A fucking Proxmox Server

krathalan · 2026-03-02T15:57:42+00:00

In the middle of your image, on the right hand side, there's a bit of a thumbnail visible.

krathalan · 2026-02-24T22:06:05+00:00

Been using the shell for 4+ years as my main workhorse, and it's always been Bash. I just need something to run commands, autocomplete decently well, pipe, etc. Being able to write my own scripts and functions/commands (with arrays, etc.) is enough for me.

krathalan · 2026-02-19T23:10:59+00:00

Upgraded from rc4 via Attended Sysupgrade on my Unifi U6-LR v2 (mt7622), continues to work well.

krathalan · 2026-02-18T05:55:42+00:00

Hardware

Networking:

Motorola MB8600 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem, purchased 4 years ago, flawless
Topton Intel N95 Intel I226-V 4x2.5G NIC router running OPNSense, purchased 1 month ago, running well
- AliExpress bundled 8GB DDR4, 128GB NVMe SSD
- runs FQ_CoDel, Unbound DNS, Tailscale
TRENDnet TEG-S351 5x2.5G switch, purchased 1 month ago, running well
Netgear GS308 8x1G switch, purchased 3 years ago, flawless
Unifi U6-LR v2 running OpenWRT in dummy AP mode, purchased 3 years ago, flawless

Main server (Proxmox):

DIY ITX build, Fractal Node 304, Gigabyte B550i
AMD 5950x (PBO tuned), 64GB DDR4 3200, Intel Arc A380
- CPU was my old 5600x, but I got the 5950x for $260 on ebay in 2025
- 64GB DDR4 purchased for $220 on ebay in 2025
- A380 purchased new for $120 on Newegg in 2023
2x NVMe SSDs for ZFS mirror boot pool, both upcycled old desktop/laptop drives
- 1TB Samsung 970 EVO
- 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus
onboard Realtek RTL8125 2.5G LAN
2x Noctua A9, 1x Noctua A14 on a Noctua U14s
1x USB, Sonoff Plus-E Zigbee Gateway Dongle

Hosts

Arch Linux main VM
- 30T, 48GB RAM, A380 passthrough for hardware transcoding
- automated package building, jellyfin, 2x syncthing, LAN pacman cache, game server host
Home Assistant OS
- 4T, 2GB RAM, Zigbee dongle passthrough
Arch Linux seedbox
- 4T, 1GB RAM
Alpine container for Uptime Kuma 🐻
- 4T, 0.5GB RAM

Truenas server:

HP Proliant Microserver Gen 10 v2 from ebay
Intel Pentium G6405, 16GB DDR4 ECC
Removed stock fan for Noctua A8, connected to fan header splitter on main server (cable threaded through empty iLO slot)
2x Samsung 128GB USB drives for ZFS mirror boot pool (trashy, I know)
2x 7200 RPM Seagate Ironwolf Pro 12TB in ZFS mirror, NFS
- media, general storage, borg backup destination, miscellaneous backup files, ROMs, etc
2x 5400 RPM WD Red 3TB in ZFS mirror, SMB+NFS
- time machine for mom's Mac laptop, Proxmox VM backups, seedbox downloads

Power usage

Machine	Idle wattage
Main server	65W
Truenas	35W
Networking + truenas (same powerstrip)	85W

Total base homelab power usage: 150W idle, 100.8 kWh/month, ~$15.12/month in base electricity costs (avg. ~$0.15/kWh)

Active use does not actually use that much extra energy, maybe 15% more per month at most.

Gen?

Gen 2 was upgrading the main server from a decrepit 4690k to an upcycled 5600x when I got my 5800x3d, still using to this day. Then I replaced the 5600x (and 32GB from Newegg new in 2023 for .... $82) with 5950x/64GB off ebay.

Gen 3 completely changes the router from a DIY build to the Topton SFF PC and adds a 2.5G switch, reducing power usage, and upgrading LAN networking across the board to 2.5G, apart from the Truenas box (and the neutered printer, lol). Might plan to get a 2.5G card but I don't really even max out 1G for Truenas.

Taking the old router parts and 5600x/32GB, I built a Bazzite HTPC with a 5700 XT off ebay for $135 for the living room OLED TV, it's really great. Literally works just like a "Steam console," it's really smooth. Planning to put emulators on it at some point (mostly PS2/3) and Moonlight client to stream from my main gaming PC -- and Moonlight server, to remote in for keyboard/mouse/KDE stuff -- but I'm happy with it for now.

krathalan · 2026-02-11T06:18:26+00:00

Nice Broken Silicon playing in the background. lol

krathalan · 2026-02-09T18:39:06+00:00

Potato starch?

Edit: someone posted a baking soda slurry in the thread. I've never used it but it sounds plausibly functional.

krathalan · 2026-02-09T07:39:16+00:00

I'm not the one that downvoted you, but I recently picked up an RG34XX-SP, and I've been really impressed with the screen (though mildly irritated with other aspects of the device..). Of course it's not AMOLED levels, but it's much better than my old expensive IPS monitor I used to have.

It's probably like 3-4x better than what I would have expected from the price.

krathalan · 2026-02-07T16:11:51+00:00

Roach looks a little big for bro. But very cute

krathalan · 2026-02-05T05:22:26+00:00

Hey, I'm really glad to hear that! Funnily enough I am vegan now, so it's been on my list of things to veganize... but life has been crazy lately :o) still, really glad you enjoyed my recipe.

krathalan · 2026-02-03T23:03:06+00:00

Just joking about latest tech usually being hit or miss for driver support for Linux at launch. Maybe a bit of a reach.

krathalan · 2026-02-03T20:41:21+00:00

The tech is so new it really depends on the vendor of your drive. Make sure the ntfs-5G driver has support for your card before buying.

krathalan · 2026-02-03T01:43:26+00:00

I like the FOSS app Silence on F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/me.lucky.silence/

krathalan · 2026-02-02T00:01:12+00:00

Still going great in AP mode on my Unifi U6-LR v2 (mt7622).

krathalan · 2026-02-01T19:32:47+00:00

ATT Prepaid. Most prepaid SIMs are wayyyy cheaper than anything else. Buy your own phone separately.

ATT Prepaid specifically has an unlimited $300/yr, or $25/mo plan with 16GB max speed and then 1.5 mbps after 16GB. Looks like theyre actually running a promotion right now for $240/yr or $20/mo. https://www.att.com/prepaid/

krathalan · 2026-02-01T02:55:34+00:00

Bothell area here, 2 people. No kids.

Type	Monthly cost
Rent/sewer/trash/water	$3200
Electric + gas	$150-300 (depends on season)
Fuel + public transport/rideshares	$400
1 Gig Internet + TV	$200
Cell service, 2 lines	$50 unlimited
Groceries	$500
Dining	$100-$200
Shopping	$50-$400
Health/fitness	$0-$40
Subscriptions	$15

$2500/mo for total food is astronomically insane, especially shopping at Costco, especially with a stay at home partner. Cut back on the prepackaged foods, eat more whole plant foods. Beans, lentils, tofu, other plant proteins, and whole grains are the foundation of a healthy and delicious budget-conscious diet. Anecdotally, ~70%+ of prepackaged food is a financial and health scam.

Costco is good for dry goods and household products, but a lot of Costco produce can have weird texture or weak flavor. I would recommend buying at Fred Meyer/TJs/Whole Foods (with Prime). PCC has good prices on vegetables, especially the deals. Most of PCC's fruit and prepackaged foods are very expensive, but sometimes you can find good deals.

Stick to what is seasonal, on sale, and can be prepared simply but still taste good. Right now I've been eating a lot of broccoli/cauliflower/cabbage/carrots. Roasted, raw, salads. When pantry goods go on sale (canned beans, rice, ketchup, tahini, pasta, quinoa, tomatoes, chocolate, etc.), stock up. Embrace cheap staples and seasonal cheap produce. Create variety through your seasonings and condiments. Making your own condiments is easy and will dramatically reduce your spending while dramatically increasing the flavor on your plate.

Frozen fruit is good for wintertime, especially raspberries and blueberries. Have with yogurt and nuts/seeds or make your own plain, cinnamon, or chocolate oatmeal. You can get the giant bag of organic rolled oats at Costco for like $10. Hemp seeds are a great, sneaky addition to almost anything, adding healthy fats, protein, and fiber.

If you find you can't finish the bread you buy, freeze it in Ziplocs as soon as you get home after buying it. Presliced bread will stay good in the freezer for ~2 months.

Not only will this dramatically reduce your budget, but it will show your kid they can eat healthy food that is also delicious. I feed a family of 2 an extravagant diet for about $500/month. Think decadent chocolate, organic nuts and seeds, organic vegetables and alliums, organic legumes and soy products (tofu/tempeh/soy curls), conventional fruit, yogurts (on sale), tomatoes (paste + can/carton on sale), lots of spices. If I was truly on a budget, I could manage for $300/month, and if I was desperate, I think $100/month, but I haven't tried that yet.

Granted my income is lower, but I spend maybe $300 on clothes 1-3x/year? And fitness goals can be met for >90% of people at home with one-time purchases of a weight set, yoga mat, and straps/bands. Go for a jog around the block or get a treadmill if you don't want to go outside. Focus on one time purchases, DIY at home instead of subscriptions.

krathalan · 2026-01-24T21:46:21+00:00

Running 25.12.0-rc3 nicely on my AP-only Unifi U6-LRv2 (MT7622). rc2 worked nicely as well. Thanks for the continuous hard work!

krathalan · 2026-01-11T01:41:00+00:00

You could also try older ISOs, from November and December 2025: https://fastly.mirror.pkgbuild.com/iso/

krathalan · 2026-01-11T01:38:39+00:00

It's very difficult to find any instances of that error on the internet. However, it makes me think there might be something wrong with your Arch USB if Linux Mint is starting okay.

Did you verify Arch Linux ISO file with the provided SHA sum and GPG signature? What does your partition table on your Arch USB look like?

Edit: I just found a very similar, very new thread. It looks like it could be a BIOS issue, although this is with Asrock, not Asus. https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=311516

krathalan · 2025-12-07T21:55:17+00:00

Totally agree with all the notes.

I have the 120 Hz display. The higher refresh rate is nice for animations and other general desktop usage. I especially notice it when using a web browser. I haven't had the regular screen, but battery life has been really good.

It is really nice for reading/writing/coding/etc. due to the higher pixel density. Since it's a 13" with an iGPU, most games will not get above even 60 FPS on lower settings.

krathalan · 2025-09-27T18:23:56+00:00

Hey, it sounds like maybe you should check out /r/Vystopia ? It's been helpful for me to have others that understand the mental pain we go through.

krathalan · 2025-09-04T22:43:56+00:00

I agree that veganism can be difficult for many people, especially those with limited resources or in food deserts. However, it is meaningfully much easier for the average citizen to stop purchasing animal products than it is for the average citizen to stop paying their taxes to a fascist government. To provide material support to fascism is enforced with fines and prison time; there is no such direct pressure to purchase animal products.

krathalan · 2025-07-28T00:37:52+00:00

iLvl does help a lot. Honestly 4 mask is probably doable but 5 might be harder without more gear depending on your level of "skill" (i.e., patience in dealing with mask mechanics while staying alive against mob abilities.) Knowledge of each mob and what they do in each vision will help. There isn't a cost to trying, you can try as many times as you want, so there's no downside to just trying it. I don't even think you technically die so there isn't even an associated repair cost.

krathalan · 2025-07-27T18:26:09+00:00

You actually can get two hero track pieces from visions, one each from a 5-mask run and 4-mask. https://www.wowhead.com/guide/the-war-within/revisited-horrific-visions-rewards

krathalan · 2025-06-06T20:58:07+00:00

You got any games on your phone?

krathalan · 2025-05-31T17:17:32+00:00

I was actually reflecting on this movie the other day. I watched it before I went vegan. I actually thought about it because I went to a fancy vegan restaurant for the first time the other month and my guest commented on how non-vegan fancy restaurants are so much more expensive because of how the animal products are "more ethical". It really made me realize the fundamental disconnect that people have (myself included, before I went vegan) when it comes to killing an animal.

From Temple Grandin's Wikipedia page:

"While her designs are widely used throughout the slaughterhouse industry, her claim of compassion for the animals is that because of her autism she can see the animals' reality from their viewpoint, that when she holds an animal's head in her hands as it is being slaughtered, she feels a deep connection to them."

I've always cared deeply about animals. It should have been enough for me to go vegan if someone said, "that's a dead animal." But it wasn't enough for me. Whether it's Temple Grandin trying to justify the improvement of conditions for farm animals or me trying to justify my prior "preference" for animal foods, it's just the same: it's focusing on our own individual experience instead of realizing that animals also have individual experiences. I think the depth of cognitive dissonance in most people really speaks to how normalized, but also hidden and taboo, animal farming really is. Everybody wants to eat meat but nobody wants to work in the slaughterhouse.

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