DVNO42's recent activity
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
DVNO42 (edited )LinkDanger There be talk of 'cool thing" with an LLMs ahead but not written by a toaster. =) I've been working on a passion project (now small business) coming up on 6 years (guess I can't call it a...Danger There be talk of 'cool thing" with an LLMs ahead but not written by a toaster. =)
I've been working on a passion project (now small business) coming up on 6 years (guess I can't call it a passion project any more?) making IT management software geared towards MSPs (think settings management, policy validation, config backups, etc across network/servers/workstations) and getting it all packaged on Azure with a pretty interface.
For context I've built out a set of systems to capture and structure device state/config, strip secrets, etc then exposed that info in the UI. Like everyone else, I've been evaluating how/if LLMs have a place in the stack so I created a CLI tool to read from my software which I can give to agents (this abstraction has helped wrangle the LLM to work more rigidly and control access). With everything being structured data, that cuts down on the context of an LLM to see things like "what's installed", "how's it configured", "what ospf settings are in place and what are your neighbors", "what are you plugged into?" etc. Using the CLI just returns narrow json of what's being queried through the CLI.
That's made planning and labbing out changes MUCH easier (esp when used in conjunction with something like container lab). I can now use the CLI/LLM combo to query complex state for things like "show me Fortigate firewall policies at all sites involved with any windows servers running xyz software but only the ones with 10g bonded links" and an agent will use the cli tool to query only the narrow sections of config/state required to answer the question.
Now I've taken it a step further, directing an LLM to review an IT project's requirements and write manifests of changes against the framework of my system change tool and tests against that structured data and feed it back into the system (via that cli tool) which presents a rigid change proposal in the UI. I can then review work against real equipment but with the safety of eyes on the proposed work approving/editing/rejecting changes from the UI with mandatory approvals for any changes. Click the approve button and runners are dispatched to make the changes/run the tests/handle rollbacks.
Needless to say, I eventually got approval for a POC on a real and large client environment to execute a project in this fashion.... and it worked spectacularly well!! Come maintenance windows the process for this particular pilot had become "click the go button and move cables from here to there as told by the UI". I was also able to have cable labels automatically printed to the guys onsite as they moved cables.
I've liked this abstraction of putting software/controls between real equipment and the LLM so it can't directly touch anything. I feel like there's an emerging market to make industry specific tools like this; "Human > LLM > Tool/abstraction/controls > Real thing" where a human can be in the middle to review/approve/audit/etc.
Anyway, I've been enjoying exploring and learning these new (to me) abstractions and wanted to share what I've spending all my time on.
The biggest trouble I've had is wrangling LLMs to be be brief in their verbiage. Change manifests have worked well so far but the amount of exhaustive text they spit out is borderline unusable to a human (which I fear promotes clicking "next, next, next"). What's the answer? A post production agent pass?
Is anyone doing something similar? Has it worked well for you?
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Comment on WiFi 5 beamforming is able to infer the identity of individuals without a WiFi device on them through passively recording communication in radio networks in ~tech
DVNO42 LinkThis has been on my mind a lot lately. Pure speculation but carriers like Gfiber have a pretty heavy vertical hand in provisioning home routers and I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to...This has been on my mind a lot lately. Pure speculation but carriers like Gfiber have a pretty heavy vertical hand in provisioning home routers and I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to collect analytics on users "occupancy", "movement patterns", etc in the home to correlate with other data sets (bssids from smart watches/phones) and sell to data brokers for ad purposes. In public this is likely already the case and worse. Interesting applications in physical security though when combined with cctv. Either way, I hate it =).
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Comment on Networking: DHCP+VPN, LAN communication query in ~comp
DVNO42 LinkI'm having a tough time following along but it sounds like you're trying to do split tunneling, I.e.; access resources locally (both on the 10.5.1.0/24 subnet as well as 10.5.0.0/24 and have...I'm having a tough time following along but it sounds like you're trying to do split tunneling, I.e.; access resources locally (both on the 10.5.1.0/24 subnet as well as 10.5.0.0/24 and have everything else go through the VPN interface?
Sounds like your client is on Android? There is an alternative wireguard frontend that has some level of split tunneling that might help you called "WG Tunnel" that might expose the features you need.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
DVNO42 (edited )LinkI started going to the normal gym a few months ago (as opposed to yoga or the more circus oriented spaces I usually hang out in) and have been iterating on a routine with the help of ye' old LLM....I started going to the normal gym a few months ago (as opposed to yoga or the more circus oriented spaces I usually hang out in) and have been iterating on a routine with the help of ye' old LLM. So far I've been pretty happy with the results! I ended up vibe coding a little web app to track and give a quick reference of exercises and it's certainly helped me stay consistent. I used ffmpeg/yt-dlp to rip/convert each workout I wanted to do into a short gif and embedded different views of the movement as I've learned each move. Repo if anyone's curious.
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Comment on Updated 2025 fall vaccine guide in ~health
DVNO42 Link ParentEeep! Good call on that. "Rabipuuur" seems appropriate.Eeep! Good call on that. "Rabipuuur" seems appropriate.
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Comment on Updated 2025 fall vaccine guide in ~health
DVNO42 Link ParentI assume they are referring to the pre exposure rabies shots. Iirc, that allows you need less shots after you've had an exposure event.I assume they are referring to the pre exposure rabies shots. Iirc, that allows you need less shots after you've had an exposure event.
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Comment on Looking for tips/advice for a hardware firewall/VPN for a small to medium size nonprofit in ~tech
DVNO42 (edited )LinkFortinet may be another option comparable to paloalto in quality with less of a learning curve (IMO). They sell switches and other devices that can be managed through the firewall for relatively...Fortinet may be another option comparable to paloalto in quality with less of a learning curve (IMO). They sell switches and other devices that can be managed through the firewall for relatively low cost (relative to Palo). Their VPN client is fine for business users (TLS or ipsec tunnels but no Wireguard). Fairly predictable and easy to maintain equipment. These days, IMO, they are a big step up from the Sonicwalls of yesteryear in regards to stability and administrative stress levels. Their switching products (forriswirch) have no place in a datacenter but are fine for top of rack or user access switches. Edit Cisco pushes everything hard when it comes to sales... Not sure about Meraki but their normal TAC has become borderline unusable and account managers seem to have a high churn rate. I.e.; I'm trying to say their support is lacking.
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Comment on Google Maps now shows the 'Gulf of America' for US users in ~tech
DVNO42 LinkMy guess is he's testing the legal boundaries (see how courts respon, who responds, how quickly, etc) and sewing administrative chaos with agencies (he's causing a hell of a back log of BS). I...My guess is he's testing the legal boundaries (see how courts respon, who responds, how quickly, etc) and sewing administrative chaos with agencies (he's causing a hell of a back log of BS).
I think of it as testing a security systems weak points before making a bigger change attempt...
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Comment on What are some traditional internet forums that you still use? in ~tech
DVNO42 LinkVehicle and travel forums! Ih8mud for the Land Cruiser enthusiast. Advrider and 'the hubb' (horizons unlimited) for motorcycle travel. I also enjoy AudioScienceReview - stereo/audio enthusiasts.Vehicle and travel forums!
Ih8mud for the Land Cruiser enthusiast.
Advrider and 'the hubb' (horizons unlimited) for motorcycle travel.I also enjoy AudioScienceReview - stereo/audio enthusiasts.
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Comment on System76's COSMIC desktop environment enters public alpha in ~comp
DVNO42 (edited )Link ParentI feel you on that opinion. The default DE settings always seem to blow everything up in size with large spacing between each item and wasted screen real estate like it's made for your...I feel you on that opinion. The default DE settings always seem to blow everything up in size with large spacing between each item and wasted screen real estate like it's made for your grandparents. Personally, I want a compact UI where there isn't so much spacing between everything. The rounded corners on everything also make it feel like a toy rather than a professional tool. I have no doubt settings can be tweaked or modified to accomplish that though. Regardless, I'm excited that that these DE continue to be developed and iterated on. I suspect some day when OSX has gone full bore enshitified, we'll all be grateful that these open source environments exist. Edit I should add, the work done on this DE is very impressive with no shortage of skill and effort put in. I'm excited to give it a spin.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
DVNO42 LinkI've been creating a tacacs server as part of my NMS platform for network devices with authentication happening against Azure Entra. User SSHes to a switch and gets a URL and code, user goes to...I've been creating a tacacs server as part of my NMS platform for network devices with authentication happening against Azure Entra. User SSHes to a switch and gets a URL and code, user goes to URL and enters code and logs in to Microsoft Entra. User presses "Enter" on router SSH prompt and gets in with list of commands/priv associated. Password never goes through the network switch =D but validates the user authns through MS. In addition, I now collect accounting information from said devices, normalize it and ship it off to Azure log workspace table (and trigger auto backups/diffs). All of this along with authorizations gets controlled through the web UI. Next part I need to do is setup token forwarding (or similar) from the web front end to the switch as the 'password' then validate the short lived token is valid, that way a user logs into my NMS UI and clicks a device and automatically gets SSOed against their Azure creds and straight to the switch. Obv, there's a lot more to this like offline 'break glass' accounts, caching, etc, but it's coming along! Very satisfying feeling to see the pieces come together and work with real Cisco, Fortinet, Aruba, etc devices after so much effort.
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Comment on What online subscriptions do you pay for? in ~tech
DVNO42 LinkKagi for search, fastmail, and Deezer for music. Waiting for a better alternative to the latter though, not a fan of the recommendation engine. Monthly? Not much else though. Prepping for a...Kagi for search, fastmail, and Deezer for music. Waiting for a better alternative to the latter though, not a fan of the recommendation engine. Monthly? Not much else though.
Prepping for a cycling tour so "ridewithgps" or something like that as well. Using it to simplify route planning. I think it has a monthly fee.
Ah, I also pay yearly for di.fm. Prob won't renew that though.
Nexusmods when I want to download a bunch of mods. It charges monthly but I immediately unsubscribe after using it for an hour.
Edit: and ye' old Mullvad. I'm still butthurt about the lack of port forwarding but haven't moved off of it yet. It works well for my phone.
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Comment on Minimalist android launcher suggestions in ~tech
DVNO42 LinkI've been a happy usr of Nova Launcher since almost the beginning of Android. Equivalent of a windows 95 theme on windows vista.I've been a happy usr of Nova Launcher since almost the beginning of Android. Equivalent of a windows 95 theme on windows vista.
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Comment on Please help me pick an eReader! in ~books
DVNO42 LinkI have a recent model "Boox" Chinese eink tablet. I had to neuter it from checking in to China but have been pleased. Long life, has a pen, good for text. I can use syncthing, FF, and that open...I have a recent model "Boox" Chinese eink tablet. I had to neuter it from checking in to China but have been pleased. Long life, has a pen, good for text. I can use syncthing, FF, and that open source eBook program I can't remember the name of ATM.
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Comment on Twelve hour flight next week, what are some of your go to playlists or podcasts during long flights? in ~music
DVNO42 LinkAudiobook called "A Brief History of Nearly Everything" (unabridged). Very factoid full book that goes through many topics in an engaging way but if you fall asleep, that's okay too. Partner and I...Audiobook called "A Brief History of Nearly Everything" (unabridged).
Very factoid full book that goes through many topics in an engaging way but if you fall asleep, that's okay too. Partner and I enjoyed this greatly while on a long road trip.
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Comment on What browser extensions do you absolutely love to use? in ~tech
DVNO42 LinkI'll add my favorites that don't seem as common: Unhook - Cleans up Youtube UI to show only the most basic components (search and results). Hides features I don't want. Vimium - VIM commands in...I'll add my favorites that don't seem as common:
Unhook - Cleans up Youtube UI to show only the most basic components (search and results). Hides features I don't want.
Vimium - VIM commands in browser. Makes browsing without a keyboard much easier.
Multiaccount containers - Logical containers/cookie barrier for different categories of sites (banking, social, etc).
SponserBlock - Crowd sourced metadata to skip portions of youtube videos that are not relevant.
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Comment on What's the most unexpected thing you've stumbled upon on the internet? in ~tech
DVNO42 Link ParentHaha oh man what a memory bringing up that URL on accident with my dad while working on a school thing. We still laugh about that.Haha oh man what a memory bringing up that URL on accident with my dad while working on a school thing. We still laugh about that.
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Comment on What's the most unexpected thing you've stumbled upon on the internet? in ~tech
DVNO42 Link Parentcgsccc? I'd spend hours putting those values into my Action Replay. While I do remember a lot of the in-game key combo cheats were BS, I recall having a lot more luck with AR/Gameshark codes. I'm...cgsccc? I'd spend hours putting those values into my Action Replay. While I do remember a lot of the in-game key combo cheats were BS, I recall having a lot more luck with AR/Gameshark codes.
I'm with you on the big head thing... what a weird phenomenon lol.
My cousin had a special cable for the PSX that hooked up to his computer that let him change memory addresses, live. At least that's what I remember it doing. I wasn't quite as capable in those days. What a great time though, the mod chips of the era definitely introduced me to soldering and programming as an eager to learn kid.
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Comment on Keyboard thread in ~hobbies
DVNO42 Link ParentI tell my friends that this keyboard saved my career in computing. With proper desk/chair height and posture - switching to this keyboard pretty much eliminated all wrist and shoulder pain for me....I tell my friends that this keyboard saved my career in computing. With proper desk/chair height and posture - switching to this keyboard pretty much eliminated all wrist and shoulder pain for me. It's not as fancy as some of the tricked out lifestyle keyboards (that sounds funny to say) but no pain was a big seller for me.
Even with "improve this ai model" features disabled, I wouldn't be surprised if somehow, we're inadvertently cross training these models in some way while trying to fix bugs and iterate on designs within our own systems. I've primarily focused on servicing on prem equipment but I've had a lot of folks ask me "hey do this for cloud". Rad that you've got that working!