Serve Files And Folders Over HTTP In Linux

Disclaimer: All the methods given here are meant to be used within a secure local area network. Since these methods doesn’t have any security mechanism, it is not recommended to use them in production. You have been warned!

Method 1 – Using simpleHTTPserver (Python)

We already have written a brief guide to setup a simple http server to share files and directories instantly in the following link. If you have a system with Python installed, this method is quite handy.

• How to Setup A Basic File server Using simpleHTTPserver

Method 2 – Using Quickserve (Python)

This method is specifically for Arch Linux and its variants. Check the following link for more details.

• How To Instantly Share Files And Folders In Arch Linux

Method 3 – Using Ruby

In this method, we use Ruby to serve files and folders over HTTP in Unix-like systems. Install Ruby and Rails as described in the following link.

• Install Ruby on Rails In CentOS And Ubuntu

Once Ruby installed, go to the directory, for example ostechnix, that you want to share over the network:

$ cd ostechnix

And, run the following command:

$ ruby -run -ehttpd . -p8000
[2018-08-10 16:02:55] INFO WEBrick 1.4.2
[2018-08-10 16:02:55] INFO ruby 2.5.1 (2018-03-29) [x86_64-linux]
[2018-08-10 16:02:55] INFO WEBrick::HTTPServer#start: pid=5859 port=8000

Make sure the port 8000 is opened in your router or firewall . If the port has already been used by some other services use different port.

You can now access the contents of this folder from any remote system using URL – http://<IP-address>:8000/.

ruby http server

To stop sharing press CTRL+C.

Method 4 – Using Http-server (NodeJS)

Http-server is a simple, production ready command line http-server written in NodeJS. It requires zero configuration and can be used to instantly share files and directories via web browser.

Install NodeJS as described below.

• How To Install NodeJS On Linux

Once NodeJS installed, run the following command to install http-server.

$ npm install -g http-server

Now, go to any directory and share its contents over HTTP as shown below.

$ cd ostechnix

$ http-server -p 8000
Starting up http-server, serving ./
Available on:
  http://127.0.0.1:8000
  http://192.168.225.24:8000
  http://192.168.225.20:8000
Hit CTRL-C to stop the server

Now, you can access the contents of this directory from local or remote systems in the network using URL – http://<ip-address>:8000.

nodejs http-server

To stop sharing, press CTRL+C.

Method 5 – Using Miniserve (Rust)

Miniserve is yet another command line utility that allows you to quickly serve files over HTTP. It is very fast, easy-to-use, and cross-platform utility written in Rust programming language. Unlike the above utilities/methods, it provides authentication support, so you can setup username and password to the shares.

Install Rust in your Linux system as described in the following link.

• Install Rust Programming Language In Linux

After installing Rust, run the following command to install miniserve:

$ cargo install miniserve

Alternatively, you can download the binaries from the releases page and make it executable.

$ chmod +x miniserve-linux

And, then you can run it using command (assuming miniserve binary file is downloaded in the current working directory):

$ ./miniserve-linux <path-to-share>

Usage

To serve a directory:

$ miniserve <path-to-directory>

Example:

$ miniserve /home/sk/ostechnix/
miniserve v0.2.0
Serving path /home/sk/ostechnix at http://[::]:8080, http://localhost:8080
Quit by pressing CTRL-C

Now, you can access the share from local system itself using URL – http://localhost:8080 and/or from remote system with URL – http://<ip-address>:8080.

To serve a single file:

$ miniserve <path-to-file>

Example:

$ miniserve ostechnix/file.txt

Serve file/folder with username and password:

$ miniserve --auth joe:123 <path-to-share>

Bind to multiple interfaces:

$ miniserve -i 192.168.225.1 -i 10.10.0.1 -i ::1 -- <path-to-share>

As you can see, I have given only 5 methods. But, there are few more methods given in the link attached at the end of this guide. Go and test them as well. Also, bookmark and revisit it from time to time to check if there are any new additions to the list in future.

And, that’s all for now. Hope this was useful. More good stuffs to come. Stay tuned!

Cheers!

How to Setup A Basic File server Using simpleHTTPserver

This brief tutorial describes how to setup a basic file server in minutes using simpleHTTPserver in Linux. This steps should work on any operating systems that supports python.

Install Python

You know how to install Python. It is available in the default repositories of almost all modern Linux operating systems.

On Arch Linux and its derivatives:

$ sudo pacman -S python

On Debian/Ubuntu and its derivatives, run the following command from the Terminal:

$ sudo apt-get install python

On RHEL/CentOS:

$ sudo yum install python

For Fedora:

$ sudo dnf install python

On SUSE/openSUSE:

$ sudo zypper in python

After installing Python, you need to do one more thing. Just run the following command from your Terminal to start the file server:

$ python -m SimpleHTTPServer

For python 3.0 and above versions, run:

$ python -m  http.server 8000

Sample output would be:

Serving HTTP on 0.0.0.0 port 8000 (http://0.0.0.0:8000/) ..

To stop the file server, just press CTRL+C.

To find Python version, run the following command:

$ python -V

Sample output:

Python 2.7.10

That’s it. File server is ready. Open the web browser and point it to http://IP-Address:8000

In case the port 8000 is blocked in your firewall, you have to open it.

For example, on RHEL/CentOS/Fedora, open port 8000 as shown below.

# firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8000/tcp

# firewall-cmd --reload

On Debian, Ubuntu you can allow the port as shown below.

$ sudo ufw allow 8000

Here it is how my local server’s contents looks in my browser.

Now, anyone in your local network can access your File server and it’s contents. Just set the permissions to your files and folders of your choice. You can then browse the contents from any local or remote systems as the way you do in any file server or website.

What Is RJ45 SFP Module And How to Use It?

Transceiver module, known as the essential optics for data transmission, is widely used to connect network applications like switches and network interface cards. Various types of transceiver modules exist, such as copper SFP, fiber SFP, CWDM SFP and so on. RJ45 SFP module is a kind of transceiver modules, which has been utilized as a legacy solution for some years. This article will give a clear explanation to RJ45 SFP module, its benefits and how to use it.

What Is RJ45 SFP Module?

RJ45 SFP module, also known as copper SFP, is a kind of hot-pluggable transceiver module. It supports 10/100/1000 Mbps data rate over Cat5e or Cat6 cables with RJ45 connector interface. And it allows communications over the twisted-pair copper cable of link lengths up to 100 m. So it is commonly used for transmitting data in a short distance, for instance, for server switching, LANs in data centers, for uplinks or directly to the desktop for broadband applications. In addition, with the increasing demand for high-speed communication links, some vendors started implementing a popular and updated copper module: 10GBASE-T SFP+ copper transceiver. It is the first 10G copper SFP RJ45 module, which requires 10 gigabit Ethernet over Cat 6a/7 cable and offers great savings and flexibility during network deployment.

Figure 1: RJ45 SFP module

Why Choose RJ45 SFP Module Over Optical SFP Module?

The battle between fiber optic SFP module and RJ45 SFP module still hot in the field of the transceiver module. Optical SFP module with LC or SC optical connectors is used in Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet allowing transmission distance up to 120km. Compared to optical SFP, RJ45 SFP module has the following advantages:

• Cost-effective in Short Runs

Cost is an important factor in employment. When the link distance is under 100 m, choosing the copper SFP module to connect the switches might be more economical since copper SFP and Cat5e or Cat6 cables are lower-priced than optical SFP transceiver module.

• Simpler Deployment

Copper SFP transceiver is convenient for operators to deploy their network systems. Copper SFP module can be plugged directly into the existing copper cabling system, which can make seamless upgrades and replacements by minimizing network disruptions. While if you choose optical transceiver, you have to tear down the existing copper cabling and redeploy the fiber cabling.

How to Use RJ45 SFP Module?

RJ45 SFP module is usually utilized to connect two switches with copper interface over Cat5e or Cat6 cable. The following will show you how to install, connect and remove the RJ45 SFP module in detail.

Installing A RJ45 SFP Module

1. Attach an ESD preventive wrist strap to your wrist and to a bare metal surface.
2. Remove the copper SFP module from the protective packaging.
3. Find the copper SFP markings on the module and align them in front of the slot opening.
4. Insert the copper SFP module into the slot on the switch until the copper SFP module snaps into position.

Connecting A Cat5 Cable

1. Insert Cat5 cable into the RJ45 connector of the copper SFP module.
2. Make sure the Cat5 cable has been pushed into the copper SFP module.

Removing A RJ45 SFP Module

1. Attach an ESD preventive wrist strap to your wrist and to a bare metal surface as well.
2. Disconnect the cable in the SFP module.
3. Unlock and remove the copper SFP module
4. Put the removed SFP module within the protective packaging or antistatic bag.

Conclusion

When you choose an RJ45 SFP module, the quality and cost matter a lot. So the three-party vendor may be a good choice. FS.COM not only supplies compatible RJ45 SFP modules which all meet the standards or MSA, but also provides reliable switches and patch cables. If you have any needs, welcome to visit FS.COM.

18 commands to monitor network bandwidth on Linux server

The tools have different mechanisms of generating the traffic report. Some of the tools like nload read the "/proc/net/dev" file to get traffic stats, whereas some tools use the pcap library to capture all packets and then calculate the total size to estimate the traffic load.

Here is a list of the commands, sorted by their features.

1. Overall bandwidth - nload, bmon, slurm, bwm-ng, cbm, speedometer, netload

2. Overall bandwidth (batch style output) - vnstat, ifstat, dstat, collectl

2. Bandwidth per socket connection - iftop, iptraf, tcptrack, pktstat, netwatch, trafshow

3. Bandwidth per process - nethogs

1. Nload

Nload is a commandline tool that allows users to monitor the incoming and outgoing traffic separately. It also draws out a graph to indicate the same, the scale of which can be adjusted. Easy and simple to use, and does not support many options.

So if you just need to take a quick look at the total bandwidth usage without details of individual processes, then nload will be handy.

$ nload

Installing Nload - Fedora and Ubuntu have got it in the default repos. CentOS users need to get nload from Epel repositories.

# fedora or centos
$ yum install nload -y

# ubuntu/debian
$ sudo apt-get install nload

2. iftop

Iftop measures the data flowing through individual socket connections, and it works in a manner that is different from Nload. Iftop uses the pcap library to capture the packets moving in and out of the network adapter, and then sums up the size and count to find the total bandwidth under use.

Although iftop reports the bandwidth used by individual connections, it cannot report the process name/id involved in the particular socket connection. But being based on the pcap library, iftop is able to filter the traffic and report bandwidth usage over selected host connections as specified by the filter.

$ sudo iftop -n

The n option prevents iftop from resolving ip addresses to hostname, which causes additional network traffic of its own.

Install iftop - Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora users get it from default repos. CentOS users get it from Epel.

# fedora or centos
yum install iftop -y

# ubuntu or debian
$ sudo apt-get install iftop

3. iptraf

Iptraf is an interactive and colorful IP Lan monitor. It shows individual connections and the amount of data flowing between the hosts. Here is a screenshot

$ sudo iptraf

Install iptraf

# Centos (base repo)
$ yum install iptraf

# fedora or centos (with epel)
$ yum install iptraf-ng -y

# ubuntu or debian
$ sudo apt-get install iptraf iptraf-ng

4. nethogs

Nethogs is a small 'net top' tool that shows the bandwidth used by individual processes and sorts the list putting the most intensive processes on top. In the event of a sudden bandwidth spike, quickly open nethogs and find the process responsible. Nethogs reports the PID, user and the path of the program.

$ sudo nethogs

Install Nethogs - Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora users get from default repos. CentOS users need Epel

# ubuntu or debian (default repos)
$ sudo apt-get install nethogs

# fedora or centos (from epel)
$ sudo yum install nethogs -y

5. bmon

Bmon (Bandwidth Monitor) is a tool similar to nload that shows the traffic load over all the network interfaces on the system. The output also consists of a graph and a section with packet level details.

Install Bmon - Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora users can install from default repos. CentOS users need to setup repoforge, since its not available in Epel.

# ubuntu or debian
$ sudo apt-get install bmon

# fedora or centos (from repoforge)
$ sudo yum install bmon

Bmon supports many options and is capable of producing reports in html format. Check the man page for more information

6. slurm

Slurm is 'yet' another network load monitor that shows device statistics along with an ascii graph. It supports 3 different styles of graphs each of which can be activated using the c, s and l keys. Simple in features, slurm does not display any further details about the network load.

$ slurm -s -i eth0

Install slurm

# debian or ubuntu
$ sudo apt-get install slurm

# fedora or centos
$ sudo yum install slurm -y

7. tcptrack

Tcptrack is similar to iftop, and uses the pcap library to capture packets and calculate various statistics like the bandwidth used in each connection. It also supports the standard pcap filters that can be used to monitor specific connections.

Install tcptrack - Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora have it in default repos. CentOS users need to get it from RepoForge as it is not available in Epel either.

# ubuntu, debian
$ sudo apt-get install tcptrack

# fedora, centos (from repoforge repository)
$ sudo yum install tcptrack

8. Vnstat

Vnstat is bit different from most of the other tools. It actually runs a background service/daemon and keeps recording the size of data transfer all the time. Next it can be used to generate a report of the history of network usage.

$ service vnstat status
 * vnStat daemon is running

Running vnstat without any options would simply show the total amount of data transfer that took place since the date the daemon is running.

$ vnstat
Database updated: Mon Mar 17 15:26:59 2014

   eth0 since 06/12/13

          rx:  135.14 GiB      tx:  35.76 GiB      total:  170.90 GiB

   monthly
                     rx      |     tx      |    total    |   avg. rate
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
       Feb '14      8.19 GiB |    2.08 GiB |   10.27 GiB |   35.60 kbit/s
       Mar '14      4.98 GiB |    1.52 GiB |    6.50 GiB |   37.93 kbit/s
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     estimated      9.28 GiB |    2.83 GiB |   12.11 GiB |

   daily
                     rx      |     tx      |    total    |   avg. rate
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     yesterday    236.11 MiB |   98.61 MiB |  334.72 MiB |   31.74 kbit/s
         today    128.55 MiB |   41.00 MiB |  169.56 MiB |   24.97 kbit/s
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     estimated       199 MiB |      63 MiB |     262 MiB |

To monitor the bandwidth usage in realtime, use the '-l' option (live mode). It would then show the total bandwidth used by incoming and outgoing data, but in a very precise manner without any internal details about host connections or processes.

$ vnstat -l -i eth0
Monitoring eth0...    (press CTRL-C to stop)

   rx:       12 kbit/s    10 p/s          tx:       12 kbit/s    11 p/s

Vnstat is more like a tool to get historic reports of how much bandwidth is used everyday or over the past month. It is not strictly a tool for monitoring the network in real time.

Vnstat supports many options, details about which can be found in the man page.

Install vnstat

# ubuntu or debian
$ sudo apt-get install vnstat

# fedora or centos (from epel)
$ sudo yum install vnstat

9. bwm-ng

Bwm-ng (Bandwidth Monitor Next Generation) is another very simple real time network load monitor that reports a summary of the speed at which data is being transferred in and out of all available network interfaces on the system.

$ bwm-ng

bwm-ng v0.6 (probing every 0.500s), press 'h' for help
  input: /proc/net/dev type: rate
  /         iface                   Rx                   Tx                T
ot==========================================================================
==           eth0:           0.53 KB/s            1.31 KB/s            1.84
KB             lo:           0.00 KB/s            0.00 KB/s            0.00
KB--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--          total:           0.53 KB/s            1.31 KB/s            1.84
KB/s

If the console size is sufficiently large, bwm-ng can also draw bar graphs for the traffic using the curses2 output mode.

$ bwm-ng -o curses2

Install Bwm-NG - On CentOS bwm-ng can be installed from Epel.

# ubuntu or debian
$ sudo apt-get install bwm-ng

# fedora or centos (from epel)
$ sudo apt-get install bwm-ng

10. cbm - Color Bandwidth Meter

A tiny little simple bandwidth monitor that displays the traffic volume through network interfaces. No further options, just the traffic stats are display and updated in realtime.

$ sudo apt-get install cbm

11. speedometer

Another small and simple tool that just draws out good looking graphs of incoming and outgoing traffic through a given interface.

$ speedometer -r eth0 -t eth0

Install speedometer

# ubuntu or debian users
$ sudo apt-get install speedometer

12. Pktstat

Pktstat displays all the active connections in real time, and the speed at which data is being transferred through them. It also displays the type of the connection, i.e. tcp or udp and also details about http requests if involved.

$ sudo pktstat -i eth0 -nt

$ sudo apt-get install pktstat

13. Netwatch

Netwatch is part of the netdiag collection of tools, and it too displays the connections between local host and other remote hosts, and the speed at which data is transferring on each connection.

$ sudo netwatch -e eth0 -nt

$ sudo apt-get install netdiag

14. Trafshow

Like netwatch and pktstat, trafshow reports the current active connections, their protocol and the data transfer speed on each connection. It can filter out connections using pcap type filters.

Monitor only tcp connections

$ sudo trafshow -i eth0 tcp

$ sudo apt-get install netdiag

15. Netload

The netload command just displays a small report on the current traffic load, and the total number of bytes transferred since the program start. No more features are there. Its part of the netdiag.

$ netload eth0

$ sudo apt-get install netdiag

16. ifstat

The ifstat reports the network bandwidth in a batch style mode. The output is in a format that is easy to log and parse using other programs or utilities.

$ ifstat -t -i eth0 0.5
  Time           eth0       
HH:MM:SS   KB/s in  KB/s out
09:59:21      2.62      2.80
09:59:22      2.10      1.78
09:59:22      2.67      1.84
09:59:23      2.06      1.98
09:59:23      1.73      1.79

Install ifstat - Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora users have it in the default repos. CentOS users need to get it from Repoforge, since its not there in Epel.

# ubuntu, debian
$ sudo apt-get install ifstat

# fedora, centos (Repoforge)
$ sudo yum install ifstat

17. dstat

Dstat is a versatile tool (written in python) that can monitor different system statistics and report them in a batch style mode or log the data to a csv or similar file. This example shows how to use dstat to report network bandwidth

$ dstat -nt
-net/total- ----system----
 recv  send|     time     
   0     0 |23-03 10:27:13
1738B 1810B|23-03 10:27:14
2937B 2610B|23-03 10:27:15
2319B 2232B|23-03 10:27:16
2738B 2508B|23-03 10:27:17

Install dstat

$ sudo apt-get install dstat

18. collectl

Collectl reports system statistics in a style that is similar to dstat, and like dstat it is gathers statistics about various different system resources like cpu, memory, network etc. Over here is a simple example of how to use it to report network usage/bandwidth.

$ collectl -sn -oT -i0.5
waiting for 0.5 second sample...
#         <----------Network---------->
#Time       KBIn  PktIn  KBOut  PktOut 
10:32:01      40     58     43      66 
10:32:01      27     58      3      32 
10:32:02       3     28      9      44 
10:32:02       5     42     96      96 
10:32:03       5     48      3      28

Install Collectl

# Ubuntu/Debian users
$ sudo apt-get install collectl

#Fedora
$ sudo yum install collectl

Summary

Those were a few handy commands to quickly check the network bandwidth on your linux server. However these need the user to login to the remote server over ssh. Alternatively web based monitoring tools can also be used for the same task.

Ntop and Darkstat are some of the basic web based network monitoring tools available for Linux. Beyond these lie the enterprise level monitoring tools like Nagios that provide a host of features to not just monitor a server but entire infrastructure.