Section 9.1. Hacks 7888: Introduction

9.1. Hacks 7888: Introduction

The only thing worse than disastrous disk failures, runaway remote hosts, and insidious security incidents is the gut-wrenching feeling that comes with the realization that they probably could've been avoided.

To avert catastrophe, often the best tool you can have is access to data that enables you to take proactive steps. Whether it's having a disk tell you when it's about to expire or being informed of network or service outages, tools that aggregate data and alert you to anomalies are invaluable to system and network administrators. The goal of this chapter is to show you how to get data you don't currently have, and how to use data you do have in more useful ways.