Vincent's Blog

As for each server on internet, I receive lot of bad requests. Thanks to a continuous check on different log files, I'm able to automatically add bad IPs in the pf firewall (OpenBSD). This blog will explain how I've setup log2table and how I treat those bad IPs

It's important to understand that ZFS is not only a filesystem. It's also a set of parameters. And those parameters are send together with the files. One of the main paramtere is the mountpoint. Indeed, we must avoid that several datasets have the same mountpoints: /var, /home, ... This blog post will explain some précautions before sending datasets of several machines to a central machine.

I'm using a remote machine where I push zfs dataset 2 or 3 times per year. This blog will reminds me the steps I have to perform to update this machine. Since I rarely boot it, it's often off-sync and requires updates. This blog explain how I did update and upgrade of my FreeBSD machines

In this post share some of the tips I'm using with got (Game of trees). This page will evolve surely in the future

While working with my self-hosted Got server, I added two lightweight tools to improve everyday usage of got repositories. Both aim to solve practical features while keeping the spirit of simplicity of gameoftrees.

Both tools are totally independent. One is a cgi scrip to install on a gotwebd instance; the other is pure local on the dev machine.

This post explains how to create a repository on a development machine, publish it on a gotd server, and configure access permissions. By the end, you will have a fully functional workflow for cloning, developing, and sending changes to your own hosted repository.

On OpenBSD, the built-in httpd runs inside a strict chroot located at /var/www, which greatly improves security but also limits available system resources. When trying to execute Python CGI scripts, administrators often encounter missing shared library errors. This happens because the chroot environment does not automatically include the base system libraries required by Python. In this article, we’ll walk through the exact steps needed to properly install Python 3.12 inside the OpenBSD chroot and make it fully functional.

In this blog, I explain what I did to transfer my development projects from git on my brand new got server. Since got is based on git repository, there is nearly nothing specific to do.

Just migrate your .git folder in your got repository and it will work.

In this post I will share what I did to have got (gameoftrees.org) working on my dev machines and also working on my webserver. I will explain the detailed commands I did to have a the web interface, to be able to clone a repository anonymously and with all required security. I will cover the possibility to clone and "push" my code to this server.

At then end, I'm trying to convince most persons to give got a try ;)

Last year I've took notes about the way to connect to FOSDEM's wifi from my laptop doing dual boot OpenBSD and FreeBSD. But this year those commands, were not working. So, here the new method.

FreeBSD jails are one of the operating system’s most elegant features. Introduced over two decades ago, they provide lightweight, secure isolation for processes and filesystems without the overhead of full virtual machines or the complexity of Linux container setups. What makes them especially appealing today is how straightforward it is to create and destroy them — no bridges, no epair interfaces, no VNET, no NAT rules, no sysctl tweaking, and no permanent rc.conf hacks. In this post, I’ll walk you through the exact process I use to spin up a clean FreeBSD 14.3 jail and then completely remove it, demonstrating just how simple and lightweight the whole thing is.

In the world of open-source operating systems, OpenBSD and FreeBSD are renowned for their stability, security, and excellent audio support. This guide describes a clean, automated setup for streaming high-quality music from a FreeBSD-based NAS to an OpenBSD machine connected to a hi-fi DAC over optical fiber (S/PDIF). The solution uses Music Player Daemon (MPD) on the FreeBSD NAS as the music server and sndio for low-latency, high-fidelity remote audio output to the OpenBSD client.

The setup ensures that turning on the amplifier and DAC automatically prepares the OpenBSD audio system and starts playback on the NAS — all without manual intervention.

Tired of your WiFi vanishing mid call, leaving you staring at a spinning wheel of movie? I've been there—furious, fumbling for my phone's hotspot like it's 2015. But no more. I just wired up a sneaky 4G sidekick: the TP-Link MR600. It's like a ninja router—silent, speedy, and ready to swoop in when your ISP flakes out. One ping fails? Boom. Traffic flips to cellular backup in seconds. No drama, no downtime. All powered by some clever OpenBSD magic that makes it feel effortless.

FreeBSD’s securelevels provide a unique way to enforce system integrity directly at the kernel level. Unlike file permissions or ACLs, which root can override, securelevels place a ceiling on what even the most privileged account can do.

By carefully choosing between -1, 0, 1, or 2, administrators can strike a balance between flexibility and security. Development machines remain open and adaptable, while production systems become far more resistant to tampering—even if compromised by a superuser account.

Lightweight, fast, and endlessly customizable, that’s what pekwm offers for FreeBSD systems. But what really makes my setup useful for me is the easy integration of small scripts we can build around it. From session restore to dynamic menus, brightness control, and even a quirky lock screen, this desktop has grown into a personal environment that feels both minimal and complete.

It's a window manager, like many others, but with tons of shortcut keys which facilitate the day to day use.

At the end, the usage of the mouse is marginal, but really easy to use.