The data recovery tool for system administrators

Benchmarks

Several benchmark programs running under Linux can make performance comparisons between individual hardware components or between entire computer systems. SystemRescueCD contains the best known of these: Bonnie++ and Stress. Both programs are started in the terminal; therefore, they won't be found in the menus for Xfce.

Bonnie++ measures the writing and reading performance of mass storage areas. It can then deliver information regarding hardware defects when it finds poor performance.

The benchmark program Stress imposes a large load on various hardware components such as the processor, working memory and I/O processes. Both programs are controlled using a large number of available parameters. With the help of the command stress --help , you can obtain an overview.

Forensics

SystemRescueCD also has programs that are frequently put to use in forensics. Chkrootkit is one of these; it checks a computer for malware that gains access through a backdoor.

The software CmosPwd reveals BIOS passwords. Faulty settings in the BIOS of a computer system can often be the cause of weak performance. However, BIOS passwords prevent access to the corresponding settings. Because these are deposited in many computers, especially notebooks, in EEPROM components, unrestricted access is not possible. The more experienced user will appreciate the help that CmosPwd can provide in reading the passwords from the EEPROM component and modifying them.

Magic Rescue is another useful tool for reconstructing file content. This software does not rely on the assignment tables for the filesystem but rather on so called magic numbers that are found in the header of each file. These numbers designate the file type. As a result, Magic Rescue is a good solution for those situations in which the file assignment tables for the system are damaged or destroyed.

Foremost also devotes itself to the reconstruction of damaged and deleted data. SystemRescueCD offers this command-line program to augment the capabilities of Magic Rescue. Foremost can derive helpful information from standardized file headers and also footers.