Jim and Allan discover modern charging tech and marvel at what’s possible in the USB-C era, more on IPv6 firewalls, using ZFS like Git, and running your own authoritative DNS server.

Automox

Check out the brand new Autonomous IT podcast. Listen in as a variety of experts in the IT Operations space discuss the latest Patch Tuesday releases, mitigation tips, and custom automations to help with CVE remediations. Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1Password

Extended Access Management: Secure every sign-in for every app on every device. Support the show and check it out at 1password.com/25a

See our contact page for ways to get in touch.

How using a copy-on-write filesystem like ZFS can get systems back online within seconds after ransomeware encrypts all your data, and even warn you more quickly that it’s happening. Plus Jim and Allan’s advice on getting a job as a sysadmin.

Plugs

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Klara: 5 Reasons Why Your ZFS Storage Benchmarks Are Wrong

Free consulting

We were asked about getting a job as a sysadmin.

See our contact page for ways to get in touch.

It’s Halloween so Jim and Allan share horrific and spooky stories from their sysadmin careers. Plus picking a UPS for a homelab.

Plugs

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Klara: NAS: Maintenance Best Practices

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SSL certificates are likely going to last less time, the latest Windows 11 update leaves a huge chunk of data behind and doesn’t play nicely with some SSDs, picking a modern dhcp server on a homebrew router, and storing encrypted backups on a friend’s NAS with ZFS.

Plugs

Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes

Klara Halloween Webinar: ZFS Horror Stories. Oct 31st 13:00 EDT, 17:00 UTC

News

Sysadmins slam Apple’s SSL/TLS cert lifespan cuts

Windows 11 24H2 hoards 8.63 GB of junk you can’t delete

As Microsoft rolls out its Windows 11 24H2 update, owners of certain Western Digital SSDs have been greeted with constant Blue Screens of Death

WD releases new firmware to fix Windows 11 24H2 blue screens of death on some SSD

Not just Western Digital – Windows 24H2 BSODs Asus kit

Free consulting

We were asked about picking a modern dhcp server on a homebrew router, and storing encrypted backups on a friend’s NAS with ZFS.

The Ars guide to building a Linux router from scratch

Linux Router Part 1: Routing, NAT, and NFTables

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The difference between monitoring and metrics analysis, the security pros and cons of cloud vs on-prem, why Jim and Allan don’t use Unraid, and cloud storage and email for a small company.

Feedback

Netdata

Nagios

ZFS and Unraid

Free consulting

We were asked about cloud storage and email for a small company.

Automox

Check out the brand new Autonomous IT podcast. Listen in as a variety of experts in the IT Operations space discuss the latest Patch Tuesday releases, mitigation tips, and custom automations to help with CVE remediations. Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1Password

Extended Access Management: Secure every sign-in for every app on every device. Support the show and check it out at 1password.com/25a

See our contact page for ways to get in touch.

NIST has finally proposed some sensible password standards, why server CPUs with high core counts make sense in a lot of deployments, the .io TLD is probably sticking around, and the best options for a Linux-based router.

Plugs

Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes

Klara Halloween Webinar: ZFS Horror Stories. Oct 31st 13:00 EDT, 17:00 UTC

ZBM 101: Introduction to ZFSBootMenu

News

NIST proposes barring some of the most nonsensical password rules

You’re right not to rush into running AMD, Intel’s new manycore monster CPUs

The Disappearance of an Internet Domain

Free consulting

We were asked about setting up a Linux-based router.

OpenWrt on TP-Link devices

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Why cold storage is never as good as keeping your data warm and regularly tested, how the American air traffic control system became so outdated, and isolating your devices from a roommate’s shenanigans.

Plug

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News/discussion

Music industry’s 1990s hard drives, like all HDDs, are dying 

FAA air traffic control modernization efforts are a mess

Free consulting

We were asked about isolating your devices from a roommate’s shenanigans.

1Password

Extended Access Management: Secure every sign-in for every app on every device. Support the show and check it out at 1password.com/25a

See our contact page for ways to get in touch.

A proposed solution to the WHOIS TLS verification problem gets a surprising amount of pushback. Plus isolating IoT devices, our thoughts on Ubiquiti gear, setting up WiFi in a new house, remote access with WireGuard, and our mini PC recommendations.

Plug

Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes

News

Google calls for halting use of WHOIS for TLS domain verifications

Free consulting

We were asked about isolating IoT devices, our thoughts on Ubiquiti gear, setting up WiFi in a new house, remote access with WireGuard, and our mini PC recommendations.

1Password

Extended Access Management: Secure every sign-in for every app on every device. Support the show and check it out at 1password.com/25a

See our contact page for ways to get in touch.

The Malaysian government’s misguided plan to control its citizens’ DNS, the wrong way to deploy underwater servers, a philosophical question about how long a person’s photos will exist, and how we manage our SSH keys.

Plug

Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes

News/discussion

Malaysia’s plan to block overseas DNS dies after a day 

Proposed underwater data center surprises regulators who hadn’t heard about it

Free consulting

We were asked about how we manage our SSH keys.

1Password

Extended Access Management: Secure every sign-in for every app on every device. Support the show and check it out at 1password.com/25a

Automox

Check out the brand new Autonomous IT podcast. Listen in as a variety of experts in the IT Operations space discuss the latest Patch Tuesday releases, mitigation tips, and custom automations to help with CVE remediations. Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

See our contact page for ways to get in touch.

A surprising way to exploit the WHOIS system, Microsoft will force old versions of Windows 11 to update, and the simple way to set up TP-Link Omada gear.

Plug

Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes

News

Rogue WHOIS server gives researcher superpowers no one should ever have

Windows 11 users still living in the past face forced update, like it or not

Free consulting

We were asked about setting up TP-Link Omada gear.

See our contact page for ways to get in touch.

Another example of the downsides of abstraction, whether AI can ever be truly “open source”, and the security benefits and drawbacks of different types of VPN.

Plug

Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes

News/discussion

Hackers infect ISPs with malware that steals customers’ credentials

Debate over “open source AI” term brings new push to formalize definition

Free consulting

We were asked about whether VPNs are a security measure.

See our contact page for ways to get in touch.