Authencating SSH using YubiKey PIV

November 5, 2023 - 4 mins read

If you have ever seen my previous posts, you might know that I have two YubiKeys and a bunch of Linux servers. Passwords are far from secure when comparing them with a pair of keys. Technically not a pair of keys, just because I’m talking about asymmetric keys, so a pair of. But if you decide to switch to Keys instead of Passwords, it’s highly possible that you will run into a trouble when you don’t know how to take care of your keys.

Getting Started With Parchive

July 25, 2023 - 4 mins read

What is Parchive? Parchive is redundant file format. If you lose part of your file in transmission or in storage, you can use a Parchive file to repair it. It’s like RAID for files instead of a whole file system. – parchive.github.io It uses a codec called Reed-Solomon Codes. Yes, the same codec that is used by RAID-5. Parchive is essentially parity files for files. Getting Started Parchive project has been there for nearly 20 years, thus there are a lot of compatible software that can create/use PAR2 files.

GnuPG for Everyone

July 18, 2023 - 10 mins read

Introduction In today’s digital age, safeguarding our personal information and communications is of utmost importance. One effective solution to ensure privacy and security is GnuPG (GNU Privacy Guard). In this blog post, we’ll explore what GnuPG is and how it can help you protect your sensitive data from prying eyes. What is GnuPG? GnuPG, also known as GNU Privacy Guard, is a software application that allows you to encrypt and sign your data.

CSL Mobile Roaming in mainland China Experience

July 13, 2023 - 2 mins read

Recently I have purchased an HK Mobi prepaid SIM card. The card is essentially a Prepaid HKCSL SIM. My plan includes 12 GB of local data, 12 GB of Greater China Roaming data, 2000 minutes of local call, as well as 38 HK$ of balance. This post focuses on the roaming experience in mainland China, my primary residence. Test environment The test machine is a OnePlus 8, the phone supports 5G, but the card only supports 4G/LTE roaming.

SHA, but it displays as words.

July 13, 2023 - 2 mins read

What is SHA & What is the problem SHA, also Secure Hashing Algorithm, is a widely used hash algorithm. It is used to validate the integrity of your files and messages. However, your hash may looks like this. e35386cfc8311b630a29da909dff48d3334caf2ee85c6318a86d1496afa5ed14 This is a SHA256sum, it is a 64-byte long string constructed with HEX. It is hard to remember and if you need to verify the integrity of the files with your recipient over, let’s say phone or IRC.

We switched to Static!

July 12, 2023 - 1 min read

After the careful consideration, we decided to switch to static blog eventually. That’s right, we are ditching WordPress! Originally, we used Neve with WordPress, running on OVHcloud. It works fine, but we all know WordPress is very heavy and slow, especially for low-end machines like the OVH one. Now, we changed a lot. We used Hugo as our static site generator, and used Poison as our theme. I also self-hosted Remark42 as our commenting system, running on Oracle Cloud, and it will be replicated to the United States every day to ensure that our data is safe.

Proxmox Backup Client on ARM?

July 8, 2023 - 3 mins read

Proxmox Backup Server/Client is software that helps you protect and secure your important data. It creates and manages backups of your computer systems, files, and virtual machines. It schedules regular backups, stores them safely, and allows easy restoration. It also supports virtual machine backups, making it a comprehensive backup solution. However, you may find no ARM support for Proxmox Backup Server or Client, just like the Proxmox VE. http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pbs-client/dists/bookworm/main, as you can see that there is only support for amd64.

Storage stuff which I use.

July 8, 2023 - 7 mins read

Disclaimer No brands nor manufacturers paid me to write this blog post. It is entirely based on my own experiences. Introduction In the ever-evolving landscape of the digital era, our lives have become intricately intertwined with the vast realm of the internet. From streaming our favorite movies and music to capturing precious moments through high-resolution photographs, our reliance on online services continues to grow exponentially. As we immerse ourselves in this digital revolution, the need for robust and efficient storage devices becomes paramount.

Configuring network for Proxmox VE on OCI ARM

June 24, 2023 - 5 mins read

A few months ago, I posted a tutorial on how to install Proxmox VE on the ARM instance of OCI, and this is a follow-up. Original Post Goal The goal is to create a container that has NAT IPv4 (only for IPv4 connection, no ports opened, and with PVE, it is not possible to do that, at least with no official methods), and has a dedicated IPv6 address. Requirements You need to have a working PVE instance running on OCI, tutorial above.

Hosting a password manager? Why and how (vaultwarden)

June 24, 2023 - 8 mins read

In the modern era, where our lives are increasingly intertwined with technology, the need for robust digital security has become more crucial than ever. One of the fundamental aspects of securing our online presence lies in the effective management of passwords. With the multitude of online accounts and services we use on a daily basis, it has become almost impossible to remember unique and strong passwords for each one. This is where password managers come into play, offering a convenient and secure solution to this ongoing challenge.