Received a notice on December 9th that my Evernote functionality had been restricted on December 4th. Whoever is responsible for the failure in communicating this to its users is clearly bad at their job. The company I previously worked for paid for this and we parted on good terms so I took my scripts and notes with me to the free version. But given the complete lack of integrity this organization has it's time to look for alternatives. Obsidian and OneNote are the only ones I have some experience with but looking for suggested alternatives.

Does your company have a Change Advisory Board (CAB)? Or are you just free-balling it?

Sorry in advance for the stream of consciousness but I'm trying to create some context for my question.

Some years back I worked for a place that had Okta for SSO and later implemented MFA, and employees would sign in to a landing site that doubled as something of an 'intranet' (which was in actually just links to sites that utilized SSO but that employees could also add sites from a predefined list to their respective panel). I was still a youthful sysadmin and didn't have the full scope of the system and it's been too many years that my memory has faded, but does this sound in any way familiar to anyone as to what Okta or maybe Duo have for capabilities? Or, am I remembering something the org created likely on a web server that was using Okta for authentication? Insight are appreciated.

I've been in the business of refurbishing professional computers for more than ten years now, selling computers to schools and SMEs all over Europe and even some in the US. The two main concerns I noticed were:

1. Lack of ecological good practices. A lot of companies just destroy hard drives and hardware with soldered SSDs
2. Lack of safe data cleaning. I came across a lot of computers on the market with highly sensitive data.

Those are mainly the reason why I'm starting my ITAD company. We offer recognized deletion certificates and can give you a tour of our chain of custody procedure if interested. We're currently looking for companies disposing of their IT hardware if someone has a clue don't hesitate to contact me! Thanks :)

Hi community,

Any good website(s) to practice for the EX200 exam (RHELv9 sysadmin certification exam)?

It does not matter how old or slow the device is, it just needs to have at least (or close to) 768 GB of RAM. It must be system RAM, no other form of memory or volatile memory will suffice.

Server or desktop is fine, ECC or not doesn't matter.

I assume I need to acquire an old server, but where can I find the cheapest path to that much RAM?

Literally no other specs matter.

Any advice on what is the best, cheapest VOIP provider for a startup? Looking for basic call tree functionality

Edit: Thinking of going with 3CX and Flowroute. Thoughts/feedback?

I recently inhertited an old vmware server I'm tryingthat to upgrade. The server in question is a HP DL360p G8 thats running vmware 6.5 (not sure on the exact version and build). All of the vm's are on local disks. I have prepped a new dell server that im running vmware 8.0 on however im running into issues with the upgrade path. I have setup a new vcenter server on the new 8.0 host and when I go to add the 6.5 host to vcenter its telling me its not supported.

My initial thought was to just upgrade the 6.5 host to a newer version however the server in question only supports 6.5 (according to vmwares hcl) so thats out of the question.

Is there a way to migrate these virtual machines over to the new host? Any free or low cost tools I can use for this?

Or is the better option to install 6.5 on the newer server and then migrate the vm's over and then update vmware?

Looking for suggestions on a cell signal booster for an office located in a 62-story building, with floors of 19,000 sq ft each, hosting various businesses. The ideal solution should support all main US carriers, cover about 1000 sq ft, be simple to set up (e.g. something I can easily walk them through over a call), effective for voice and data communication, and not exceed a $500 budget. It’s essential that the booster performs well in a dense, high-rise environment. Insights into secure and reliable models without significant exploits are welcome!

In our company we got a local DNS Server. There i can See all the entries (Reverse and Forward lookup zones). How is this different from a Google DNS Like 8.8.8.8?

A question from a RHCSA practice textbook was to create a 2MiB volume group using 8 MiB physical extents. It said to create a logical volume (500 MiB) and mount it persistently on a directory. I've made everything but what do I choose for the filesystem to add into /etc/fstab?

I recently did some work for a hotel. Full network refresh, including wireless install, core switch/router setup. Setup of VLANs, QoS, failover WAN etc etc…

The end result is an awesome setup and I charged a minimal of £600 for all the work (excluding hardware etc.). The work took me about a week in total so I didn’t get paid much for the amount of time I put in but that’s fine, I have a full time job as a network engineer and this was a bit of pocket money if I’m honest, I think they’re aware of this too.

It’s been over 30 days now I have supported them for free - which I think is fair for a hand over period although I think I have maybe created a rod for my own back. - for example, they wanted the UL/DL restrictions turning up a bit for the guest VLAN so I tweaked it remotely without hesitation.

However, it’s over 30 days now and they keep Asking me about other issues. In some cases not even related to the network or what I have done. For example “we have a problem printing to one of our printers” (usb connected printer I might add!)

I am happy to support them but they’re going to have to pay me at this point. - has anybody got any suggestions on how I can approach them about a service contract politely? I don’t want to piss them off as I may get future work through them but at the same point I can’t keep supporting them like a family member for free! (We’ve all been there)

As the title suggests, I'm running into a frustrating issue where a ReFS virtual disk (3TB capacity and approx 600gb used space) is reporting insufficient space when I'm trying to transfer a 500GB VHD from another VM Host to this one.

I've tried multiple methods to transfer the file and everything is failing with some variation of "insufficient disk space".

I'm really hoping I won't need to reconfigure this VD as it's hosting other VM data.

Any tips or advice to troubleshoot are greatly appreciated!

I've been using /etc/login.defs but the changes don't seem to take place? And I've heard that /etc/pam.d is the more "modern" directory for password-related configurations and that /etc/login.defs was the older way of handling things. As far as the RHCSA goes, what do they expect us to use?

One of the questions in Sander Von Vugt's books were to change password validity parameters for new users. I believe I need to edit /etc/login.defs for this, but am I supposed to change something from the /etc/pam.d directory (as it is newer) or will the exam still want changes to be made in /etc/login.defs?

Hi,

We've always has a managed network services providers who would manage our firewalls, switches, etc

However the incumbent ones have been bought over and it's prompted us to realize we'll need to start looking at other options.

I'm just writing a procurement document about what we might need. I'm mainly a Windows admin so some of it is out of my comfort zone. Would anyone have anything more specific firewall/network than just the general ones below?

-Ensure devices are in warranty -Ensure subscriptions are licenced -Prompt notification of any quotes for renewal of the above -Trouble shooting and SLA -Software upgrades as needed

• Changes such as rules, etc.

-Project work as agreed.

We're a small shop around 100 ppl but use VPN a lot.

Hi,

I see many have the same problem, but none of the solutions we tried have worked.

https://www.google.com/search?q=server+2019+start+button+not+working&oq=2019+start+button+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCAgBEAAYFhgeMgYIABBFGDkyCAgBEAAYFhgeMggIAhAAGBYYHjIICAMQABgWGB4yCAgEEAAYFhgeMggIBRAAGBYYHjIICAYQABgWGB4yDQgHEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyDQgIEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyDQgJEAAYhgMYgAQYigXSAQg4NTEwajBqNKgCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

What's the deal? Will we just have to live our lives right-clicking and using command line in the 2019 OS?

We are currently using zimbra, but v9 is not very stable, it became closed source and the support is a real pita... Which multi server/scalable open source solution would you recommend ?

I'm wondering if there are any resources that are oriented to teaching Linux to people already very familiar with windows?

Besides that, I feel like I would have been able to Google this in the past but are my Google skills getting worse? I seem to find either exactly what I'm looking for or nothing at all related. Like running windows apps on Linux using wine.

For those with experience administering NT-Ware's uniFLOW on-prem solutions in a Windows Server Print Services environment, I had a few random thoughts/questions:

1. Do you pay attention to uniFLOW releases and fixes? Do you have to look for security fixes or does NT-Ware notify you when your product has a security flaw?
2. How often do you update uniFLOW? and what triggers an update? security and needed bug fixes? or on a schedule? and do you request those or does your reseller do it for you?
3. Are you able to access new versions of uniFLOW or do you have to get those from your reseller?
4. Once uniFLOW is updated, are there downstream updates that have to be done? I'm not exactly sure what these things are but they were deployed after uniFLOW was so wondering if they will need to be updated:
   1. Universal Login Manager
   2. uniFLOW MEAP Client
   3. uniFLOW Universal Driver
5. I notice uniFLOW includes the following 3rd party software
   1. Crystal Reports for .NET Framework 2.0. What does this support? I noticed this is why we have to add .NET Framework 3.5 to our uniFLOW server. Any versions of uniFLOW that DON'T require such an archaic version of .NET?
   2. Neevia Document Converter Pro 7.0 - does this come with uniFLOW and get installed at the same time as uniFLOW? When we updated uniFLOW this month, we didnt get an update for Neevia (still have the version we installed in 2019). I tried to install a new version separately but looks like it has to be licensed.

How long should a network installation last in a building before needing replacement i.e RJ45 wallplates, ethernet cables, trunking etc ?

Im told the cabbling at my workplace was done in 2015, but so much stuff is broken and patched up i just want the entire buildings redone from scratch, new cabbling, new patch panels everything.

I have two HP machines (an HP Elitedesk 800 G4 SFF, and an HP Elitedesk 800 G3 SFF) connected to a TesMart 16x1 KVM 4K30hz (HKS1601A10). When I am in the HP Bios, there are two issues:

1. It does not appear to accept any keyboard input. No matter what I press on the keyboard, nothing happens.
2. The mouse gets stuck to the far left of the screen. It can be moved up and down vertically, but it cannot move horizontally. It is also very jittery.

Neither system has this problem when I just plug in the keyboard and mouse directly, but of course I want to be able to use it through the KVM. There are no problems when either system is booted into the Windows; the issue is only in the bios.

Is there any way to fix this so I can still use the HP Bios through the KVM?

Hey people,

Does anyone know of a free alternative to AutoElevate? I only have 5 computers and need something like it but can't spend anything on it.

Has anyone found a guide/resource on how to sync Meta Business Suite with GPO policies?

How is social media accounts being monitored/access controlled?

Many of us carry so much on our shoulders. Be it work or other IT related duties, expectations, demands. But also be it other aspects of life too. Family, Debt, our own Businesses, Friends, Animals, Communities, and probably more I'm not thinking of right now.

We are, at our core, fragile humans. All of us.

How many people around you do you care about? How many are working through their own struggles? How many cannot find the words to share with you? What about those who are scared to share and rely on the strength of those around them?

Yesterday I melted down. A lot of my own stress caught up with me and hit me harder than maybe I've ever been hit before in my life. When I say melted down, I don't mean anger. I mean, I ceased being able to function.

My brother (by strife, not by blood), my Fiance, both helped me through it in the ways they could. I was physically alone (due to reasonable circumstance, not abandonment) but they were there for me through it all. (remotely)

Their patience, love, support, and understanding was part of what I needed. I also needed the time and space to work through the stress, emotions, and whatever else there is I don't have the terms for. I'd like to believe I don't bottle up my emotions, at least I do not try to. Maybe I do anyways without realising it.

Experiencing these emotions, in my mind, is important. Which is a big part of why I avoid bottling emotions, and prefer to address whatever those emotions are about at the time. To get ahead of any hidden burdens I may be creating for myself.

I prefer to sleep well at night. And that's not just because I prefer Linux over Windows. It's also because I don't want to be tossing and turning over some unresolved social topic.

I don't think I want to use the word "Burnout" in my case. I still love working with IT stuff, and generally what else is in my life too. Apart from the unemployment aspect mind you. But "Burnout" is not something to be discounted.

I've been a part of this subreddit for a while, can't remember exactly how long. If you sort posts for this sub by "Top" you'll likely find a few of mine up there. So I may not see or engage in everything, but I see a good lot.

I see a lot of people grappling with different situations that perhaps could be considered similar to my own story. I'm not a medical professional to any degree or measurement. I am a study of the "Human Condition", and I guess I'm working up to some thoughts that I hope can help my fellow humans. Chances are, if you're reading this, you're a human, and I care about you by default.

We as humans are stronger because we work together. Our strength is greater than the sum of our parts. We are not a simple chain, defined by our "weakest link", our existence is not so 0 and 1.

It is in our own interest to look out for each other. If we all are looking out for each other, then that means there are those around you looking out for you too. There is no "perfect" or necessarily "right" way to look out for someone (yelling at them is probably a "wrong" way though). it's going to be circumstantial. Sometimes it's the simplest things, taking them out to dinner, playing games with them that they want to play, just physically being there with them, or maybe even just letting them have space to experience emotion (while letting them know you're there for them to reach out to, when they want to, while checking in here and there). It can look like a bunch of different things.

You may be the one experiencing distress, and that could be of different magnitudes, duration, or other details. The first thing to always remember, in my opinion, is that YOU MATTER. Do not forget that. You are a fellow human, you are part of us. Experiencing and working through emotions, stress, and all that, is in my observation a healthy and worthwhile endeavour. It can be hard at times, and that's okay. You might not see what tomorrow looks like just yet, and that's okay. What matters truly, is that YOU MATTER. You are still here. There is no high score measuring who experiences the least stress, or any crap like that.

Whether you are someone trying to look out for a fellow human, or if you are in distress, finding the words can be challenging. The hardest part is starting. Reaching out to those in distress, or reaching out expressing your distress. The first few words are the hardest. The second hardest is the second step, continuing.

Look out for each other.

Hi,

I need some advice with Linux workstation setup. I mainly work with Windows machines and we have a new project that require a dozen Ubuntu 22.04 machines. And my manager gave the task to me.

The problem is no one in my company has done any Linux administration before.

I need to install the OS, setup GRUB (I'm not sure what that is still), verify the drivers are installed and setup a remote access tool incase if we ever need to troubleshoot it (all of machines are going out of state so I won't see it for another month). In future, we'll install an AMD gpu.

We're planning to give the users full access since they need to install hardware and do all kinds of tests in those machines. So we won't be adding these machines to AD either.

I have 1-2 weeks to come up with a plan.

Please, help me out my fellow Linux sysadmins. Where should I start? Is there any good YouTubers that explain imaging and troubleshooting of Ubuntu machines? Please share if there are any widely used best practices with Linux machines.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks

For those with experience administering Canon imageRUNNER MFPs and Windows Server Print Services in a Windows ecosystem, I had a few random thoughts/questions about drivers:

1. We use the Canon Generic Plus PCL6 printer driver. While UFRII is considered the native driver, we were told URFII didn't work well with uniFLOW (which we use for Secure Printing and Mobil Printing).
2. We are running version 2.50 of Canon's Generic Plus PCL6 driver. 2.90 is the latest version but updating a type 3 driver in a post-Print Nightmare world requires more effort as users can't update their own drivers. What are the benefits of using newer drivers? is there a general rule of thumb for how often you should upgrade? or is it truly a case of 'if its not broke...'. I will have to look and see if there are release notes for these newer versions.
3. In terms of installing/updating printers on Win10 client machines, has anyone had any luck using GPOs to assign/install/update printers for users? I was told that if we use GPO to assign printers, then we can update them via GPO as well without needing local admin rights. Is that true?

I had originally posted this in r/bitwarden, however after a couple minutes I realized this won’t be an issue exclusive to that platform. I confirmed it was not.

So a bit of background info: I setup an instance of bitwarden, and changed the env variables to reflect my mail server. I had everything working fine. My particular mail server uses port 465. I don't have SSL setup for the bitwarden server itself as my initial intention was to keep this internal.

Here's what's changed: I wanted to be able to access this externally but wanted to do so securely. I setup a load balancer and told my router to point to that. Cloudflare talks to the load balancer and is completely end to end encrypted; everything is now using SSL. At the moment everything is working flawlessly. I can access my vault from any device, and I can access the admin UI. My only issue is now when I enter my admin email address, it just spins. nothing ever happens. It may time out at some point but I don't wait long enough. I'm almost positive it's a port issue, as with the load balancer active, the only port open is 443.

If anyone has experience with this or knows of a fix, I’d greatly appreciate your help. Thank you in advance.

Edit: I was able to fix this by turning off proxy for SMTP CNAME and the mail A record in cloudflare. This isn't ideal but I don't self host my website, so I'm not too worried.

We got a problem with our windows server 2012 r2. The installed software only supports windows server up to 2016. We have a 2019 datacenter licence, but no 2016 windows server iso or license. Are we able to downgrade the 2019 datacenter license or upgrade the windows server to 2016 without a 2016 datacenter iso?

I am a single IT contractor with no experience in Microsoft's Azure & 365 Cloud offerings. I am mostly a Linux Guy and work in Security.

My wife runs a small not-for-profit business with about 10 employees. 3 of these employees will need full office access and large OneDrive allocation, but the other 7 employees will simply need email, nothing more. This business owns a domain through GoDaddy so that is already taken care of, it just needs to be integrated into 365 email. Furthermore, they need MDM for their work laptops with InTune and a teams site set up for collaboration and central file storage.

Will this be simple to deploy? Is it possible WITHOUT any on premises infrastructure or AD deployment? I am willing to learn whatever I need to learn, I just want to be able to provide this service for her for virtually no money; basically a donation to her organization.

I am imagining that central directory services will all be taken care of by Azure AD (Entra now?) and I have heard that such small deployments are not all that bad to get off of the ground.

Anybody with experience in this area, could you give me some guidance on where to go and what I should know before doing this (from a technical perspective)?

I am willing to support the org. as long as she runs it and would, of course, gracefully hand off to an MSP or what-have-you when that time comes. Their current situation is just so bad and insecure...it needs to be fixed.