How to pre-configure a headless Pi-OS Lite MicroSD card

Raspbian has been replaced with Pi-OS and there are 3 flavours, full fat, semi and skimmed.  This post will detail a couple of extra files you should create before first boot so that you won’t need to connect a keyboard or monitor.

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Posted on July 2, 2021 at 14:33 by simon · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Linux, Raspberry Pi, Tech

How to unregister an ESXi VM using the CLI

Occasionally a VM shows as being in ‘invalid’ state, this can be because the files aren’t available, are corrupted, after a network outage etc..  All options are greyed out so it is not possible to do anything with it through the web console so we have to use the CLI to unregister it.  We can then register it again or remove the broken files etc.

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Posted on June 21, 2021 at 23:39 by simon · Permalink · One Comment
In: Tech, Vmware

How to mount an iSCSI datastore in ESXI CLI

I have an annoying issue that I can’t get to the bottom of – whenever we have a powercut that lasts longer than my UPS’s can deal with, i lose my main ESXi server.  When that happens I occasionaly lose all of my iSCSCI connected drives.  Rebooting the ESXi server, switches or the NAS does not bring them back.  I don’t know the cause, but here is a manual fix: Read the rest of this post »

Posted on June 21, 2021 at 23:11 by simon · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Tech, Vmware

Replace the SSL Certificate on a Ubiquiti Edge Router Lite

To replace the self signed certifcate with a valid certifcate for the web UI on the Edge Router Lite follow these instructions:

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Posted on March 30, 2019 at 0:02 by simon · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Hardware, Security, Tech · Tagged with: 

Remove Administrator or a user password in Windows 10 using Kali

If you have locked yourself out of a Windows 10 machine, or have forgotten your password or the administrator password then you can remove that password using one of the tools included with Kali Linux.  This obviously won’t work if you Windows disk system is encrypted. Read the rest of this post »

Posted on July 23, 2018 at 22:43 by simon · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Linux, Security, Tech

Converting AWS .PEM keys to .PPK for use in Putty

lockedHere are the commands you will need to convert the AWS key so it can be used with Putty.  You’ll need to have Puttygen installed.  This is part of the default Putty install so shouldn’t be a problem if you have installed Putty under Windows or Linux.

To convert the private key:

puttygen keyfile.pem -O private -o keyfile.ppk

To display the public key:

puttygen keyfile.pem -L
Posted on May 17, 2018 at 20:39 by simon · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Security, Tech

Command prompt from mspaint

This is an old trick I first saw on a hak5 video, but it’s still a good one.  If you find yourself on a locked down system and aren’t able to open a command prompt but do have access to Microsoft’s Paint program then this might be the hack for you 😉 Read the rest of this post »

Posted on March 13, 2018 at 23:45 by simon · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Security, Tech, Windows · Tagged with: ,

Add a static IP to Linux (updated 2017)

To change a Linux system from DHCP to a static IP you need to edit the interfaces file as below. Read the rest of this post »

Posted on December 28, 2017 at 11:41 by simon · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Linux

Create a hardware network monitor with a Pi and a Blinkt

Have you ever wanted a quick visual monitor to know that certain devices on your network are up and running?  Well this little project will do exactly that.  You will be able to monitor up to 8 networked devices and have an LED indicate if it is up or not. Read the rest of this post »

Posted on September 17, 2017 at 15:42 by simon · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Python, Raspberry Pi, Tech · Tagged with: , , ,

Pseudo Command Prompt

Locked out of using the Command Prompt on Windows?

no probs, try this little trick to create a pseudo dos box ..

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Posted on February 2, 2017 at 22:36 by simon · Permalink · One Comment
In: Security · Tagged with: ,