Gossamer has a long history with computers as well as the system administration role. Notably dating back to the late ’70s when I started my career with Texas Instruments. I was a member of to the first engineering team expressly charged with supporting the production of their DX990 mini-computers. My job entailed writing test procedures together with cross-departmental Tiger Team support for critical manufacturing issues. In fact the end result was the automation of  production hardware diagnostic testing.

Then came VAX, Apollo, the IBM XT, Celerity, Sun Microsystems, …  Of course, that’s ancient history.

System Administration

Gone are the days when a system administrator’s office was lined with heavy 3 ring binders containing technical reference manuals. RTFM to debug problems. To put it differently, docs are a google search away. As a result today’s system administrators focus more on problem solving and critical thinking.

Today’s system administrators are adept at searching for solutions to errors. Correspondingly a system administrator needs to quickly sort through search results to arrive at the correct solution for the problem at hand.

Microsoft

I’ve kept up with windows development since its early days under MS-DOS and over the years I have constructed personal computers loaded with every version of windows since Windows 95. The notable exceptions were Windows Me and Windows Vista. With this in mind, I can quickly diagnose and repair most system administrative issues with Windows.

Windows Desktop

Preventative routine maintenance is critical. Ask a generative AI about allowing Windows to automatically update and you will get a singular perspective. It is critical to run updates, so force the issue. It is important to realize the accumulation of technical debt accrued when one or more of the updates goes bad. Gossamer practices best policy by gating the updates with a test bed along with keeping current with the latest developments.

A typical business deployment from Gossamer would include:

• Bitdender Endpoint Antivirus Security Firewall
• Automation of routine system maintenance services
• A maintenance toolkit  managed with Chocolatey
• Multi-tiered data backup
• DNS configuration
• Active Directory Domain support(join)
• Monthly tested security updates and system review

Windows  11

The word is out! Microsoft is recommending that all Windows 10 workstations be scraped and hopefully recycled!

Support for Windows 10 ends October 14, 2025.

End of support for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 | Microsoft Windows

Make a smooth transition to Windows 11 from your unsupported operating system with help from Microsoft. Enjoy the benefits of upgrading to a Windows 11 PC.

Gossamer’s position is more nuanced. All of the desktops I have deployed during the last five years can all be made Win11 ready without a trip to the re-cycling center. Simply enable the TPM in the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) bios and maybe slap in a new SSD. Some units require a cpu update. Generally we do not recommend that you let Microsoft automatically upgrade to Windows 11.

There is a reason why a Windows 11 upgrade is FREE!

To determine if your workstation is Win11 ready:

1. UEFI, Secure Boot capable
2. Install a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 module or enable Trusted Platform Module (TPM) in your UEFI Bios.
3. Download and run the Microsoft’s PC Health Check app.
4. It you need help with the results just copy them over to our contact form for a FREE analysis of your upgrade options.

Enable TPM 2.0 on your PC - Microsoft Support

Learn how to check if your PC is capable of running TPM 2.0 or how to enable TPM 2.0 to upgrade to Windows 11.

Copilot+ PC

Hot on the bleeding edge of technology are a new class of Windows 11 AI PCs that are powered by a turbocharged neural processing unit (NPU)—a specialized computer chip for AI-intensive processes like real-time translations and image generation.

To run unique Copilot+ PC experiences, customers will need to acquire new hardware.

Windows Server

Windows NT 4.0

This server launched in 1996 bringing significant improvements in usability and stability. At the same time it integrated the Windows 95 interface. This was the first windows platform I didn’t have to restart on the hour, every hour.

To be sure this server configured with O’Reilly’s WebSite Professional and iHtml Merchant together with dual 56K modems(ISDN) was North Lake Tahoe’s first online Ecommerce website. The online store featured products from the Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet.

Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet

Find Fresh baked breads, pastries, coffee drinks, European style tortes, deli style lunch, chicken pot pies, and gourmet cheeses at the Tahoe House Bakery.

Furthermore the server was configured with Oracle’s SQL which I used to remotely complete an advance computer science class for Oracle SQL Database design at Chico State University.

Windows Server Transitions

• Windows 2003  to Windows 2012. Transitioned Internet Reservation systems to custom OEM hardware. Created new Domain controllers and secondary servers. Configured Active Directory, DNS, and other required apps.
• Windows 2012 to Windows 2016. Replacement for Windows 2012 server damaged by customer.
• Windows 2012 to Windows 2019. Transitioned Internet Reservation system to custom OEM hardware. Created new Domain controllers, and secondary servers. Configured Active Directory, DNS, and other required apps.

Current Windows System Administrative Tasks

Server 2019 Domain Controllers, Servers, Remote Desktop Administration, Win 10/11

• Review and push critical Microsoft security updates for Domain Controllers and Servers.
• Establish and maintain daily tiered backups on all servers.
• Manage DNS.
• Setup and install network devices such as printers and scanners.
• Review and apply various Security Protocols.
• Interface with outside vendors.
• Manage Endpoint Security

Windows 10/11

FreeBSD