Ubuntu Tools – Advanced Commands
This article contains advanced Ubuntu commands for system administrators to monitor, troubleshoot, and manage servers more effectively.
1) List Open Ports
# Show all listening ports with process details
ss -tulnp
# Alternative (if installed)
netstat -tulnp
2) Monitor Network Usage
# Install iftop
sudo apt install iftop -y
# Run to monitor real-time network traffic
sudo iftop -i eth0
3) Check Active Connections
ss -s
ss -tuna
4) System Logs
# Show system log
journalctl -xe
# Show SSH login attempts
journalctl -u ssh
5) Track Process Resource Usage
# Show most CPU-intensive processes
ps -eo pid,ppid,cmd,%mem,%cpu --sort=-%cpu | head
# Interactive process monitor
htop
6) Disk I/O and Performance
# Install iotop
sudo apt install iotop -y
# Show real-time disk I/O
sudo iotop
7) Network Troubleshooting
# Ping a host
ping -c 4 google.com
# Traceroute (install if missing)
sudo apt install traceroute -y
traceroute 8.8.8.8
# MTR (continuous traceroute with packet loss info)
sudo apt install mtr -y
mtr -n 8.8.8.8
8) System Uptime and Load
uptime
w
9) Kernel and OS Information
uname -r # Kernel version
lsb_release -a # Ubuntu release info
⚠️ Note: Advanced commands should be used with caution on production servers. Some tools may require installation and elevated privileges (sudo).
