Fortune-100 company in 2018.

Rescuing a Broken Drupal Site:  Quickly find the location of a string anywhere in any broken Drupal site. Precisely identify database changes in before/after tests.

Cyber Forensics: Was your site hacked? Easily search through dozens of compressed server logs for particualr patterns.  Quickly search an entire file system for suspicious filenames as well as strings buried within those files. How to deactivate and quarantine malware once you find it.

Graphics: Optimize images, change image formats, change sizes, create animated GIFs. (Most basic and intermediate Photoshop tasks can be done from the command line.)

Automation:  Use the system cron to automate just about anything you need. Optimize your images and databases, synchronize file systems, run tests, email calendar reminders, and more.

There's a Linux Command For That:  Getting help when you are lost and all seems hopeless. ("I want to change my MP4 videos into animated GIFs, but I don't remember the commands.") -- here's how to find them!

Linux Fun: Finally, a few fun Linux commands (fortune, figlet, cowsay, etc) and how to combine them.

When done, you will walk away with a happy grin, plus a new set of spells that can be used on any Linux-based Drupal site. You'll also have learned how to build on that knowledge, enlarge your own toolsets, and solve even nastier problems.

DOWNLOADS:

Sample scripts, .bashrc extensions, and the entire PPT slide deck may be downloaded from:

https://github.com/nightbeacons/Expecto_Patronum

Professor Charles Jackson is the Assistant Headmaster of the newly created Kernighan House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, Wizardry, and Linux.