With tail, you can view a Linux log file as the system writes to it in real time. So while you’re trying to troubleshoot that system, you can follow the syslog, the auth.log, faillog, kern.log ...

Jack Wallen walks you through the process of zipping and unzipping files in Linux from both the command line and the GUI.

The tail command makes it easy to view log entries as they are written in real-time. Jack Wallen shows you how to make use of this indispensable tool.

If you really want to see what's happening beneath the hood of your Linux distribution, you need to use log files.

If you've ever used the tail command on log files, you'll instantly appreciate multitail. My friend (and LJ reader) Nick Danger introduced me to multitail, and I can't believe how useful it is.