How to secure Jenkins

When you install Jenkins, the default settings allow anyone to sign up and administer it. There are many ways to secure Jenkins, the simplest is to disable the user sign up and require login to administer the server. Click sign up in the upper right corner and create an account for yourself On the Jenkins …

Minimum Windows workstation setup to work with Windows servers

If you work on a Mac or Linux workstation and need to script and administer Windows servers, you need a few Windows tools. You can create a Windows Virtual Machine hosted in the free Virtual Box from Oracle or in VMware Fusion. For installation instructions see Install the DevOps development tools on Windows Notepad++ Chocolatey …

NoMethodError: undefined method `exists?’ for Chef::Resource::File:Class

When you create a Chef custom resource and use the File class, you need to make slight a change in the syntax you use. In a Chef recipe you can use if File.exists?(“#{FileName}”) to check for the existence of a file. If we use the same line in a Chef custom resource, we get the …

Migrate databases to and from AWS RDS instances

Amazon Web Services do not provide tools to migrate data to, from and between AWS RDS instances. There is a free utility that can do the job. SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) Install Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), because the utility uses libraries from it. Download the installer for free from https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt238290.aspx SQL Azure Migration …

Chef file locations

The Chef file and folder locations are different on Linux and Windows machines. This article explains the purpose of each file and the location. Summary Linux Windows Cookbook location /var/chef/cache/cookbooks  C:\chef\cache\cookbooks Chef Client run log /var/log/chef.log First run only C:\chef\chef-client.log Subsequent Chef client runs C:\chef\log\client.log Error log /var/chef/cache/chef-stacktrace.out C:\chef\cache\chef-stacktrace.out Ohai output /var/chef/cache/failed-run-data.json C:\chef\cache\failed-run-data.json Recommended location for …

Internalize Chocolatey packages

To access Chocolatey packages in your private network you need to download them from the Internet and store them at a location where all servers can access them. You can internalize Chocolatey packages if you have a Chocolatey Business subscription. You can use an Artifactory server to host the internalized packages. List of available packages To …

…refers to a location that is unavailable

When you try to copy a file from an external drive, or a network location, you may get the following error message: On Windows 10 … is unavailable. If the location is on this PC, make sure the device or drive is connected or the disc is inserted, and then try again. If the location …

Recommended utilities for your workstation

Graphics Snagit Snagit is a great utility to capture screens and annotate them for documentation. The program is available for Mac and Windows. Download the latest version at https://www.techsmith.com/ Get older versions at https://www.techsmith.com/download/oldversions Terminal emulator PuTTY Install PuTTY On Macintosh Open a terminal window Install PuTTY with Homebrew. For the Homebrew installation see the Homebrew section …

How to get into the BIOS menu on a Windows 10 computer.

When you select Shut down on a Windows 10 computer, your machine is really not shut down. When you turn the computer on again it executes a fast start, so you cannot open the BIOS menu. To get into the computer’s BIOS first shut down you computer as described in How to completely shut down a …

How to completely shut down a Windows 10 computer

Windows 10 does not really shut down the computer when you select Shut down. This enables the operating system to start quickly, but if you want to cold start your computer to enter the BIOS menu you need to turn off your computer. To really shut down your Windows 10 computer: Right click the Windows …