IT Pro Tuesday #64

FreeIPA is an integrated identity and authentication solution for Linux/UNIX networked environments. It combines Linux (Fedora), 389 Directory Server, MIT Kerberos, NTP, DNS and Dogtag (Certificate System). Provides centralized authentication, authorization and account information by storing data about user, groups, hosts and other objects necessary to manage the security of a network. Thanks to skarsol, who recommends it as an open-source solution for cross-system, cross-platform, multi-user authentication.

Bping is a Windows ping alternative that beeps whenever a reply comes in. Can allow you to keep track of your pings without having to watch the monitor. According to the recommendation from bcahill, "you can set it to beep on ping reply or on ping failure (default). I love it because if I'm wanting to monitor when a server goes up or down, I can leave it running in the background and I'll know the instant the status changes."

Advanced Port Scanner is a network scanner with a user-friendly interface and some nice features. Helps you quickly find open ports on network computers and retrieve versions of programs running on those ports. Recommended by DarkAlman, who sees it as the "same as [Advanced IP Scanner], but for active ports."

Spiceworks Network Monitor and Helpdesk allows you to launch a fully-loaded help desk in minutes. This all-in-one solution includes inventory, network monitor and helpdesk.

Microsoft Safety Scanner helps you find and remove malware from computers running Windows 10, Windows 10 Tech Preview, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server Tech Preview, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2008. Only scans when manually triggered, and it is recommended you download a new version prior to each scan to make sure it is updated for the latest threats. 

CLCL is a free, clipboard caching utility that supports all clipboard formats. Features a customizable menu. According to JediMasterSeamus, this clipboard manager "saves so much time. And you can save templates for quick responses or frequently typed stuff."

Desktop Info displays system information on your desktop, like wallpaper, but stays in memory and updates in real time. Can be great for walk-by monitoring. Recommended by w1llynilly, who says, "It has 2 pages by default for metrics about the OS and the network/hardware. It is very lightweight and was recommended to me when I was looking for BGInfo alternatives."

True Ping is exactly the same as the standard ping program of Windows 9x, NT and 2000—except that it does a better job calculating the timing. It uses a random buffer (that changes at every ping) to improve performance. Thanks to bcahill for this one, who says, it "... can send pings very fast (hundreds per second). This is very helpful when trying to diagnose packet loss. It very quickly shows if packet loss is occurring, so I can make changes and quickly see the effect."

Parted Magic is a hard disk management solution that includes tools for disk partitioning and cloning, data rescue, disk erasing and benchmarking with Bonnie++, IOzone, Hard Info, System Stability Tester, mprime and stress. This standalone Linux operating system runs from a CD or USB drive, so nothing need be installed on the target machine. Recommended by Aggietallboy

mbuffer is a tool for buffering data streams that offers direct support for TCP-based network targets (IPv4 and IPv6), the ability to send to multiple targets in parallel and support for multiple volumes. It features I/O rate limitation, high-/low-watermark-based restart criteria, configurable buffer size and on-the-fly MD5 hash calculation in an efficient, multi-threaded implementation. Can help extend drive motor life by avoiding buffer underruns when writing to fast tape drives or libraries (those drives tend to stop and rewind in such cases). Thanks to zorinlynx, who adds, "If you move large streams from place to place, for example with "tar" or "zfs send" or use tape, mbuffer is awesome. You can send a stream over the network with a large memory buffer at each end so that momentary stalls on either end of the transfer don't reduce performance. This especially helps out when writing to tapes, as the tape drive can change directions without stopping the flow of data."

TeraCopy is a tool for copying files faster and more securely while preserving data integrity. Gives you the ability to pause/resume file transfers, verify files after copy, preserve date timestamps, copy locked files, run a shell script on completion, generate and verify checksum files and delete files securely. Integrates with Windows Explorer. Suggested by DarkAlman to "replace the integrated Windows file copy utility. Much more stable, quicker transfers, crash tolerant and adds features like 'No-to-all' and 'yes-to-all' for comparing folders."

MultiDesk & MultiDeskEnforcer are a combination of a tabbed remote desktop client (terminal services client) and a service that limits connections to only those that provide the correct shared secret (keeps hackers from accessing your server via RDP even if they have the correct password). Suggested by plazman30 as being "[s]imilar to Microsoft's RDP Manager, [b]ut doesn't need to be installed and has tabs across the top, instead of the side."

The PsTools suite includes command-line utilities for listing the processes running on local or remote computers, running processes remotely, rebooting computers, dumping event logs, and more. FYI: Some anti-virus scanners report that one or more of the tools are infected with a "remote admin" virus. None of the PsTools contain viruses, but they have been used by viruses, which is why they trigger virus notifications.

Mosh is a remote terminal application that allows roaming, supports intermittent connectivity, and provides intelligent local echo and line editing of user keystrokes. It can be a more robust and responsive replacement for interactive SSH terminals. Available for GNU/Linux, BSD, macOS, Solaris, Android, Chrome and iOS. Suggested by kshade_hyaena, who likes it "for sshing while your connection is awful."

HTTPie is a command-line HTTP client designed for easy debugging and interaction with HTTP servers, RESTful APIs and web services. Offers an intuitive interface, JSON support, syntax highlighting, wget-like downloads, plugins, and more—Linux, macOS, and Windows support. Suggested by phils_lab as "like curl, but for humans."

LibreNMS is a full-featured network monitoring system. Supports a range of operating systems including Linux, FreeBSD, as well as network devices including Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, Foundry, HP and others. Provides automatic discovery of your entire network using CDP, FDP, LLDP, OSPF, BGP, SNMP and ARP; a flexible alerting system; a full API to manage, graph and retrieve data from your install and more. TheDraimen recommends it "if you cant afford a monitoring suite."

Tftpd64 is an open-source, IPv6-ready application that includes DHCP, TFTP, DNS, SNTP and Syslog servers and a TFTP client. Both client and server are fully compatible with TFTP option support (tsize, blocksize, timeout) to allow maximum performance when transferring data. Features include directory facility, security tuning and interface filtering. The included DHCP server offers unlimited IP address assignment. Suggested by Arkiteck: "Instead of Solarwinds TFTP Server, give Tftpd64 a try (it's FOSS)."

Tree Style Tab is a Firefox add-on that allows you to open tabs in a tree-style hierarchy. New tabs open automatically as "children" of the tab from which they originated. Child branches can be collapsed to reduce the number of visible tabs. Recommended by Erasus, who says, "being a tab hoarder, having tabs on the left side of my screen is amazing + can group tabs."

AutoIt v3 is a BASIC-like scripting language for automating the Windows GUI and general scripting. It automates tasks through a combination of simulated keystrokes, mouse movement and window/control manipulation. Appreciated by gj80, who says, "I've built up 4700 lines of code with various functions revolving around global hotkeys to automate countless things for me, including a lot of custom GUI stuff. It dramatically improves my quality of life in IT."

MTPuTTY (Multi-Tabbed PuTTY) is a small utility that lets you wrap an unlimited number of PuTTY applications in a single, tabbed interface. Lets you continue using your favorite SSH client—but without the trouble of having separate windows open for each instance. XeroPoints recommends it "if you have a lot of ssh sessions."

ElastiFlow is a network flow data collection and visualization tool that uses the Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash and Kibana). Offers support for Netflow v5/v9, sFlow and IPFIX flow types (1.x versions support only Netflow v5/v9). Kindly recommended by slacker87.

SpaceSniffer is a portable tool for understanding how folders and files are structured on your disks. It uses a Treemap visualization layout to show where large folders and files are stored. It doesn't display everything at once, so data can be easier to interpret, and you can drill down and perform folder actions. Reveals things normally hidden by the OS and won't lock up when scanning a network share.

Graylog provides an open-source Linux tool for log management. Seamlessly collects, enhances, stores, and analyzes log data in a central dashboard. Features multi-threaded search and built-in fault tolerance that ensures distributed, load-balanced operation. Enterprise version is free for under 5GB per day.

Ultimate Boot CD boots from any Intel-compatible machine, regardless of whether any OS is installed on the machine. Allows you to run floppy-based diagnostic tools on machines without floppy drives by using a CDROM or USB memory stick. Saves time and enables you to consolidate many tools in one location. Thanks to stick-down for the suggestion.

MFCMAPI is designed for expert users and developers to access MAPI stores, which is helpful for investigation of Exchange and Outlook issues and providing developers with a sample for MAPI development. Appreciated by icemerc because it can "display all the folders and the subfolders that are in any message store. It can also display any address book that is loaded in a profile."

USBDeview lists all USB devices currently or previously connected to a computer. Displays details for each device—including name/description, type, serial number (for mass storage devices), date/time it was added, VendorID, ProductID, and more. Allows you to disable/enable USB devices, uninstall those that were previously used and disconnect the devices currently connected. Works on a remote computer when logged in as an admin. Thanks to DoTheEvolution for the suggestion.

WSCC - Windows System Control Center will install, update, execute and organize utilities from suites such as Microsoft Sysinternals and Nirsoft Utilities. Get all the tools you want in one convenient download!

Launchy is a cross-platform utility that indexes the programs in your start menu so you can launch documents, project files, folders and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes. Suggested by Patrick Langendoen, who tells us, "Launchy saves me clicks in the Win10 start menu. Once you get used to it, you begin wondering why this is not included by default."

Terminals is a secure, multi-tab terminal services/remote desktop client that's a complete replacement for the mstsc.exe (Terminal Services) client. Uses Terminal Services ActiveX Client (mstscax.dll). Recommended by vermyx, who likes it because "the saved connections can use saved credential profiles, so you only have to have your credentials in one place."

Captura is a flexible tool for capturing your screen, audio, cursor, mouse clicks and keystrokes. Features include mixing audio recorded from microphone and speaker output, command-line interface, and configurable hotkeys. Thanks to jantari for the recommedation.

Unlocker is a tool to help delete those irritating locked files that give you an error message like "cannot delete file" or "access is denied." It helps with killing processes, unloading DLLs, deleting index.dat files, as well as unlocking, deleting, renaming, and moving locked files—typically without requiring a reboot.

IIS Crypto's newest version adds advanced settings; registry backup; new, simpler templates; support for Windows Server 2019 and more. This tool lets you enable or disable protocols, ciphers, hashes and key exchange algorithms on Windows and reorder SSL/TLS cipher suites from IIS, change advanced settings, implement best practices with a single click, create custom templates and test your website. Available in both command line and GUI versions.

RocketDock is an application launcher with a clean interface that lets you drag/drop shortcuts for easy access and minimize windows to the dock. Features running application indicators, multi-monitor support, alpha-blended PNG and ICO icons, auto-hide and popup on mouse over, positioning and layering options. Fully customizable, portable, and compatible with MobyDock, ObjectDock, RK Launcher and Y'z Dock skins. Works even on slower computers and is Unicode compliant. Suggested by lieutenantcigarette: "If you like the dock on MacOS but prefer to use Windows, RocketDock has you covered. A superb and highly customisable dock that you can add your favourites to for easy and elegant access."

Baby FTP Server offers only the basics, but with the power to serve as a foundation for a more-complex server. Features include multi-threading, a real-time server log, support for PASV and non-PASV mode, ability to set permissions for download/upload/rename/delete/create directory. Only allows anonymous connections. Our thanks to FatherPrax for suggesting this one.

Strace is a Linux diagnostic, debugging and instructional userspace tool with a traditional command-line interface. Uses the ptrace kernel feature to monitor and tamper with interactions between processes and the kernel, including system calls, signal deliveries and changes of process state.

exa is a small, fast replacement for ls with more features and better defaults. It uses colors to distinguish file types and metadata, and it recognizes symlinks, extended attributes and Git. All in one single binary. phils_lab describes it as "'ls' on steroids, written in Rust."

rsync is a faster file transfer program for Unix to bring remote files into sync. It sends just the differences in the files across the link, without requiring both sets of files to be present at one of the ends. Suggested by zorinlynx, who adds that "rsync is GODLY for moving data around efficiently. And if an rsync is interrupted, just run it again."

Matter Wiki is a simple WYSIWYG wiki that can help teams store and collaborate. Every article gets filed under a topic, transparently, so you can tell who made what changes to which document and when. Thanks to bciar-iwdc for the recommendation.

LockHunter is a file unlocking tool that enables you to delete files that are being blocked for unknown reasons. Can be useful for fighting malware and other programs that are causing trouble. Deletes files into the recycle bin so you can restore them if necessary. Chucky2401 finds it preferable to Unlocker, "since I am on Windows 7. There are no new updates since July 2017, but the last beta was in June of this year."

aria2 is a lightweight multi-source command-line download utility that supports HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, BitTorrent and Metalink. It can be manipulated via built-in JSON-RPC and XML-RPC interfaces. Recommended by jftuga, who appreciates it as a "cross-platform command line downloader (similar to wget or curl), but with the -x option can run a segmented download of a single file to increase throughput."

 

Free Services

Free DNS is a service where programmers share domain names with one another at no cost. Offers free hosting as well as dynamic DNS, static DNS, subdomain and domain hosting. They can host your domain's DNS as well as allowing you to register hostnames from domains they're hosting already. If you don't have a domain, you can sign up for a free account and create up to 5 subdomains off the domains others have contributed and point these hosts anywhere on the Internet. Thanks to 0x000000000000004C (yes, that's a username) for the suggestion!

ANY.RUN is an interactive malware analysis service for dynamic and static research of the majority of threats in any environment. It can provide a convenient in-depth analysis of new, unidentified malicious objects and help with the investigation of incidents. ImAshtonTurner appreciates it as "a great sandbox tool for viewing malware, etc."

The Broadcast Storm is a podcast for Cisco networking professionals. BluePieceOfPaper suggests it "for people studying for their CCNA/NP. Kevin Wallace is a CCIE Collaboration so he knows his *ishk. Good format for learning too. Most podcasts are about 8-15 mins long and its 'usually' an exam topic. It will be something like "HSPR" but instead of just explaining it super boring like Ben Stein reading a powerpoint, he usually goes into a story about how (insert time in his career) HSPR would have been super useful..."

The Practice of System and Network Administration, 3rd Edition introduces beginners to advanced frameworks while serving as a guide to best practices in system administration that is helpful for even the most advanced experts. Organized into four major sections that build from the foundational elements of system administration through improved techniques for upgrades and change management to exploring assorted management topics. Covers the basics and then moves onto the advanced things that can be built on top of those basics to wield real power and execute difficult projects.

To rename a file with F2, while still editing the name of that file: Hit TAB to tab into the renaming of the next file.
Thanks to abeeftaco for this one!

Browser shortcut: When typing a URL that ends with dot com, Ctrl + Enter will place the ".com" and take you to the page.
Thanks to wpierre for this one!

KC's Blog is the place where Microsoft MVP and web developer Kent Chen shares his IT insights and discoveries. The rather large library of posts offer helpful hints, how-tos, resources and news of interest to those in the Windows world. 

The Windows Server Daily is the ever-current blog of technologist Katherine Moss, VP of open source & community engagement for StormlightTech. Offers brief daily posts on topics related to Windows server, Windows 10 and Administration.