Category: Technology

  • Long Term Update: Using Linux (Mint) as my daily driver

    Welcome back! Today I’ll be breaking down some more of the lessons I’ve learned and some of the information for a switch from using Windows 11 every day to using Linux Mint on my primary gaming PC. My previous post here goes into some detail. I’m looking to breakdown further into applications, longer lessons and things I’ve found to make my life easier with Linux in hopes others are inspired to join the Open Source community!

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  • Gaming Rig updates

    Hey all, hope things are well. Making a quick post as I’ve done some work on my gaming rig and wanted to share!

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  • What life is like with Linux as my primary OS

    I say this a lot: but something I’ve wanted to do for a very, very long time is run a Linux OS as my primary operating system for day to day usage. I took the plunge recently and have learned a lot. One of the biggest things learned? How much easier Linux has become after last trying this around a decade ago. Here’s what I learned…

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  • It’s 2024! Celebrating 10 years of AASullivan.com

    Hey all, welcome to my site and blog. I realized recently that I’m coming up on ten years here with this website and wanted to post some of the history and challenges I’ve run into while running this site.

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  • AI Comprehensive Guide to pfSense

    Introduction: In today’s interconnected world, network security is paramount. Whether it’s for home or business use, having a robust firewall solution is essential to safeguarding your network from cyber threats. One such solution that has gained immense popularity is pfSense. In this article, we’ll delve into what pfSense is, how to install and set it up, and weigh its pros and cons.

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  • State of the Network: 2023

    Welcome to AASullivan.com! I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, so here it is: The State of My Network. I’ve been planning to do an overview of my entire set up for some time now and I’ve finally kept everything in a consistent state now for a few months after many years of tinkering. A little background…

    My home network (also known as my “home lab”) has been a long term project of mine to both try out new technologies and keep my skills sharp in a real server environment. It started in 2014 with a single server in my apartment running ESXI 3.5 on a system with a 6 core AMD CPU and 16GB of RAM. It was a blast to try new things (DNS server, file server, Plex, etc) and I’ve learned a lot since those times. My current Home Lab is considerably bigger now and is larger now than many small company systems; My poor power bill will never be the same. Let’s take a look at some of the set up!

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  • VMWare Kubernetes Cluster Build Notes

    I built a Kubernetes cluster tonight to try and learn a bit about this technology, here are my notes about building it!

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  • Using Uptime Kuma for Network Monitoring

    Welcome back!

    Today I’m looking into Uptime Kuma, a monitoring tool that in my eyes is perfect, simple and intuitive and does exactly what I need for monitoring my home network. What is Uptime Kuma? I’m glad you asked.

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  • Notes from installing Nextcloud on Ubuntu 22.04LTS

    Today I set up another Nextcloud server after taking the former one offline due to the size of backups for it getting a little out of hand. This also allows me to run the latest current version of Ubuntu Server (22.04LTS).

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  • Building a non-logging, encrypted DNS server

    Welcome back! Today I’m working on a project to secure my web surfing to be an anonymous as possible using a combination of a software package called “Pi-Hole” and a VPN provider.

    So, let’s start at the basics: VPN and DNS

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