Local LLMs: Running Ollama and Open WebUI in Docker on Ubuntu

Ollama is a popular tool for running large language models (LLMs) locally on your machine. It provides a simple interface to interact with various models without needing an internet connection. Open WebUI is a web-based user interface that allows you to interact with LLMs through a browser.

I am working on an Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS Desktop machine with decent hardware to run models locally, so my preference is to run Ollama as a local service rather than confining it to a container. This way, Ollama can take full advantage of my machine’s capabilities, especially the GPU.

Build a Weather MCP Server with Rust: Complete Tutorial for AI Integration

Building AI tools that can access real-time data requires bridging the gap between language models and external APIs. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) makes this possible by providing a standard way for AI assistants to interact with data sources.

In this tutorial, we’ll build a weather MCP server using Rust that connects to the National Weather Service API, giving any MCP-compatible AI assistant the ability to fetch live weather alerts and forecasts.

Deploying AKS Automatic clusters with Pulumi: A step-by-step guide

Yo! Let’s build an AKS Automatic cluster with Pulumi 🚀

If you don’t already know, Pulumi is a modern Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool that allows you to use your favorite programming language to deploy and manage cloud resources. I like it because I can use Go and the Pulumi Go SDK to write my infrastructure code. There are other languages supported like Python, TypeScript, .NET, and more so be sure to check out their docs for more information.

Installing VMWare Workstation Pro on Ubuntu Desktop

This is a guide that will walk you through the steps to install VMWare Workstation Pro on Ubuntu Desktop. I am currently using Ubuntu 24.10 with version 6.11.x of the Linux kernel on a UEFI-based system with secure boot enabled. This guide is based on my experience with this setup and may not apply to all systems.

Download VMWare Workstation Pro

To start, browse to https://support.broadcom.com and login or create an account if you don’t already have one.

Installing Kubernetes 1.30

Kubernetes on your Laptop (3 part series)

• Installing VMware Fusion
• Installing Ubuntu Server 22.04
• Installing Kubernetes 1.30

This is the third and final post in my “Kubernetes on your Laptop” series. In this post, I will show you how to install Kubernetes on Ubuntu server. If you haven’t read the previous posts, I recommend you go back and ensure you have an Ubuntu server running on your laptop before proceeding.

Installing Ubuntu Server 22.04

Kubernetes on your Laptop (3 part series)

• Installing VMware Fusion
• Installing Ubuntu Server 22.04
• Installing Kubernetes 1.30

This is the second post in my “Kubernetes on your Laptop” series. In this post, I’ll show you how to install Ubuntu Server on a virtual machine using VMware Fusion. If you need help installing VMware Fusion, check out my previous post.

Download Ubuntu Server Image

First thing we need to do is download the Ubuntu Server image based on your machine’s architecture:

Installing VMware Fusion

Kubernetes on your Laptop (3 part series)

• Installing VMware Fusion
• Installing Ubuntu Server 22.04
• Installing Kubernetes 1.30

I’m preparing to renew my CKA and CKS certifications, and to practice, I’ve decided to set up a local Kubernetes cluster as a lab environment on my laptop to work with control plane components which isn’t be possible in a managed Kubernetes environment like GKE, EKS, or AKS. There are other local Kubernetes options like Minikube, Kind, Docker Desktop, or Rancher Desktop but you may run into some limitations especially as you try to prepare for the CKA and CKS exams. I wanted to have a full-blown Kubernetes cluster running locally without any restrictions.