8 Linux Tools IT Operations Engineers Should Master
Some are tried-and-true and others are newer, but all eight of these Linux tools should be in IT operations engineers' tool belt.
Tux Machines
Do you waddle the waddle?
Do you waddle the waddle?
Klinge is a compact FPGA-based headless computer designed by Lone Dynamics Corporation. It targets secure networking and long-term Linux applications, and can be used as a blade server in modular enclosures or standalone setups.
AAEON has introduced two new additions to its UP developer board series: the UP Squared TWL and UP Squared Pro TWL. Built on the Intel Core 3 processor platform, previously known as Twin Lake, these boards target energy-efficient industrial and edge applications with a focus on cost-effective performance.
The Armbian team has released version 25.5, bringing expanded hardware compatibility, improved system tools, and a growing library of post-install application modules. The update also coincides with Armbian being recognized by NetBox Labs with a 2025 NetBox Hero Award for its role in open infrastructure innovation.
The latest DietPi release (v9.13) focuses on improving security defaults, enhancing support for specific SBCs, and removing outdated software options. The update also brings kernel upgrades, interface refinements, and dozens of bug fixes for improved stability across platforms.
The PicoCore MX93 from F&S Elektronik Systeme is a compact Computer on Module measuring just 35 x 40 mm. Designed for industrial and embedded edge applications, it supports up to 2GB of LPDDR4 memory, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and a wide range of display and I/O interfaces including MIPI-DSI, LVDS, CAN-FD, and dual Gigabit Ethernet.
This version includes important security updates to Firefox.
Highlights of Thunderbird 139 include new ‘Mark as Read’ and ‘Delete’ actions for email notifications, enterprise policy implementation to allow granular in-app notification control, support for manually sorting folders in the folder pane, and customizable row count for Cards View in the Appearance settings.
Powered by the Linux 6.14 kernel series, KaOS Linux 2025.05 ships with the latest KDE Plasma 6.3.5 desktop environment, which is accompanied by the KDE Gear 25.04.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.14 software suites, all built using the latest Qt 6.9 open-source application framework.
Built from the same sources as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and fully compatible with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 release, AlmaLinux OS 10 introduces support for Simple Protocol for Independent Computing Environments (SPICE), a tech-preview of KVM virtualization support for the IBM Power architecture, Secure Boot support for ARM platforms, and support for frame pointers for diagnosing and optimizing your applications.
Firefox 140 promises a new Unload Tab feature that lets you unload tabs by right-clicking on a tab (or multiple selected tabs to reduce Firefox’s memory and CPU usage, support for adding custom search engines in Search settings, and support for keeping more or fewer pinned vertical tabs in view. For Android users, it adds a “Select All” option for bookmarks.
Based on the just-released Linux 6.15 kernel series, the GNU Linux-libre 6.15 kernel is here to clean up Nova Core GPU, Qualcomm iris v4l2, Airoha NPU, Tehuti Networks TN40xx 10G Ethernet, Realtek 8814A Wi-Fi, Apple Silicon SoC touchscreen, Renesas UFS hooks, and aw88166 audio drivers.
Coming three months after Armbian 25.2, this release introduces support for new single-board computers, such as the Banana Pi M2+, BeagleBone AI-64, BeaglePlay, TI SK-AM69, Mediatek Genio Family, Radxa NIO 12L, Qualcomm Robotics RB5, Radxa Cubie A5E, SMART AM40, and PocketBeagle2.
Mozilla Firefox 139 looks like a small update that only introduces support for full-page translations within Firefox extension pages, support for transparent PNG images when they’re pasted into Firefox, improved upload performance of HTTP/3, and experimental support for link previews in Firefox Labs, along with support for custom wallpapers and colors for the New Tab page.
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Some are tried-and-true and others are newer, but all eight of these Linux tools should be in IT operations engineers' tool belt.