SysAdmin Weekly #7
Capes Optional, Tools Required: From Bicep to Bash, SysAdmins wielding the right tools (and a little forgiveness)
Welcome to your weekly dose of IT sanity, served piping hot! Note: All newsletter and podcast links are live and tracked at www.sysadminweekly.com
š§ This Weekās Insight(s)
With AI tools continuing to evolve at lightspeed, and more vendors making major shifts (hi, Broadcom š), this weekās theme is āNavigating the Changing Landscape.ā Whether itās AI nudging its way into your toolchain, markdown support sneaking into Notepad (finally), or your hypervisor stack being thrown into chaos, adaptability is your superpower. From PowerShell to Bicep, the tools are changing, but the mission stays the same: keep the lights on, automate what you can, and never stop learning.
The question then always comes back to, āhow can I adapt?ā Your toolset and your learned skills will always see you through the ups and downs of the SysAdmin life. I mean, come onā¦. even Batman has his utility belt right? Itās fitting then that our themes over the last couple of editions have focused in one way, or another, on learning and continuing to augment your SysAdmin utility belt, because the utility belt changes, but the will and the knowledge needed to use those tools MUST evolve to fit the current IT ecosystem.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programmingā¦
š¹ Latest on the SysAdmin Weekly Podcast
š§ Agentic AI & Infrastructure as Code
Andy and Luke Orellana dive into how agentic AI is shaking up DevOps and Infrastructure as Code workflows. Think of this episode as your AI 101 for the tools that may soon be writing your deployment pipelinesā¦..or breaking them in fascinating new ways.
š§ In Case You Missed It on SysAdmin Weekly
š§ Hyper-V Licensing for VMware Admins
Still timely as ever given the Broadcom drama. If youāre jumping off the VMware train and looking at Hyper-V as your next stop, this episode breaks down what you actually need to know about licensing. Spoiler: itās not as painful as you think, but itās not guaranteed plug-and-play eitherā¦. such is licensing.
š From Andy On Tech and Project Runspace
PowerShell Parameters: Mandatory + Default = ?
Eric digs into PowerShell parameters in this article. What happens when you mix Mandatory with a default value? Spoiler: not what you might expect.
How to Use Copilot for Certification Prep
Yes, itās a bit older. And yes, itās about Copilot again. But this one explores how to repurpose GitHub Copilot as a study tool for certification exams. Not bad when you need a break from dry PDFs.
š©µ Helpful Community Content
š ļø Another VMware Alternative: Harvester
Vladan Seget explores Harvester, another potential option for the VMware escapees out there. Worth a look if youāre evaluating open-source or hybrid hypervisors.
š§± Local Deployments in Bicep
Sam Cogan walks through Bicepās new local deployment capabilities for the purpose of extension use. Yes, itās real. No, it doesnāt mean you get to skip CI/CD forever.
š§° PowerShell Module Manifest Basics
Adam the Automator breaks down how to create PowerShell module manifests. A must-read if youāre cleaning up that 6,000-line script that really shouldāve been a module by now.
āļø RTCsec News ā WebRTC & VOIP Security Newsletter
This niche gem from Sandro Gauci and Alfred Farrugia digs into threats and vulnerabilities in the WebRTC/VOIP world. For anyone running comms stacks, this oneās pure gold.
š§ Reddit Reminder: Everyone Makes Mistakes
A SysAdmin admits a major screw-up and contemplates quitting. The community response? Empathy, perspective, and dozens of real-life war stories. This is the kind of vulnerability and support that makes our field stronger.
šļø Other SysAdmin Content from Vendors and Official Publications
š
AI for Hybrid & On-Prem Infra Webinar
Rick Claus and team are back with a great event on applying AI in hybrid/on-prem scenarios. If youāre wondering where AI fits in your infrastructure strategy, this is one not to miss. Seriously, give it a look. Rick and his team are known for putting out top-tier SysAdmin content!
āļø Markdown Comes to Notepad (Finally!)
Markdown support is finally rolling into Notepad for Insiders. Your readme file just got an upgrade without needing to open VSCode. Rejoice!
š Security Headlines for SysAdmins
Sudo Vulnerabilities Let Local Users Gain Root
If you manage Linux machines, this oneās critical. Patch immediately or risk users with local access popping root shells like itās 1999.
Public Exploits Released for CitrixBleed 2
Exploits are out in the wild. Patch now or prepare for a very long weekend. This vulnerability affects NetScaler appliances, so if youāre running them in productionā¦ stop reading and go patch.
š ļø Tool of the Week
GitHub Copilot
Tying into this weekās podcast episode as well as our previous podcast episode regarding the same, GitHub Copilot remains a game-changer for Infrastructure as Code and scripting. But itās not magic, think of it as a rubber duck that occasionally writes code for you instead of just brutally judging your indentation and formatting.
š§ Fun Retro SysAdmin Fact
In 1999, Linux could run on a Sega Dreamcast.
Thatās right. Using KallistiOS or NetBSD, some glorious nerds made Linux boot on Segaās ill-fated console. It wasnāt fast, but it was real. Who says old consoles canāt have second lives as servers?
ā Wrap-Up
Stay curious. Stay caffeinated. And remember: no oneās job title is āAI Victim. Youāre the one steering the tech. Even if it feels like youāre also wrestling with it half the time.
If you found something helpful this week, share the newsletter with your favorite IT wingman(woman). You know the one. Probably lives in dark mode. Probably hasnāt patched Citrix yet. Help them out.
Until next week,
- Andy