Best posts made by pmoncho

@JaredBusch said in Miscellaneous Tech News:

@Dashrender said in Miscellaneous Tech News:

@JaredBusch said in Miscellaneous Tech News:

@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:

Now updated for KB4524147 (OS Build 18362.388), released Oct. 3, 2019.**

This damned thing broke printing for a user today. The Print Spooler service would not stay running. Removed update, service stays running.

great!... NOT

Other users had the update applied and rebooted with no issues.

Dealing with this update this morning. Two issues.

1. Print Spooler blowing up - Remove update and reboot. All is fine. Event log is pointing to issues with jscript.dll

2. RDP issue - Internal RDP servers are fine. RDP to external server, connection disappears after 12 seconds. Removed update, reboot and all is fine.

Trying to find a solution....

@scottalanmiller said in Combine fracture VM folders:

@pmoncho said in Combine fracture VM folders:

I will look into Zabbix. It's just that SW network monitor does exactly what I need so I stuck with it.

Zabbix + SodiumSuite might be a nice combination. One for traditional network monitoring, one for the more robust tracking and reporting, helpdesk, and so forth.

Will look into this after my current project.

@Pete-S said in Typical services and software in SMBs?:

@scottalanmiller said in Typical services and software in SMBs?:

I think most SMBs have some degree of LOB applications that they also depend on. Those are very hard to identify because they are per industry.

I was thinking LOB and PBX should be pretty common, either as a service or selfhosted.

As Scott mentioned, most of the time there is an LOB and the company revolves around it. IMHO, finding a popular LOB vendor in an area and be the best darn MSP/ITSP for that LOB. The LOB vendor will recommend you to other clients (I've done and seen this many many times).

If the pricing is right, I see on-prem servers or helping SMB's move LOB to cloud as a way to provide monthly cash flow.

On a side note (very anecdotal), being nice has its benefits. I have seen on numerous occasions and even 3 times in the last month, an ITSP/MSP are nice till they get the account then turn into being total dicks! I don't understand it but it is so close to turning into axiom.

@scottalanmiller said in Sales force to purchase Slack; $27bil:

Money burning a hole in their pockets, lol.

That's a LOT of money for an instant messaging application. I get it, Slack rocks and has a staggering user base but... OMG how is it this big?

Well, Salesforce thinks it worth 43X Sales. Boy oh Boy. I sure hope sales for Slack continue to grow 60% YoY (guestimate) for the next 10 years to get their money back...

Somehow I don't think this will happen but anything is possible.

@dustinb3403 said in Combine fracture VM folders:

@pmoncho said in Combine fracture VM folders:

@dustinb3403 said in Combine fracture VM folders:

@pmoncho said in Combine fracture VM folders:

@dustinb3403 said in Combine fracture VM folders:

@scottalanmiller said in Combine fracture VM folders:

@pmoncho said in Combine fracture VM folders:

@scottalanmiller said in Combine fracture VM folders:

" via separate VMs

In this instance, it is a single VM doing three tasks.

This server does not get taxed very much. Network Monitor is more of a strain than email or file services.

I would highly recommend splitting these into three different VMs then. No reason not to, right?

Microsoft Licensing is a very likely reason.

Your right on that.

So an offset to this is you can easily setup a linux server to act as your file server. So you can "save" a license here. The other services, Email (I'm assuming exchange) has to be run on Windows as well does SW Network Monitor.

Email is Kerio Connect. Now GFI. They do have a Linux appliance but sometimes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

As for fileserver, I setup RBAC in AD and even with Samba 4.4, permissions are an issue. Like I mentioned to Scott, my lack of knowledge could be the issue here.

But you can easily replace SW network monitor with Zabbix or literally anything else, while using less system resources and not have to think about the licensing.

I will look into Zabbix. It's just that SW network monitor does exactly what I need so I stuck with it.

The biggest issue is it's forcing you to spend for Windows licensing which just doesn't make sense.

You are correct. That is why last year I started learning more Linux and create a goal for this year. I am tired of dealing with MS licensing for many little things.

Just Had a "Duh" moment.

Currently have vCenter 5.5 on a standalone W2K8 server license. That will be going away when I move to VCSA 6.5. This is not an OEM version so I can reuse that license. That will then provide me with the extra license to separate file server , email and SW.

The issue I have goes back to my original post in that I want to move the original fileserv1 VM folders to the local datastore. I want the NAS to only hold backup data only.

My current plan is, deal with current pressing issue of fileserv1 folders, my backup provider switches me to Veeam, I move to VCSA, upgrade ESXI Hosts to 6.5, and then begin to separate "roles" to multiple servers.

@scottalanmiller said in Typical services and software in SMBs?:

@Pete-S said in Typical services and software in SMBs?:

is if SMBs actually turn to MSPs/ITSPs for advice on solving business problems?

No, not really. We're always the last to know, no matter how much we could have helped.

This! I am not an MSP/ITSP but I work with them for our clients (we resell LOB app).

@hobbit666 said in LastPass Goes As Predicted Like LogMeIn:

@JaredBusch said in LastPass Goes As Predicted Like LogMeIn:

Correct, that’s an entirely different issue and the reason why I started looking to move solutions last year but that’s not the point of that stupid ass article the Scott linked.

What have you been looking into? I'm happy using and paying for lastpass myself but if I do start looking be nice for some options

Have a look into Bitwarden. The wife and I have been using the free version for the last 6 months and has worked out fine for us. Individual use is good and sharing specific passwords between family members is nice.

Unfortunately, sometimes the best answer/decision today becomes a bad decision tomorrow.

Anyone have a favorite account rep at xByte they would like to mention before I call?

@scottalanmiller

@scottalanmiller said in What did you have for lunch or dinner today?:

@pmoncho said in What did you have for lunch or dinner today?:

IMHO, you cannot really BBQ a steak (Strip/Ribeye), hotdog or hamburger but you can BBQ or Grill a chicken.

Why not? I mean "why would you", of course, but it should work just fine.

Let me throw it out this way, Q'ing a steak is like having a physical DC. LOL

I tried everything I could to justify the cost of Azure, MS SQL and TS server. No matter, Amazon, Microsoft, or others it was just way to expensive compare to on-prem.

Would love to move to Linux and Postgresql but main business app is Windows only. Hopefully, I will be able to convince the vendor to move in the future.

Being frustrated with Fedora and thinking about a famous quote, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then give up. No point in being a darn fool about it." W.C. Fields

I just keep being the darn fool apparently.....

@saltedcaramel said in CRM or MS 365?:

@scottalanmiller said in CRM or MS 365?:

@saltedcaramel said in CRM or MS 365?:

As I said essentially what I need is a system where all the company files/information/data can be stored in one central location, so that any member of the team can have access to it.

That's very general, though. A CRM, including MS Dynamics, does not do this. It stores data about very specific things. In the case of the CRM function, it stores info about customers, not about your company. So neither CRM or Dynamics (which is a CRM plus a few other things) does this.

Not knowing what your company files and info are, we don't have a lot to work with. If you just want to store generic files, something like Nextcloud is going to be the answer, or a service that is similar like Dropbox. If you want generic data, then a wiki is likely the best bet like Dokuwiki or Wiki.js.

If you have non-generic data, then a custom application is best or at least a specific application to your data types. But without knowing what that is, we are talking extremely generically here.

Hi Scott,

Ok so specifically I mean excel spreadsheets of members details like contact numbers, email addresses etc. Right now these spreadsheets and information is only present on one computer in the office. All members of the team need access to these files so what's the best way of doing this?

Like a few others have mentioned, Nextcloud or something like Google Drive/Dropbox/OneDrive is your answer here.

From what you have described, you are looking for a file share in the cloud. That is what the aforementioned products are built for.

@Emad-R

If you need more Vitamin D, get more sun. I just eat more cereal with Vitamin D milk during the winter months and do more lawn work during the summer. I have many of the same symptoms as you but my HDL is fine so it may not be related. Mine is probably caused by to much beer. :winking_face:

@scottalanmiller said in Small Restaurant Network Redesign:

The only piece that isn't super obvious is... what would be the best access method for remote management of the three non-HQ restaurant PCs? There are only a few machines, so maybe some service has a free tier that would cover this?

RDP isn't that insecure on its own, people like to say that but it's mostly a myth. But add IP firewall locking to just the four restaurant or HQ sites and it's just as secure as any VPN, but really simplified.

I cannot tell you how many times I have had this discussion. VAR or MSP comes in and tells client how terrible RDP is and needs to spend 1000's on Cisco products and SSLVPN's.

Like you mention, its just a cheap VPN if RDP is open to select IP's. If that doesn't satisfy them, I tell them to add RDP Guard. Much cheaper and just as secure.

@Dashrender

I rarely go to the doctor and have not had blood work in a few years. My fiance was going through my old medical results from a Health insurance exam and she said all my labs looked great. I chuckled as I don't do much health wise (don't eat bad but not good, drink and smoke and don't exercise) but am apparently fit as a fiddle.

@obsolesce said in SSSD AD authentication and ubuntu 18.04:

@pmoncho said in SSSD AD authentication and ubuntu 18.04:

@obsolesce said in SSSD AD authentication and ubuntu 18.04:

@jame_s said in SSSD AD authentication and ubuntu 18.04:

what a waste of time. i canned it and went with centrify express, worked 1st time.

Yeah third party software works. I used to use PowerBrokers Identity Services from BeyondTrust... that worked great...

But, it's third party non-open source software.

Now I simply use realmd and winbind:
https://www.timothygruber.com/linux/samba-file-server-with-microsoft-ad/#Install_Packages

Were you able to get nested groups from AD to work properly on the Samba shares without PowerBroker's software?

Side-note - I never did get a chance to play with that. To much upgrading over the last few months.

Yes nested groups work in Samba.

What does it show if you enter the command: id [email protected]?

Booted up the server yesterday and it only has ubuntu 16.04.
id [email protected] - no such user

I am going to use your notes and build a new server with Fedora and see if I have any sticking points.

Ultimate goal - We use a linux fax server that puts pdf's into each users folder on the share based on the phone number. I am trying to figure out how lock down each users folder using RBAC with nested groups from AD. If that's possible at all.

Trying to move away from Windows in the future. Don't know how successful I will be.

@Emad-R said in Low HDL Cholestrol :

@pmoncho said in Low HDL Cholestrol :

I'm a freeze baby myself. Sweatshirts up to 75. I will take 110 in Vegas and even in TX or Mexico all day long. I love laughing at my friends when they complain of heat.

Can you please use normal human metrics like Celsius ? this is why we can never get along

HEre is the past month here:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/jo/amman/221790/month/221790?view=table

it is not canada cold but still cold for us...

LOL. My apologies. (In Celsius) Sweatshirt to 23.8, 43.3 in Vegas, Texas (higher humidity) or 38.3 in Mexico with humidity. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Used Google converter.

@bbigford said in Handling user AppData - Windows:

But I have had so many issues with redirecting AppData, and various forums also say that's not a good thing to do because of weird issues that can occur with bringing over AppData to a new PC.

I chose to leave AppData alone. I had a bad experience bringing over some info from AppData when it caused a few issues. I ended up creating a new profile and starting over with those couple users.

Some users will use a Firefox or Google account to store their bookmarks. For others who don't want to or don't care, I have them export their bookmarks to their redirected My Documents folder on occasion or during a pc refresh. It has worked for a long time with no major issues.

I don't have half as many users as you do though.

@bnrstnr said in Top Ten Happiest Places on Earth in 2019:

@pmoncho said in Top Ten Happiest Places on Earth in 2019:

@bnrstnr said in Top Ten Happiest Places on Earth in 2019:

@pmoncho said in Top Ten Happiest Places on Earth in 2019:

Now we need an employee transition plan over the course of X amount of years and costs associated with that.
Wonder what that looks like?

I just can't envision a scenario where a single payer system is any more complicated and less efficient than a system with thousands of private insurance providers... Maybe I'm looking at it all wrong though, I really don't know.

I don't think it could be more complicated but the answer you are given sure is final. You will be fixed or you will not.

Another question that has baffled me about this subject also is, if the foreign healthcare is so good, why would any foreigner come to the US? There would be no reason, correct? The patient would just hop to Canada, Mexico, or anywhere in Europe.

Like Scott said, we are the largest importers and also the largest exporters (I didn't fact check him...), so why are so many people leaving the US?

https://community.aarp.org/t5/Politics-Current-Events/Rand-Paul-Goes-to-Canada-for-Surgery/td-p/2102175
Pretty bad when our own politicians are leaving for foreign healthcare...

I don't doubt the rich will go wherever the best doctor is. That explains that.

As with Scott's info, those individuals would not all be rich. If we are a large importer yet more expensive with less quality, what on gods green earth would be wrong with these people??
(In the words of Vinny Barbarino, "I'm SOO CONFUSED!")