Journal

• Abbreviations used in journaling
• 2024-11-30 - What a week!
• 2024-12-29 - Ending the year.
• 2025-02
• 2025-03-30
• 2025-04-02
• 2025-05-15 - at KAFD, Riyadh, KSA

Abbreviations used in journaling

ant1mbp3 - my MacBook Pro primary workstation (laptop)
gcp - Google Cloud Platform  
ztn - name for my apartment in Riyadh, KSA  
ant1ss21 and ant1ss24 - Samsung S21 and S24 mobile phones

2024-11-30 - What a week!

at "mylife" cafe, Riyadh, KSA

• ant1mbp3: friend of mine introduced to me MacOS utilities: Alttab and Flameshot, test flights on them.
• ztn: installed Ubuntu on miniPC.
• ztn: installed OpenProject on that miniPC.
• ztn: deployed local Nextcloud instance, which is connected to GCP Cloud SQL (MySQL) and GCP Storage (S3 compatible). By this, I reduced load onto my virtual machine located in the cloud and “moved computing resources” on-prem (to home).
• gcp: Deployed Matomo web analytics solution into cloud, which I use to track activity on my web resources.
• gcp: Deployed BookStack for my project “Install and Use” (https://installanduse.com) and optimized that to correctly upload images.
• gcp: IAM: Public access (from Internet) permissions to GCP Storage (buckets).
• gcp: Configured Nginx webserver simply to return client IP, generally used to determine current external IP address.
• Organized photo archive using FastStone Viewer and Double Commander.
• Began writing installation notes (about Matomo, Snipe-IT and Bookstack).
• gcp: migrated inventory managing system Snipe-IT from old hosting (Avaruus.net), restored from backups, upgraded source code to be compatible with PHP8 (from PHP5), restored DB to Cloud SQL.
• gcp: Cloud DNS: separates resources based in GCP into subdomain *.cloud.2dz.fi, adjusted CNAME's, changes in configurations.
• Changed sensitive passwords and refreshed OTP tokens (KeePassXC and FreeOTP+).
• Prolonged domains (2dz.fi and installanduse.com) with joker.com.
• ant1ss21 and ant1ss24: Updated firmwares on both of them (performed OS upgrade). Cleaned unused or rarely used Android applications on the phone. That is nice to see long term committed support for Samsung S21 model (released on 2021-01-14). Recommend Samsung's S-serie.

2024-12-29 - Ending the year.

• Connecting home lab to GCP instance. Cisco ASA 5505 setup: v8.2 does not support IPSECv2. Beginning with v8.4.
• Enhanced workstations documents migration and backup strategy
• Mirrored mail archive to the cloud (around 55000 letters since 2001)
• deployed Teleport PAM solution
• Began to use Mac AirBook 11" as travel workstation
• wired CAT6 cables at home
• upgraded Nextcloud Production
• sorted out technologically old Cisco network related books, ready for paper recycle
• improved private IT infrastructure
• spoke to friend of mine about cyber hygiene a lot and improved his security workflow
• new applications for MacOS: Alttab, flameshot, Rectangle, Yandex Music
• new apps for Android: 2Gis, Yandex Music

TODO:

• time.2dz.fi (chrony - network time server)
• ns.2dz.fi (Pi-hole - name resolution server)
• tp.cloud.2dz.fi - goTeleport PAM solution

2025-02

За последний месяц, спустя НГ:
- Oracle Linux v9.5: repository proxy
- MariaDB Galera Cluster with ClusterControl
- MaxScale load balancer: manual config
- WindTerm
- CrossHair python
- Nextcloud deployment to GCP
- Creating and interconnecting virtual machines in VirtualBox on Windows11
- Hostname, machine ID, SSH server keys in Oracle Linux
- Naming convention for Nextcloud production environment
- ZeroTier: SD-WAN networks
- Linphone @Android
- Skiing tracking apps: Ski Tracker, Ski Tracks, Slopes, Skill

2025-03-30

• SketchUp (WebUI)
• BetterDisplay (new display)
• CloudText

2025-04-02

• Pi-hole as reverse DNS for home OpenWRT router
• Internal A records in Pi-Hole for local infra
• myip.in.2dz.fi analog of myip.2dz.fi but in use with conjunction of internal DNS server
• "Alpine Quest Pro" on Android for map orientation - measuring azimuth of aeroplanes
• OpenVPN connections and rules enhancements in OPNsense

2025-05-15 - at KAFD, Riyadh, KSA

There was a hectic weeks behind, some topics I briefly touched:

• Audacity: conference mic spectrum analysis
• OPNsense: upgrade v24.1.7--25.1.5_5 (FreeBSD v13.2--14.2)
• OPNsense: script to extract users' certificates and list expired (users), but after upgrade realized, that these features implemented in the newer version. :)
• Configured DMARC and SPF on mail servers
• Analysed radio spectrum for WLAN access point
• Samsung S21, S24: upgrades to Android v14
• Prepared and printed out salad order form for "Plenty SLD" salad shop.
• Icinga: did research on 'zones' and configured infra for distributed monitoring
• goTeleport: configured PAM solution with backend reverse proxy
• Nextcloud: upgrade v27--29
• AlpineQuest Pro: challenge with azimuth on a bigger scale
• built a script to generate the characters in Morse Code to be learnt in more sofisticated way.
• cancelled Spotify subscription, as Yandex Music provides more and better