Ivan on the Server Side
A satellite project of labs.iximiuz.com - an indie learning platform to master Linux, Containers, and Kubernetes the hands-on way π
iximiuz Labs Playgrounds 2.0: Dive In
Hello! I'm happy to share the promised post on how to create and use iximiuz Labs Playgrounds 2.0. Here is what's covered: Quick recap: Remote playgrounds - what are they, really? How VMs are constructed by mixing the rootfs and the kernel How to run custom playgrounds with simple YAML manifests How to bake and use custom VM rootfs images How to create multi-network playgrounds Why you should start creating Linux playgrounds today But before we dive in, one final reminder: this is the last...
iximiuz Labs Playgrounds 2.0
Hello there π It's Ivan, with a double portion of good news! After more than a month of being head-down with the backend redesign, I shipped an almost complete system overhaul that brought the expressive power of iximiuz Labs playgrounds to a totally different level. Here is what's now possible: Playgrounds with arbitrary sets of machines Playgrounds with multiple networks VMs with multiple drives and filesystems (ext4, xfs, btrfs) "Bring your own VM rootfs" and host it as a regular container...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello there π It's Ivan, and it's the end of the month again - time truly flies! Warning: Unusual newsletter issue As you probably noticed, I haven't published (m)any new learning materials in almost two months now. This is because I was head-down extending the platform's content authoring capabilities and enabling its use by trainers and university instructors. And it's been going rather well! Every content catalog on iximiuz Labs now has a new "community" section, and almost every day, a...
iximiuz Labs For Trainers is out π
Hello, fellow server dweller! I've got some great news - after more than a year of consideration, several months of gathering requirements, and many weeks of coding, I'm thrilled to present you with iximiuz Labs for Trainers, a shiny new capability on my indie learning-by-doing platform. In case you were wondering why I haven't posted a single piece of content in more than two months, now you know π What's inside The "trainer" use case is not new for iximiuz Labs. It's something that evolved...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello there π It's Ivan, and it's the end of the month, so you guessed it right - it's time for the traditional monthly roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side! The main topic of this issue is... iximiuz Labs for Creators, a shiny new capability I shipped just a couple of days ago. What I was working on Many people have asked me about the possibility of publishing tutorials, challenges, or even courses on iximiuz Labs. While I wasn't against this idea (and...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hey π It's Ivan again, with the slightly overdue February roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side - and I've got some great news! π What I was working on I've been periodically bringing up my Byte-Sized Docker course for more than a year now. However, the work hasn't progressed fast enough - mainly because I wasn't satisfied with the format. Creating yet another "Here is how to run a container and here is how to build an image" kind of course just didn't sound...
Assembling a containerd installation like LEGO bricks π·ββοΈ
Playing with containerd is one of my favorite ways to learn (more about) Linux containers. After a rather long break, I added a lesson to my containerd course, and I'm rushing to share it with you. But before we dive in, I want to recommend another tech newsletter: Architecture Notes by Mahdi Yusuf. This is no sponsored message - I do read this newsletter myself (which makes it a rare exception), and I think more people should know about it. Mahdi covers topics like system design and building...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello, fellow server dweller π Ivan's here with the traditional roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side π§ What I was working on There were quite a few things on both the content and feature sides! Challenge Solutions π Starting with the most exciting one... It's been postponed for way too long, but I finally added a Solution tab to the challenge page. If you get stuck with a problem or want to learn an alternative solution, it's now just one click away (for ~a...
Building Container Images Like a Pro
Building container images can be both an easy and a hard problem. Building just an image is usually as straightforward as replicating your local app build steps in a Dockerfileβs RUN instructions. Building a small, maintainable, and secure image, on the other hand, may involve lots of considerations, elaborate techniques, and domain knowledge. To help you become a true container image build master, I prepared a learning path that starts with creating and pushing your very first container...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello, fellow server dweller π Ivan's here with the last Server Side roundup of the year! What I was working on Since my previous update about two weeks ago, when I announced twice bigger playgrounds and a declarative way to create custom playgrounds via labctl, I managed to ship one more (larger) feature and prepare a new batch of DevOps challenges, thanks to the GenAI holiday season π Tasks Dev Tools If you have tried authoring a challenge or tutorial or creating a custom playground on...
A satellite project of labs.iximiuz.com - an indie learning platform to master Linux, Containers, and Kubernetes the hands-on way π