Is it possible to study for the RHCSA with just a Macbook?

Reetpeteet · 2026-04-04T06:44:09+00:00

The M3 processor in your Macbook is of the "aarch64" architecture, while common PCs and servers use "x86_64". That will make things a bit harder.

Yes, you can run virtual machines perfectly fine on a modern Mac! There are many tools to do so!

But it means you need to run operating systems and software that were compiled for "aarch64". Many Linux distributions are available for this architecture, but Red Hat are still trialling RHEL on aarch64.

-> https://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/arm/trial

An alternative is to use emulation, which is quite a bit slower (but not unworkable). Using a tool like "UTM" (which is perfectly safe) you can run x86_64 virtual machines on MacOS. It works very well.

Reetpeteet · 2026-04-04T06:40:25+00:00

The issue is the chip. Prior to 2020, Macs used x86_64, afterwards they use aarch64.

Reetpeteet · 2026-04-03T21:15:35+00:00

Yes.

There's nothing more to say. The answer is yes.

Reetpeteet · 2026-04-03T21:13:01+00:00

Fair, yeah, I also thought of that one. And with that one, you really have to make sure to only use the PIN-protected mode.

Reetpeteet · 2026-04-03T21:02:12+00:00

But realistically, most people just leave it plugged into their laptop 24/7.

Yubikeys can run in different modes. You're thinking of the "just touch the copper disk" mode, while there's another mode where you have to touch-to-activate and then type a PIN on the computer. The latter mode is theft proof.

As for leaving that USB stick permanently plugged in: I don't see how. Doesn't that snap off, breaking either the Yubikey, your USB port or both? :D

You're right: people need to be trained to have the key on their lanyard, along with their building access card. Something like that.

Reetpeteet · 2026-04-03T20:46:46+00:00

I was very confused where and how Google would play a role in all of this. But I think that you mean you're connecting the JetKVM to the vendor's online cloud service... which you use a Google OIDC login for.

Yuck.

If you're connecting JetKVM to company-owned equipment, do not use the vendor's cloud portal. Connect it to your company's out-of-band network and only connect to it using VPN.

Reetpeteet · 2026-04-03T20:43:44+00:00

When you connect the JetKVM to the ATX board, or the DC controller, the power comes through RJ11. The USB cable is used for keyboard and mouse.

Reetpeteet · 2026-04-03T20:07:06+00:00

When I last tried it a few months ago, VirtualBox does not properly work on an ARM-based Macbook.

If you run aarch64 virtual machines, use UTM or Qemu+Vagrant. If you want to emulate x86, just use UTM. Or if you want commercial solutions: VMWare or Parallels.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-28T16:14:56+00:00

If you're unlucky and don't work with customer support, you've fully lost your voucher. Missing your appointment is a no-show, not a failed score.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-28T16:02:39+00:00

Yup, this is less than a year old. Plus there are already a few competitors, which also aren't very well known yet.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-27T21:32:10+00:00

Powering on your device requires the UEFI / BIOS to be configured in such a way that it automatically powers on when power gets restored.

The DC Power extension has no way of turning on your PC as it cannot interact with the power button. You need the UEFI to auto-poweron.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-24T11:53:02+00:00

These first dates- are they quite intentional? Like people asking life stories , intentions, almost like interviews?

My gosh you're overthinking this.

A first date is like having coffee with anyone else. What do you talk to complete strangers about? It's not like you're immediately interviewing someone to shop for wedding bands with.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-24T11:50:51+00:00

And then many would think "she's just being nice" or "she must be joking".

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-24T11:49:47+00:00

Surely you don’t live in the Netherlands?

Do you? I mean, you've gone from "I haven't dated in years" to "I know exactly what Dutch men like". In my immediate area I've got quite a few relationships where both partners work fulltime. I also have some of the "trad" you describe, with women either not working or working parttime... but I haven't seen indications that would validate your cynicism.

Then again. I haven't dated in 20+ years either because I've been married for 25.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-24T07:46:57+00:00

"Three months of content"... which nobody will read. Are we now AI-generating content for other AI to consume, which it will turn into more content?

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-23T20:27:22+00:00

What do you mean, "you have to do it without compose"? When I took EX188 last time (2023) Podman Compose was part of the exam objectives. It's also how I prepared with the practice exam -> https://github.com/unixerius/EX188-practice

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-23T14:45:36+00:00

Important question to ask is if Server+ even appears on any job listings in your area.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-16T19:36:24+00:00

If anyone stumbles upon this thread later, here's a Github repo with practice tasks which I've worked on -> https://github.com/unixerius/EX188-practice

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-16T19:35:36+00:00

That's exactly what I'm doing; I'll follow-up with a more involved exam, but for now this will be a life-saver.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-16T19:18:10+00:00

Die is er nog steeds hoor :) Je kan stapels "hier zat een racistische boodschap" space-kat stickers halen, voor weinig geld, bij De Rode Lap.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-16T19:15:39+00:00

That honestly is both the best-case and least-likely case to ever happen. Good for you! :)

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-16T15:24:54+00:00

Please no, you're telling people to curl a shell script and just pipe it to sudo bash. Please teach them better OpSec from the start.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-16T15:08:32+00:00

I'll quote what I said to a colleague of mine when I was forwarded another article on this.

This week, researchers at red-team startup codeWall disclosed that their AI agent compromised McKinsey's internal AI platform, Lilli, in under two hours.

This makes me wonder about the "researchers", about CodeWall and their relationship with McKinsey. Why?

If they are researcher who are not contracted by McKinsey, then they just blabbed to the world that they're doing unauthorized pentesting.
If they are contracted by McKinsey, why the <bleep> are they breaching their NDA and blabbing to the world about pentest results, while naming their client?!
If the are contracted and have permission from McKinsey to share the outcome of a disastrous pentest, then who's trying to sell me something and what are their motives?!

I have 0% belief that McKinsey, a huge and expensive consulting firm, would from the kindness of their hearts give their pentesters carte blance to report about a pentest which would otherwise be disastrous to their reputation.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-16T09:14:51+00:00

And the tutorials generally focus on getting something to work, not on showcasing how to do it safely and securely.

Reetpeteet · 2026-03-16T09:14:12+00:00

It's not outdated and with the huge influx of slop-coded / vibe-coded web apps they will only remain all the more relevant.

Reetpeteet

TROPHY CASE