It has been a while since I updated my blog. I don't have any specific to talk about, so instead, I am going to share some links I found interesting, in no particular order (for now).
Automation and Development
- Upgrading Chef Infra: Why Upgrade: I have mixed feelings about this. There are definite improvements, but you still have to pay for a license if you use it in a business setting. With news that you can write Chef recipes in YAML code, I get the sense that even Chef accept that YAML is a viable language for automation and that the value proposition for using Ruby is not as strong as it looks. Given that, for those who are invested in the free version, it would make more sense to move over another YAML-based automation tool such as Ansible or SaltStack as at this point, their ecosystem are probably far more mature.
- Provision AWS infrastructure using Terraform (By HashiCorp): an example of web application logging customer data: I have been using Terraform heavily for the last couple of months for my personal labs and I really found it to be awesome. I could see why many developers and engineers prefer over CloudFormation, Ansible, or other cloud automation tools. If I were to start over in building infrastructure for a business, I would definitely use Terraform.
- Enhancing the Terraform Experience: Why we use Terragrunt: As much as I liked Terraform, it has its faults, which hasn't been an issue yet. At some point, if I run into those faults, I may look into using Terragrunt.
- Deno: I got into JavaScript in a big way as I write them for Lambda automation. Deno looks to fit nicely for my day job if AWS ever provides a native runtime for it.
Containers
- Fork Available as Red Hat Ends Life of CoreOS Container Linux: It sucks having to depend on a product that is being killed by the vendor, especially if your business depends on running on said product. Hopefully, this is a stable replacement for CoreOS, though in my experience, they rarely turn out well long term.
- Top 10 must-know Kubernetes design patterns: to say that Kubernetes is complex is an understatement, from setup to deployments. This give a nice overview of the type of design patterns used for Kubernetes.
- 10 most common mistakes using kubernetes: Speaking of Kubernetes, this is how you mess things up with Kubernetes.
How Tos and Learning
-
How to enable Nested Virtualization in KVM on CentOS 7 / RHEL 7: I have exploring a way to test USB devices as well as reset the root password for my certification study in the cloud. This looks like a way to do it without resorting to launching expensive bare metal instances.
-
How to run a Kubernetes cluster on your laptop: Note that this talks about setting up OpenShift implementation of Kubernetes, not the upstream version.
-
An Introduction to Configuration Management with Ansible: If you were to get started with automation, Ansible is probably the best option to get started, as it lets you get productive really quick as well as a widest range of support of almost everything from operating systems to cloud services. Now, that said, I wouldn't recommend it for cloud infrastructure, a topic which I will touch on for another time.
-
First look at Red Hat Remote Certification Exams: Even before COVID-19, it was very difficult to find a location close enough to take Red Hat exams. With Red Hat finally getting onboard with providing remote protoring, this hopefully will make Red Hat certifications more viable to more people, in particular the upper tier RHCA certification.
Operating Systems
- systemd, 10 years later: a historical and technical retrospective: A deep dive into systemd's controversial history as well as technical implementation. WARNING: it is a bit of a long read.
Security
- U.S. Secret Service: “Massive Fraud” Against State Unemployment Insurance Programs: Our friends in Nigeria are at it again.
Entertainment
-
Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the greatest TV shows ever made. Now it’s on Netflix.: I think calling it the greatest is a bit of a hyperbole, but it is a very good show and one of the few that can appeal both to children and adults.
-
CBS All Access greenlights ‘Strange New Worlds,’ a new Star Trek series about Pike and Spock: Seeing Captain Pike, the original Number One and enterprise was one of the highlights of Star Trek Discovery. I look forward to watching it when it comes out.