@stacksofplates said in When should I use a Bastion Host?:
The whitelisting is probably a lot easier with Okta. But if you set up your SSH config for your profile you can use the bastion host automatically so it's probably 6 and half dozen.
Is this with Okta Advanced Server Access?
@Obsolesce said in MS Windows 7 SP1 Full Screen Alert:
I don't know of any home users still on 7. Nobody keeps a device that long, and would have something later than Win7.
My Dad does. He also refuses to stop using his even older Windows XP computer for some offline tasks.
@Florida_man said in Why IT certifications are worth more than you think...:
@Dashrender said in Why IT certifications are worth more than you think...:
@flaxking said in Why IT certifications are worth more than you think...:
Many of the sysadmin jobs I've been applying for want repo links. So when you have a family, and a job where sometimes you have to work 100 hour weeks - and that doesn't let you open source your configuration as code, you have to pick your battles.
And then there's the homework assignments, one job had me submit an architecture design even before I had an interview with the recruiter.
huh - did you send them an bill? That does seem unreasonable - you produced work, you should be compensated... who's to say they aren't just using you for free architecture design?
Yes. Being able to explain it in an interview totally acceptable, but providing finished document before interview unacceptable
I have a friend who is a trainer for a larger tech company. When she was interviewing for that job (or another one), she had to do a training presentation on something as part of her interview. I know it isn't quite the same, but still similar.
Object storage in NEW Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 v4
https://www.veeam.com/blog/object-storage-new-office-365-backup-v4.html
*Object Storage support
Starting from version 4, you will be able to leverage Object Storage to offload your Office 365 data. You can choose from different providers such as Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure Blob, IBM Cloud or S3 compatible object storage providers or even on-premises object storage.*
@PhlipElder said in RDS 2019 Setup and RDS License Role:
@wrx7m said in RDS 2019 Setup and RDS License Role:
When using UPD, is there anyway to access various users profiles' folders and files from the RDS server file system?
Example:
C:\Users\Bob\DesktopEdit: I found that I can path to it via UNC (\ \server\c$\users\Bob\Desktop), but get permissions error when I go locally, from C:\Users\Bob\Desktop. Also, the Bob folder is only a shortcut (LNK file) in the users directory.
The path is there in the form of a symbolic link. So, no. It's one way to limit exposure to ransomware.
If there is a need, the user can be logged off and one can mount the .VHDX file to gain access to whatever is needed.
Yeah, I fairly often have to copy files into a user profile here and there. I did notice that the disk is only mounted for the duration of their session and obviously would prevent interaction with it if the user is logged out. But, mounting the VHDX isn't that bad... if I had to do it when they were logged out. I would have to revisit a tool I just saw somewhere that allows you to quickly match the VHDX file with the user, since it only uses the SID in the file name.
When using UPD, is there anyway to access various users profiles' folders and files from the RDS server file system?
Example:
C:\Users\Bob\Desktop
Edit: I found that I can path to it via UNC (\ \server\c$\users\Bob\Desktop), but get permissions error when I go locally, from C:\Users\Bob\Desktop. Also, the Bob folder is only a shortcut (LNK file) in the users directory.
@Obsolesce Thanks for the contribution. I think you are right about that being more work, though.
@flaxking said in PowerShell - Add-ADGroupMember Script - Improvements?:
@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Add-ADGroupMember Script - Improvements?:
@flaxking said in PowerShell - Add-ADGroupMember Script - Improvements?:
When HR does the hand-off to you what information do they give you? Most likely the new staff member's role
Usually the role can be the abstraction layer on top these groups (one-offs aside). So you could create role-based groups with the appropriate groups nested within.
That is true. At least, to some extent. It would definitely cut down on the number of options. Most are grouped by role or service specific, so I could combine them (nested) under respective groups.
I worked at one company where HR always named a specific user the wanted the new user to have the same permissions as. So it was a user copy operation instead. That would be like a template method.
That could work if we were larger. A lot of positions here are only a single user.
@NDC said in PowerShell - Add-ADGroupMember Script - Improvements?:
I'm working on similar project a bit.
The script I'm working with pulls a bunch of info from CSV to create an AD account and populate.
Group membership is based heavily on location and job role here.
I'm thinking I'll use some of the info in the CSV about those attributes to help assign groups using If statements.
Curious what other ideas people may have for this.
Yeah, I have been trying to get to that point, myself. Slow going, so far. I am trying to figure out how to start using the "Department" field in the AD user properties for a Roles-based approach.
@flaxking said in PowerShell - Add-ADGroupMember Script - Improvements?:
When HR does the hand-off to you what information do they give you? Most likely the new staff member's role
Usually the role can be the abstraction layer on top these groups (one-offs aside). So you could create role-based groups with the appropriate groups nested within.
That is true. At least, to some extent. It would definitely cut down on the number of options. Most are grouped by role or service specific, so I could combine them (nested) under respective groups.
@DustinB3403 said in Windows 10 1909 is Official:
What I'm finding more and more annoyingly about Windows is that Teams keeps installing itself.
If I wanted Teams on my gaming computer I'd install it. I don't need it pushed out as some critical security patch.
I have only seen this if you also install SFB. If I exclude SFB (and Teams) in click-to-run, it doesn't auto install Teams.
Bah. I just finished getting everyone that was on 1809, to 1903. lol 
As part of my user on-boarding PowerShell script, I have a list of AD groups that cover the most common groups assigned "by default". The problem is that I have to manually go in and comment or "un-comment" the lines for the groups to which the user should be added as a member. I have excerpted this section of the script to use for role/job changes.
Here is an example:
Import-Module ActiveDirectory
$sAMAccountName = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter sAMAccountName"
#Add-ADGroupMember -Identity Office365Users -Members $sAMAccountName
#Add-ADGroupMember -Identity SmartsheetUsers -Members $sAMAccountName
#Add-ADGroupMember -Identity "Office Users" -Members $sAMAccountName
#Add-ADGroupMember -Identity SlackUsers -Members $sAMAccountName
#Add-ADGroupMember -Identity "Accounting Users" -Members $sAMAccountName
Add-ADGroupMember -Identity SouthWareUsers -Members $sAMAccountName
Add-ADGroupMember -Identity VPNUsers -Members $sAMAccountName
Add-ADGroupMember -Identity OpenVPNUsers -Members $sAMAccountName
Add-ADGroupMember -Identity TerminalServiceUsers -Members $sAMAccountName
Is there a better way to interact with, or even automate, the process of selecting which groups to add the user?
@Dashrender said in Excel freezing:
@wrx7m said in Excel freezing:
@VoIP_n00b said in Excel freezing:
Excel is a bitch
Especially, here. They are running all their forecasts through it. Excel using something like 16GB of RAM for one sheet.
As much as that likely belongs on a DB server somewhere - who's going to set it up? and program the new interface, etc?
yeah. that has been in the works for over a year. We are syncing the data to SQL and then will be able to run queries and also export it to Domo.
@VoIP_n00b said in Excel freezing:
Excel is a bitch
Especially, here. They are running all their forecasts through it. Excel using something like 16GB of RAM for one sheet.
@Emad-R said in Excel freezing:
take the data
create new excel file
paste that date, no format, or reduce formatting as much as possible.
I have also had people do this to fix weird issues. It has fixed some.
@notverypunny said in Excel freezing:
Excel... check the specific spreadsheet(s) workbook(s) that they're having problems with.... we've had a few cases where people are causing problems with data references and other wonderful things that they find when googling for a solution. Like statically referencing another file on their desktop or personal share and then sending the file to someone else only to find that it doesn't work for the other person.
Had issues where someone added some vbs and it caused the file to crash.
@black3dynamite said in Fedora - Automating Config File Modifications:
If the config files will be the same on each server, you could just
scpyour updated config to each server.
There might be some that will be identical. A file transfer had also occurred to me.
@pmoncho said in Netgear Insight Managed Switches:
I only have a three switches total so stacking is not that important to me
It isn't just for management. In most cases, a stacking style will have much greater throughput between switches.
@pmoncho I am guessing that none of those have a dedicated stacking interface?