AJ's Blog

This is a personal blog focused on computer software and hardware. Most projects are implementing software and hardware for a homelab. What is a homelab? I would say a homelab could be a single computer or dozens of computers connected in a network. You can also integrate with computers in the Cloud.

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Recent Posts

Pandoc converter

09-05-2021

There is a useful software application out there called Pandoc which is a Haskell library for converting from one markup format to another through a command line interface. Pandoc can convert between markdown, HTML, and proprietary formats like Microsoft Word. Installing The official site for pandoc includes instructions to install on multiple platforms such as Windows, Linux and macOS. https://pandoc.org/installing.html Example See the following example of converting a markdown file to an HTML file:

Getting started with Ansible

09-01-2021

ansible Ansible is an open-source software that uses python to provide an automation language. It uses YAML declarative files known as playbooks to describe tasks that are executed by Ansible. Ansible can configure computer systems, deploy software, and automate IT tasks at scale. Ansible does not require software to be installed on managed systems and utilizes protocols such as OpenSSH and WinRM to connect to systems. The official documentation has more detailed information on how to get started.

Creating Linux virtual machine templates with Packer

08-14-2021

packer You could set up each virtual machine by mounting the installation iso image to your virtual machine’s virtual disk drive and proceeding through the installer. In fact this is what I recommend for new users, but I will be using a software known as Packer to create Linux templates that I can use in VirtualBox or even other hypervisors. Templates can be found on my public github repo.

Vagrant Installation/Demo

08-10-2021

Vagrant is a software from HashiCorp that provides easy to configure and replicate virtual machine images. Vagrant integrates with existing hypervisor software to quickly deploy VM templates from the Vagrant community or templates that you create. vagrant_logo Installation Prerequisites In order to proceed, you need a hypervisor software such as VirtualBox. I have a previous post regarding virtual machines and setting up VirtualBox. Windows 10 I will be installing vagrant with Chocolatey.

Proxmox Installation

08-03-2021

Proxmox Virtual Environment is an open-source Linux distribution for virtualization. It tightly integrates KVM hypervisor and LXC, software-defined storage, and networking functionality on a single platform. With the integrated web-based user interface you can easily manage Virtual Machines and containers. System Requirements CPU: 64bit Intel VT/AMD-V capable CPU/Mainboard Minimum 1 GB RAM 128 GB disk drive (Any less is not much to work with) Installation Download the ISO image installer from Proxmox.

Getting Started with Virtual Machines

07-27-2021

A virtual machine is like a physical computer such as a laptop or desktop or server. It has a CPU, memory, disks, and can be connected to the internet but all of these components are emulated with software and borrowed from a host computer. A virtual machine exists as files on a host computer, commonly referred to as an image. Virtual machines should not interfere with the operations of the host computer’s operating system.