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IT Engineer Tools & Software

Tools for diagnosing PCs, supporting users remotely, recovering systems and managing disks and networks.

Who this toolkit is for

For IT engineers, IT support and helpdesk staff who keep computers and users working. Most tasks start with built-in tools; add specialist utilities as your work needs them.

Operating system:WindowsmacOSLinux
Distribution (optional)UbuntuDebianLinux MintFedoraArch LinuxManjaroopenSUSEKali LinuxOther / Not sure

Essential (1)

Core tools that are broadly useful.

Networking

Confirm addressing and reachability before assuming a device or application is at fault.

  • ping (iputils)

    Open Source

    Why you may need this: Check whether a device responds.

    APT (verified)
    sudo apt install iputils-ping

    Details

Specialist / Optional · Show specialist tools (8)

Consider these for particular modules, tasks or environments.

Networking

Confirm addressing and reachability before assuming a device or application is at fault.

  • Wireshark icon
    Wireshark

    Open Source

    Why you may need this: Inspect traffic when a network problem isn't obvious.

    APT (verified)
    sudo apt install wireshark

    DetailsSee alternatives

  • Nmap icon
    Nmap

    Open Source

    Why you may need this: Find devices and services on networks you manage.

    APT (verified)
    sudo apt install nmap

    DetailsSee alternatives

Remote Support

Help users without travelling to them. Use tools your organisation has approved, and always get the user's consent first.

Process Troubleshooting

When a PC is slow or a program misbehaves, these show exactly which process is responsible and what it is doing.

  • btop icon
    btop

    Open Source

    Why you may need this: Detailed resource monitor for Linux.

    APT (verified)
    sudo apt install btop

    Details

Bootable USB

A bootable USB drive is the standard way to reinstall operating systems and run recovery tools.

Recovery

Get an unbootable machine running again, or rescue the files from it, without making things worse.

  • TestDisk and PhotoRec

    Open Source

    Why you may need this: Try to recover lost partitions and files. Recovery isn't guaranteed.

    APT (verified)
    sudo apt install testdisk

    Details

File Transfer

Copy logs, installers and backups to and from servers securely.

  • FileZilla

    Open Source

    Why you may need this: Cross-platform SFTP and FTP client.

    APT (verified)
    sudo apt install filezilla

    Details

Backup

Make sure there is a restorable copy before you change anything significant.

  • restic

    Open Source

    Why you may need this: Scriptable encrypted backups.

    APT (verified)
    sudo apt install restic

    Details

About this toolkit

IT support work tends to fall into a few situations: a slow or misbehaving PC, a machine that will not start, a user who needs help remotely, and preparing or recovering devices. The categories above are grouped around those jobs, and many of the most useful tools, such as Event Viewer, Reliability Monitor and Task Manager, are already built into Windows.

Check what your organisation has approved before installing anything on a user's machine, especially remote support tools. Choose the operating system above to see the tools available for it, with verified installation commands where Aptorise has them.

Build your IT Engineer / IT Support setup

Build My Setup lets you add or remove apps, combine roles, see why each app is included, and get a single install command where verified packages exist. Nothing is installed automatically.

Build my IT Engineer / IT Support setup on Linux

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