Resources
This is a place to put useful links and tools I’ve found.
Password Management
These tools will help you generate secure passwords and give you a safe place to put them.
- KeePass – A place to store passwords securely, and it’s free!
- UseAPassphrase.com – A way to generate random passwords that are easy to remember and hard for computers to guess.
Networking
Network simulators let you create virtual networks you can use while studying certifications like CompTIA Network+ and CCNA.
- Cisco Packet Tracer is Cisco’s official network simulator. It’s free but not open source and requires a Cisco Networking Academy user account.
- GNS3 – A free and open-source network simulator. Includes support for other manufacturers besides Cisco.
- pfSense – A free and open-source firewall and router.
Virtualization
In order to work with virtual machines, you need to have software to run them.
- VirtualBox – A free and open-source virtual machine host.
- VMware Workstation Pro – Free for personal use but requires a Broadcom user account.
Windows
Microsoft allows you to download and install evaluation versions of its operating systems for testing and development. I’ll use them to create and configure my Windows environment to practice systems administration.
Note: Evaluation ISOs are only good for 180 days, so be sure to make a snapshot of your VM after it’s set up so you have something to roll back to!
- Windows Server 2022 – Most companies use Windows as their operating system and Windows Server to manage users, groups, security policies, and other services like DNS and websites. Windows Server can do all of this.
- Windows 11 – This is the most current version of the Windows desktop operating system, and what most new computers will ship with. We can use this to create a client computer. We need to use either Enterprise or Professional if we want to be able to join it to a domain.
- Windows 10 – I’ve been told that a lot of people are still using Windows 10 at work, so I thought it would be a good idea to include that also. The LTSC (Long Term Servicing Channel) version has fewer updates and is more stable, which is good for virtual labs.
Published @ August 23, 2024 4:46 pm