Tech Smart Review

Part 3 In the previous two parts, I demonstrated setting up a VirtualBox VM environment and installing CentOS 7 minimal on a test VM.  I covered some of the details around VM sizing and network configuration along the way.  Now in this post, I'll cover the details of installing and configuring the Pi-Hole software itself on your test VM.  If you have questions or issues, please post them in the comments and I'll follow up to try and help you out. Installing Pi-Hole Boot up your CentOS 7 VM and log in as root. Now type the following to launch the Pi-Hole installer: curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash This command gives the Pi-Hole installer full access to the bash command shell, allowing it to have full control of your VM.  It is certainly a questionable method to install software, but it is simple and fast, and for the purposes of this demonstration, we can feel free to use it to quickly set up our system. The first thing that we se...

Part 2 In the last post, I demonstrated the setup of  Virtual Box  to get a test environment ready for a  Pi-Hole  service running on a  CentOS 7  VM.   I discussed Pi-Hole in an earlier post , and a few scenarios that might make it an interesting configuration to use if you intend to block ads for your home or small business network.  The larger your network, the more likely you would be to want to run this on a  dedicated piece of hardware like a PFSense Firewall , but even for small networks this software can be run off a  $35 Raspberry Pi  making it a very interesting project for a networking hobbyist or security enthusiast.  Hopefully with my guide, even an entry level enthusiast can follow along and get some positive results on their own.  Be sure to let me know in the comments if you try this out and what sort of experience you had! Installing Cent OS 7 CentOS 7 Cent OS 7 has a minimal distribution ...

A great way to test experimental new software is to run it in an isolated software environment such as a Virtual Machine.  This tutorial will walk you through a the basic steps and a few things you need to know to configure your own test environment using Oracle's Virtual Box and Pi-Hole running in a custom CentOS 7 VM. Oracle VM VirtualBox The first thing you will need is Virtual Box.  This software is free to use for private non-commercial purposes such as a test lab.  It is an important distinction to make, and you will want to contact Oracle or find another solution if you were going to use this in a commercial or for-profit setting.  Follow the link above or visit  https://www.virtualbox.org/  and follow the download links to get the latest version for your operating system.  Install it once you are finished, selecting the defaults and reboot if necessary.  Once you load it up, you will be greeted with the Virtual Box interface and ...

There is a new device available that claims to block ads from the network level, acting like an ad blocker for all of the connected devices in your home.   Small businesses could potentially benefit from this inexpensive device as well, most likely in conjunction with a number of other tools to monitor or limit web traffic to ensure employees or visitors are not violating the company’s acceptable use policy.   The technology this device uses works differently than traditional ad-blockers by interfering with the way DNS works on your home network.   The technique is known as a DNS “black hole” and the server is so lightweight that it can be installed on an ultra-low power device like a Raspberry-PI, thus the clever name “Pi-Hole.”   If you have ever worked in the IT networking or security space, the hair on the back of your neck is probably standing up straight at this time, and for good reason.   There have been numerous attempts by hackers in the previous ...