Home Lab - VPN

Since our lab is isolated from the home network behind the router we need a way to access the VM's inside from our research systems. To access the systems behind the router we can use a VPN. With VyOS we have 2 options:

  • L2TP/IPSec - Native support on Windows and OS X. Linux client support can be tricky.
  • OpenVPN - Requires third party client installed, works well on Windows, OS X and Linux.

Depending on your client machine the type of VPN solution will vary. In the case of Windows and OS X L2TP/IPSec works very well in my experience. When developing my tools on Linux, OpenVPN tends to be more stable. 

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Posh-Sysmon Module for Creating Sysmon Configuration Files

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Sysmon configuration can be complex in addition to hard to maintain by hand. For this purpose I created a module called Posh-Sysmon some time ago to aid in the creation and maintenance of configuration files. The module was initially written after the release of version 2.0 and has been maintained and expanded as new version have been released all the way to the current one at the time of this blog post being written with version 6.0. 

The module is written for PowerShell v3.0 and above and can be installed from the PowerShell Gallery if running version 5.0 or 5.1 using the cmdlet 

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Home Lab - Networking

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In this post I will cover the basic set up of the basic building block network which is a simple flat network behind a router acting as Firewall, NAT, DHCP and VPN for the network.

The first action is to create a Virtual Switch that will be connectivity for all the virtual machines in this flat network. Almost all virtual solutions support having a virtual switch under one name or another. Since I choose for my home lab ESXi the commands shown will be for this platform but in general terms can be done the same with Hyper-V or XenServer. 

The main reason why I'm showing all the steps via command line is so that they can be automated later in a script if this is a process that will be repeated several times.

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Home Lab - Design

Why

When building a home lab one must start with a purpose for it before starting to build it. In the book "Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else" one learns that deliberate practice and a focus on not only on how much, but the quality and factors placed in it makes a huge difference in the level of skill one can obtain and maintain from training. The main goals of the lab built in this series are:

  • Modular so it can grow as needed.
  • Must mirror real world scenarios.
  • Automate and document for fast rebuilds.

These main goals should help in helping to adapt and practice as the lab will be rebuilt as trial versions of Windows expire or as needs arise.

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Review of Viktor Frankl "Man's Search for Meaning"

 first read this book on my first year of college back in 1995. It is a book that I have re-read every other year.

Now this book is one that most relate to psychology but it is has a lot to teach outside of those that practice its science.

During the Holocaust, Frankl spent three years in 4 different concentrations camp, the majority of this time in Auschwitz and Dachau. Now the book does not focus on his experience in the camps or is it a story of his survival during such a terrible time in his life. The book focuses on what he learned about himself and others, lessons that helped him survived and later became the foundation of logotherapy, it is derived from the Greek word logos that translates to “meaning”.

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