Step-by-Step IT & Cybersecurity Tutorial Library

Welcome to the Ops Chronicle Tutorial Library, your dedicated hands-on resource for mastering the practical aspects of information technology and cybersecurity.

While theory provides the foundation, practice builds the fortress. This page is the index to our growing collection of detailed, step-by-step guides designed for IT professionals, system administrators, DevOps engineers, and security practitioners. Our tutorials are crafted to provide clear, actionable instructions to help you implement, configure, and secure the technologies that power modern enterprises.

How to Use This Library:

  • For Beginners: Start with the “Fundamentals” section to build a strong, practical foundation.
  • For Pros: Jump to specific advanced topics to solve immediate challenges or optimize your environment.
  • For Everyone: Bookmark this page. We consistently add new guides to tackle emerging technologies and evolving threats.

Tutorial Categories

1. Cybersecurity Fundamentals

Build a robust security posture from the ground up. These tutorials cover essential practices every administrator should know.

  • Getting Started with Firewall Configuration: pfSense & OPNsense – Learn how to configure basic and advanced firewall rules to segment and protect your network.
  • Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on Windows Server Active Directory – A step-by-step guide to enforcing MFA for all domain logins, dramatically reducing credential theft risk.
  • Introduction to Vulnerability Scanning with OpenVAS – Discover how to find, prioritize, and remediate security weaknesses in your network infrastructure.
  • Creating an Effective Incident Response Plan: A Template Walkthrough – Prepare for a security breach with a documented and tested plan for your team.
  • Secure Remote Access: Setting Up a WireGuard VPN Server – Configure a modern, high-performance VPN for secure remote connections to your corporate network.

2. Network Infrastructure & Administration

The backbone of IT. Learn to configure, manage, and troubleshoot the core services that keep your organization connected.

  • Building a Redundant DHCP & DNS Server Pair on Linux – Ensure critical network services remain available even during a server failure.
  • Mastering Windows Server: Promoting a Domain Controller and Configuring Group Policy – The definitive guide to setting up an AD DS domain and enforcing settings via GPO.
  • Network Monitoring 101: Installing and Configuring Zabbix – Gain visibility into your network’s performance and get alerted to issues before users do.
  • How to Configure a Cisco Switch from Scratch: VLANs, STP, and Basic Security – A practical lab guide for initial switch setup and hardening.
  • Automating Network Tasks with Python and Netmiko – Learn to write simple scripts to configure multiple network devices simultaneously.

3. Cloud & Hybrid Environments

Master the platforms shaping the future of IT. Guides for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

  • Your First AWS VPC: A Secure and Well-Architected Setup Guide – Build a virtual network in AWS following security best practices by default.
  • Step-by-Step: Deploying a Secure Web Application on Azure App Services – From code to cloud, learn how to deploy a containerized app securely.
  • Identity and Access Management (IAM) Deep Dive in GCP – Learn the principle of least privilege and how to apply it using GCP’s powerful IAM tools.
  • Implementing a Hybrid Cloud Connection with Azure ExpressRoute / AWS Direct Connect – Establish a secure, private connection between your on-prem data center and the cloud.
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Tutorial: Deploying with Terraform – Write your first Terraform config to automate resource provisioning.

4. System Hardening & Best Practices

Proactive defense is the best defense. These guides walk you through securing operating systems and applications.

  • Hardening a Linux Server: A Checklist and Implementation Guide – A comprehensive walkthrough for securing a new Linux deployment (Ubuntu/CentOS).
  • Applying the CIS Benchmarks to Windows Server – Use built-in tools and group policy to comply with industry-standard security benchmarks.
  • Securing Your Kubernetes Clusters: Pod Security Policies and NetworkPolicies – Implement critical controls to isolate workloads and limit blast radius.
  • Database Security 101: Hardening MySQL and PostgreSQL – Move beyond default installations to a secure database server configuration.
  • Disaster Recovery Setup: Building a Bare-Metal Backup Solution with Veeam – Ensure you can recover entire systems quickly after a catastrophic failure.

5. DevOps & Automation

Integrate security into your development pipeline and automate everything.

  • Building a CI/CD Pipeline with Jenkins, Git, and Docker – Automate the process of testing and deploying application code.
  • Getting Started with Ansible for Configuration Management – Write your first playbook to automate server configuration across your estate.
  • Secret Management with HashiCorp Vault: Installation and Basic Use – Stop hardcoding credentials in your scripts and config files.
  • Shifting Left: Integrating Static Application Security Testing (SAST) into GitLab CI – Find vulnerabilities in your code before it’s even built.
  • Container Security Scanning with Trivy in a CI Pipeline – Automatically find vulnerabilities in your Docker images before deployment.

Coming Soon & Request a Tutorial

Our library is constantly expanding. Here’s a preview of what we’re working on:

  • Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) for Beginners: Analyzing a Disk Image
  • Building a Homelab for Penetration Testing Practice
  • Advanced SIEM Query Writing for Splunk and Elasticsearch
  • Zero Trust Architecture: Implementing BeyondCorp with Identity-Aware Proxy

Is there a specific challenge you’re facing? We build our tutorial roadmap based on the needs of our community. Contact us to suggest a topic for a future step-by-step guide.

Conclusion & Next Steps

The path to IT and cybersecurity mastery is a journey of continuous learning and hands-on practice. This tutorial library is designed to be your companion on that journey, providing the practical, actionable guidance you need to succeed.

Next Steps:

  1. Choose one tutorial from a category relevant to your current goals.
  2. Set up a safe lab environment (e.g., using virtual machines) to practice without risk.
  3. Implement the knowledge and strengthen your infrastructure.

Bookmark this page and check back often as we release new content to help you build, manage, and defend modern IT systems.

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