Ctrl blog

Nothing but bad experiences with Realtek Ethernet NICs

The tale of my bad experiences with consumer-grade Realtek networking equipment over the last decade. Intel has always had to come in to save the day.

How I fixed the intermittent Wi-Fi dropouts on my MacBook

The Wi-Fi on my MacBook Pro has intermittently stopped working. (Likely a Broadcom driver issue.) Here’s how I turned a simple workaround into a more permanent fix.

The Jellyfin media server can enrich your media collection with metadata from online sources. The price may be free, but the cost is metadata for metadata.

systemd application firewalls by example

How to restrict Linux services’ network traffic with per-service systemd firewall rules. Enhance security by only allowing required network access.

Don’t use RouterOS DHCP lease scripts to manage DNS

MikroTik’s DHCP lease scripts don’t execute on DHCP renewals, causing issues with DNS registrations when devices suspend and rejoin the network later.

Network routers are just computers

Network routers are neither appliances nor magic; they’re computers and computers require ongoing maintenance and security patching. But whose job is that?

How to block web browser-based localhost port-scans

Websites are port-scanning your localhost. Here’s how to stop random websites from knowing what services are running on your device.

P2P apps’ connection amnesia makes them less fault-tolerant

Peer-to-peer apps forget the IP addresses it communicated with in the last session and rely on peer-discovery all the time. Caching can make them more robust.

How to switch firewalls from FirewallD to UFW

A quick tutorial for migrating from FirewallD and getting started with the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW). Both are front ends for Linux’s iptables firewall.

Where are the managed IP-anycast VPS service providers?

VPS service providers have data centers located all over the world. You need managed anycast IP-addresses to direct users to the nearest VPS location.

How to disable outgoing mDNS broadcasts on Linux

Tutorial for quieting Multicast DNS using various firewall front-ends for Linux’s iptables firewall such as FirewallD and Ubuntu’s UFW.

The distributed web isn’t ready for Runet cutoff from the Internet

Russia to test disconnecting from the global Internet. Peer-to-peer distributed internet alternatives won’t survive after the Runet cutoff.

Two competing proxy-anonymity proxy services — e.g. Tor Onion and I2P — can be used at the same time when set up with a PAC file.

Android apps time out connections after setting up a PAC proxy

An over-aggressive power-savings system causes Android devices configured with a PAC proxy configuration file to lose networking.

Turkey blocks BunnyCDN; Ctrl blog and 14 000 websites inaccessible

Ctrl blog was inaccessible in Turkey for five days as the country inadvertently blocked the BunnyCDN content delivery network.

Tor router-maker InvizBox chases VPN subscriptions down rabbit hole

InvizBox wants some of that sweet VPN subscription service revenue. Abandons Tor Onion network anonymity in favor of a more lucrative venture.

Scaleway seems too good to be true

The French VPS provider Scaleway doesn’t deliver promised features like IPv6, reverse DNS, or Linux distribution availability.