Windows 11 (Poll included)

[roamer_1]

Sounds like I won't be converting my current Win10 system to Win11.

Eh... if you have an old box, do a nuke and pave and try it for yourself - It will install on about anything (5 years or so, intel i5/i7, UEFI, GPT, secure boot in my direct experience), though it is rumored it won't update on things not approved...

Different strokes and all... but I agree with Smoke.. Not impressed, myself.

[Kamaji]

Eh... if you have an old box, do a nuke and pave and try it for yourself - It will install on about anything (5 years or so, intel i5/i7, UEFI, GPT, secure boot in my direct experience), though it is rumored it won't update on things not approved...

Different strokes and all... but I agree with Smoke.. Not impressed, myself.

Unfortunately, I don't have anything that fits the bill.

[roamer_1]

Unfortunately, I don't have anything that fits the bill.

 

I rubbed off my main laptop this last time and loaded 11... kept it about 10 days, rubbed it off again and went back to win10...

Now technically I knew that this new box I am on was coming down the river...so after a fashion, my i7 elitebook could be afforded and could be considered sacrificial... But, the river turned out to be running slower than predicted and this new box got held up for a spell... which is why I put that elitebook back to win10 - And it DOES remain... It has been moved into a reserve capacity.

Still the point remains... Heck, a spare SSD and a little R&R would be enough to play...Leave your real SSD alone and load the spare with win11, and swap em back when you tire of it.

I guess such a thing is easy for me... Or easier anyway... I am currently running eight Win boxen in my lab, and have enough in pieces and parts to throw at least 10 more together at any given time. so swappin stuff around is just part of the furniture here.

[Hoodat]

Anyone got experience with Linux?  I have to set up a VM with Linux as an O/S.  I have VM Ware, but I've never set up my own Virtual Machine.  I would think Linux would be easier than Windows.

[Cyber Liberty]

Anyone got experience with Linux?  I have to set up a VM with Linux as an O/S.  I have VM Ware, but I've never set up my own Virtual Machine.  I would think Linux would be easier than Windows.

Pinging @roamer_1

[Elderberry]

Its been too long since I've run Linux. And I haven't run it on a VM. I always ran it either standalone, or a dual boot Win or Linux. All my VM usage has been with VirtualBox. I currently run Win7 on my Win10 machine to run some apps that no longer run on 10.

[roamer_1]

Anyone got experience with Linux?  I have to set up a VM with Linux as an O/S.  I have VM Ware, but I've never set up my own Virtual Machine.  I would think Linux would be easier than Windows.

Yeah... Mint or ubuntu (but really Mint)... which probably means any BSD based nix will go in pretty flawlessly... At least it did for me on mostly standard Intel.

Where you will get into trouble is assigning the VM what it needs... A VM box had better be heavy to cores and ram. Definitely call it a test bed if you are new... RTFM and a little trial and error... you'll figure it out pretty quick,

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Anyone got experience with Linux?  I have to set up a VM with Linux as an O/S.  I have VM Ware, but I've never set up my own Virtual Machine.  I would think Linux would be easier than Windows.

I've been using it in various flavors since Mandrake. Besides Ubuntu, the GUI aspect of it has always been... problematic. Might consider running it on older machines. 

[roamer_1]

I've been using it in various flavors since Mandrake. Besides Ubuntu, the GUI aspect of it has always been... problematic. Might consider running it on older machines. 

LOL! I cut my teeth on Mandrake too.... Forgot about that. Went Slackware pretty early on then Susi and Redhat for a while. then long BSD... then Ubuntu and then Mint because they install so beautifully.

Pretty much, if it installs well it is going to run well. If you go to prying it in with config files, you will chase it forever. easier to get a different box that it will install on perfectly

[Elderberry]

I started out with Yggdrasil some time in the earl 90's. We ran on Unix at work, so it was an easy cross over for me to run Linux. I haven't dabbed in it for quite some time now.

[Kamaji]

I'll throw in a vote for Mint.  The desktop version installs smoothly, even on older equipment (I have it running on an old pentium system), and it runs pretty much flawlessly.

I originally set this system up as a dual boot with windows, but have decided that I will probably nuke the Windows partition and reclaim it for use by Mint.

And I am by no means a real super user, so if I can do it without any real problems, so can most people.

[Hoodat]

OK, I'm stuck.  Just downloaded the Mint Cinnamon 64-bit ISO, but they are telling me to verify ISO file with sha256sum.txt and sha256sum.txt.gpg.  But I am not seeing those files.

Integrity check
To check the integrity of your local ISO file, generate its SHA256 sum and compare it with the sum present in sha256sum.txt.

sha256sum -b yourfile.iso

Background:  I am in the process of creating a VM stored on an SSD.  I chose Ubuntu 64-bit as my operating system, but it is now asking me for ISO file.

@Kamaji
@Elderberry
@roamer_1
@Weird Tolkienish Figure

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

OK, I'm stuck.  Just downloaded the Mint Cinnamon 64-bit ISO, but they are telling me to verify ISO file with sha256sum.txt and sha256sum.txt.gpg.  But I am not seeing those files.


Background:  I am in the process of creating a VM stored on an SSD.  I chose Ubuntu 64-bit as my operating system, but it is now asking me for ISO file.

@Kamaji
@Elderberry
@roamer_1
@Weird Tolkienish Figure

Download the SHA256 sums provided by Linux Mint
All download mirrors provide the ISO images, a sha256sum.txt file and a sha256sum.txt.gpg file. You should be able to find these files in the same place you downloaded the ISO image from.

If you can’t find them, browse the Heanet download mirror and click the version of the Linux Mint release you downloaded.

Download both sha256sum.txt and sha256sum.txt.gpg.

Do not copy their content, use “right-click->Save Link As…” to download the files themselves and do not modify them in any way.

[roamer_1]

Download the SHA256 sums provided by Linux Mint
All download mirrors provide the ISO images, a sha256sum.txt file and a sha256sum.txt.gpg file. You should be able to find these files in the same place you downloaded the ISO image from.

If you can’t find them, browse the Heanet download mirror and click the version of the Linux Mint release you downloaded.

Download both sha256sum.txt and sha256sum.txt.gpg.

Do not copy their content, use “right-click->Save Link As…” to download the files themselves and do not modify them in any way.

YES to ALL.

I never sum-check sh*t unless the install fails severally... Ain't no dang different than DLDing a Windows installation media or any other... SELDOM is there a transmission error. More likely is someone altering the ISO and republishing - so always get from official mirrors.

You can quite safely skip sum checking in that case.

@Hoodat

[Hoodat]

Download the SHA256 sums provided by Linux Mint
All download mirrors provide the ISO images, a sha256sum.txt file and a sha256sum.txt.gpg file. You should be able to find these files in the same place you downloaded the ISO image from.

If you can’t find them, browse the Heanet download mirror and click the version of the Linux Mint release you downloaded.

Download both sha256sum.txt and sha256sum.txt.gpg.

Do not copy their content, use “right-click->Save Link As…” to download the files themselves and do not modify them in any way.

OK, I got that.  I have a HTML document that contains the two files.

Instruction now says:

Import the Linux Mint signing key:
gpg --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv-key "27DE B156 44C6 B3CF 3BD7  D291 300F 846B A25B AE09"

Do I run this command from a DOS window?

[Hoodat]

Oh hell. Screw it.  I'm doing the @roamer_1 method.  I got two ISO files, one from Purdue University and the other from Heatnet Download mirror.  The two ISO files are the exact same size.  If y'all don't hear back from me, then the Chicoms hacked my pooter.

[roamer_1]

Oh hell. Screw it.

Yes... That is my preferred method in most things. 

[Hoodat]

Looks like it worked.  First time I have even looked at Linux.  The Calculator opened and did correct math, so I'm counting this as a win.

Next task, loading a C compiler.

[Cyber Liberty]

Looks like it worked.  First time I have even looked at Linux.  The Calculator opened and did correct math, so I'm counting this as a win.

Next task, loading a C compiler.

Which compiler?

[Kamaji]

Looks like it worked.  First time I have even looked at Linux.  The Calculator opened and did correct math, so I'm counting this as a win.

Next task, loading a C compiler.

Get a linux handbook and a bash handbook (or a handbook for whatever shell you're using) so you have all of the various app commands available to you, and then get a good feel for what the file structure is like.  The linux file structure is fairly consistent across all versions, and - once you figure out the ideosyncracies - makes a fair amount of sense.  Also get comfortable doing things as a regular user, and knowing when to shift to super user (i.e., via the "sudo" command).  Finally, remember that most of the processing apps in linux are fundamentally text-based - that is, they accept most of their inputs as text-based datastreams, and not as objects, as you might be accustomed to if you have worked a lot in powershell.  Speaking of which, a basic powershell interpreter is available for linux, so you may want to see about downloading that if you're used to using powershell.

It'll grow on you.  It has grown on me.

[Cyber Liberty]

C-Shell was the standard when I was in the lab during my previous life.  But...$BASH has been around FOREVER and even Apple uses that for their Mac wrapper.

(BASH = Bourne Again SHell)

[Kamaji]

C-Shell was the standard when I was in the lab during my previous life.  But...$BASH has been around FOREVER and even Apple uses that for their Mac wrapper.

(BASH = Bourne Again SHell)

bash is the standard/default shell that comes with a lot of versions of linux.  However, there are other shells available too.  Also, powershell can be added as an available shell as well.

Powershell is actually quite a powerful app, once one manages to figure out all of the intricacies of its pure object-based setup.  Everything in powershell is first and foremost an object, with a whole slew of metadata baggage, even a simple string.

[Hoodat]

Which compiler?

mingw

Haven't done it yet.  I get this cool box that looks like a DOS window, but has <login name>@<machine name>:~$

Can I run C commands from here?  Or do I still need mingw or other compiler?

Sorry for the stupid questions.  Just signed up for an Internet Security class and will need to know this stuff in coming weeks.  First lab is on stacks.  And I ain't talking pancakes here.  All I know is ones and zeroes.  But I know nothing about where they are stored.

[Cyber Liberty]

mingw

Haven't done it yet.  I get this cool box that looks like a DOS window, but has <login name>@<machine name>:~$

Can I run C commands from here?  Or do I still need mingw or other compiler?

Sorry for the stupid questions.  Just signed up for an Internet Security class and will need to know this stuff in coming weeks.  First lab is on stacks.  And I ain't talking pancakes here.  All I know is ones and zeroes.  But I know nothing about where they are stored.

The "$" is the BASH prompt. 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

mingw

Haven't done it yet.  I get this cool box that looks like a DOS window, but has <login name>@<machine name>:~$

Can I run C commands from here?  Or do I still need mingw or other compiler?

Sorry for the stupid questions.  Just signed up for an Internet Security class and will need to know this stuff in coming weeks.  First lab is on stacks.  And I ain't talking pancakes here.  All I know is ones and zeroes.  But I know nothing about where they are stored.

AFAIK you don't run C commands, C is a compiled language, not interpreted. You can create a simple C program in a text file and run something like gcc textfile.c (here textfile.c is the C language text file). It will output to an executable called a.out. In UNIX/Linux you have to alter files permissions to execute them so you can type something like "chmod 777 a.out" to make the file executable. then you can type "./a.out" to run the executable file in UNIX/Linux.

Stacks are one of the most basic data structures, where OS's use them to keep track of what memory address a program has "jumped from". Otherwise we'd have to use goto's, which suck.

[Hoodat]

AFAIK you don't run C commands, C is a compiled language, not interpreted. You can create a simple C program in a text file and run something like gcc textfile.c (here textfile.c is the C language text file). It will output to an executable called a.out. In UNIX/Linux you have to alter files permissions to execute them so you can type something like "chmod 777 a.out" to make the file executable. then you can type "./a.out" to run the executable file in UNIX/Linux.

Stacks are one of the most basic data structures, where OS's use them to keep track of what memory address a program has "jumped from". Otherwise we'd have to use goto's, which suck.

From what I am reading so far with Linux, it already has tools to run C.  So I'm guessing the 'mingw' install is not going to be necessary?  I already have it installed on my Win10 system, but not on the VM.

Without seeing it yet, I am speculating the first lab is about stack overflow where some malware is introduced in the stack and the buffer is exceeded causing it to push back to the malware.  Am I making any sense with that?  Anyway, with any computing, practice and repetition is the only thing that works.  I am hoping that 'C' will bring up memories of BASIC programming back when I was a young teenager.

[Kamaji]

From what I am reading so far with Linux, it already has tools to run C.  So I'm guessing the 'mingw' install is not going to be necessary?  I already have it installed on my Win10 system, but not on the VM.

Without seeing it yet, I am speculating the first lab is about stack overflow where some malware is introduced in the stack and the buffer is exceeded causing it to push back to the malware.  Am I making any sense with that?  Anyway, with any computing, practice and repetition is the only thing that works.  I am hoping that 'C' will bring up memories of BASIC programming back when I was a young teenager.

My understanding is that mingw was really intended to be a port to windows of certain gnu compiler tools, so that they'll run on windows and generate windows executables.  For compiling on linux, it shouldn't be necessary, unless you're trying to compile something that will then be run on windows, in which case I understand that there are some cross-platform tools in mingw.

I found some info on this here:  https://www.linux.org/threads/mingw.11589/

[Elderberry]

mingw

Haven't done it yet.  I get this cool box that looks like a DOS window, but has <login name>@<machine name>:~$

Can I run C commands from here?  Or do I still need mingw or other compiler?

Sorry for the stupid questions.  Just signed up for an Internet Security class and will need to know this stuff in coming weeks.  First lab is on stacks.  And I ain't talking pancakes here.  All I know is ones and zeroes.  But I know nothing about where they are stored.

Stacks?

What is Network Security Stack?

https://www.netscout.com/what-is/Network-Security-Stack

The term ‘Security Stack’ is used to help visualize the many different cyber security tools (many times depicted in layers) that an organization uses to protect themselves from cyber threats. More specifically the ‘Network Security Stack’ are those cyber security tools which are network attached and conducting some sort of network traffic/packet analysis to detect and block threats. These could include a wide range of tools including firewalls (FW/NGFW), network intrusion prevention/detection systems (NIPS/NIDS), security information and event management systems (SIEM), secure web gateways (SWG), threat intelligence feeds/platforms, security analytics solutions and advanced malware analysis platforms. Examples in the market today of companies who provide technologies for this layer are Palo Alto Networks, FireEye, Cisco, among others.

[Hoodat]

My understanding is that mingw was really intended to be a port to windows of certain gnu compiler tools, so that they'll run on windows and generate windows executables.  For compiling on linux, it shouldn't be necessary, unless you're trying to compile something that will then be run on windows, in which case I understand that there are some cross-platform tools in mingw.

I found some info on this here:  https://www.linux.org/threads/mingw.11589/

Thank you, sir.

[Kamaji]

Thank you, sir.

No worries.  Also, if you've d/l'ed Mint, check out the discussion forums and support forums.  I've found that one can often find all the info one needs for linux questions in places like that; it's a little bit like herding cats when compared to the monolithic support services provided by Microsoft, but then again, one has paid a pretty penny for MS products, and nothing more than time for linux products.  It was incredibly frustrating for me at first, but I think the trade off is worth it.

[Cyber Liberty]

From what I am reading so far with Linux, it already has tools to run C.  So I'm guessing the 'mingw' install is not going to be necessary?  I already have it installed on my Win10 system, but not on the VM.

Without seeing it yet, I am speculating the first lab is about stack overflow where some malware is introduced in the stack and the buffer is exceeded causing it to push back to the malware.  Am I making any sense with that?  Anyway, with any computing, practice and repetition is the only thing that works.  I am hoping that 'C' will bring up memories of BASIC programming back when I was a young teenager.

You are stirring the cobwebs of my memory with this. Dang, I retired...lol.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

From what I am reading so far with Linux, it already has tools to run C.  So I'm guessing the 'mingw' install is not going to be necessary?  I already have it installed on my Win10 system, but not on the VM.

Without seeing it yet, I am speculating the first lab is about stack overflow where some malware is introduced in the stack and the buffer is exceeded causing it to push back to the malware.  Am I making any sense with that?  Anyway, with any computing, practice and repetition is the only thing that works.  I am hoping that 'C' will bring up memories of BASIC programming back when I was a young teenager.

From my memory,

Buffer overflow involves overwriting a variable so that you can push arbitrary data onto the stack, which can change the return location of a subroutine, such that you can actually return the program to the calling shell prompt, which can give you access to the shell account of a remote computer. Something like that.

[Hoodat]

From my memory,

Buffer overflow involves overwriting a variable so that you can push arbitrary data onto the stack, which can change the return location of a subroutine, such that you can actually return the program to the calling shell prompt, which can give you access to the shell account of a remote computer. Something like that.

Sweet.  Anyone here have the IP address of the Bank of the Caymans?

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Sweet.  Anyone here have the IP address of the Bank of the Caymans?

There is a really cool debugger called x64 debugger that really illustrates how all this stuff works on a lower level. A bit overwhelming at first.