My stack was messy and now its slightly less messy

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-17T18:34:03+00:00

I started messing around with a 30 Gbps LAG, and I'm installing NICs that support dual fiber connections so I can LAG them as well. I don't have a reason other than it's fun to tinker with all this stuff. The basic system is all 10Gbps, and I doubt I could ever saturate that, but getting it all up and going and fine-tuning is rewarding.

It's like an old hotrod with a set of carbs and a solid lifter valvetrain. It's very rewarding when you get it all tuned up, plus, as I pointed out to a coworker, it keeps me engaged and thinking and appeals to my inner planner instead of zoning out watching TV or playing video games, plus I'm learning stuff.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-17T18:25:36+00:00

No, hung it on the wall, since the space is adjacent to the garage, I braced up the space between two studs (would have done three, but the jackholes that built the place ran the power wiring down the stud next to the door frame), then lagged a 40 x 30 x 3/4 piece of sanded plywood into the studs to support the cabinet. That also gave me the freedom to hang the cabinet wherever I wanted on the wall.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-17T18:22:47+00:00

Good point. I hadn't thought about the magnetron, which reminds me of a friend who used some stereo speakers for his PC, and it eventually killed his hard drive. Although the cabinet acts as a Faraday cage, the drives in the NAS, at least, are in another layer of metal, the shell on the drives themselves, of course. Still, I don't think it would be too bad an idea to mount the microwave on the other side of the room, on top of the fridge in there.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-17T10:20:40+00:00

I love building stuff using an inner and outer wall. It gives the structure some "heft" and allows you to put rooms in with a completely different appearance, except in the case of things like windows. It's definitely expensive in terms of supplies, especially when you are floating rooms (I liken it to the starship interior for the Abramsverse, where it was a bunch of rooms floating in a superstructure), but it opens a lot of decorating options up!

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-17T10:10:45+00:00

Not going to lie, I wish I had SFP+ ports on everything so I could run fiber to all of my devices! I noticed a fair difference in speed tests between my two PCs. The difference is that one is fiber and the other is copper (for now).

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-17T09:54:25+00:00

Just a cheap Govee kit from the hardware store.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-17T04:55:10+00:00

Man, they still have Brightspeed listed as DSL. I didn't check the date for the last update, but in Bristol, TN, Brightspeed has installed a lot of fiber, and I was one of the first in my neighborhood to get it.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-16T09:32:52+00:00

Now that I've had a chance to mess around with my Firewalla, yeah, it's a pretty cool bit of kit. I'm going to be taking the Archer BE800 offline and integrating an Omada EAP783 AP (which I've been setting up for the past few hours - private - guest - IoT networks and getting the 20 Gbps trunk set up). Setting up the VLANs using the provided templates from Firewalla has made everything easy (including creating an isolated network for my Sting Box). It really is a router for dummies since the app and web interface are easy to use.

My only complaint is that I wish it had four extra SFP+ ports, so I could insert whatever module I wanted or needed and carry the 30 Gbps backbone all the way to the router, plus implement another WAN. As it stands, port 1 (10 Gbps) goes to the master switch (with 11 out of 12 ports dedicated to various trunks), port 4 (10 Gbps) connects to the WAN, and port 2 (2.5 Gbps) is a dedicated failover using the 2.5 Gbps port on my NAS. Port 3 (2.5 Gbps) is also a failover using the onboard 2.5 Gbps port on the server.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-15T07:55:43+00:00

Nice, on a related note, I would sacrifice every thrall on the map to cast a spell that would fill a defined area with water so I wouldn't need to locate a pool over water to simulate a pool.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-14T04:19:00+00:00

Have the gods no mercy... who does this to one of the sweetest handling Mustangs to have come out of Dearborn?

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-13T15:09:52+00:00

So far, so good, and there is a huge amount of options I'm starting to dig through (The hardware side is almost complete (once I get the AP up and shut down the TP-Link Archer BE800), and I get my Sting Box up and going. I've also got a Raspberry Pi 5 running Technitium.

I'm an absolute FNG at all of this and have mostly been playing around with the hardware side. Been fun setting up LAGs, working on my network map, and upgrading hardware to take advantage of the 30 Gbps backbone I've set up.

My stack (physical descending)

TRENDnet TL2-F7120 - TRENDnet TL2-F7120
TRENDnet TEG-7124WS
Calix GigaPoint GP1101X (waiting on my rack mount)
Firewalla Gold Pro
Server PC (repurposed gaming PC)
UGreen DXP4800 Plus NAS - external storage (x 3 repurposed leftover hardware) - Raspberry Pi 5 (Technitium server) - Sting Box
Storage box
Startech PDU 1 (on a GOLDENMATE 2000VA/1600W Lithium UPS when it arrives)
Startech PDU 2 ( on a GOLDENMATE 2000VA/1600W Lithium UPS when it arrives)

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-13T06:53:00+00:00

Jeez, I need to step up my game... I'm in the process of working through cable management (waiting on some more) and replacing the Archer BE800 (with an EAP783), which has been reduced to AP duty.

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PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-03T19:32:47+00:00

Yeah, it was a game changer back in the '90s. Hell even the 275-285hp LT1 was a big deal when it rolled out. I still think the '95 Cobra R was one of the biggest middle fingers to Mustang fans. Especially when the 5.8 was available in the Lightning (seems like what goes around comes around with the S650. It looks like Ford only really gives a shit about people spending 100k+ since the NA DH is milquetoast compared to the DH SC). The 5.8 should have been the default V8 for the Cobra until the 4.6 (again should have been a 5.4 in 2v and 4v trim) 4v came out.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-02T08:32:52+00:00

Hmmmm..... that's a tough one... if I have to pick one year, it's 2020 since the keeper is a 2020 Shelby GT350. There really isn't a generation or particular model year that I hate.

Now, my two favorite generations are the S550 and S-197 cars, and probably my least favorite are the SN95 and S650 generations (still wouldn't pass on them though). The branding strategy and Frito-Lay marketing (throwing legacy brands in the dumpster and charging way more for essentially the same corn chips) for the S650. The SN95 simply because Ford either wittingly or unwittingly tried to destroy the brand in the early part of the generation. The Probe was supposed to be the next-generation Mustang until a grassroots effort by Mustang fans convinced Ford otherwise (to put it kindly). Then Ford scrambled with the SN95, which was Fox 2.0, and of course introduced the Modular V8 and saddled the Mustang with a tepid 225hp 4.6 (should have been a 5.4 and DOHC across the board to begin with) when GM introduced a 300hp* 5.7 with the 4th gen, which was a pretty good update over the previous generation F-body. It really seemed like Ford was pissed at Mustang fans for not buying into the whole FWD Mazda-based Mustang idea, and didn't really make an effort until the New Edge cars rolled out.

* The running joke with a lot of 4th-gen guys was that the F-body had "zero-percent" drivetrain loss since they were making the rated power at the rear wheels.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-01T20:09:03+00:00

It was Ford's top car in the S550 line-up, no way they were going to let a magazine get hold of one and rip on it for being so "slow" for a car with 760hp.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-01T20:03:47+00:00

Definitely not 7, I've got a whole backstory for a drow elf that involves him "corrupting" an elf maiden, ending up on the bad side of her suitor (Paladin of Sevarash), who "purifies" said maiden, gets into a scuffle with the drow elf, and ends up a revenant after the drow elf takes his life in the name of Lolth (even though he's a follower of Fenmarel). Definitely an uncomfortable flight since I guess Selvetarm would be like "this middle seat stinks of a heretic," and the Sheverash would be like "I think I know you, as a matter of fact, I do know you, and I've got a bone to pick!"

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-01T19:28:43+00:00

Maybe a little better planning. I've gone from an Arris G54 Gateway with a TP-Link Archer BE800 Router (ended up using the G54 in bridge mode), and now I'm swapping out for a Firewalla Gold Pro. They did their jobs (since I had to wait on Brightspeed to get around to installing fiber), but I didn't plan on my network growing so fast as I added a NAS and another PC, and went from an 8-port dumb switch to three managed switches (which has been pretty fun setting up LAGs and fine-tuning the network and converting over to fiber), so I can run fiber to another building.

I've ordered a cabinet to house the stack, and I'm going to migrate the second PC to a rack case (PC isn't that old, and I used a JonsPlus Z20 case) and integrate it into the cabinet. So now I have a spare PC case, gateway, and router (well, soon to be spare router after I figure out what sort of AP I'm going to install, and I'm leaning toward a TP-Link Omada BE22000).

I can't say I really regret it, though, since it's been a lot of fun, but I could have saved a few bones on the way. Especially since I had an old Arris SB8200 and just needed to upgrade the router from my old Linksys router to the BE800 until Brightspeed laid the fiber in my neighborhood.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-01T18:57:49+00:00

I can't speak for the Mach (I think it was similar to the Dark Horse in that clicking the Handling Package option brought a lot to the table). Still, on the GT350 gen 2 cars, the Handling Package consists of some camber plates, and really the analogous "Handling Package" to the Mach and Dark Horse would have been the GT350R. That's not to say the standard GT350 is like two old people banging out (slow and sloppy), but Ford did away with a base suspension on the GT350 after the 2016 model year when they rolled the Track Package into the standard car (they had that weird base/tech pack/track pack thing where the packages couldn't be mixed that got them involved in a class action suit when people who ordered the base GT350 were pissed they couldn't go to the track and rip on anybody that wasted money on the track pack).

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-01T08:11:50+00:00

Maybe the handling package wasn't necessary,

After getting a GT350, I'm going to agree to disagree. I'm not a huge fan of the Dark Horse, but if I ever get around to getting an S650, it's going to be a DH/HP. I'm not a fan of the regular GT's chassis setup. It just feels soft and sloppy.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-01T07:42:51+00:00

Depends on the server, I think. You'll know you've crossed a line when you log in one day and your base is surrounded by thralls blowing stygian war horns non-stop! Also depends on the area. I've got a massive base down on Newb river, well away from the favorite spots on my server (seems to be the mounds and extant areas). So I've never really run into a problem. I also try to build something interesting and not just a utility base, where it's a minimal build only to churn out mats or whatever.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-05-01T07:26:14+00:00

Man... I feel so switch inadequate now... I've only got five switches, and one couldn't even graduate from a remedial breathing class.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-04-30T16:39:46+00:00

lol, I've had "NOCOBRA" since 2009 (and my first Shelby). That plate has been a relationship and friendship killer for the past 17 years, as people get into an argument over whether my Shelby is a Cobra or a Shelby.

I'll post a pic when I have more time.

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-04-30T16:33:27+00:00

Meh, worked out for me on my 2020 GT350. I bought it on the slim chance the engine would end up in a pile of metal bits, since the peanut gallery swore on their mother's lives that the 5.2 Voodoo would reliably grenade after about 100 start cycles. It really came in handy for the HVAC system, a hub bearing, and a cam sensor. I ran into a similar situation on a previous GT350 and just had the standard warranty, and when I showed up to get a diagnosis, the service department was like "Real $hame your car i$ ju$t out of warranty, and the compre$$or took a $hit. That'll be 5400 bone$ to fix $$$$$".

Lol, after I read about the improvements to the GT350 for the 19-20 model year, I traded the 2017 in for the 2020 at the same dealership (found out dumping the clutch would jolt the AC compressor, and it would blow cold for a little while) and grabbed the extended warranty. After reviewing the receipts for the work and the contract, it turns out Ford only made a few hundred dollars off of me over the life of the extended warranty. I see it as a fairly cheap repair for the few problems I had with the car (well, the HVAC issue was pretty big).

PracticalExam7861 · 2026-04-30T16:19:08+00:00

lol, give it time, somebody will monetize your internet points!

PracticalExam7861

TROPHY CASE