Category Archives: Virtualization

Keeping pihole up to date with Aria Automation Config

Posted on December 27, 2023 by brian.wuchner

I’ve recently begun keeping components of my lab up to date using Aria Automation Config. I’ve scheduled a daily job to inventory Linux packages that need updated and a weekly task to update Linux VMs and reboot if necessary. Both … Continue reading →

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Keeping Linux up to date with Aria Automation Config — part 2

Posted on December 21, 2023 by brian.wuchner

In a recent post (available here), we created a simple Aria Automation Config (formerly SaltStack Config) state file which reported on and applied available Linux OS updates. In this post we’ll revisit a minor change to this state file. After … Continue reading →

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vSphere Custom Images & How to Compare Image Profiles

Posted on November 20, 2023 by brian.wuchner

Occasionally there is a need to create a custom ESXi image as either an installable ISO or a depot/zip bundle. For example, when setting up a new host, you may wish to automatically include specific drivers for a particular network … Continue reading →

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Keeping Linux up to date with Aria Automation Config

Posted on November 17, 2023 by brian.wuchner

I have several persistent Windows & Linux VMs in my lab. The Windows VMs get their OS updates via Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) managed by group policy. This works pretty consistently and keeps everything current. The Linux VMs are … Continue reading →

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Easy wildcard certificate for home lab

Posted on November 16, 2023 by brian.wuchner

In my home lab I have a container running Nginx Proxy Manager (discussed in this previous post). This proxy allows for friendlier host names and SSL for various services in the lab. Using a wildcard DNS record and wildcard SSL … Continue reading →

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