Complete Tailscale Guide; Setup, Deployment, and Hardening

The Complete Tailscale Guide:
Setup, Deployment, and Hardening

If you've ever wrestled with port forwarding, dynamic DNS, or a clunky traditional VPN just to reach a device at home or a server at work, Tailscale is about to change your life. It creates a private mesh network (called a tailnet) across all your devices, wherever they are, with no open ports and no complex firewall rules. It just works.

This guide covers everything: creating and securing your account, installing Tailscale on Windows, Linux, virtual machines, and Docker containers, and hardening your tailnet so it's both maximally secure and actually pleasant to use.

Cybersecurity & IT/Networking Apps - Android

Cybersecurity, Networking & IT Related Apps; That I Actually Use (*For Android)

After 20+ years running Pacific Northwest Computers, I've installed, uninstalled, and re-installed a lot of "must have" Android apps. Most of what gets marketed as a "hacker toolkit" on the Play Store is either abandoned, repackaged, or outright malicious. So I figured I'd share the apps that have actually earned a spot on my phone for use all of the time, or just if/as needed. Nonetheless, these are the ones I can and do reach for during client visits, network troubleshooting, and security work.

This isn't a sponsored list. 

These are the tools I use, or have used.

Raspberry Pi Zero 2W General Setup 101 (Headless)

 

Setup & Configure Your Raspberry Pi Zero 2W:
The Ultimate Headless Setup Guide

The Raspberry Pi Zero, a marvel of miniaturization, offers incredible computing power in a tiny, affordable package. But its small size often means less direct interaction – no built-in screen, no bulky keyboard. This is where the magic of a headless setup truly shines.

Imagine a silent, power-efficient micro-server, tucked away in a corner, diligently running your automation tasks, hosting lightweight applications, or providing secure network services, all without needing a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. This guide will walk you through transforming your Raspberry Pi Zero into exactly that: a robust, optimized, and secure headless server.

We'll cover everything from the initial OS installation using the intuitive Raspberry Pi Imager, through critical system updates, essential package installations, crucial performance optimizations like ZRAM, and fundamental security configurations. By the end of this journey, you'll have a lean, mean, server machine ready to tackle your projects. Let's dive in and unlock the full potential of your compact companion!

RAID Controller HBA Mode PLUS Proxmox ZFS Setup Tutorial

RAID HBA Mode & Proxmox ZFS Setup

Overview

This tutorial covers converting a RAID controller to HBA (Host Bus Adapter) mode and setting up ZFS storage in Proxmox. HBA mode allows ZFS to directly manage individual drives, providing better performance and ZFS's advanced features.

ProxMox VE: Installation & Free Edition Configuration

Setting Up ProxMox VE:

Installation and Free Edition Configuration

ProxMox Virtual Environment (VE) is a powerful open-source virtualization platform that combines KVM virtualization and LXC containers on a single platform. Whether you're building a homelab or deploying enterprise infrastructure, ProxMox offers enterprise-grade features without the enterprise price tag.

In this guide, we'll walk through the essential steps for installing ProxMox and configuring it for the free edition, including the crucial repository fixes that every non-subscription user needs to know.