Rick Gouin

Self host Bitwarden in AWS

· Rick Gouin

I’ve used a number of different password managers over the years.  I was a LastPass user for a long time, but recently felt compelled to take a look at other options in this space.  After a number of evaluations, I’ve settled on a new option: Bitwarden. My two favorite parts about BitWarden: There is a self-host option, and the project is open source.  There are a number of different open source implementations of various aspects of the project, which is awesome. I decided to deploy my self-hosted Bitwarden deployment in AWS.  My first decision to make was “how should I […]

Run a Windows 10 Instance in AWS EC2

· Rick Gouin

You want a Microsoft Windows 10 instance in your EC2 environment.  Maybe its for a jump box, maybe its for direct access to some RDS instances or other services.  Whatever the case, you went to AWS figuring you’d launch a new Windows 10 instance, and then you realized: Windows 10 isn’t one of the choices. Its true, Windows 10 is not one of the pre-built AMIs offered by AWS.  So how do you get yourself a Windows 10 instance running up there?  Fear not!  Thats what this guide is for.  I’ll show you all the steps to get a Windows […]

Make Your Own METAR Weather Map

· Rick Gouin

This is kind of like COVID sourdough bread for pilots.  Seems like many of us undertook this fun project to keep us busy during COVID.  As usual, I was a little behind the trend and just finished mine.  I’m going to write up how I did mine, hopefully it will help make yours come out better!  If you are stopping by because you made a METAR map and it recently stopped working, scroll to the bottom for instructions to fix it. ** UPDATED 10/06/2025 *** What is a METAR Map?  METAR is a format for reporting weather information, and its […]

Move an Existing VM into AWS EC2

· Rick Gouin
AWS Logo

You want to move a VM into AWS EC2 with as little knowledge as possible, right?  You don’t care to become an expert in AWS, you just want enough to get the job done.  Here is what you have to do, how to do it, and how long it will take. Time it: For a 15GB VM, this entire guide can take up to 4hrs to complete, depending on connection speed and VM size.  Most of that time is waiting on uploads and conversions. I’m going to assume: You already have an AWS root account.  If not, follow this guide […]

New PowerStore in the Lab!

· Rick Gouin

As I mentioned here, we were beta testers for the Dell PowerStore all-flash storage array.  We tested everything from initial imaging of the array as either a Model T or Model X all the way to importing external storage arrays.  We really enjoyed having the opportunity to get our hands on the gear early, and appreciated getting ahead of the release so we were ready to answer customer questions on day 1.  Eventually, they made us give that beta array back to them (the nerve!)  and we were all sad to see it go. The empty rack space was taunting […]