Debian Server First Steps

In one of my previous posts I covered the what I consider to be the initial steps one should take when setting up the Debian (or any other Linux) server either self hosted on bare-metal or VPS in the cloud. Things have changed a bit since than and I thought it would be a good idea to share my thoughts in form of a guide and expand it a bit....

August 25, 2024 · 4 min

How Bitlocker affects ssd speed

So far in my blog I have not covered anything Windows related and I figured that this subject would be interesting enough to fill this gap. According to the article published by PCMag in October 2023, bitlocker can slow down SSD up to 45%. So I wanted to test it on my work laptop. I use Windows as my daily driver at work and my NVMe SSD drive on my laptop has started failing....

June 28, 2024 · 4 min

Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tiny miniPC as a Proxmox Server

Just recently I got my hands on a Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Tiny miniPC which I were able to grab for virtually free on our local classifieds site. I figured that it would be and ideal solution for running some VMs and docker containers in our office. These decade old PCs provide great value for this purpose, especially when Raspberry Pi’s are becoming very expensive providing all the hats and cases you need to buy in order for it to become a reliable server machine....

April 22, 2024 · 4 min

Easy setup of VLESS-REALITY VPN within Docker on 3X-UI panel

In my one of my previous posts I covered a process of setting up Wireguard server on Docker. While Wireguard is a great choice for VPN protocol, as it’s known for its reliability, speed and good encryption, they way it handles handshakes is easily detectable and can be blocked by ISP firewalls. Same applies to other well known VPN protocols, such as: OpenVPN, IPsec and L2TP. A number of countries have introduced measures to block VPN protocols which can cause major problems for users who use them to connect office LAN or for whatever other purposes....

March 14, 2024 · 8 min

Unattended Upgrades

The unattended upgrades feature on Debian-based distros is very handy way to ensure that you are running up-to-date security patches and latest versions of software running. At some point when you reach a certain limit of running instances, like VMs and containers, it starts to be hard and time consuming to keep them all updated. I have servers running locally in my homelab, as well as numerous instances in the cloud....

March 1, 2024 · 3 min

Upgrading a NVMe drive on Proxmox Server

After using Proxmox for a while now, I have nearly reached a point of running out of storage. So I decided to upgrade my NVMe from 256GB to 1TB. However, this task turned out to be not so trivial one. I have cloned my drive and expanded the partition with empty space numerous times on Linux before, but there are some specifics of LVM that you need to consider. I have also spent a lot of time reading through documentation and forums before I finally found this forum post....

November 18, 2023 · 4 min

Phishing attempts are becoming more sophisticated in 2023

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, cyber threats have become increasingly sophisticated, posing a significant risk to our online security. Recently, I’ve observed a surge in phishing attempts targeting my email addresses, particularly the corporate ones. While it was relatively simple to identify these deceptive tactics, the phishing landscape in 2023 is very different. The level of sophistication of these attempts, the way how e-mail messages are crafted, suggests a potentially higher success rate, making it more crucial than ever to stay informed and alarmed....

October 13, 2023 · 4 min

Self-hosting a Wireguard Server on Docker

In this post I will describe a very practical use case of running a Wireguard VPN server on Docker. This time I will be creating a docker container using docker-compose method. Why use a VPN? VPN services offer several benefits to users. Firstly, they provide enhanced online security by encrypting internet traffic, making it difficult for hackers or third parties to intercept sensitive information. Secondly, VPNs allow users to browse the internet anonymously, protecting their privacy and preventing websites from tracking their online activities....

August 7, 2023 · 4 min

Docker introduction, installation and first steps

In recent years, the technology industry has witnessed a remarkable surge in the adoption of containers, with an increasing number of applications and services being ‘containerized.’ Containers, and Docker in particular, have been lauded for their ability to provide unparalleled isolation and security to applications. However, while containers offer substantial benefits, they are not a silver bullet solution to all security challenges. Security considerations It is crucial to understand that the security of a container hinges heavily on its configuration....

August 1, 2023 · 5 min

Linux Poem written by ChatGPT

I was playing with ChatGPT recently and asked it to write a poem about Linux. Check it out :) Linux poem In the land of tech, there reigns a king so bold, A system so powerful, it never grows old. It’s sleek, it’s smart, it’s Linux you see, An open-source wonder, that’s always free. With its command line skills, it can do so much more, Than other systems that you’d normally adore....

June 15, 2023 · 1 min