today's howtos

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jul 30, 2025

• Jeff Geerling ☛ Recording vintage CRTs with a modern Sony mirrorless camera

  Growing up, I remember recording CRTs with any camera was an exercise in frustration. You would either get a black bar that goes across everything, a slowly moving 'shutter' of darkness over the screen, black frame flickering, or even a variety of bright artifacts, especially when moving the camera around.

• Thibault Martin: Loading credentials from Bitwarden with direnv

  When working on my homelab, I regularly need to pass credentials to my tools. A naive approach is to just store the token in clear text, like for example in this opentofu snippet.

• NVISO Labs ☛ Refinery raid

  This blog post provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a virtual oil processing plant using https://labshock.github.io/. We will then demonstrate how to simulate a cyberattack by writing a custom python script. This exercise is designed for security professionals, engineers, and researchers interested in OT/ICS security.

• dwaves.de ☛ GNU/Linux howto ffmpeg how to recompress mp4 video to be web compatible minimum filesize

• TecMint ☛ 10 Must-Know sFTP Commands for Linux File Transfers

  As we all know, FTP is not secure because all transmissions occur in clear text, which means that anyone sniffing network packets can easily read the data.

• Stefano Marinelli ☛ Make Your Own Backup System – Part 2: Forging the FreeBSD Backup Stronghold

  The backup server should be hardened. If possible, it should be protected and unreachable from the outside. My best backup servers are those accessible only via VPN, capable of pulling the data on their own. If they are on a LAN, it's even better if they are completely disconnected from the Internet.

  For this very reason, backups must always be encrypted. Having a backup means having full access to the data, and the backup server is the prime target for being breached or stolen if the goal is to get your hands on that data. I've seen healthcare facilities' backup servers being targeted (in a rather trivial way, to be honest) by journalists looking for health details of important figures. It is therefore critical that the backup server be as secure as possible.

  Based on the type of access, I use two types of encryption: [...]

• Barry Kauler ☛ Xorg crash on Compaq Presario

  On the forum, a tester reported that Easy Excalibur does not work on an old PC; Xorg failed to start.
  

  So far, I've been testing Excalibur on fairly modern computers, so I booted the latest build, 6.118, on my old Compaq Presario, which has 2GB RAM, defective chip maker Intel Core-2 Duo CPU E7300 and defective chip maker Intel GMA 3100 GPU.
  

  Get to a desktop, test various apps, they work. However, there is a specific action that crashes Xorg then get a black screen, requiring long press of the power-button. In QuickSetup, make just one change, to select "Australia -> Perth" timezone, then click OK button, then when the "XKB Configuration Manager" window comes up, click "exit" button ...Xorg crash.
  

• idroot

  • ID Root ☛ How To Install Miniconda on CentOS Stream 10

    Installing Miniconda on CentOS Stream 10 provides developers and data scientists with a powerful, lightweight package management system. This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of the installation process, from initial setup to advanced configuration. Miniconda offers significant advantages over traditional package managers, particularly for Python development environments.

  • ID Root ☛ How To Install SMPlayer on Linux Mint 22

    SMPlayer stands as one of the most versatile and user-friendly media players available for GNU/Linux systems today. This powerful, open-source application brings exceptional multimedia capabilities to Linux Mint 22, offering seamless playback for virtually any video or audio format you encounter.

  • ID Root ☛ How To Install ionCube PHP Encoder on Fedora 42

    PHP code protection remains a critical concern for developers and businesses seeking to safeguard their intellectual property. The ionCube PHP Encoder stands as one of the most trusted solutions in the industry, offering robust bytecode encryption and obfuscation capabilities that have protected countless applications since 2002.

  • ID Root ☛ How To Set Up SSH Two-Factor Authentication on AlmaLinux 10

    SSH attacks increased by 147% in 2024, making robust authentication mechanisms absolutely critical for server security. With over 2.5 billion daily SSH login attempts recorded globally, implementing two-factor authentication (2FA) has become a necessity rather than an option for system administrators managing AlmaLinux servers.

  • ID Root ☛ How To Install HPLIP on Fedora 42

    Installing HP GNU/Linux Imaging and Printing (HPLIP) on Fedora 42 ensures optimal functionality for your HP printers, scanners, and multifunction devices. While Fedora 42 brought several improvements to the GNU/Linux desktop experience, it also introduced specific challenges for HPLIP users, particularly with plugin installation and checksum verification issues.

  • ID Root ☛ How To Set Static IP Address on AlmaLinux 10

    Setting up a static IP address on AlmaLinux 10 is essential for enterprise environments where consistent network connectivity and reliable server access are paramount. Unlike dynamic IP addresses assigned through DHCP, static IP configuration ensures your AlmaLinux system maintains the same network identity across reboots and network changes.

  • ID Root ☛ How To Install phpMyAdmin on AlmaLinux 10

    Managing MySQL and MariaDB databases through command-line interfaces can be challenging for many system administrators and developers. phpMyAdmin provides an intuitive web-based solution that simplifies database administration tasks significantly. This comprehensive guide walks you through installing and configuring phpMyAdmin on AlmaLinux 10, ensuring optimal security and performance.