During the course of this book, it is assumed that you will already have access to the basic tools associated with troubleshooting your server. Some of the more obscure tools will be mentioned and instructions will be given; however, for those who may or may not have access to the basic toolbox, as the root user you may want to begin by running the following command:
# yum groupinstall "Base" "Development Libraries" "Development Tools"
This action, if and when confirmed, will begin to download and install the common development tools, libraries, and base components of a CentOS server system. It also contains the relevant utilities required by RPM, additional text editors, and packages required to compile custom packages.
Note
The practice of installing these packages at the outset is optional and all of these packages can be installed individually (as and when required). However, in an environment where disaster recovery planning has a vital role to play, it is worth considering the notion that a server has everything in place before any issues arise.
So, having prepared the system with the necessary tools and utilities, we shall begin in earnest by taking a closer look at the hardware. To do this, it is recommended that you continue with root access to the system in question.