Google Play Games Beta

Google Play Games Beta allows you to play Android mobile games on your Windows PC. It offers:

  • Native Windows support (no emulator needed)

  • Seamless sync between devices (your progress is saved)

  • Keyboard and mouse support

  • Optimized gameplay performance

As of 2025, it’s available in many countries and supports hundreds of games like Clash of Clans, Asphalt 9, Genshin Impact, and Mobile Legends.

Minimum Specs:

Component Requirement
OS Windows 10 (v2004) or later
Storage SSD with at least 10 GB free
RAM 8 GB
CPU 4 physical cores
GPU Intel UHD Graphics 630 or similar
Virtualization Hardware virtualization (VT-x/AMD-V) enabled in BIOS/UEFI
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How to install and configure Nagios Core

1.Prerequisites

Make sure your system is updated and install necessary packages:

bash
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y apache2 php libapache2-mod-php build-essential libgd-dev unzip curl openssl libssl-dev daemon

Create a Nagios user and group:

bash
sudo useradd nagios
sudo groupadd nagcmd
sudo usermod -a -G nagcmd nagios

Install required dependencies:

bash
sudo apt install -y gcc make autoconf libc6 libmcrypt-dev libssl-dev bc gawk dc build-essential snmp libnet-snmp-perl gettext

2.  Install Nagios Core

Step 1: Download Nagios Core

bash
cd /tmp
curl -LO https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/nagioscore/releases/nagios-4.5.1.tar.gz
tar -xvzf nagios-4.5.1.tar.gz
cd nagios-4.5.1

Step 2: Compile and Install Nagios

bash
./configure --with-command-group=nagcmd
make all
sudo make install-groups-users
sudo make install
sudo make install-daemoninit
sudo make install-commandmode
sudo make install-config
sudo make install-webconf

Step 3: Set up Web Interface

Set up Apache user password:

bash
sudo htpasswd -c /usr/local/nagios/etc/htpasswd.users nagiosadmin

Enable Apache modules and restart Apache:

bash
sudo a2enmod cgi rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

3.  Install Nagios Plugins

Nagios uses plugins to monitor services.

bash
cd /tmp
curl -LO https://nagios-plugins.org/download/nagios-plugins-2.3.3.tar.gz
tar -zxvf nagios-plugins-2.3.3.tar.gz
cd nagios-plugins-2.3.3
./configure --with-nagios-user=nagios --with-nagios-group=nagios
make
sudo make install

4. Install NRPE (for remote monitoring)

bash
sudo apt install -y nagios-nrpe-server nagios-plugins

Edit the NRPE config file on remote hosts (/etc/nagios/nrpe.cfg):

  • Add your Nagios server IP to allowed_hosts

  • Restart NRPE: sudo systemctl restart nagios-nrpe-server

On the Nagios server, install NRPE plugin:

bash
sudo apt install nagios-nrpe-plugin

5. Configure Nagios

Main configuration directory:
/usr/local/nagios/etc/

Verify default config:

bash
sudo /usr/local/nagios/bin/nagios -v /usr/local/nagios/etc/nagios.cfg

Enable additional configs in nagios.cfg:

bash
cfg_dir=/usr/local/nagios/etc/servers

Create the directory:

bash
sudo mkdir /usr/local/nagios/etc/servers

6. Start Nagios and Access Web UI

Enable and start Nagios:

bash
sudo systemctl enable nagios
sudo systemctl start nagios

Access via browser:
http://<server_ip>/nagios/
Login with user: nagiosadmin and the password you set earlier.

7. Add Hosts and Services

 (/usr/local/nagios/etc/servers/webserver.cfg):

cfg
define host {
use linux-server
host_name webserver
alias Web Server
address 192.168.1.10
max_check_attempts 5
check_period 24x7
notification_interval 30
notification_period 24x7
}define service {
use generic-service
host_name webserver
service_description HTTP
check_command check_http
}

Restart Nagios:

bash
sudo systemctl restart nagios

8. Optional Enhancements

  • Email alerts: Configure contacts.cfg with email details

  • SSL for web UI: Use Let’s Encrypt or self-signed certs

  • Mobile UI: Install mobile-friendly frontends like NagiosMobile or Nagios V-Shell

  • NagiosQL / Centreon: Use GUIs for easier management

  • Performance Graphing: Integrate with PNP4Nagios or NagiosGraph.

Check for errors:

bash
sudo /usr/local/nagios/bin/nagios -v /usr/local/nagios/etc/nagios.cfg

Log file:
/usr/local/nagios/var/nagios.log

Web Interface:
Monitor hosts/services and acknowledge problems.

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How to install Peppermint OS

Peppermint OS is a lightweight Linux distro based on Debian or Devuan, designed for speed, efficiency, and minimal resource usage. It features the XFCE desktop environment with a clean, familiar layout, ideal for both beginners and advanced users.

  1. Go to the official site: https://peppermintos.com/

  2. Choose the latest Debian or Devuan flavor ISO

  3. Download the 64-bit .iso file.

Create Bootable Installation Media

Use any of the following tools to write the ISO to a USB drive:

Instructions (Rufus example):

  1. Insert USB (minimum 4 GB)

  2. Open Rufus, select your USB device

  3. Choose the downloaded Peppermint .iso

  4. Click Start and wait until complete.

Step 3: Install Peppermint OS

  1. Insert USB and boot your computer

  2. Enter BIOS/UEFI and set USB as the first boot device

  3. Save and reboot.

At the Boot Menu:

  • Select “Start Peppermint OS” to boot into the live environment

  • On the desktop, double-click “Install Peppermint OS”.

Installation Steps:

  1. Choose your language and keyboard layout

  2. Connect to Wi-Fi if needed

  3. Choose installation type:

    • Erase disk (for clean install)

    • Manual partitioning (advanced users).

  4. Set your time zone

  5. Create your user account and password

  6. Click Install.

✅ After installation completes, remove the USB and reboot.

Step 4: Post-Install Configuration

1. 🔁 Update your System

Open a terminal and run:

bash
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Or use the GUI Update Manager.

Install Web Browser

Peppermint is minimalist; if your preferred browser isn’t pre-installed:

bash
sudo apt install firefox-esr
# or
sudo apt install chromium

Install Common Apps

bash
sudo apt install vlc gimp libreoffice synaptic

Customize Appearance

  • Go to Menu > Settings > Appearance

  • Change theme, icons, and fonts

  • Use “Peppermint Welcome” for useful tweaks and guides.

Set Up Cloud Storage (Optional)

  • Install cloud clients like:

    bash
    sudo apt install rclone

    Or use web apps via the included ICE tool to create “site-specific browsers”.

System Tools & Performance Tips

1. Use ICE (Site-specific Browser Tool)

  • Launch ICE from the menu.

  • Turn a website (like Gmail or YouTube) into a standalone app.

2. Install Driver Manager

If not present:

bash
sudo apt install mintdrivers

Then go to Menu > Administration > Driver Manager to install proprietary drivers.

3. Enable Firewall

bash
sudo ufw enable

4.Install Flatpak Support

bash
sudo apt install flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

Then add Flatpak repo:

bash
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
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How to install and configure TrueNAS

TrueNAS is an open-source NAS (Network Attached Storage) operating system based on FreeBSD (TrueNAS CORE) or Linux (TrueNAS SCALE). It provides file sharing, data protection, and virtualization features for home or enterprise storage.

  • TrueNAS CORE: Best for traditional NAS (FreeBSD based)

  • TrueNAS SCALE: Supports Docker, Kubernetes, virtualization (Linux based).

Step 1: Download and Prepare Installation Media

  1. Visit https://www.truenas.com/download/

  2. Choose TrueNAS CORE or TrueNAS SCALE

  3. Download the .iso file

  4. Use a tool like Rufus or balenaEtcher to create a bootable USB stick from the ISO.

Step 2: Install TrueNAS

Boot from USB:

  1. Plug in the bootable USB to the target machine

  2. Boot and enter the BIOS/UEFI to set the USB as the first boot device

  3. Reboot to launch the installer.

Installation Steps:

  1. Select Install/Upgrade

  2. Choose the boot device (e.g., USB or SSD – note: it will be wiped)

  3. Set a root password

  4. After installation, remove the USB installer

  5. Reboot into TrueNAS.

Step 3: Access the Web UI

Once TrueNAS boots:

  1. The console will show an IP address (e.g., http://192.168.1.100)

  2. Open a browser on a device on the same network

  3. Visit the displayed IP

  4. Log in with root and the password you created.

Step 4: Initial Configuration

1. Set Timezone and Hostname

  • Go to System > General

  • Set your hostname and timezone.

2. Create Storage Pool (ZFS)

  • Go to Storage > Pools > Add

  • Choose Create new pool

  • Add disks and configure RAID level (e.g., RAIDZ1, mirror)

  • Name the pool and click Create.

3. Create a Dataset (Optional)

  • Inside the pool, create datasets for different shares (e.g., media, backups).

Step 5: Set Up Network Shares

Option A: SMB (Windows/macOS)

  1. Go to Sharing > Windows (SMB) Shares > Add

  2. Select the dataset path

  3. Name your share

  4. Enable the share and save

  5. Go to Services > SMB, enable and start it.

Option B: NFS (Linux)

  1. Go to Sharing > Unix (NFS) Shares > Add

  2. Choose the dataset path and set permissions

  3. Enable NFS service.

Step 6: User and Permissions

  1. Go to Accounts > Users > Add.

  2. Create users with their home directories and shell (if needed).

  3. Assign users to datasets with proper permissions under Storage > Pools > Permissions.

Optional: Enable Additional Features

  • Apps (TrueNAS SCALE only):

    • Go to Apps > Launch Docker containers like Plex, Nextcloud, etc.

  • Snapshots:

    • Enable ZFS snapshots for versioned backups

  • Replication:

    • Set up data replication to another system

  • Alerts:

    • Configure email alerts under System > Alert Settings.

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Linux Mint Installation and Configuration Guide

Step 1: Download Linux Mint ISO

  1. Go to: https://linuxmint.com/download.php

  2. Choose a desktop environment:

    • Cinnamon: Modern and full-featured (default)

    • MATE: Lightweight and traditional

    • Xfce: Ultra-lightweight.

  3. Pick a download mirror (closest to your region).

  4. Download the 64-bit ISO unless you’re using very old hardware.

Step 2: Create a Bootable USB

On Windows:

  1. Download Rufus: https://rufus.ie

  2. Insert USB drive

  3. Open Rufus:

    • Select USB device

    • Select downloaded ISO

    • File system: FAT32

    • Click Start.

  4. Wait for completion.

On macOS/Linux:

  1. Download Etcher: https://etcher.io

  2. Open Etcher

  3. Select ISO file and USB device

  4. Click Flash.

Step 3: Boot Into Linux Mint

  1. Reboot your computer

  2. Enter the BIOS/UEFI settings (usually pressing F2, F10, F12, or DEL during boot)

  3. Set the USB drive as the first boot option

  4. Save and reboot. Mint will load into live mode.

Step 4: Install Linux Mint

  1. From the live session, double-click “Install Linux Mint”.

  2. Select:

    • Language

    • Keyboard layout

    • Connect to Wi-Fi (optional but recommended)

  3. Choose Installation Type:

    • Erase disk and install Mint (Use only if you want to delete all existing data).

    • Install alongside (dual boot with Windows).

    • Something else (manual partitioning).

  4. Set:

    • Time zone

    • User account name and password

  5. Click Install Now, then Continue to confirm disk changes.

  6. After installation, click Restart Now and remove the USB drive when prompted.

Step 5: Post-Install Configuration

System Update

  1. Open the Update Manager

  2. Click Refresh, then Install Updates.

Customize Appearance

  • Right-click the desktop → Change Desktop Background

  • System Settings → Themes → Choose or download new themes.

Install Additional Software

Use the Software Manager or run in Terminal:

bash
sudo apt install <package-name>

Popular packages:

  • VLC: sudo apt install vlc

  • GIMP: sudo apt install gimp

  • Steam: sudo apt install steam

Enable Driver Support

  • Menu → Driver Manager

  • Install recommended drivers for GPU, Wi-Fi, etc.

Enable Firewall

bash
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

Optional: Enable Flatpak or Snap Support

Flatpak (enabled by default in Mint):

bash
flatpak install flathub com.spotify.Client

Snap (needs to be enabled manually):

bash
sudo rm /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref
sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapd

Maintenance Tips

  • Update regularly: Use the Update Manager

  • Create backups: Use Timeshift (pre-installed)

  • Clean up unused packages:

    bash
    sudo apt autoremove
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Arch Linux Installation & Configuration Guide

1. Boot into Arch ISO

  1. Boot from USB and select the Arch Linux option

  2. Confirm internet connection:

    bash
    ping archlinux.org

2. Set Keyboard Layout (if needed)

bash
loadkeys us # or your layout, e.g., de, fr, etc.

3. Update System Clock

bash
timedatectl set-ntp true

4. Partition the Disk

Use fdisk or cfdisk (UEFI example):

bash
cfdisk /dev/sdX

Create:

  • EFI System Partition (e.g. 512M, type: EFI System)

  • Linux filesystem partition

5. Format Partitions

bash
mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sdX1 # EFI
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX2 # Root

6. Mount Partitions

bash
mount /dev/sdX2 /mnt
mkdir /mnt/boot
mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt/boot

7. Install Base System

bash
pacstrap -K /mnt base linux linux-firmware nano

8. Generate fstab

bash
genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

9. Chroot into New System

bash
arch-chroot /mnt

10. Set Timezone

bash
ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Region/City /etc/localtime
hwclock --systohc

11. Localization

Uncomment your locale in /etc/locale.gen, e.g., en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8, then:

bash
locale-gen
echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf

12. Set Hostname and Hosts File

bash
echo "myhostname" > /etc/hostname

Edit /etc/hosts:

plaintext
127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost
127.0.1.1 myhostname.localdomain myhostname

13. Set Root Password

bash
passwd

14. Install Bootloader (Systemd-boot for UEFI)

bash
bootctl install

Create loader config:

bash
nano /boot/loader/loader.conf
ini
default arch
timeout 3
console-mode max
editor no

Create entry:

bash
nano /boot/loader/entries/arch.conf
ini
title Arch Linux
linux /vmlinuz-linux
initrd /initramfs-linux.img
options root=PARTUUID=xxxxxx rw

Get PARTUUID:

bash
blkid /dev/sdX2

15. Enable Networking

bash
pacman -S networkmanager
systemctl enable NetworkManager

16. Add a User

bash
useradd -mG wheel yourusername
passwd yourusername

Enable sudo for wheel group:

bash
EDITOR=nano visudo
# Uncomment: %wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

17. Install Essential Packages

bash
pacman -S base-devel git curl

18. Install a Desktop Environment (Optional)

Example: GNOME

bash
pacman -S gnome gdm gnome-tweaks
systemctl enable gdm

Or KDE:

bash
pacman -S plasma kde-applications sddm
systemctl enable sddm

Or XFCE:

bash
pacman -S xfce4 xfce4-goodies lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter
systemctl enable lightdm

19. Exit, Unmount, and Reboot

bash
exit
umount -R /mnt
reboot

Remove installation media when rebooting.

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How to install Windows Server 2022

What you’ll need

  • A valid Windows Server 2022 ISO file (available from Microsoft’s Evaluation Center or Volume Licensing)

  • A bootable USB drive (8GB or more) or a virtual machine platform (e.g., Hyper-V, VMware, VirtualBox)

  • A PC or server that meets the minimum system requirements:

    • 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor

    • 512 MB RAM (2 GB recommended for GUI)

    • 32 GB disk space

    • UEFI firmware with Secure Boot

    • Network adapter

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PNY CS2150 2TB SSD

The only thing better than a super-fast SSD is a super-fast SSD that doesn’t need a heatsink to maintain its speed. The PNY CS2150 promises just that, using newer controller tech in a svelte package that makes it hard to believe that this level of performance is just a cart-click away.

PNY has been in the memory business for quite a long time, and with SSDs it’s probably best known for offering affordable second-look drives. This means drives that compete with big brand names using the same hardware at usually lower prices. Part of this strategy means having a smaller capacity range, especially with newer SSD hardware, to net sales with the most popular capacities.

Many other companies do this and often with larger ranges — Teamgroup comes to mind — but PNY has enough of a market presence that it doesn’t have to work too hard to compete. Right now, the CS2150 is one of the few options with efficient PCIe 5.0 hardware, and that lets the drive stand out even if it’s otherwise unremarkable and not priced aggressively.

This is a drive not only for those who want the PCIe 5.0 checkbox ticked — though that’s possibly an OEM PC builder’s dream — but by a wider audience who can appreciate the new technology. The drive is incredibly efficient and cool-running with excellent performance almost across the board. It can still hit the right notes in a 4.0 slot and is not limited to desktops as its power consumption and thermal output are both pretty low. Its main weaknesses are pricing and the lack of a 4TB SKU, but it’s positioned perfectly to be an excellent primary drive where you might not need that much space but still want top-tier

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