 DNSPerf is a great way to view DNS query speeds for public DNS providers. You can get a regen of the results by selecting Public DNS Providers at the top.
 Cisco Words.ini is a simple color config for Secure CRT to make the CLI easier to read. Click above for the Windows instructions. For macOS, use the below path instead:
/Users/youruser/Library/Application Support/VanDyke/SecureCRT/Config/Keywords Get the INI file here If Keywords folder doesn't exist, create manually.  f.lux is a great utility and study to help people adapt their computer to the time of day visually. Available on all platforms as well as smart lighting (Philips Hue), f.lux will automatically make your screen or lighting look like the room you're in.
 CloudFlare in partnership with APNIC recently worked to get a DNS server onto 1.1.1.1 to provide a free, private, secure and fast DNS service. For those who've previously used Level-3's 4.2.2.2, Google's 8.8.8.8 then moved onto Cisco's OpenDNS now have another option with CloudFlare's 1.1.1.1.
 bhami.com hosts what they call the 'Rosetta Stone' for Unix. It's a complete 'Unix-ersal' Translator for sysadmins. This single page reference is a fantastic go-to for Unix commands across most flavors.
 GoalKicker.com provides access to an almost complete set of great PDF books. Increase your posture around Linux, Python, Android, Bash, Git, JAVA, SQL, iOS, Ruby and many more that can't all be listed here.
 PingInfoView is truly the fastest ping sweep / DNS resolving (free) utility I've ever used. Able to scan large subnets with ease all while resolving hostnames and when finished, exports the data into to various usable formats.
 Multi-Tabbed PuTTY, produced by TTY Plus, is a great free way to run PuTTY in a more 'SecureCRT-way'. Good for organizing multiple PuTTY sessions into a single view rather than multiple, separate windows open all over the desktop.
 VMware Product Walkthroughs are a great, quick way to learn more about specific VMware or ESXi specific features. Excellent visual resource.
 TeamViewer for some time has been the gold standard as one of the easiest and feature-rich utility for connecting to your computer remotely. Free for home-use, once the simple agent is installed on your operating system platform of choice, you can access that machine via TeamViewer website or the agent itself. Does not require any complicated firewall rule or port configurations. Works on most operating systems (Windows, MacOS and Linux).
 Macrium Reflect Free is a great free hard drive backup utility that creates excellent images. The free edition still packs very powerful features that you typically have to pay for. Booting, injecting drivers and mounting are all available.
 Cinebench R15 is a great benchmark tool for PC and Mac focusing on video/3D capabilities. There are 2 main tests, CPU and graphics card performance. The result is an overall benchmark score that is commonly used as an authority for performance.
 Ninite is a site thats aggregated the most common utilities available for PC aloows you to create a free custom application installer Step 1, choose all of the applications you want to install. Step 2, click download. Ninite will create a custom installer - on the fly - using the applications selected. Step 3, go.
 This is a little 'old school' but seeing this again brought back memories of times where nLite was the coolest way to deploy WindowsXP. nLite seems to have evolved into NTLite, supporting W8 and now W10.
Have you ever wanted to remove Windows components like Media Player, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, Messenger... How about not even to install them with Windows ? nLite is a tool for pre-installation Windows configuration and component removal at your choice. Optional bootable image ready for burning on media or testing in virtual machines. With nLite you will be able to have Windows installation which on install does not include, or even contain on media, the unwanted components.  For instances where a simple diagram is needed to explain or to assist with troubleshooting, ASCIIFLOW is a perfect tool. Drag and drop the topology, copy, paste, done.
 Cisco's interactive catalog is an amazing way to see and 'touch' the entire portfolio. Built by Kaon, a former gaming company turned marketing company, has won many awards for their ability to digitize accurate reproductions or models in 3D.
 VLADAN blog site contains various instructional posts regarding VMware-based infrastructures. Also contains great free study guides for certifications and links to valuable free tools for your toolbox.
 This is an update to a 2015 post regarding injecting drivers into ESXi installation media. VMware Front website has discontinued it's support for the GUI-based utility due to core architecture changes to newer versions of ESXi. Formally, the ESXi-Customizer tool is now a PowerShell script that leverages VMware's PowerCLI snap-in for PowerShell.
 Rob de Veij's RV Tools is definitely a toolbox staple for anyone in the vicinity of a VMware ESXi server. Leveraging the VI SDK, RV Tools brings together a suite of about 25 various scripts that can query and report on the most important pieces of ESX, ESXi and vCenter components. Useful for quickly identifying dangerous performance killers, like snapshots. Great troubleshooting tool.
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December 2020
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