Author Archives: John S. Tonello

Use motion, Dropbox, RPi to create a remote cam

Check out an updated containerized version of this project in https://www.johntonello.com/how-my-cat-helped-me-build-a-better-iot-app/ One of the first projects I ever built on the Raspberry Pi 2 was a motion detector camera to keep track of my cats. The idea was to tune in to the home-based camera while I was away or at work so I could,… Read More »

Chef Infra in 60 seconds

This brief video provides a quick overview of Chef Infra, a versatile modern tool for infrastructure-as-code.

How to install Chef Automate and Chef Infra Server

A step-by-step guide to installing Chef Automate and Chef Infra Server on-prem so you can get started with automation and configuration management with Chef Infrastructure, Chef Compliance, and Chef App Delivery.

Chef 101: Getting Started With Automation

Take a look at some practices that can help you get a running start with your Chef automation and the principle of Policy as Code. This post is designed to be beginner-friendly. You don’t need any coding experience to follow along — just an interest in automation, and curiosity about how best to implement it… Read More »

The coding SysAdmin

For anyone working in a traditional sysadmin role, automation — and a larger DevOps conversation — can be disconcerting. Modern automation means “code” and some sysadmins insist coding is outside their job descriptions. In fact, when I was an IT director, I had a sysadmin tell me, “We don’t code.” He was content with maintaining… Read More »

SQL Server on Linux

When Wim Coekaerts, Microsoft’s vice president for open source, took the stage at LinuxCon 2016 in Toronto last summer, he came not as an adversary, but as a longtime Linux enthusiast promising to bring the power of Linux to Microsoft and vice versa. With the recent launch of SQL Server for Linux, Coekaerts is clearly… Read More »

The Tiny Internet Project

This three-part series teaches anyone interested in learning about Linux how to build what is essentially a tiny, self-contained Internet. Using old equipment and free software, you’ll build a private network (with your own domain name), build Web sites, set up an e-mail server, install and use a database, and set up a Linux distro… Read More »