Recommendation for label maker with strong adhesive?

My ol' trusty P-touch label maker is dying and I'm looking for a replacement. This one was used for general label making and was great but on some surfaces the labels would come off after a while. So I'm looking for something that uses some kind of extra strong adhesive on the labels to help with that while also being able to make normal strength labels for the rest of surfaces. I see some P-touch units that accept extra strong tape but don't know how good they are. Did anybody use those or can recommend something?

https://redd.it/1pqxx7w
@r_systemadmin

Anyone else have regrets about their major choice and or think about going back to college?

Originally, and I'm talking 20 years ago, I was a computer science major. Things were going just dandy until the engineering calc and science classes hit...lol. It was clear to me that these were weed out classes and yeah I probably didn't put enough effort into them at the time. I wasted nearly two years and didn't learn a single thing about computers and or programming as there were so many general prereq and engineering related courses (math / science) to take.

I ended up transferring to another college and earned a Bachelors of Information Technology with a minor in computer security. At least a majority of those classes were tech focused. I was happy to learn about MS Server 2003, it was better then calculus! Just about everything from that degree is outdated of course but I suppose it did provide a decent foundation. I did need the degree to have the job where I'm at today and now have nearly 18 years of experience. I was able to graduate with about $12k in student loan debt thanks to working at the time (plus parents paying the first year), those loans have long been paid off.

Fast froward to today and I'm 40 years old. I make about $125k a year here in Ohio with good benefits and work remote 4 days a week. I'm thankful for what I have but part of me will always have a regret about my major choice and even college choice. I work with some people that went to big in state and out of state universities. When we talk about where we went to college I'm always saying "I just went to a local college named X". I've considered going back to college to earn a masters degree in a tech related concentration (Information Systems, or Master of Science in AI) from a reputable school. With a 2 1/2 year old son and being married I'm not sure I could even pull it off.

Anyone else have regrets about their major choice and or think about going back to college?

https://redd.it/1pr6pnu
@r_systemadmin

I need to open 10 years old .nsf (Lotus Notes) file. Is this possible?

Pretty much the noscript says it. For the ongoing case, I need to open old Lotus Notes file with all the email messages and etc. Is this even possible at this age? I did quick search, it seems .nsf files are propretary format of IBM and there is no free apps that can open it. So, I am thinking is purchasing LN license is only way?

https://redd.it/1pr7n7b
@r_systemadmin

Mozilla Firefox and CIS L1 with GPO

Hello folks,


I have a task to configure CIS Level 1 settings for Mozilla Firefox (Windows version) via GPO. When I look at the settings that need to be configured, many of them are listed under the GPO path “Preferences (Deprecated)”.


Example:

Computer Configuration\\Policies\\Administrative Templates\\Mozilla\\Firefox\\Preferences (Deprecated)\\dom.disable_window_flip


I tried reviewing the Firefox documentation, but I’m unsure what the replacement is for this deprecated GPO path. In GPO, there are settings called Preferences and Preferences (JSON on one line). If I understand correctly, I need to find these settings in a different format and paste them there. This feels a bit cumbersome.


Has anyone done this before?

https://redd.it/1pr8e64
@r_systemadmin

Toxic Senior/Mentor is sabotaging me and gatekeeping access, but I just had a baby and can't quit. How to survive 6-12 months?

I joined an IT team of 5 people about a year ago. I was assigned to "Senior Y" for onboarding. Initially, we bonded well over both being new parents, but things turned toxic once I started showing competence.

**The Dynamics:**

* **Sabotage & Credit Stealing:** Early on, he gave me bad advice that got me in trouble, then took credit for my successful work.
* **Gatekeeping:** After my probation (6 months), I was due for T0 (admin) access. Other team members got theirs, but Senior Y blocked mine, claiming I "wasn't ready" because a previous mentee of his broke a GPO once. I’m forced to beg colleagues to share screens to do my job.
* **The Shift:** Realizing he was unreliable, I started working with other competent team members. Senior Y got jealous, realized I didn't need him, and began excluding me from projects and attacking me in meetings.

**The Incident:** Recently, Senior Y struggled with a high-priority Microsoft issue for 2 weeks. I did the research, found the root cause, and sent him the solution. He told me to "stop wasting time," then used my info to fix it. When I asked for details on the fix (to document it properly), he stonewalled me. Feeling thrown under the bus, I maliciously complied and closed the ticket in a way that triggered a management escalation. The Senior and Manager got heat for the lack of documentation.

**Current Situation:** The Manager generally sides with the Senior (they are close). I am now totally isolated. I love the actual work/salary/perks, but the environment is hostile. I just had my second child yesterday (which likely protects me legally from immediate firing), but the IT market is tough.

**My Goal:** I need to survive here for 6-12 months to support my family before finding a new role.

**The Question:** How do you handle a "Mentor" who actively sabotages you? Should I go "Grey Rock," keep my head down, or fight back?

https://redd.it/1praux7
@r_systemadmin

Godaddy Rant (Yeah, I know)

So, before rebuilding my client's WordPress site over the last few days, we ran into major issues caused by GoDaddy’s server migration and infrastructure changes.
::screams into the void::

During a recent period when they added additional servers and shuffled accounts, our site’s database was duplicated and became inconsistent, though the site was still working till Thursday morning. This caused misaligned content, broken plugins, and pages displaying incorrectly. I hadn't logged in for a week and the system failed to send out warning emails lol. In fact, GoDaddy’s built-in backup tools failed to capture the site at all, leaving us unable to reliably restore meaningful data (phpadmin still had my NinjaForms data and a list of my plugins so that was pretty cool). Menus, posts, and caching were all affected, and the site often displayed outdated or broken content. Despite repeated attempts to get support, GoDaddy refused to accept responsibility for the problems caused by their migration (one guy told me they recently bought up some servers). They actually tried to sell me Premium WordPress support at one point just to "help" me (to be fair, it was only the Indian guy I spoke to that tried that) even though its fucking WordPress and my cat could figure it out.

Ultimately, the only solution was to wipe the entire database and rebuild the site from scratch.
::more screaming into the void and wife is staring at me::

To salvage essential content, we relied on Archive.org (shoutout to the GOAT) to recover data that had been lost or rendered inaccessible.

The experience obviously highlighted major vulnerabilities in GoDaddy’s handling of databases and backups and showed how quickly critical content can be compromised during server migrations. I'm back to doing manual backups and keeping a copy on my server.

Needless to say, we should have known better than to trust GoDaddy, and I am actively looking into a more reliable hosting solution for my client going forward. In 10+ years I haven't had any issues with Godaddy and now I see why everyone shits on them.


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

My company was acquired

No general announcement has been made. I know because the acquiring company needed an inventory of physical hardware and VMs

We currently run in a datacenter, the acquiring company is strictly cloud. Our workloads are not cloud friendly generally, large sql databases and large daily transfers from clients. We run nothing in the cloud currently.

How screwed am I?

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

Zapier Excel enterprise app - permissions overly broad?

A user asked me to grant admin consent for him to use Zapier to add records to an Excel file in his OneDrive. Upon further inspection, the permissions that this app is requesting seem absurdly broad and unnecessary.

This app would like to:

Have full access to all files user can access.
Allows the app to read, create, update and delete all files the signed-in user can access.
Maintain access to data you have given it access to.
Allows the app to see and update the data you gave it access to, even when users are not currently using the app. This does not give the app any additional permissions.
Edit or delete items in all site collections
Allows the application to edit or delete documents and list items in all site collections on behalf of the signed-in user.
Sign in and read user profile
Allows users to sign-in to the app, and allows the app to read the profile of signed-in users. It also allows the app to read basic company information of signed-in users.

There doesn't seem to be any way to limit the app's access to just one excel file or just one folder, or even to limit it to just the one user's personal OneDrive. The fact that the app could access all SharePoint files in all sites which the user has access to is quite concerning. While I know that Zapier is a reputable software company, it still seems irresponsible to allow such excessive permissions. Has anyone crossed this bridge before? Any suggestions? The boss wants me to make this work but also appreciates security.

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

Transition to PAM

Hello Everyone, 

We’re rolling out a PAM solution  with a large number of Windows and Linux servers.



Current state:

1. Users (Infra, DB, Dev teams) log in directly to servers using their regular AD accounts

2. Privileges are granted via local admin, sudo, or AD group membership  

Target state:

1. Users authenticate only to the PAM portal using their existing regular AD accounts

2. Server access will  through PAM using managed privileged accounts  

Before enabling user access to PAM, we need to: 

1. Review current server access (who has access today and why)

2. Define and approve RBAC roles

3. Grant access based on RBAC  

We want to enforce RBAC before granting any PAM access

 

Looking for some advise:

 

1. How did we practically begin the transition?

2. How did we review existing access

3. What RBAC roles did you advise to create

4. How to map current access with new RBAC roles?  

Any sequencing advice to avoid disruption?

https://redd.it/1pre86x
@r_systemadmin

Dell enterprise support

Can anyone help with a UK number to call for Dell enterprise support?

My dell support account is fked so cant see our products, the supposed 24/7 number we have (0800 389 0621) is telling us its now out of hours and our account manager isnt responding to contact attempts!

https://redd.it/1prmo3b
@r_systemadmin

Anyone still doing physical data center decommissions?

We’re sunsetting an old on-prem setup and looking at what a full decommission would involve with things like racks, servers, drives, cables, and the works. Curious how folks are handling this today. Do you go with national vendors? Local scrappers?



Also... do you guys typically get paid for the gear or just pay for haul-away and data wiping?

https://redd.it/1prp5mj
@r_systemadmin

AD account lockouts happening only between 2-4 AM, can’t find the source 😭

Going crazy with this one. Got a user in accounting whose account keeps getting locked out, but only between 2-4 AM. She is definitely not working at that time and swears she doesn’t have any personal devices connected to company stuff.
What I have tried:
1. Ran Lockoutstatus.exe - points to one of our DCs but security logs just show the lockout, not the source
2. Checked scheduled tasks on her workstation, nothing running at those hours
3. Disabled her account on our wifi controller thinking maybe an old phone, lockouts still happened
The weird part is it started about 3 weeks ago and nothing changed on her end. Only thing that happened around that time was we migrated a few shared mailboxes to M365 but she wasn’t part of that project.
Third morning in a row I’m waking up to her helpdesk ticket. What am I missing?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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

Managing SaaS sprawl — how do you keep it under control?

Hey folks,

I’ve been noticing a growing challenge in IT teams: SaaS sprawl. Between core systems, niche apps, and now AI tools, it’s easy for your environment to get cluttered.

Some of the pain points I’ve seen:

Multiple tools with overlapping functionality
Unused licenses still being paid for
Difficulty keeping track of integrations and access
Teams getting overwhelmed by too many apps

I’m curious, how do you keep your SaaS stack lean, manageable, and cost-effective? Do you have processes, audits, or tools you rely on to avoid chaos?

One approach I’ve been exploring is mapping existing tools, spotting overlaps, and prioritizing which ones actually add value. It’s not about removing tools arbitrarily, but understanding what your team really needs.

Would love to hear strategies, noscripts, or even tools that have worked for sysadmins managing growing SaaS environments.

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

Jobs these days asking help desk iso standards as if theyre the security folks

In 1 interview I was asked how I implemented iso 27000. I said i worked alongside my cybersecurity guy to create methods that we lacked in order to get recertification, but seems they wanted me, a "help desk "guy to answer it in a way that was out of my scope for my experience. All for a help desk job.

I never actually implement security directly bit worked with the security team even though I was a 1 man Internal IT.honestly most jobs that was beyond scope of my roles nor would I get access or permission to do it.

But seems basic help desk want this along with security +.



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

ME-ID what is Cognito NewUserPool Amazon in sign-ins

>Application: Cognito_NewUserPool_Prd_19901

>Application ID: urn:amazon:cognito:sp:us-east-2_RnD0m$str1ng

The entries were interrupted and failure

Any idea what user is trying to do here ? Device is a Windows reg'd, rather than joined.

On that topic, is there a way to prevent registering computers (force them all to join/only company assigned PCs), but allow mobile devices (for BYOD)? *tenant is not using Intune*

https://redd.it/1ps2g9v
@r_systemadmin

Server 2025 issues with Printer Redirection through Citrix Netscaler

Hello,



We currently have a 2025 DC, a Netscaler ADC VPX, a 2025 terminal server, and a 2019 terminal server. We have set up a VPX so that people can log into a portal and RDP to either terminal server, separately. This is just straight RDP, no use of citrix or horizon etc

The Netscaler version is Release : NS14.1 60.52.nc

The 2019 server is working just fine and is able to redirect the client's local printers.

The 2025 server is not showing any redirected printers.

Here are some tests we ran:



Local Desktop ---> VPX ----> Server 2025 = printer redirection fails

Local Desktop ---> VPX ----> Server 2019 = printer redirection WORKS



Local Desktop ---> Jumpbox (has internal access to terminal servers and printers already redirected) ----> VPX ----> Server 2025 = printer redirection WORKS

Local Desktop ---> Jumpbox (has internal access to terminal servers and printers already redirected) ----> VPX ----> Server 2019 = printer redirection WORKS



Local Desktop ---> Jumpbox (has internal access to terminal servers and printers already redirected) ----> RDP(no vpx) ----> Server 2025 = printer redirection WORKS

Local Desktop ---> Jumpbox (has internal access to terminal servers and printers already redirected) ----> RDP(no vpx) ----> Server 2019 = printer redirection WORKS



Is this an issue with how the VPX is able to handle printer redirection with the 2025 server?

and perhaps it only works when "Remote Desktop Easy Print printer driver" has already been used since all the scenarios where it worked was when i logged into my jumpbox where printer redirection already occurred?

Please let me know if anyone has seen a similar issue.

Thank you in advance.

https://redd.it/1ps43pz
@r_systemadmin

M365 Non-Profit Premium Donation License Re-assignment How to accomplish?

I have a very small non-profit that I support and they have had O365 licenses for many years now. One of the initial perks were that MS provided 10 licenses of business Premium for free. Started receiving emails from Microsoft last summer about the the donation grant going away on your renewal, welp I am down to a month and need to reassign those 10 users to a paid version which I am willing to do but I cannot figure out for the life of me how to know which users have the donated licenses assigned to them.

I have 10 free licenses and we have purchased an additional 15 licenses of Business Premium for a total of 25. I can see in the admin center the licenses but when and one view shows the 10 donated and the 15 purchased but when I drill down to the users it shows all 25 licenses, I have no way of knowing who is using a donated license and who is using a purchased license.

Is there anybody that has gone through this or know how I figure out who has a paid license and who is using a donated license? I would greatly appreciate it, thanks.

https://redd.it/1ps9p92
@r_systemadmin

For compliance/audit people: how do you actually build evidence timelines?

I work with a compliance team that’s constantly scrambling to reconstruct “what happened when” for audits.
Their process is basically:
∙ Get 48hr notice from auditor
∙ Panic-email everyone for logs/docs
∙ Manually build timeline in Excel
∙ Hope nothing’s missing
Is this… normal?
What I’m curious about:
∙ Is this your job? What’s your noscript?
∙ How often? Monthly? Quarterly? Only when audits happen?
∙ What takes longest? Finding stuff or organizing it?
∙ What would make this suck less?
Context: Trying to figure out if there’s a less painful way to do this, or if manual timeline hell is just the cost of doing business

https://redd.it/1psai1s
@r_systemadmin

SSSD access control vs AD GPOs for restricting logon to privileged AD groups – best practice ?

We use SSSD with Active Directory and need to restrict logon on sensitive Linux systems so that only members of a specific privileged AD group can authenticate.

We’re debating two SSSD-based approaches:
- Enforcing access locally in SSSD (e.g. adaccessfilter)

- Relying on AD GPOs evaluated by SSSD

From a security standpoint:

Which approach gives stronger and more predictable control?

How do they behave if AD is unavailable?
Which one is easier to audit and defend in a security review?

Looking for real-world experience. Thanks!

https://redd.it/1psdov8
@r_systemadmin

NIST reports atomic clock failure at Boulder CO

> Dear colleagues,

> In short, the atomic ensemble time scale at our Boulder campus has failed
> due to a prolonged utility power outage. One impact is that the Boulder
> Internet Time Services no longer have an accurate time reference. At time
> of writing the Boulder servers are still available due a standby power
> generator, but I will attempt to disable them to avoid disseminating
> incorrect time.

> The affected servers are:

> time-a-b.nist.gov

> time-b-b.nist.gov

> time-c-b.nist.gov

> time-d-b.nist.gov

> time-e-b.nist.gov

> ntp-b.nist.gov (authenticated NTP)

> No time to repair estimate is available until we regain staff access and
> power. Efforts are currently focused on obtaining an alternate source of
> power so the hydrogen maser clocks survive beyond their battery backups.

> More details follow.

> Due to prolonged high wind gusts there have been a combination of utility
> power line damage and preemptive utility shutdowns (in the interest of
> wildfire prevention) in the Boulder, CO area. NIST's campus lost utility
> power Wednesday (Dec. 17 2025) around 22:23 UTC. At time of writing utility
> power is still off to the campus. Facility operators anticipated needing to
> shutdown the heat-exchange infrastructure providing air cooling to many
> parts of the building, including some internal networking closets. As a
> result, many of these too were preemptively shutdown with the result that
> our group lacks much of the monitoring and control capabilities we
> ordinarily have. Also, the site has been closed to all but emergency
> personnel Thursday and Friday, and at time of writing remains closed.

> At initial power loss, there was no immediate impact to the NIST atomic
> time scale or distribution services because the projects are afforded
> standby power generators. However, we now have strong evidence one of the
> crucial generators has failed. In the downstream path is the primary signal
> distribution chain, including to the Boulder Internet Time Service. Another
> campus building houses additional clocks backed up by a different power
> generator; if these survive it will allow us to re-align the primary time
> scale when site stability returns without making use of external clocks or
> reference signals.

https://lists.nanog.org/archives/list/nanog@lists.nanog.org/message/ACADD3NKOG2QRWZ56OSNNG7UIEKKTZXL/

edit: CBS reports the drift is 4 microseconds

> "As a result of that lapse, NIST UTC drifted by about 4 microseconds"

https://redd.it/1psf780
@r_systemadmin

Is it realistic to land a remote AWS cloud/help desk role with my skills?

I’m trying to break into the cloud field and would really appreciate some honest advice.

I’m aiming for a remote AWS-related role such as cloud support or an AWS help desk position, and I’m wondering if I’m on the right track.

So far, I’ve learned AWS fundamentals including IAM, EC2, S3, VPC, subnets, route tables, IGW, NAT, security groups, and NACLs, along with basic AWS CLI usage. I’m comfortable working with Linux through the terminal, including users, permissions, services, cron jobs, basic troubleshooting, and setting up NGINX. I also use Bash noscripting and have Python basics for simple automation.

I’ve been working with Terraform to build infrastructure using providers, resources, variables, modules, and state, and I understand concepts like lifecycle behavior, taint, and count vs for_each.

On the networking side, I’ve studied cloud- and DevOps-focused networking fundamentals such as CIDR, subnetting, routing, DNS, NAT, and firewalls.

I also have hands-on exposure to
virtualization concepts and basic containerization with Docker, supported by practical lab-based learning.

At this point, I’m focusing on building projects and improving my infrastructure design skills.

Do you think this background is enough to start applying for remote AWS support or help desk roles, and what would you suggest I focus on next?

Thanks in advance for any advice

https://redd.it/1pshb75
@r_systemadmin