Recently I was facing an issue where a reference in a nested Azure Resource Manager template was still being executed, despite the condition being false. I have created an ARM template that first sets a dynamic IP address on the Network Interface and later on converts it to a static IP address. It uses the initially assigned IP address and converts it to static. The issue with a reference in a nested template with a condition In the example below, you see a nested template that converts the dynamic IP address to a static IP address. If the runTheNestedTemplate variable is set to true, everything will work fine as the condition is met. If the runTheNestedTemplate condition is set to false, it should work too, but unfortunately Azure will still try to validate the reference mentioned in the privateIPAddress property, resulting in a failing ARM template deployment if NIC01 does not exists. ...
My New Centralized Gaming PC using HDMI over UTP
As I recently migrated my Home Assistant instance to my good old Intel NUC, I needed a new media center. I also promised myself to buy a new Game PC after completing my bachelor’s study program while working fulltime. What if I could combine these two things together, while the screens are in different rooms? I spent lots and lots of time reading reviews about hardware. Luckily I still remember how to build a machine from back in the days, so I ordered the following parts: ...
Update your OpenVPN Access Server on Azure
**The OpenVPN Access Server appliance in Azure allows you to quickly setup an Azure Virtual Machine that you can use for VPN purposes. I’ve been using an OpenVPN Access Server myself for a couple of months now and I’m happy with the performance and features. Even on a very small VM size like the Standard B1ms with 1 vCPUs and 2 GiB of memory. At the time of writing this blog post, the documentation of OpenVPN is a bit vague about updating your Azure OpenVPN Access Server, so I wanted to share with you what is needed to keep your OpenVPN Access Server up-to-date.** ...
Finding the Ultimate Password Manager
**In this blog post, I wrote down my considerations & requirements around finding my next password manager. I’ve been a LastPass Family user for several years, but I am going to switch to a new password manager. In 2015, LastPass was sold to LogMeIn. It didn’t feel good, but it wasn’t a deal breaker for me. Recent security issues issues like this one or this one made me freak out a bit. ...
Use the Sonos API to gather alarm data
**My alarm clock setup is based on a Sonos One that plays music and Home Assistant in combination with DeCONZ and Node-RED to automate my bedroom lights as a wake up light. I could also control the music to the Sonos One from Home Assistant, but I don’t want to rely on my home automation setup for me to wake up. Currently, the Home Assistant integration does not get the alarm data itself, but luckily the Sonos API is easily accessible!** ...
What it takes to pursue a bachelor's degree by following a distance learning program
**Back in 2011 when I was 17 years old I started with my studies on ‘senior secondary vocational education’ (MBO). This was the first time I fell in love with technology. The more time I spent on training and certifications, the more exemptions I received from teachers. After getting my diploma, I wanted to start working with all the new technologies in enterprise environments & apply what I learned throughout my certification journey. I started to work at Avanade but always with the dream to pursue my bachelor’s degree. ...
Bye Philips Hue & Xiaomi Bridge!
**My smart home journey started years ago with a simple Philips Hue configuration. After integrating Home Assistant, I wanted to have some door/window sensors and temperature sensors. I bought the Xiaomi Aqara bridge and implemented all the sensors into Home Assistant. I quickly realized I now have two Zigbee bridges due to the fact that both Philips and Xiaomi want a ‘customized’ standard. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I needed to do something…** I was using multiple bridges because I heard some stories about connection losses around some USB bridges. ...
Azure Bastion changes everything!
**This week Microsoft quietly released some information about a new Azure solution called Azure Bastion. Azure Bastion acts as a gateway between a Virtual Machine in Azure and your session in the Azure Portal. This means that without assigning a Public IP address, you are able to connect to your Azure Virtual Machine through the Azure Portal. No Remote Desktop environment or jumpbox needed. Azure Bastion is currently in Private Preview.** Microsoft quietly released two YouTube video’s. ...
Azure DevOps CI/CD Pipeline, PowerShell & PSScriptAnalyzer
**In my last blog post, I introduced you to the solution I’m using on Office 365 to create personal e-mail addresses. This solution is hosted on Azure DevOps and is automatically released to the PowerShell Gallery. In this blog post, I will explain briefly how this works.** The Azure DevOps project is hosted in a public repository. This was introduced recently and enables other users of the module to contribute to the project. I started with an empty repository and created a new branch to upload the PowerShell module & manifest file to the repository. ...
My Office 365 based personal, secure & unique email system
A secure email system is important to protect yourself from the increasing phishing and spam attacks, where hackers try to steal money on a large scale. More and more organizations hosting personal data are getting hacked, where hackers misuse this personal data to launch attacks. In this blog post I will introduce you to a solution I’ve created based on Office 365 and PowerShell to prevent that my email address is spread more widely on the internet. ...