Edition: Saturday, June 8th, 2024 Are you familiar with the terms DevOps and Platform Engineering?  DevOps is the process of consistently and reliably deploying applications into production environments.  Platform Engineering focuses on building and maintaining the foundational infrastructure an...

Edition: Saturday, May 25th, 2024 Over the years, I've completed a lot of SQL Server installations.  Some of those resulted in having to move database files around afterward because I failed to ensure the disks were properly formatted and aligned.  I had to move files to a temporary location, re...

Edition: Saturday, March 23rd, 2024 Today I want to share a quick tip on getting started with Windows Server 2025 Standard Edition (preview).  It seems Server 2022 just came out a few short weeks ago but in reality, it was released on August 18, 2021.  As technologists, we sometimes delay the i...

Edition: Saturday, March 9th, 2024 Keeping data confidential is a crucial role for a DBA.  Today, I'll share strategies that Database Administrators can implement to enhance data confidentiality.  You'll learn about the importance of encryption, access controls, auditing, and secure backups. Da...

Edition: Saturday, March 2nd, 2024 Welcome to March!   Today, I want to talk about one common challenge a DBA may encounter.  Scripting a database(s).  There are a few common scenarios that may require this.  Here are a few: Needing to create an empty shell of an existing database for testin...

Introduction: In part 5, we created the remaining configuration scripts that we'll use to create the Windows Server 2022 golden image.  At this point, your AutomatedSandboxFramework directory should resemble the screenshot below.   Here's what we'll accomplish by the end of this post: C...

Introduction: In part 4, we created the autounattend.xml and PackerShutdown.bat files and created the source block.   Most machine builds require additional configuration after installing the OS.  At this point, you generally wouldn't turn the server over to the application or database team w...

I use Ansible in my virtual sandbox to configure and maintain Linux and Windows servers. I aim to set up my sandbox to match most of the production environments I've previously worked with.  Most require using Kerberos over NTLM or strongly encourage its use.  The sandbox I'm configuring already ...

Introduction: Imagine you're walking into a job interview or taking on a new role. During the interview, the hiring manager asks, "What sets you apart from the other twenty candidates I've interviewed?" How would you respond? If you've mastered Ansible and efficient automation, your answer might...

Introduction: Inventory files lie at the core of Ansible.  They are a crucial component that organizes and categorizes the target hosts to which Ansible will apply configurations.  In this post, I'll walk you through the essentials of an Ansible inventory file, covering its basic structure and s...