How to Fix APT Update Error: “Is not valid yet”

📅 March 30, 2022
“What? My system cannot be updated for another 3,005 days?”

Linux is continually full of surprises, and this error involving system updates is one of them. I was performing a regular system update using apt like I always did, except that this time the system would not update at all. Instead, it warned about the repository not being valid for a given length of time.

Hmm. What could be the problem? It worked before, so why now?

This error involves a problem with the computer’s hardware clock, and it is easy to fix.

Install Linux ISO via NFS

📅 March 16, 2022
“I need to install multiple Linux virtual machines from different ISOs. Is there a way to install from ISOs located at common location on a network instead of copying multiple ISOs to various computers?”

NFS (Network File System) is the gift that continues to give by solving problems well in advance of their notice.

Once such issue involves virtual machines located on multiple computer systems, such as servers. I needed to create multiple Linux virtual machines from scratch (using the ISOs). However, doing so would involve the extra step of copying multi-gigabyte ISOs to different physical computers so the VMM (Virtual Machine Monitor) can access the ISOs in order to install Linux.

Is there a way to avoid the need to copy ISOs to the computers? Can we place the ISOs on a common network storage device and direct the VMM (VirtualBox, in this case) to install Linux directly from the ISO over the network? If this is possible, then all we have to do is point VirtualBox to the network ISO, and Presto! Instant installation without first copying ISOs locally.

Is this possible? Yes! VirtualBox will treat an NFS directory structure as part of its local filesystem, so any ISO located over the network on a device acting as an NFS server where the ISOs are stored will install in a VM directly over the network. This is handy!

Here are a few of my notes regarding how to do this with VirtualBox.

bpytop – An Advanced System Monitor for Linux

📅 March 15, 2022
“What? A better system monitor than htop?”

You have no doubt used top when learning Linux. Next came htop, an improved version of top. But could there be a utility that surpasses htop?

Indeed there is. bpytop is the most feature-rich system monitor for the terminal that I have used so far. It is free and fully functional with bells and whistles such as themes and custom sections for a more personalized view of your Linux system.

Here are a few highlights about this fantastic program.