How we fixed battery-draining calendar loop in our legacy SIS without touching the mainframe
We've been fighting a battle with our Student Information System (SIS) for months. It exports a 4MB .ics file every hour, but users were reporting massive battery drain and "Flickering" events on their iPhones. We couldn't replace the SIS (Mainframe/COBOL legacy), so we analyzed the feed to see why it was choking Outlook and iOS. The Diagnosis: It wasn't just "old code". It was violating RFC 5545 in three specific ways that modern clients hate:
1. The "Time Paradox" Loop: The RRULE had an UNTIL date before the DTSTART date. iOS tries to calculate the recurrence, fails, and retries infinitely. Result: Hot phones, dead batteries.
2. UID Collisions: The system reused UID:1234 for 50 different classes. Google Calendar sees this and constantly overwrites "Math" with "History" then "English", causing the calendar to flicker on every sync.
3. Missing VTIMEZONE: It used TZID=Europe/Berlin but never defined the offsets. Windows guessed UTC, Macs guessed Local. Students were showing up 6 hours late.
The Fix (The "Proxy" Pattern): Since we couldn't patch the source, we put a tiny cleaning proxy in front of it.
* Input: The broken 4MB stream.
* Process: Clamps invalid dates, hashes UIDs to be unique, injects standard VTIMEZONEs.
* Output: 100% compliant stream.
We fixed \~1,100 validation errors instantly. No mainframe downtime required.
If you're fighting "Calendar Agent" battery drain tickets, check your RRULE dates. That was the biggest culprit for us.
https://redd.it/1psm2sx
@r_systemadmin
We've been fighting a battle with our Student Information System (SIS) for months. It exports a 4MB .ics file every hour, but users were reporting massive battery drain and "Flickering" events on their iPhones. We couldn't replace the SIS (Mainframe/COBOL legacy), so we analyzed the feed to see why it was choking Outlook and iOS. The Diagnosis: It wasn't just "old code". It was violating RFC 5545 in three specific ways that modern clients hate:
1. The "Time Paradox" Loop: The RRULE had an UNTIL date before the DTSTART date. iOS tries to calculate the recurrence, fails, and retries infinitely. Result: Hot phones, dead batteries.
2. UID Collisions: The system reused UID:1234 for 50 different classes. Google Calendar sees this and constantly overwrites "Math" with "History" then "English", causing the calendar to flicker on every sync.
3. Missing VTIMEZONE: It used TZID=Europe/Berlin but never defined the offsets. Windows guessed UTC, Macs guessed Local. Students were showing up 6 hours late.
The Fix (The "Proxy" Pattern): Since we couldn't patch the source, we put a tiny cleaning proxy in front of it.
* Input: The broken 4MB stream.
* Process: Clamps invalid dates, hashes UIDs to be unique, injects standard VTIMEZONEs.
* Output: 100% compliant stream.
We fixed \~1,100 validation errors instantly. No mainframe downtime required.
If you're fighting "Calendar Agent" battery drain tickets, check your RRULE dates. That was the biggest culprit for us.
https://redd.it/1psm2sx
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
"In 6 months everything changes, the next wave of AI won’t just assist, it will execute" says ms executive in charge of copilot....
https://3dvf.com/en/in-6-months-everything-changes-a-microsoft-executive-describes-what-artificial-intelligence-will-really-look-like-in-6-years/#google\_vignette
Dude, please.... copilot can't even give me a correct answer IN power automate... ABOUT power automate. The chances that I loose my job before I retire in 15 years, is the same as me passing through an asteroid field.
"Never tell me the odds"
https://redd.it/1pso130
@r_systemadmin
https://3dvf.com/en/in-6-months-everything-changes-a-microsoft-executive-describes-what-artificial-intelligence-will-really-look-like-in-6-years/#google\_vignette
Dude, please.... copilot can't even give me a correct answer IN power automate... ABOUT power automate. The chances that I loose my job before I retire in 15 years, is the same as me passing through an asteroid field.
"Never tell me the odds"
https://redd.it/1pso130
@r_systemadmin
3DVF
"In 6 Months, Everything Changes": A Microsoft Executive Describes What Artificial Intelligence Will Really Look Like in 6 Years…
Six months to upheaval, six years to the new normal, says a Microsoft executive. If AI stops assisting and starts deciding, who keeps the keys?
ILO boot from iso shenanigans
Sorry, I need to rant a bit.
I'm trying to boot an OS on an old Proliant Gen9 server. I don't know why but every time I try to boot it with an ISO file from virtual media, it seemingly ignores the boot order and boots from UEFI anyways.
The only thing I managed to boot from is an ISO image attached to the HTML5 virtual console, but that's slow as hell.
Then the installer said, I can't install because there's no root disk. OK, so I reboot once again to Intelligent Provisioning.
Aaaaand the server sort of seemingly ignores that too and reboots to an UEFI target. So I reset the RBSU to factory defaults erasing all that, aaaaaand still doesn't do what I want.
I did use a little "noscript" that I used before that SSH-es to the ILO of the server and sets all the correct settings in ILO to boot from an ISO file, yet, no dice.
I'm literally over 2 hours in and I'm nowhere. This is not the first time I'm trying to get an OS on a Proliant server from an ISO, and somehow this happens to me almost every time.
Isn't this as simple as
1. Insert DVD
2. power on
3. boot from DVD
It seems like a literal fight to get those 3 simple steps done. I'm starting to think this is a skill issue 🤬
End of rant, thanks for listening.
https://redd.it/1psrc53
@r_systemadmin
Sorry, I need to rant a bit.
I'm trying to boot an OS on an old Proliant Gen9 server. I don't know why but every time I try to boot it with an ISO file from virtual media, it seemingly ignores the boot order and boots from UEFI anyways.
The only thing I managed to boot from is an ISO image attached to the HTML5 virtual console, but that's slow as hell.
Then the installer said, I can't install because there's no root disk. OK, so I reboot once again to Intelligent Provisioning.
Aaaaand the server sort of seemingly ignores that too and reboots to an UEFI target. So I reset the RBSU to factory defaults erasing all that, aaaaaand still doesn't do what I want.
I did use a little "noscript" that I used before that SSH-es to the ILO of the server and sets all the correct settings in ILO to boot from an ISO file, yet, no dice.
I'm literally over 2 hours in and I'm nowhere. This is not the first time I'm trying to get an OS on a Proliant server from an ISO, and somehow this happens to me almost every time.
Isn't this as simple as
1. Insert DVD
2. power on
3. boot from DVD
It seems like a literal fight to get those 3 simple steps done. I'm starting to think this is a skill issue 🤬
End of rant, thanks for listening.
https://redd.it/1psrc53
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Server Running Extremely High
I have a little python monitoring noscript that I have installed on all of my servers, and it detects whetber my server is down or not. I woke up to my server being down this morning and the CPU stats are extortionate.
Looking back I can see that my server has been running at 100% for about 2 weeks.
I have no clue why it is running at these %’s but the ram is at 80% too for the 2 weeks.
I cannot attach images, but I do not check this server.
When checking glances the highest usage was “xdg-bdus” with 196% cpu usage and 40% RAM usage
She’s a Debian sever and I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to server maintenance and monitoring.
What can I do to set up monitoring and watching my server and mitigating problems like this. I run a small web dev company and have been for a while, but I’ve always just moved my servers around every now and then. The clients on this server are small and static so it’s ok to play around here until I find something I like.
The sites are coded with NextJS if that’s any help
https://redd.it/1pssh3x
@r_systemadmin
I have a little python monitoring noscript that I have installed on all of my servers, and it detects whetber my server is down or not. I woke up to my server being down this morning and the CPU stats are extortionate.
Looking back I can see that my server has been running at 100% for about 2 weeks.
I have no clue why it is running at these %’s but the ram is at 80% too for the 2 weeks.
I cannot attach images, but I do not check this server.
When checking glances the highest usage was “xdg-bdus” with 196% cpu usage and 40% RAM usage
She’s a Debian sever and I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to server maintenance and monitoring.
What can I do to set up monitoring and watching my server and mitigating problems like this. I run a small web dev company and have been for a while, but I’ve always just moved my servers around every now and then. The clients on this server are small and static so it’s ok to play around here until I find something I like.
The sites are coded with NextJS if that’s any help
https://redd.it/1pssh3x
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Any enterprise OCR software that can handle complex documents?
Our company deals with a lot of complex documents and is considering enterprise OCR software. Can anyone recommend tools we could try?
https://redd.it/1psu9ea
@r_systemadmin
Our company deals with a lot of complex documents and is considering enterprise OCR software. Can anyone recommend tools we could try?
https://redd.it/1psu9ea
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Struggled and burnout in my company
I feel completely stuck. My career and my mental state have reached a point where I genuinely don’t know what I can do anymore.
I’ve been working at the same company as a system administrator for about 4.5 years. It started as an internship, then they offered me a full-time position and I stayed. In the beginning, everything was great: a small team, lighter workload, fewer pressures.
Later on, the decision was made to expand the team and the office. I went from being the only technical person to working with around 8–9 people. In itself, that wasn’t necessarily a problem. But at the beginning, the way people treated me was very normal—there was no passive-aggressive behavior, no excessive workload, no constant pressure.
Before the team expansion, my girlfriend of four years broke up with me. After that, I started working in the evenings, taking responsibility for every task that needed to be done. That was a huge mistake.
The company kept changing constantly—new clients, people coming and going—but I stayed, observed everything, and continued where I was.
Lately, I’ve started experiencing the following: little by little, I was taken off customer-facing work and assigned almost exclusively to what we call “Cloud” work—dealing with the infrastructure where customers are hosted, or working on our own internal infrastructure. Being limited to just these tasks caused a deep emotional wound in me.
I started questioning my position, thinking that once these infrastructure tasks are finished, I’ll probably be let go. This has been the situation for the past 1–2 months. Going to work with this mindset—working alone on these tasks while others are doing different things, having to wait days just to ask the boss a question—has been extremely exhausting.
Everyone asks me for things: the administrative manager, the boss—people message me outside of working hours, assuming I’ll respond anyway, asking for things or requesting help. Yes, I allowed this situation to happen.
For example, because I don’t really have a life outside of work, I became the first person to be called in emergencies outside working hours. Even when I’m not called, others are more relaxed, they’re out living their lives, and since it’s known that I’m at home, the responsibility eventually falls on me.
And this isn’t limited to work. For example, we go to a venue and I’m told: “Pour drinks for X,” “Serve this to Y,” “Go buy a dürüm,” and so on.
On top of that, sometimes people make jokes about me—at least that’s how it’s framed—but it feels constant. For example, I once said I’d go somewhere but couldn’t make it. Later, we went there with a different plan, and people said things like, “Good thing you invited us,” “It turned out great,” or other remarks that feel unnecessary. I constantly feel like I’m being teased or mocked, even over things that don’t make sense.
At this point, I’ve started feeling like I’m not staying at this company because of the work I do, but because I’m somehow satisfying certain psychological needs of others.
Recently, a deep fear has settled in: I open the calendar and look at my payday, wondering if I’ll even make it there. I still have 1–2 months of debt left—will I be able to pay them? Sometimes I even deliberately slow down finishing tasks, just so there’s still work left. And that hurts me deeply.
Lately, because I’m constantly thinking about all of this, I have no energy in the evenings. I go to bed early, without clearing my head or resting properly, then wake up and go to work again—hopeless, drained, and exhausted.
I no longer feel sure about what I should do. Life no longer feels like something meant to be lived.
I don’t know what to do.
https://redd.it/1psup84
@r_systemadmin
I feel completely stuck. My career and my mental state have reached a point where I genuinely don’t know what I can do anymore.
I’ve been working at the same company as a system administrator for about 4.5 years. It started as an internship, then they offered me a full-time position and I stayed. In the beginning, everything was great: a small team, lighter workload, fewer pressures.
Later on, the decision was made to expand the team and the office. I went from being the only technical person to working with around 8–9 people. In itself, that wasn’t necessarily a problem. But at the beginning, the way people treated me was very normal—there was no passive-aggressive behavior, no excessive workload, no constant pressure.
Before the team expansion, my girlfriend of four years broke up with me. After that, I started working in the evenings, taking responsibility for every task that needed to be done. That was a huge mistake.
The company kept changing constantly—new clients, people coming and going—but I stayed, observed everything, and continued where I was.
Lately, I’ve started experiencing the following: little by little, I was taken off customer-facing work and assigned almost exclusively to what we call “Cloud” work—dealing with the infrastructure where customers are hosted, or working on our own internal infrastructure. Being limited to just these tasks caused a deep emotional wound in me.
I started questioning my position, thinking that once these infrastructure tasks are finished, I’ll probably be let go. This has been the situation for the past 1–2 months. Going to work with this mindset—working alone on these tasks while others are doing different things, having to wait days just to ask the boss a question—has been extremely exhausting.
Everyone asks me for things: the administrative manager, the boss—people message me outside of working hours, assuming I’ll respond anyway, asking for things or requesting help. Yes, I allowed this situation to happen.
For example, because I don’t really have a life outside of work, I became the first person to be called in emergencies outside working hours. Even when I’m not called, others are more relaxed, they’re out living their lives, and since it’s known that I’m at home, the responsibility eventually falls on me.
And this isn’t limited to work. For example, we go to a venue and I’m told: “Pour drinks for X,” “Serve this to Y,” “Go buy a dürüm,” and so on.
On top of that, sometimes people make jokes about me—at least that’s how it’s framed—but it feels constant. For example, I once said I’d go somewhere but couldn’t make it. Later, we went there with a different plan, and people said things like, “Good thing you invited us,” “It turned out great,” or other remarks that feel unnecessary. I constantly feel like I’m being teased or mocked, even over things that don’t make sense.
At this point, I’ve started feeling like I’m not staying at this company because of the work I do, but because I’m somehow satisfying certain psychological needs of others.
Recently, a deep fear has settled in: I open the calendar and look at my payday, wondering if I’ll even make it there. I still have 1–2 months of debt left—will I be able to pay them? Sometimes I even deliberately slow down finishing tasks, just so there’s still work left. And that hurts me deeply.
Lately, because I’m constantly thinking about all of this, I have no energy in the evenings. I go to bed early, without clearing my head or resting properly, then wake up and go to work again—hopeless, drained, and exhausted.
I no longer feel sure about what I should do. Life no longer feels like something meant to be lived.
I don’t know what to do.
https://redd.it/1psup84
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
frustrated with zero visibility on tasks and managers always in the dark
i need help… we have tried jira and kanban boards but updates still get lost. anyone using any smooth task management system that makes progress and blockers visible in real time? how do you keep your dev team on track?
https://redd.it/1psufp5
@r_systemadmin
i need help… we have tried jira and kanban boards but updates still get lost. anyone using any smooth task management system that makes progress and blockers visible in real time? how do you keep your dev team on track?
https://redd.it/1psufp5
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Meraki SM is going EOL. Alternatives ?
Earlier this month, Cisco Meraki has announced that it's going to discontinue its Systems Manager (SM) platfrom for MDM. Link: [https://documentation.meraki.com/Platform\_Management/SM\_-\_Endpoint\_Management/Product\_Information/FAQ%3A\_Meraki\_Systems\_Manager\_(SM)\_End-of-Sale](https://documentation.meraki.com/Platform_Management/SM_-_Endpoint_Management/Product_Information/FAQ%3A_Meraki_Systems_Manager_(SM)_End-of-Sale)
* **June 3, 2026:** Last day to purchase new 1-year and 3-year Meraki SM licenses.
* **June 3, 2029:** End of support for Meraki SM.
We've used this platform for managing phones and tablets (iOS and Android). We weren't completely happy with it, but it served us well. Are there any recommendations to replace it that allow to do the needful (policies for settings, app deployment/restriction, inventory/status) for company devices ?
https://redd.it/1psu98t
@r_systemadmin
Earlier this month, Cisco Meraki has announced that it's going to discontinue its Systems Manager (SM) platfrom for MDM. Link: [https://documentation.meraki.com/Platform\_Management/SM\_-\_Endpoint\_Management/Product\_Information/FAQ%3A\_Meraki\_Systems\_Manager\_(SM)\_End-of-Sale](https://documentation.meraki.com/Platform_Management/SM_-_Endpoint_Management/Product_Information/FAQ%3A_Meraki_Systems_Manager_(SM)_End-of-Sale)
* **June 3, 2026:** Last day to purchase new 1-year and 3-year Meraki SM licenses.
* **June 3, 2029:** End of support for Meraki SM.
We've used this platform for managing phones and tablets (iOS and Android). We weren't completely happy with it, but it served us well. Are there any recommendations to replace it that allow to do the needful (policies for settings, app deployment/restriction, inventory/status) for company devices ?
https://redd.it/1psu98t
@r_systemadmin
SOC 2 Browser Extensions Monitoring Tools and Visibility for Audit Compliance
We are a mid sized SaaS shop about 80 users mostly remote devs and sales heading into our first SOC 2 Type 2 audit in a couple months. Auditors are hammering on controls for data exposure risks specifically third party apps SaaS logins risky browser extensions and general user behavior in the browser like pasting sensitive stuff into random sites.
Right now we are using Microsoft Intune Endpoint Manager for device stuff and a CASB like Netskope or Zscaler for some web filtering but neither actually sees inside the browser no extension inventory no real event logging for logins or tab activity. Last time we tried manual spot checks and screenshots for evidence but that is not scaling and auditors were not thrilled.
Anyone found a tool that is built for browser level monitoring without killing performance or requiring a full enterprise browser switch. Bonus if it integrates with our existing stack and gives audit ready reports.
Thanks
https://redd.it/1psxufw
@r_systemadmin
We are a mid sized SaaS shop about 80 users mostly remote devs and sales heading into our first SOC 2 Type 2 audit in a couple months. Auditors are hammering on controls for data exposure risks specifically third party apps SaaS logins risky browser extensions and general user behavior in the browser like pasting sensitive stuff into random sites.
Right now we are using Microsoft Intune Endpoint Manager for device stuff and a CASB like Netskope or Zscaler for some web filtering but neither actually sees inside the browser no extension inventory no real event logging for logins or tab activity. Last time we tried manual spot checks and screenshots for evidence but that is not scaling and auditors were not thrilled.
Anyone found a tool that is built for browser level monitoring without killing performance or requiring a full enterprise browser switch. Bonus if it integrates with our existing stack and gives audit ready reports.
Thanks
https://redd.it/1psxufw
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
I feel like I missed out on the Golden Age of IT work
I’m a Network Engineer at a huge cloud provider and I do like my job. But I always get this feeling that scale, tooling, and automation has ruined the field. We’ll get alerts like ”we’ve lost half the capacity between X and Z sites” and then use an internal tool that queries all the interfaces at those sites and tells us which are down or taking errors. I almost never even have to login to any routers.
It’s like this is tangentially related to fixing tech, but it doesn’t directly scratch the itch I have. I grew up watching G4TV and fiddling with drivers trying to get Diablo to run on my Dad’s PC. I love troubleshooting and fixing, but I almost don’t even get to do it really.
I have this fantasy of being a lone sysadmin in like 2002 with one big office. And all the infrastructure was “my infrastructure”. And I run around all day actually troubleshooting computers, running cables, swapping hard drives, etc. I genuinely think I would thoroughly enjoy doing that all day.
Can any of you confirm: was my fantasy real? Did you actually live that? Was it as cool as I imagine?
https://redd.it/1psynnz
@r_systemadmin
I’m a Network Engineer at a huge cloud provider and I do like my job. But I always get this feeling that scale, tooling, and automation has ruined the field. We’ll get alerts like ”we’ve lost half the capacity between X and Z sites” and then use an internal tool that queries all the interfaces at those sites and tells us which are down or taking errors. I almost never even have to login to any routers.
It’s like this is tangentially related to fixing tech, but it doesn’t directly scratch the itch I have. I grew up watching G4TV and fiddling with drivers trying to get Diablo to run on my Dad’s PC. I love troubleshooting and fixing, but I almost don’t even get to do it really.
I have this fantasy of being a lone sysadmin in like 2002 with one big office. And all the infrastructure was “my infrastructure”. And I run around all day actually troubleshooting computers, running cables, swapping hard drives, etc. I genuinely think I would thoroughly enjoy doing that all day.
Can any of you confirm: was my fantasy real? Did you actually live that? Was it as cool as I imagine?
https://redd.it/1psynnz
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Computer with X.X.X.255 IP cannot connect to Brother printer.
Okay, so I don't know if I am the stupid one here, or if my Brother printer is.
If have a (little bit unusual) network 192.168.200.0/22 so it includes IP adresses from 192.168.200.0 - 192.168.203.255 . Printing works as expected from all Windows machines except the following:
192.168.200.255
192.168.201.255
192.168.202.255
192.168.203.255 also does not work, but that has to be expected (broadcast address). These 3 addresses are not broadcast addresses and work fine including usage of a SHARP printer on the same network. But using a Brother Printer I cannot print, or access the web interface, but a ping works.
Has anyone experienced something similar with Brother printers? Am I the stupid one here for using a non-standard network? Or is the problem on Brothers side?
I tested with the following printers:
Brother HL-L5200DW (Firmware 1.77)
Brother HL-L5210DN (Firmware 1.27)
SHARP MX-C304W (this one works perfectly fine)
Of course the fix is rather simple I just tell my DHCP to skip these addresses. I'd just like to know if someone else has experienced this.
Update 1: As many of you have suggested, I will block .255 and .0 IPs from being used. I will also setup VLAN for that room and move the printer to a different subnet. I guess it is always best to do things properly the first time. I reached out to Brother support and will make another update here if they reply.
https://redd.it/1psy9oz
@r_systemadmin
Okay, so I don't know if I am the stupid one here, or if my Brother printer is.
If have a (little bit unusual) network 192.168.200.0/22 so it includes IP adresses from 192.168.200.0 - 192.168.203.255 . Printing works as expected from all Windows machines except the following:
192.168.200.255
192.168.201.255
192.168.202.255
192.168.203.255 also does not work, but that has to be expected (broadcast address). These 3 addresses are not broadcast addresses and work fine including usage of a SHARP printer on the same network. But using a Brother Printer I cannot print, or access the web interface, but a ping works.
Has anyone experienced something similar with Brother printers? Am I the stupid one here for using a non-standard network? Or is the problem on Brothers side?
I tested with the following printers:
Brother HL-L5200DW (Firmware 1.77)
Brother HL-L5210DN (Firmware 1.27)
SHARP MX-C304W (this one works perfectly fine)
Of course the fix is rather simple I just tell my DHCP to skip these addresses. I'd just like to know if someone else has experienced this.
Update 1: As many of you have suggested, I will block .255 and .0 IPs from being used. I will also setup VLAN for that room and move the printer to a different subnet. I guess it is always best to do things properly the first time. I reached out to Brother support and will make another update here if they reply.
https://redd.it/1psy9oz
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Azure PIM Issues?
Is anyone experiencing any issues requesting roles in Azure this am? I have been trying to activate a few roles and it's been stuck and going back and saying that no roles are available.
EAST-US
https://redd.it/1psypuj
@r_systemadmin
Is anyone experiencing any issues requesting roles in Azure this am? I have been trying to activate a few roles and it's been stuck and going back and saying that no roles are available.
EAST-US
https://redd.it/1psypuj
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Need to cut down Login Times. By a lot
I know people are going to suggest a Kiosk Mode or a Multi App Kiosk mode but none of those have session persistence. Not any way to make the computer "secure" from non authorised access.
It's for a high paced environment where staff will be going to and from the workstation with other people often logging in in between them.
Yes, if they're already logged in, they can just log back in but if the PC has been rebooted or if new staff have walked back in then it would pose a problem.
There are only 4 apps that would be used: Browser, Citrix and two other ones.
I've gotten rid of all the GPOs and deployed via Intune instead.
https://redd.it/1psz68e
@r_systemadmin
I know people are going to suggest a Kiosk Mode or a Multi App Kiosk mode but none of those have session persistence. Not any way to make the computer "secure" from non authorised access.
It's for a high paced environment where staff will be going to and from the workstation with other people often logging in in between them.
Yes, if they're already logged in, they can just log back in but if the PC has been rebooted or if new staff have walked back in then it would pose a problem.
There are only 4 apps that would be used: Browser, Citrix and two other ones.
I've gotten rid of all the GPOs and deployed via Intune instead.
https://redd.it/1psz68e
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Time Source
With the NIST issues this weekend, where should I be pointing our NTP source? I currently have it set to time.windows.com, but I am not sure what is safe at this point. We also have a standalone NTP device for some equipment. Is any NIST servers safe?
https://redd.it/1pt2qnw
@r_systemadmin
With the NIST issues this weekend, where should I be pointing our NTP source? I currently have it set to time.windows.com, but I am not sure what is safe at this point. We also have a standalone NTP device for some equipment. Is any NIST servers safe?
https://redd.it/1pt2qnw
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
What’s the best and easiest to use office management software?
I’ll be using it for office and desk management so not much to cover right now. Were not huge by any means but were hybrid and sometimes clashes happen for conference rooms and desks. Would like anything that can fix this
Also any other things I should also be aware of or am missing, do pls lmk
https://redd.it/1pt49x3
@r_systemadmin
I’ll be using it for office and desk management so not much to cover right now. Were not huge by any means but were hybrid and sometimes clashes happen for conference rooms and desks. Would like anything that can fix this
Also any other things I should also be aware of or am missing, do pls lmk
https://redd.it/1pt49x3
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Auditors asking for proof of processes which we’ve always done informally
We’ve always had sensible operational practices like access approvals/change reviews/incident handling etc etc . Now that we’re dealing with formal audits, suddenly everything needs to be written, tracked and evidenced.
The frustrating part is that the work itself hasn’t changed much but the overhead has. How do I move from informal but effective practices to something auditable?
https://redd.it/1pt5tay
@r_systemadmin
We’ve always had sensible operational practices like access approvals/change reviews/incident handling etc etc . Now that we’re dealing with formal audits, suddenly everything needs to be written, tracked and evidenced.
The frustrating part is that the work itself hasn’t changed much but the overhead has. How do I move from informal but effective practices to something auditable?
https://redd.it/1pt5tay
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Keeping Meraki for switches but using Ubiquiti for wireless APs?
We are currently a 100% Meraki shop, with about (15) 48-port switches and about (60) inside and outside APs. Everything is working fine, but I need to save some money in the coming year.
To save on annual licensing costs, we have seriously considered switching from Meraki to something else -- anything else. However, we are stomaching the licensing costs for the switches better than we are for the APs, so as a compromise, we thought about:
* **Switches**: remain on Meraki
* **APs**: switch to Uniquiti
All of our ACLs/firewalls are done on the switches, not the APs. The main "one-off" things I can think of that we do with wireless APs:
* We have 2 "standard" SSIDs for all APs: one secured with WPA 3; one for that is wide-open for guests. One goes to one VLAN and the other goes to another VLAN.
* We have 1 SSID that is provided by only 4 APs; it's used for a sound/PA system; it has no internet access
So:
* Is it true that, for a commercial area, Ubiquiti's APs have tended to work better and be more reliable than their switches?
* Can you think of anything I have forgotten?
* How much money would you bet that I will regret doing this?
https://redd.it/1pt83tg
@r_systemadmin
We are currently a 100% Meraki shop, with about (15) 48-port switches and about (60) inside and outside APs. Everything is working fine, but I need to save some money in the coming year.
To save on annual licensing costs, we have seriously considered switching from Meraki to something else -- anything else. However, we are stomaching the licensing costs for the switches better than we are for the APs, so as a compromise, we thought about:
* **Switches**: remain on Meraki
* **APs**: switch to Uniquiti
All of our ACLs/firewalls are done on the switches, not the APs. The main "one-off" things I can think of that we do with wireless APs:
* We have 2 "standard" SSIDs for all APs: one secured with WPA 3; one for that is wide-open for guests. One goes to one VLAN and the other goes to another VLAN.
* We have 1 SSID that is provided by only 4 APs; it's used for a sound/PA system; it has no internet access
So:
* Is it true that, for a commercial area, Ubiquiti's APs have tended to work better and be more reliable than their switches?
* Can you think of anything I have forgotten?
* How much money would you bet that I will regret doing this?
https://redd.it/1pt83tg
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Remote Sysadmins, what's your go to headset for meetings?
My Plantronics Voyager UC 2 went to the farm upstate after it fell off my head while I was trying to corral a dog.
Work gives me a wired one but I cannot stand it, I hate being wired to the PC and after a month the cable already looks like one long twizzler.
I use Teams and sometimes Amazon Connect as well.
https://redd.it/1ptgz71
@r_systemadmin
My Plantronics Voyager UC 2 went to the farm upstate after it fell off my head while I was trying to corral a dog.
Work gives me a wired one but I cannot stand it, I hate being wired to the PC and after a month the cable already looks like one long twizzler.
I use Teams and sometimes Amazon Connect as well.
https://redd.it/1ptgz71
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
Best practice for AD CS certificate templates requiring custom Subject Name without introducing security vulnerabilities
Hi Experts,
In AD CS certificate templates, there are certain scenarios where the Subject Name must be supplied in the request (for example, to include specific organizational details such as Organization, OU, or a custom CN).
However, enabling **“Supply in the request”** for the Subject Name is commonly flagged by security assessment tools (e.g., ESC1/ESC4-related findings) because it can allow abuse if permissions are weak or misconfigured.
When a business or application genuinely requires a custom Subject Name in an AD CS certificate template:
* What are the recommended best practices to implement this securely?
* How can this requirement be met without introducing AD CS vulnerabilities?
* Are safer alternatives commonly used,??
Thanks in Advance
https://redd.it/1ptktpf
@r_systemadmin
Hi Experts,
In AD CS certificate templates, there are certain scenarios where the Subject Name must be supplied in the request (for example, to include specific organizational details such as Organization, OU, or a custom CN).
However, enabling **“Supply in the request”** for the Subject Name is commonly flagged by security assessment tools (e.g., ESC1/ESC4-related findings) because it can allow abuse if permissions are weak or misconfigured.
When a business or application genuinely requires a custom Subject Name in an AD CS certificate template:
* What are the recommended best practices to implement this securely?
* How can this requirement be met without introducing AD CS vulnerabilities?
* Are safer alternatives commonly used,??
Thanks in Advance
https://redd.it/1ptktpf
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
compliance audits taking weeks to prepare is killing me and I don't know how to fix it
Our SOC 2 audit is coming up in 6 weeks and I'm already having stress dreams about it, last year it took me and one part-timer basically a whole month of nights and weekends to pull together all the evidence and documentation, and we still got dinged on stuff we thought we had covered, and it's making me feel really unprofessional and I very much fear I'm gonna lose my job especially in the current market.... so how do you guys make sure you haven't dropped anything?
https://redd.it/1ptnc81
@r_systemadmin
Our SOC 2 audit is coming up in 6 weeks and I'm already having stress dreams about it, last year it took me and one part-timer basically a whole month of nights and weekends to pull together all the evidence and documentation, and we still got dinged on stuff we thought we had covered, and it's making me feel really unprofessional and I very much fear I'm gonna lose my job especially in the current market.... so how do you guys make sure you haven't dropped anything?
https://redd.it/1ptnc81
@r_systemadmin
Reddit
From the sysadmin community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the sysadmin community
PaperCut MF Scan to SharePoint/OneDrive Broken - something went wrong sending your scan
We have been using PaperCut MF Scan to SharePoint for about 12 months - has worked perfectly. We have had a few new starters who also needed to scan and when we showed them how to do it they kept getting an error:
Something went wrong sending your scan
PaperCut MF has been trying to upload your scanned file to SharePoint Online
|Unfortunately something went wrong when trying to access SharePoint Online. Please try scanning again or contact your system administrator if the problem continues.|
|:-|
After hours of troubleshooting, it seems to be following a recent change to the way users have to provide delegated consent to Enterprise Apps within Microsoft Entra it is now broken.
The official PaperCut guidance says this
https://www.papercut.com/kb/PaperCutPocketHive/ScanToCloudAuthorization/
https://www.papercut.com/help/manuals/ng-mf/applicationserver/users-receive-need-admin-approval-error-with-scan-to-onedrive-for-business/
The issue seems to be that Microsoft now does not allow delegated user consent to Sites.ReadWrite.All which is required by PaperCut.
Our tenant used to be set the same as shown in the PaperCut guidance - "Allow user consent for apps" and this permission was granted without issue.
But since Microsoft made their change that option has changed to "Let Microsoft manage your consent settings (Recommended)"
And the Microsoft help says this:
The setting labeled "Let Microsoft manage your consent settings," the Microsoft managed policy, will update with Microsoft's latest recommended default consent settings. This is also the default for a new tenant. The setting's rules are currently: End users can consent for any user consentable delegated permissions EXCEPT:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/manage-app-consent-policies?pivots=ms-graph#microsoft-recommended-current-settings
So what can we do to fix it or does PaperCut need to change something in their product in response to the Microsoft change?
I have a ticket logged with PaperCut but no resolution yet.
https://redd.it/1ptohzq
@r_systemadmin
We have been using PaperCut MF Scan to SharePoint for about 12 months - has worked perfectly. We have had a few new starters who also needed to scan and when we showed them how to do it they kept getting an error:
Something went wrong sending your scan
PaperCut MF has been trying to upload your scanned file to SharePoint Online
|Unfortunately something went wrong when trying to access SharePoint Online. Please try scanning again or contact your system administrator if the problem continues.|
|:-|
After hours of troubleshooting, it seems to be following a recent change to the way users have to provide delegated consent to Enterprise Apps within Microsoft Entra it is now broken.
The official PaperCut guidance says this
https://www.papercut.com/kb/PaperCutPocketHive/ScanToCloudAuthorization/
https://www.papercut.com/help/manuals/ng-mf/applicationserver/users-receive-need-admin-approval-error-with-scan-to-onedrive-for-business/
The issue seems to be that Microsoft now does not allow delegated user consent to Sites.ReadWrite.All which is required by PaperCut.
Our tenant used to be set the same as shown in the PaperCut guidance - "Allow user consent for apps" and this permission was granted without issue.
But since Microsoft made their change that option has changed to "Let Microsoft manage your consent settings (Recommended)"
And the Microsoft help says this:
The setting labeled "Let Microsoft manage your consent settings," the Microsoft managed policy, will update with Microsoft's latest recommended default consent settings. This is also the default for a new tenant. The setting's rules are currently: End users can consent for any user consentable delegated permissions EXCEPT:
Files.Read.All, Files.ReadWrite.All, Sites.Read.All, Sites.ReadWrite.All, `Mail.Read`, Mail.ReadWrite, Mail.ReadBasic, Mail.Read.Shared, Mail.ReadBasic.Shared, Mail.ReadWrite.Shared, `MailboxItem.Read`, `Calendars.Read`, Calendars.ReadBasic, Calendars.ReadWrite, Calendars.Read.Shared, Calendars.ReadBasic.Shared, Calendars.ReadWrite.Shared, `Chat.Read`, Chat.ReadWrite, ChannelMessage.Read.All, `OnlineMeetings.Read`, OnlineMeetings.ReadWrite, OnlineMeetingTrannoscript.Read.All, OnlineMeetingsRecording.Read.All. Updates to this consent policy will have at least 30 days of given notice.https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/manage-app-consent-policies?pivots=ms-graph#microsoft-recommended-current-settings
So what can we do to fix it or does PaperCut need to change something in their product in response to the Microsoft change?
I have a ticket logged with PaperCut but no resolution yet.
https://redd.it/1ptohzq
@r_systemadmin
PaperCut
Users receive "Need admin approval" error with Scan to OneDrive for Business
Explains the procedure for how to grant consent for users to use Scans for PaperCut MF.