Technology ⁽²⁰⁾

TailScale is a Wireguard-based hosted SDN and VPN provider with a per-user per-device business model. They have a free tier that enables up to three users access to 100 devices each in a device-to-device virtual mesh network. However, TailScale can be levered in a system,…

Here is a simple snippet for timing file system performance. I wrote this as part of a script to detect an infrequent but recurrent error mode on a NAS that causes performance degradation. I run the script hourly from a Linux host with a CIFS…

There is a widely held belief that all Enterprise Architecture (EA) applications are expensive, bureaucratic and complex. Whilst many capable applications of such scale do exist, there is no requirement for this to be the case; indeed the TOGAF standard encourages practitioners to select tooling…

I'm currently experimenting with a refurbished small form factor Dell OptiPlex 5050 as a Hyper-V server in my Homelab. This model of computer is widely and cheaply available and supports 64GB of RAM, making it a cheap and accessible virtualisation host. However, by default Windows…

I recently purchased an aging Toshiba Portege Z30-A-189 for a bargain price on an internet auction site. The Portege is a lightweight ultra-portable laptop with good battery life and delightful ergonomics; I was lucky enough to use one a daily driver in a previous life,…

I recently purchased an aging Lenovo Thinkstation M92p Tiny from an auction site for a bargain price. It has an i5-3470T processor, 8gb Ram and a 120gb SSD. My intent was to install VMware to host a couple of very lightweight but critical VMs required…

I waste my money so you don't have to? In this article I explore potential uses for a Dell Wyse 3040 in my homelab, and I identify some roles to which it is definitely not well suited. I recently purchased a Dell Wye 3040 Thin…

I recently encountered a new Chromebook that was displaying a problem with Android applications. Out of the box, the applications installed and ran as expected. But after reboot, and subsequent reboots, Android apps would fail to start properly. They would launch but then freeze displaying…

An article called VMware Tools for Debian 10 arm64 on ESXi-Arm on Virten.net explains that a compiled version of Open VM Tools is not available in repositories for ARM builds of many common guest operating systems. Their workaround is to compile a version from the…

The free license option for VMWare ESXi lacks the backup APIs enabled by a vSphere license. Here is a simple script that I use instead to backup my guest VMs on my VMWare ESXi running on a Raspberry Pi 4. The script assumes: Use SSH,…

Oracle Could Infrastructure generously provide completely free compute instances to all users. However, Oracle reserve the right to reclaim idle instances. This article describes how to generate a load capable of satisfying Oracle's definition of activity to prevent reclamation. Oracle define idle compute instances as…

The low-power Raspberry Pi is an excellent platform for the modest compute requirements of an always-on Active Directory (AD) Domain Controller (DC). However, building a DC from scratch on a Raspberry Pi can be complex, and few options exist for running AD in a container…

This article is the first in a series that discusses the design, implementation and use of a free Infrastructure Architecture system to monitor, improve and automate your infrastructure. It records my experiences of building such systems for various clients. The aim of my Infrastructure Architecture…

It is easy to change the time zone of your Linux server from the command line interface (CLI). The following technique should work on all systemd-derived distros including Redhat, Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, etc. Check your current time zone with the timedatectl command: $ timedatectl Local…

Ventoy is a simple but effective tool that enables multiple bootable ISOs to coexist on a single USB Pendrive. It is convenient and expedient solution to booting hardware using a range of different operating systems. The problems with bootable Pendrives You are probably familiar with…

Two fobs along with packaging, picture (c) IT Infrastructure Architect Can a £3 Bluetooth tracking fob from Poundland really be a credible proposition? Perhaps, but only by swerving the official app. I decided to buy a couple of Track-Me Smart Tracker Bluetooth tracking fobs from…

A significant proportion of your Internet traffic is likely to be concerned with tracking you to serve you with ever more intrusive adverts. Use an Ad Blocker like PiHole to firstly block ads and tracking, and then to build a Protective DNS service to protect…

Presence indication in Teams, Skype for Business and other IM clients is really useful, especially when working remotely. However, when we are on the phone, in a meeting, reading, or waiting for a lengthy script to run then lack of keyboard or mouse activity can…

As part of the TIG Stack, Telegraf is a great way of monitoring infrastructure and applications. However, monitoring environments where Telegraf is not available can be a challenge. Here is an alternative approach to monitoring using CURL instead of Telegraf that is suitable for use…

The Lenovo Miix 320 is a great quality, well performing Windows 10 convertible tablet and laptop device with a removable keyboard. Well reviewed, it is cheap and readily available as a refurbished device, and is a great budget alternative to a Surface Go. However, like…