Author: Tom's IT Cafe

A shadow in the digital world, bringing bold operational security strategies to those who value anonymity. I talk about security, but I never leave a trace.

Install Debian Linux On Btrfs

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You investigate Btrfs. You read the documentation and many blog posts about it.
It has its advantages. It gives you value. Structure.
Then you check some installation guides:

  • Escape to shell from the installer to do the partitioning.
  • Bootstrap a Debian system while you mount the disk from a live CD.

No. You don’t have to be a magician to install Debian on Btrfs.
The Debian installer can do it for you.

The installer creates a perfectly usable Btrfs filesystem.
You can organize it into subvolumes later, after the first boot.

Continue reading “Install Debian Linux On Btrfs” →

The Small Business Server Stack

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Small and medium businesses are in a difficult position concerning technology and computers.
Most of you are in survival mode to be able to operate.

  • You cannot afford expensive hardware equipment.
  • You cannot subscribe to enterprise cloud solutions.
  • You cannot hire the top talent for 24/7.

Probably an acquaintance or relative helps you – or a small company suggested by them.

Continue reading “The Small Business Server Stack” →

Use ZFS The Architect Way

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A major system upgrade.
A risky configuration change.
Testing a new application.

On traditional filesystems, recovery usually means restoring from backups.
Sometimes it requires reinstalling the system entirely.

OpenZFS provides tools for managing risk.
Snapshots, dataset properties, compression, and encryption can be managed directly by the filesystem.

OpenZFS is more than a filesystem.
It is a filesystem and volume manager designed to simplify storage administration.

Continue reading “Use ZFS The Architect Way” →

FreeBSD Jails

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The classic system administration changed a lot in a decade.
Virtualization and container technology went through a remarkable improvement.

They have a stable place in the systems:

  • Virtual machines run almost isolated from the host system.
  • Containers sit on the top of the same kernel bringing a lightweight separation.

FreeBSD Jails don’t compete with containers.
They don’t substitute virtual machines.
Jails just fill a gap.

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Matrix Homeserver As Hidden Service Over Tor (Synapse)

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Matrix as a hidden service over Tor can increase privacy.
You already learned during our “hidden service” series:

that Tor is not an invisible cape. It’s not full-anonymity.
Using Tor you can maintain better privacy and OPSEC.
It’s a better protection against metadata leaks if you use it carefully.

Continue reading “Matrix Homeserver As Hidden Service Over Tor (Synapse)” →

Protect Your Privacy With An XMPP Tor Hidden Service (Prosody)

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The world is changing fast.
Yesterday’s mistake becomes today’s data leak – and tomorrow’s compromise.

Privacy is not a default setting.
It’s constant configuration and calibration.

You know how to install an IRC server as a Tor hidden service.
You’ve seen the modern features and modularity of the XMPP protocol.

A Tor hidden service protects both the server and the user.
This setup is designed to reduce exposure of IP addresses and limit metadata leakage.
It does not protect against compromised endpoints or user mistakes.

Continue reading “Protect Your Privacy With An XMPP Tor Hidden Service (Prosody)” →

Run IRC As A Tor Hidden Service (Inspircd + Anope)

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IRC with InspIRCd and Anope works well as an internet-facing service.
Your domain name, the TLS certificates and SASL authentication make it secure.
Cloaking hides your address from other users.

But what about IRC Operators and Network Admins?
They can see the addresses/hosts the clients connect from.

As an IRC Operator you can increase the trust in your services.

You will learn now how to run InspIRCd as a Tor-only hidden service.

Continue reading “Run IRC As A Tor Hidden Service (Inspircd + Anope)” →

XMPP – The Middle Ground Of Instant Messaging (Prosody)

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XMPP or Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol is an open communication protocol.
It has been actively developed since it was introduced in 1999.
Over time, a large part of its user base migrated to centralized cloud platforms.

IRC is a simple, reliable, text-based protocol.
Matrix is a robust but more complex protocol with higher resource requirements.
XMPP sits between them, closer to IRC in simplicity while offering more modern features.

In this article you will learn to install a private, non-federated XMPP server.

Continue reading “XMPP – The Middle Ground Of Instant Messaging (Prosody)” →

Build A Modular IRC Server In 2026 (Inspircd + Anope)

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You saw the simplicity of Ergo Chat.
Now you think about how to build a modern, modular IRC server – like in the old days.

  • Inspircd is a modern IRC server.
  • Anope is a services bot.

Together they form the base of a stable and reliable communications service.

In 2026 IRC may not be the primary comms channel, but it’s perfect for secondary/backup.

Continue reading “Build A Modular IRC Server In 2026 (Inspircd + Anope)” →

Run Your Own IRC Server (Ergo Chat)

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Want a private comms channel without relying on Discord or Slack?
IRC is alive, and you can run your own today.

A small, well-configured IRC server gives you privacy, control, and minimal attack surface – all in a few commands.

Some people think that IRC is dead.
Some of them don’t even know what is it.
They’re young, grew up on modern comms.

IRC is the protocol that laid the foundation of modern chats.

Networks used large footprint ircd daemons for the base.
They registered services daemons for channel and nick retention.
TLS settings were rare and uncomfortable.
SASL authentication was hardly set.

Then new developments appeared.
The old technology got a modern revision.

Continue reading “Run Your Own IRC Server (Ergo Chat)” →

The Operator’s KVM Bible

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When the enterprise behind one of the widespread hypervisors was acquired:
many sysadmins decided to move on.

  • Most of them chose a Linux-based open-source alternative.
  • Many of them migrated to the Microsoft ecosystem.
  • They chased the same workflow, the same features they had before.

Only a very few operators dared to rework their processes and architecture.

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machines) is part of the Linux kernel.
It is a stable and fast hypervisor.

  • A carefully configured host OS for KVM can reduce the attack surface compared to feature-heavy hypervisors.
  • The libvirt API enables secure automation and configuration management.
  • KVM can host Linux, Windows and BSD virtual machines as well.
  • It ships an ecosystem of mature tools for the operators in charge.

KVM is not a downgrade. It’s a sideways step.

Continue reading “The Operator’s KVM Bible” →