Deploying MSI installers with group policy is super neat and super handy…. Most of the time. Sometimes, though, you need a bit more than just the default options when pushing out packages, and for those of us that don’t have a wheelbarrow full of money to burn on System Center there are two ways to do this: Use a GP Preference Item to distribute a configuration file to managed systems Create a transform set to apply to the MSI installer file While the first approach at first seems more straightforward, it does lead to the inevitable “GPO Spaghetti” once packages are added and removed.

Preface: Don’t do this on prod gear. This is a bad idea! I’ve long been a fan of automated deployment. During the fourth semester technical project at Fanshawe, I had a wonderful domain tree with OUs and global groups, group policies and delegated permissions. It was truly a nice domain. It just…. Felt a little lonely. Enter PowerShell. Using a fairly simple script, I was able to cozy up the domains with the right users in the right places.

Cisco IOS. It’s fun to configure, isn’t it? No? In an effort to learn Python scripting, I decided to take a bit of the monotony of managing and updating IOS config files away and replace it with the monotony of managing and updating spreadsheets! The real goal with this project was to design a ‘gitops’ system for periodically checking configs against baselines and build a stripped down orchestration platform. This turned out to be a little ambitious, but I’m fairly happy with the results regardless.

Everybody and their aunt has a NAS at home, but what about something with a bit more pizzazz? How about if I build a system out of standard, off the shelf, ‘surplus sale’ gear and spin it into a really neat storage appliance? The Gear At Fanshawe College, the ‘Asset Sale’ is a proud tradition. IT students line up around the block to get good deals on retired and scratch-and-dent electronics.

In 2018 I decided to stop worrying and embrace the cloud. Here’s how. Throughout the process, my focus was on low cost and simplicity, and I must say, this was a truly valuable experience. Getting a domain First stop was buying my domain. I opted to buy from Namecheap thanks to the student deals they have. Next stop was moving the domain somewhere better. Not to insult Namecheap, they’re a decent registrar.