Blog posts

PowerShell Host IPC for any .NET application

Explore how PowerShell enables interprocess communication (IPC) using named pipes in .NET applications, allowing seamless remote control and API access. This hands-on guide walks through creating custom named pipes, using Enter-PSHostProcess for connection, and integrating PowerShell with your .NET projects to enhance flexibility and streamline automation workflows with real-world examples.

Marc-André Moreau published on
4 min, 678 words

Enable PowerShell WinRM Remoting in PowerShell 7

Enable PowerShell 7 WinRM remoting for efficient server management without relying on SSH. This post provides a straightforward method to incorporate PowerShell 7 into Windows environments, ensuring compatibility and simplifying remoting tasks with practical code snippets and configuration advice.

Marc-André Moreau published on
7 min, 1224 words

Decompiling Hyper-V Manager to rebuild it from source

This post guides through decompiling Hyper-V Manager to rebuild it from source, aiming to assess its value for potential open-sourcing. It explores manual and automated decompilation processes, including troubleshooting and enhancing the tool, advocating for community-led improvements to this widely-used but neglected software.

Marc-André Moreau published on
21 min, 4116 words

Debugging PowerShell Binary Modules in Visual Studio

Learn to create and debug PowerShell binary modules in Visual Studio, covering both local and remote debugging. This guide simplifies the development process for PowerShell modules, enhancing productivity with practical examples and troubleshooting tips for common issues.

Marc-André Moreau published on
12 min, 2353 words

Active Directory Kerberos KDC certificate selection

Discover the intricacies of Active Directory's Kerberos KDC certificate selection for PKINIT, including techniques for choosing a specific certificate, analysis using IDA Pro, and PowerShell cmdlets for managing certificates. This deep dive explores the challenges and solutions for ensuring the right KDC certificate is used, overcoming the unpredictability of certificate selection in Windows environments.

Marc-André Moreau published on
9 min, 1711 words

Active Directory LDAPS certificate selection deep dive

A deep dive into Active Directory LDAPS certificate selection, detailing the technical intricacies of ensuring secure communications through TLS. This guide covers the validation and selection process, including PowerShell scripts for certificate management, aiming to clarify and resolve common issues with LDAPS implementation.

Marc-André Moreau published on
7 min, 1329 words

RDP NLA with Azure AD: The PKU2U Nightmare

This post tackles the challenges of RDP Network Level Authentication (NLA) with Azure AD, labeled as the PKU2U nightmare, offering detailed solutions for common problems. It addresses enabling PKU2U authentication, Azure AD workplace joining, the correct Azure AD username format, and third-party application support, providing both technical insights and practical steps to mitigate these issues in Azure AD environments.

Marc-André Moreau published on
7 min, 1223 words

RDP Smartcard Logon: User Name Does Not Exist

Navigate through the confusion of "the specified user name does not exist" error during RDP smartcard logon, offering insights into common misinterpretations and actionable solutions. This post breaks down error messages, suggests disabling strict KDC validation, and guides on certificate trust validation, ensuring successful authentication with practical steps and PowerShell commands.

Marc-André Moreau published on
7 min, 1332 words

PowerShell Remoting Trusted Hosts: What does it mean?

This guide demystifies the "TrustedHosts" setting in PowerShell remoting, explaining its significance and how to configure it to avoid common errors. It offers solutions for enabling remote connections, particularly when Kerberos or HTTPS isn't used, ensuring security and connectivity for non-domain-joined machines or across different domains.

Marc-André Moreau published on
7 min, 1271 words

Windows Hello: Cloud Kerberos Trust, or Key Trust?

Unpack the dilemma between Cloud Kerberos Trust and Key Trust in Windows Hello for Business deployments. This post navigates through troubleshooting login issues, clarifying deployment types, and offering solutions for transitioning between deployment models with Group Policy and PowerShell, ensuring a smoother Windows Hello setup and operational reliability.

Marc-André Moreau published on
4 min, 679 words

Fix Kerberos Machine TGT Fetching on Startup

Resolve RDP NLA issues on domain-joined devices outside the corporate network by configuring a scheduled task to fetch the Kerberos machine TGT at startup. This practical solution ensures secure, remote desktop access without compromising network security, detailed with step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting tips.

Marc-André Moreau published on
2 min, 347 words

Pleroma Backup and Restore Procedure

Master the Pleroma backup and restore process with this comprehensive guide, which offers detailed steps for efficiently securing your Pleroma instance. From creating a backup script to restoring data on a new machine, this tutorial ensures you're prepared for data migration or recovery, tailored for administrators with limited system administration experience.

Marc-André Moreau published on
4 min, 635 words

Tags: Linux

Add Trusted Root CA certificate on Ubuntu

A concise guide on adding a trusted Root CA certificate on Ubuntu, ideal for those who frequently need to ensure their system trusts custom Root CAs. It offers a straightforward procedure, from verifying the certificate format with the file command to converting and installing it, ensuring system-wide trust with practical commands.

Marc-André Moreau published on
1 min, 138 words

Tags: Linux

Free ARM server with 4 CPUs, 24GB of RAM and 200GB storage!

Discover how to leverage Oracle Cloud's Free Tier to deploy an ARM server, complete with 4 CPUs, 24GB RAM, and 200GB storage, without any costs. This guide walks you through creating an Oracle Cloud account, setting up a virtual machine, and initial configurations to get you started on utilizing these robust free cloud resources for your projects.

Marc-André Moreau published on
5 min, 831 words

Tags: Linux

Pleroma: same fediverse, better than Mastodon!

Dive into the advantages of Pleroma over Mastodon within the same Fediverse, showcasing how it remains lightweight yet feature-rich, offering full-text search, quote posts, and emoji reactions while maintaining compatibility with Mastodon. This step-by-step guide for installing Pleroma on Linux ensures an easy setup, emphasizing its superiority with practical examples for a more efficient and enriched social media experience.

Marc-André Moreau published on
3 min, 408 words

Tags: Linux

Disabling Web Proxy Auto Detect (WPAD) Correctly

Explore the correct method to disable Web Proxy Auto Detect (WPAD) in Windows to enhance security without breaking essential components. This guide clarifies common misconceptions and provides a safe approach using registry modifications, avoiding potential pitfalls associated with service deactivation.

Marc-André Moreau published on
2 min, 316 words