DEV Community: Transient

RDP Authentication Error 0x800706be

Transient — Thu, 25 May 2023 09:25:13 +0000

Error shown when attempting an RDP connection to affected server running Remote Desktop Services Connection Broker role. The error code 0x800706be is shown.

The only way to log in is with a local account (Azure Bastion with a local account works, or VMware console). I was also able to log in from a Server 2012 server, weirdly enough.

To fix, access the affected RDS server, open gpedit.msc, and locate:
Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host -> RD Connection Broker

Edit "Configure RD Connection Broker server name" with the FQDN of the server.

No reboot required, change works straight away.

With thanks to this question on Server Fault.

My Grafana Dashboard

Transient — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 11:08:53 +0000

Hello! Long time no see...

I've been busy with work and hacking away at certain small projects. One of which is a Grafana dashboard which I've been building on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W my partner got me for Christmas (totally not because I asked for it...).

Above is my Grafana dashboard, and below is how it all came together.

Uptime

The first block is my MikroTik router uptime. And further to the right, I've also got uptime values for both of my Access Points.

This uptime is displayed in weeks - unfortunately Grafana doesn't have the option to do weeks and days - it's one or the other.

SNMP

An SNMP request to my router and APs gets the system uptime value:

[[inputs.snmp]]
  agents = [
    "192.168.0.1:161",
    "192.168.109.20:161",
    "192.168.109.21:161"
  ]
  interval = "20s"
  version = 2
  community = "public"

  [[inputs.snmp.field]]
    name = "hostname"
    oid = "SNMPv2-MIB::sysName.0"
    is_tag = true

  [[inputs.snmp.field]]
    name = "uptime"
    oid = "DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance"

Grafana Panel

Then, in Grafana, I simply display this. For the APs panel, I've got two queries running - one for each AP. I then simply display them horizontally.

System Statistics

Beside the uptime, I've got my router CPU and RAM (both % of the max values):

SNMP

For both these values, the inputs are fairly similar.

CPU:

  [[inputs.snmp.field]]
    name = "uptime"
    oid = "DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance"

  [[inputs.snmp.field]]
    name = "cpu0-load"
    oid = "HOST-RESOURCES-MIB::hrProcessorLoad.1"

  [[inputs.snmp.field]]
    name = "cpu1-load"
    oid = "HOST-RESOURCES-MIB::hrProcessorLoad.2"

  [[inputs.snmp.field]]
    name = "cpu2-load"
    oid = "HOST-RESOURCES-MIB::hrProcessorLoad.3"

  [[inputs.snmp.field]]
    name = "cpu3-load"
    oid = "HOST-RESOURCES-MIB::hrProcessorLoad.4"

And RAM (this also includes storage, which I'm not using yet):

  [[inputs.snmp.table]]
    name = "snmp-memory-usage"
    inherit_tags = ["hostname"]
    [[inputs.snmp.table.field]]
      name = "memory-name"
      oid = ".1.3.6.1.2.1.25.2.3.1.3"
      is_tag = true
    [[inputs.snmp.table.field]]
      name = "total-memory"
      oid = ".1.3.6.1.2.1.25.2.3.1.5"
    [[inputs.snmp.table.field]]
      name = "used-memory"
      oid = ".1.3.6.1.2.1.25.2.3.1.6"

Grafana

Then they're just pulled into Grafana:

WiFi Status

I won't bore you with the non-functional "Wireless AP Traffic" panel, as that seems to reset itself constantly (I assume it's reaching a max value and therefore can't keep all the data).

Connected WiFi Devices

This one was easy... once I found the Ruckus MIBs, which were really hard to find (for your reference, I've uploaded them to GitHub).

The stats tables you need are these (both BSSID and SSID, to separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz if your SSIDs are the same for both frequencies):

[[inputs.snmp.table]]
    name = "wlanStats"
    inherit_tags = [ "hostname" ]
    oid = "RUCKUS-WLAN-MIB::ruckusWLANStatsTable"

      [[inputs.snmp.table.field]]
        name = "ruckusWLANStatsSSID"
        oid = "RUCKUS-WLAN-MIB::ruckusWLANStatsSSID"
        is_tag = true

      [[inputs.snmp.table.field]]
        name = "ruckusWLANStatsBSSID"
        oid = "RUCKUS-WLAN-MIB::ruckusWLANStatsBSSID"

Then, in Grafana, you can select the ruckusWLANStatsNumAuthSta value:

I did this for all 4 of my SSIDs (this was a bit of trial and error as the BSSID values are different for 2.4GHz and 5GHz).

Then I just displayed them as Stats and set up some fun colours.

Pings

I've also set up pings to all my IP cameras, 1.1.1.1 (the DNS server), and my router, to monitor for any network issues:

These were quite trivial to configure. Simply using the inputs.ping input in Telegraf got me the values, and then I pulled them into Grafana like this:

There's one for each camera.

Conclusion

There's not much else to say, really. If you have any questions or you fancy a chat, your best bet is probably cryptic messaging via GitHub. But if you're not into that, message me on Twitter and I might respond one day.

What Contract Do You Use for Freelance Development?

Transient — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 17:24:07 +0000

Title says it all! What contract do you use when you strike a deal with a client - whether it's development, design, or a mix of the two?

Don't Settle for a Template Website

Transient — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 21:30:04 +0000

This is a cut-down version of this article, posted on my blog.

Many WordPress developers use templates or themes, as they're quick to set up and easy to customise. However, they lack identity. A bespoke website design is key to providing visitors with an experience they'd love.

Less Now, More Later

Choosing a WordPress developer usually means paying less for a website, but it also means it could rank lower in search results, and give customers a sluggish and clunky browsing experience. This translates to reduced sales, and therefore reduced income.

Bespoke web design increases reach, and increases the likelihood of customers remembering a business. This is because the website is designed fully around the brand.

Decrease Bounce Rates

Bounce rates increase with load time - Think with Google

As well as providing memorability for your brand, a website built-from-scratch will perform much better than a site built from a template. Users hate waiting, so your website needs to show the content your visitors want to see as fast as possible. WordPress websites are often slower - they're loaded with unnecessary scripts, images, and additional data.

Cutting Corners

As well as missing out on speed and SEO benefits, WordPress websites tend to cut corners. Header menus might not work with browser features (read: JavaScript) disabled, and some buttons might be a little off-center. Not to mention that responsive design is often an afterthought.

With a bespoke website, you can be sure that every inch of your site performs perfectly, and looks beautiful on every device.

It's even possible to design websites for use on smartwatches. We live in a crazy world.

For the full version of this article, click here! And if you'd like to work together, get in touch.

What do you use for your Instagram material?

Transient — Sat, 11 Jul 2020 17:52:47 +0000

I'm curious...

What do you use to create your marketing material for Instagram, Twitter, etc?

I've been using an Android app called Over. It's not the best solution, but it saves me paying out for Adobe Spark. Canva would be great if it didn't have alignment bugs on exported content. What do you use?

How to Use the Nord Colour Scheme in Windows Terminal

Transient — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 12:03:17 +0000

This is my first post on DEV, I think, and it's a very brief one.

Nord is a popular colour scheme among developers due to its simplicity and darkness - and you can use it in Windows Terminal thanks to Nigel Sampson. However, his post only gives you the declarations for the scheme, and doesn't tell you how to use it. So here's how to use it!

Windows Terminal Settings

Windows Terminal settings are written in JSON. It can be annoying to figure out where to put things. (Visual Studio Code Intellisense gives you suggestions and autocomplete)

So, how do you use Nord in the Terminal? Simple:

Colour Schemes

Around Line 53, you should see an empty array called schemes. Copy-and-paste the object from Nigel's site, including the brackets ({...}), inside this array.

Activating a Default Colour Scheme

Now you've added the colour scheme, you need to set it as the default. This is very easy to do. Around Line 27, there's an object called profiles - simply add the following to the defaults object: "colorScheme": "nord".

The Final Step

Save the file, and Windows Terminal will update automatically! Ta-da!

If you found this helpful, please leave a little Heart on the post (and check out my blog for more like this)!

DEV Community: Transient

RDP Authentication Error 0x800706be

My Grafana Dashboard

Uptime

SNMP

Grafana Panel

System Statistics

SNMP

Grafana

WiFi Status

Connected WiFi Devices

Pings

Conclusion

What Contract Do You Use for Freelance Development?

Don't Settle for a Template Website

Less Now, More Later

Decrease Bounce Rates

Cutting Corners

Read More

What do you use for your Instagram material?

How to Use the Nord Colour Scheme in Windows Terminal

Windows Terminal Settings

Colour Schemes

Activating a Default Colour Scheme

The Final Step