SysAdmin Weekly #11: Floods, Dinosaurs, and Domain Controllers

SysAdmin stories from high-stress rescues to low-stakes hilarity.

Aug 05, 2025

Podcast with Paul Schnackenburg on the art (and occasional witchcraft) of troubleshooting.
AI sidekicks for sysadmins? Mike Nelson joins next week to talk Generative AI and MCP protocol.
Eric reviews Windows Server 2025 Administration Fundamentals on Project Runspace.
Core Fundamentals: Securing the Windows boot process against early-stage attacks.
Community highlights: Azure cost savings, SQL Optimized Locking, mental health resources, and Linux kernel updates.
Security headlines: New Linux “Plague” PAM backdoor and active SonicWall zero-day exploitation.
Tool of the Week: DaisyDisk – visualizing disk usage like a cyberpunk pie chart.

🧠 This Week’s Insight(s) from Andy

This week’s lineup feels like a journey through sysadmin history and future tech! We’ve got troubleshooting wisdom from veterans, digging into the old-school Windows boot process, tossing in a retro Zip drive nod, and then jumping straight into AI agents and modern kernel updates. SysAdmins don’t just manage systems; we time-travel daily between decades of tech evolution.

The most recent podcast episode dove into the Art of Troubleshooting, a skill every SysAdmin needs to cultivate. And let’s be honest: it’s often practiced in the strangest, most stressful situations imaginable.

Case in point: back in the Windows Server 2000/2003 era, I once had to troubleshoot domain controllers during a server room flood. Picture this: everything offline, water covering the floor, and myself and a few other SysAdmins attempting to seize FSMO roles like our careers depended on it (because, well… it kinda did).

On the opposite end of the urgency spectrum, I once had to track down and reinstall custom mouse themes on Windows XP in a pre-school. Why? Because a group of very determined adults insisted the kids needed the dinosaur cursor restored on a new machine. Low stakes, but hey, they were paying customers, and apparently, no triceratops cursor = bad day.

Different stakes, same core skill: troubleshooting and clear communication. Whether it’s floodwater or cartoon reptiles, sysadmins troubleshoot daily, often unseen, always essential. Keep sharpening that saw and it will serve you well for your entire career.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming….

🎹 Latest on the SysAdmin Weekly Podcast

📺 The Art of Troubleshooting with Paul Schnackenburg
Paul and I break down troubleshooting into something less like black magic and more like a repeatable process, though, let’s be honest, sometimes it does feel like summoning spirits.

🎧 In Case You Missed It

📺 Cloud Repatriation Movement with Eric
Cloud in, cloud out! we dig into why some orgs are pulling workloads back on-prem and what it means for sysadmins.

🎧 Sneak Peek of the Next Episode

Coming later this week, I’m joined by fellow Microsoft MVP Mike Nelson to talk Generative AI for SysAdmins. We’ll explore how AI Agents could soon be helping with our daily grind, and where the MCP protocol might fit in to orchestrate these tools. Think less “Skynet” and more “SysAdmin Sidekick.”

🔍 From AndyOnTech and Project Runspace

📖 Windows Server 2025 Administration Fundamentals Review
Eric reviews the latest edition of this SysAdmin staple. It’s like a Swiss Army knife for admins—now with sharper blades and an updated corkscrew.

🧱 Core Fundamentals – Securing the Windows Boot Process

Booting isn’t just about turning on the lights, it’s the front door to your entire system. If attackers slip in early enough, they own the whole house. This Microsoft guide walks through how Windows defends itself during startup with protections like Secure Boot, Trusted Boot, and ELAM (Early Launch Anti-Malware).

Understanding these layers not only helps with troubleshooting startup issues but also makes sure you’re not the admin who discovers a rootkit after it’s been running for months.

🩵 Helpful Community Content

Azure Cloud Cost Optimization – Christian Forjahn shares practical ways to stop burning cash in Azure. Because let’s face it…. we’ve all left a workload running in Azure that wasn’t being used…. at least ONCE.
Optimized Locking in Azure SQL Database – We finally had to provide something for the SQL admins out there! In this article Sergio Govoni breaks down Optimized Locking in Azure SQL DB like a pro.
404 Stress Not Found – A new community from Paul Croker! This community focuses on mental health and inclusivity in tech.
What’s New in Linux Kernel 2025 – Ben Hutchings’ talk from DebConf25 on what’s new in the Linux Kernel along with Debian’s gaps.

🎟 Other SysAdmin Content

Microsoft AI Tour Notifications – For those planning on implementing Microsoft AI solutions within their environment! Sign up to know when the AI circus comes to your city.

🔊 Security Headlines for SysAdmins

Plague: A Newly Discovered PAM-Based Backdoor for Linux – A stealthy backdoor that hooks into PAM to grant attackers persistent access.
SonicWall Zero-Day Exploitation – Active exploitation is underway. If you’re running SonicWall, now’s the time to patch or disconnect it from the internet.

🛠 Tool of the Week – DaisyDisk

Need to cleanup disk space on MacOS? DaisyDisk turns the nightmare of cleaning up disk space into a visually satisfying experience. With its interactive sunburst map, you can spot and delete storage hogs faster than you can say “temp files.” Perfect for that server you swear had a terabyte free last week.

🧠 Quick Win of the Week

When troubleshooting slow boots, disable unnecessary startup apps and services. Combine this with the Windows Event Viewer’s Boot Time Diagnostics to zero in on culprits. Small tweak, big speed gain.

🧠 Fun Retro SysAdmin Fact

Before USB sticks, sysadmins carried Zip drives! These were massive, clunky cartridges that held a whopping 100 MB. Losing one felt like losing a SAN.

☕ Wrap-Up

That’s it for this week! Whether you’re diving into AI, trimming Azure bills, or just trying to keep Linux backdoors out of your estate, remember: SysAdmins are the unsung heroes keeping the lights on.

See you next week! Same patch time, same patch channel….. or something….

--Andy