Place your bets. which vendor is next to screw themselve...and all of us

Its starting to look like the year where hackers barely need to do anything because the biggest vendors keep taking themselves down with their own hands.

Cloudflare One bad configand half the internet offline.

AWS ...DNS chain reaction and banks, apps, and services collapsed.

Azure... A routing/config change and global authentication failures.

Google...Stacked flawed updates and couse massive outage.

Zoom...Registrar glitch and zoom.us disappears.

Slack.. Internal update issue and no messaging, no channels.

So what’s the real common denominator?

Misconfigurations!

One bad file, one flawed update, one DNS change and entire ecosystems shutdown
Not attackers. Not Ransomware

Place your bets...
Which vendor do you think is next to hit the global outage button?

https://redd.it/1p3afoz
@r_systemadmin

How the hell do I stop apps being installed for new users logging into a Windows 11 PC?

Server admin here. Vary rarely get to play with client devices but I've got a task at the moment to stop certain apps being installed for "new users" logging into a PC for the first time.


Outlook. One Drive. Xbox Games etc.


I've run the below and works well. But only for existing users. But when a new user logs in... boom... it's back.


Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.OutlookForWindows | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers


I tried to use to remove the underlying provisioning package:

Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online-PackageName Microsoft.OutlookForWindows


But the command fails but I've seen the above mentioned in a lot of places online. I'm at my wits end here. Why make it so sodding complicated MS?




https://redd.it/1p35yf7
@r_systemadmin

Stuck in the land of zero motivation

Making this hoping it'll boost me toward getting back in IT and building up my resume.

Took this leap of faith by following my wife overseas and putting pause on my career so we can experience living in Europe. I didn't think it would be too hard to find work but with the government shutdown, adjusting to life here, and realizing the lack of job opportunities have burnt me out on looking for work or even looking at anything IT related. Going from dream job to part time babysitter sucks.


I bought a raspberry pi in hopes of doing projects and built a pc that should handle mini projects but I haven't had the motivation of trying to do anything with it. I've just given up on working on things with the minimal job opportunities/lack of true worth of spending time on a project.


But I've realized I can't just sit here and let time past so here's to getting back to the grind with projects then certifications. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a tech job somewhere...


Good luck to me and anyone else needing that push to keep going.

https://redd.it/1p3eq35
@r_systemadmin

Microsoft 365 Local is Generally Available

Is anyone planning to investigate / deploy? It was promised a while ago as the ultimate answer to data sovereignty issues - as expected, looks like a fairly out-of-the-box Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI) deployment of Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, and Skype for Business Server with a hardened security baseline and some cloud-based orchestrations. Not surprisingly there’s no on-premises Microsoft Teams functionality but this is still a disappointment. Useful or just another marketing innovation?

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/azurearcblog/microsoft-365-local-is-generally-available/4470170

https://redd.it/1p3q3td
@r_systemadmin

Rant: "I'm not technical" is not a badge of pride

When I started in the industry users didn't do computers at school and the home computing revolution hadn't begun, so "I'm not technical" was perhaps a valid claim

Fast-forward 35 years and this phrase is still being said and as if it's a badge of pride.

There are not enough swearwords in the universe to describe what I want to say...but I am sure I am not alone in thinking in '25 ...it should actually be followed by "and I need to fix that"

https://redd.it/1p3rlkq
@r_systemadmin

DRAM Prices - lol WTF?

You guys seeing this? I know it's slightly off topic of sysadmin stuff, but we do upgrade some systems with 1 year EOL left, take them from 16GB to 32GB just to get them through their final year in service before RPL.

So I decided to lookup the RAM kit I bought for my personal setup. A few days ago, I paid $219.99 at BestBuy. (Solid RAM low timings BTW).

2 Days ago it was $679.99 and today... well.... today it's $906.99.... yep, for 2x32GB DDR5 6400

This isn't 3rd party, it's retail at BestBuy - https://www.bestbuy.com/product/corsair-vengeance-rgb-64gb-2x32gb-ddr5-6400mhz-c32-udimm-desktop-memory-black/J39QHTC43T

Newegg also: https://www.newegg.com/corsair-vengeance-rgb-64gb-ddr5-6400-cas-latency-cl32-desktop-memory-black/p/N82E16820982255

Price Charts: https://pcpartpicker.com/trends/price/memory/

https://redd.it/1p3sbrq
@r_systemadmin

Is there any DLP that’s designed specifically for AI applications?

What I mean is checking at the prompt level by not just blocking but semantically assessing the prompt against policies (e.g. no PII, relevance, etc.) before letting it through

https://redd.it/1p3t826
@r_systemadmin

What's the point of having VLAN tagging functionality for server management port (IPMI)?

To my knowledge, unless a port is a shared port (used by hypervisor), vlan tagging should be done on the switch, not by the node itself (IPMI).

My workplace supermicro server have the functionality to vlan tag the traffic going out of the IPMI port.

Why this functionality exists? What is the used for it?

https://redd.it/1p3t47c
@r_systemadmin

Azure File Shares now support kerberos for entra only in preview

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fslogix/how-to-configure-profile-container-entra-id-hybrid?pivots=hybrid-identities

I'm currently running an AVD setup using the Nerdio storage key injection workaround, and so far so good. Mostly for Intune only computers to run Remote Apps, a few teams use privileged desktops, like for database access.

With AVD you can schedule your session hosts to allocate off and on as needed. Same with things like Azure SQL or other back end systems.

I know everyone has their thoughts on cloud, but this basically means that SMBs don't need to run anything 24/7. Your entire infrastructure can allocate on and off on demand or schedule. If you're a 9-5 company this might mean pausing compute for 50% of the year. On-prem is a hard sell over that capability.

I guess the last big hurdle is SMB shares. Not sure we will see an Entra-only workaround for that any time soon, but Entra DS is not so bad if SMB is your only requirement.

https://redd.it/1p3voik
@r_systemadmin

WHFB + FIDO2 - looking at SCRIL

Users have an issued FIDO2 security key. They use this key to register WHFB and setup a 6 digit pin for WHFB (Cloud Kerberos trust).

Some users on shared workstations will use the FIDO2 key to avoid the (10) machine limit.


They are no longer using their password with Windows or Mobile and no 3rd party apps require the user of their password.

Sadly almost all machines are still hybrid joined - but going forward will be ENTRA only.

I want to start rolling out SCRIL and fine grained passwords but had some questions:


1. Can you still use LAPS with SCRIL? For UAC prompts?

2. Are you changing users passwords before turning on SCRIL? If so, do the users see anything different during login when this happens?

3. Once fine grained passwords is configured and SCRIL enabled - do users see anything on their end as these policies are taking place?


Thanks in Advance!

https://redd.it/1p3xub4
@r_systemadmin

Do you content filter guest WiFi?

We have guest WiFi that a few thousand random users use per day.

How do you filter it? We want to allow low on-boarding friction to provide a good user experience, but the high-friction methods provide better filtering. We are legally supposed to filter out certain types of porn and other illegal sites, where I work, but the law is slightly ambiguous on how strong-armed the filtering has to be, so most entities have taken the stance of "best effort."

What we have done:
1. At the IP-level, we have blocked the top 30 or so public IP revolvers (Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, etc.).
2. Heavily filtered sites in the DNS resolver we provide to clients via DHCP.
3. Used some of Palo Alto's IP lists to block some sites at the IP level if there is 1:1 relationship (this does not do much these days, admittedly).

Are there any other best-effort things I have forgotten to do?

https://redd.it/1p3yzfz
@r_systemadmin

Why aren’t more companies feeding their internal docs/code into an internal RAG system?

One of the first things I thought of when ChatGPT went mainstream was what if it actually knew our internal docs?

I recently built a system that feeds our team’s wikis, docs, and code into a vector DB for RAG queries, and the feedback has been great. Next we’re planning to use it as the foundation for an agent that helps with ops.

What’s the reason your team hasn’t done this yet?

https://redd.it/1p42jsz
@r_systemadmin

mariadb vs mysql

We run both of these, seemingly at random and we need to pick one and standardize. Which do you run and why?

https://redd.it/1p4bunv
@r_systemadmin

Stepping back

Not even sure why I'm posting this other than I don't have anyone else to rant to.

I've been in IT since 1988. Got my start in the dealer channel back when there was such a thing. Been with a non profit for the last 15 years and I'm just burned out. I've watched things go down the tubes since Covid. Quality of the people being hired has gone down the toilet (talking about "regular" staff, not IT. Shit... I am IT except for the CTO.)

Currently putting out resumes for a lower level desk side support to help desk position. Don't give a shit about pay cuts. Just need to get through the next few years till I can file for SS.

The only reason I don't call it quits tomorrow is because my wife needs health insurance. I can get covered through the VA. She can't and she's not old enough to get medicare yet.

I used to love what I do. Now I'm just disgusted with the level of stupidity, apathy, and lack of respect for our profession that seems to permeate my company.

Thanks for listening to this old jarhead rant.



https://redd.it/1p4d5ev
@r_systemadmin

Ahhh Hell Nah - Copilot Authoring PowerShell Core

Copilot is not only authoring commits, but whole PRs on the PowerShell Engine:

\- https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/pull/26443

https://redd.it/1p4drh9
@r_systemadmin

What makes a good sysadmin?

What do I have to do and need to know to be a sysadmin? I'm currently still new to the IT field, but I know I want to be a sysadmin one day, but I don't think I fully know what it takes.

https://redd.it/1p4dptn
@r_systemadmin

What’s your guys top Christmas wishlist items?

Looking for inspiration for this holiday season.

Looking for something cool/useful for both work and play. I feel like the cool tech of the last couple decades are slow and boring now.

Looking for some cool fun tech! That’s also useful potentially.



https://redd.it/1p4dvb4
@r_systemadmin

IT ops and sysadmins. What would your ideal office include?

A rare chance has come up. I am planning the layout for a brand new space for our IT team of 18 that we will move into next year. What features, amenities, and tools do you wish your office had. I am also toying with a small decompress corner using a modular floor sofa that can switch from quick huddle seating to a short rest between imaging cycles https://adorncroft.com/product/french-daybed-sofa-evan/?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=social&utm\_campaign=product&utm\_content=sysadmin

I am after ideas that are useful for the business and for quality of life.

Context. We image and service about 1,700 rugged field tablets for first responders, so devices cycle through the room often. Suggestions that account for staging, charging, and repair flow are very welcome.

https://redd.it/1p4gh1k
@r_systemadmin

Recovery partition keeps reappearing in File Explorer after removing drive letter - tried everything

I have a 1GB recovery partition on my Windows laptop that keeps getting assigned a drive letter (D:) and showing up in File Explorer every time I restart, even after I remove the drive letter.

**What I've tried so far:**

1. **Removed drive letter via Disk Management** \- comes back after restart
2. **Changed partition type ID via DiskPart:**

​

set id=de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac

1. **Set GPT attributes:**

​

gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001

1. **Both methods combined** \- still reappears after restart

**My setup:**

* Disk 0: 476.92 GB
* Partition 1: 100 MB EFI System
* Partition 2: 16 MB Reserved
* Partition 3: 475 GB Primary (C:)
* Partition 4: 1024 MB Recovery (keeps showing as D:)

Has anyone else dealt with this? What am I missing? I want this recovery partition to stay hidden permanently.

https://redd.it/1p4p8mu
@r_systemadmin

Services Running on Administrator Accounts

Hi,

I found multiple Windows services in production that are running using the DOMAIN\Administrator account. I know this is not recommended, but I want to understand the correct and secure way to fix this issue. What is the proper method to replace these high-privileged accounts with a safer alternative, especially in environments with SQL servers and other critical applications?

Also, how should this be tested properly before applying in production, and what are the common problems or breakages that can happen when changing service accounts from Domain Admin to restricted accounts? If anyone has best practices or real examples from enterprise environments, please share.

Thank you.

https://redd.it/1p4hjj9
@r_systemadmin

The Coverup

Trillion dollar company.

Mid level managers covering up the true cause of major outage that I discovered and fixed.

While these guys are yelling to restore major infra I’m doing packet captures showing the culprit.

I make a change, problem resolved.

The root cause of 3 major outages has now been caused by 1 guy who is careless and protected by mid level managers. No one even remembers that I fixed these outages and how no one else in any team would be capable of finding it. VPs have no idea. I’m simply telling the truth not saying I’m a God of troubleshooting. But these guys I work with are click ops cowboys who can barely type cmd.exe

Mid level managers are not telling the true root cause to anyone. As I said, they have forgotten, as always, that I found the root cause and fixed the mother clucker. They have the memory of a guinea pig.

Now VPs want meetings on how we’re going to have to spend to horizontally scale to fix the fake narrative. So I have to spend the weekend building PowerPoint fake narrative solution.

My conscience and dignity are worth more. But I certainly cannot quit.

Don’t ya’ll just hate the cluster of VPs who are NEVER around until a problem occurs.

I respect these VP guys who we keep in the dark nonetheless but what a dumb reality that they are nowhere near the trench warfare and day to day but will inject themselves into the crisis with sudden urgency.

If I expose the cover-up I am toast. I fantasize about sending a confidential email but that is a nuclear bomb I’m avoiding.

Happy to be employed but god these stupid fucks all around just suck major ass.

Funny seeing young people posting here everyday asking about the road to high paying IT jobs.

Don’t fucking do it. Do everything you can to go to law school. Do not do IT. Stop and turn around. Unless you are an extraordinary high achiever stay the fuck away.

Graybeard in Hell.



https://redd.it/1p4ko0z
@r_systemadmin