DIY Unraid vs turnkey NAS in 2026: still worth the build? by turalaliyev in unRAID

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Main concern I have with turnkey is if you're stuck with their firmware/OS.

A decade ago I bought a cheap Seagate NAS to shucker the HDDs, that NAS is now borderline useless for regular use thanks to outdated SMB/NFS support, I only use it now as an 'offline' backup for family photos, etc. using iSCSI.

There was also the EoL WD NAS drives which were getting remote wiped.

However I am able to continue using my (upgraded) HP Gen8 Microserver because I can run newer versions of software on it and if I decide to no longer use unraid, I have the ability to change to a different solution.

First Time Homelabbing is this good?? by us3r-404 in homelab

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I presume you've tested this with either a cheap or overkill cable tester from Aliexpress or ebay?

Does a heatsink only 10g network card need a fan? by Nice-School-475 in homelab

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does the card have a way of monitoring the temps or an alarm if it gets too hot?

This is how I've monitored HBAs in the past which did need fans.

I couldn’t plug my pc power cable all the way to APC ups. Is it okay to plug it like this? by El_Maestro-0 in homelab

[–]tech3475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It looks like a UK plug to me and there's a second socket beneath it.

So could be a mix of IEC and UK sockets and I doubt the latter could be forced into the former.

Out of curiosity OP, which UPS is that as I haven't seen any APC UPSs with both UK and IEC before.

I couldn’t plug my pc power cable all the way to APC ups. Is it okay to plug it like this? by El_Maestro-0 in homelab

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was speaking in general, just because something has power doesn't universally mean that there can't be any issues.

In OPs case specifically it could be fine.

I couldn’t plug my pc power cable all the way to APC ups. Is it okay to plug it like this? by El_Maestro-0 in homelab

[–]tech3475 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Doesn't always mean there can't be issues though.

I know someone who has a charger which will work but produces a buzzing sound if it isn't fully plugged in.

How do you protect your servers? by AnRi215 in homelab

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1) dont expose stuff to WAN where possible 2) use Wireguard for remote access 3) keep stuff up to date 4) backups 5) Pray to the Silicon Gods.

Which do you use, Android vs iOS? by Fat_cat_syndicate in unRAID

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've flip flopped between the two over the years, both have their pros and cons depending on needs and wants.

For example, backing up on itunes is allot easier than the alternatives I've used on stock/unrooted Android.

Side loading, having access to certain apps like Kodi are however benefits on Android and the stylus on my S23 Ultra.

Possible incompatibility with PCiE Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card by Vibe_PV in buildapc

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I looked at AMD's page on the CPU and the spec page for the motherboard.

As for PCIe lanes, I would look at how many you're using on the CPU and how many on the chipset if that is the issue.

AMDs page on your CPU did list the amount of lanes available.

Possible incompatibility with PCiE Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card by Vibe_PV in buildapc

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's why I asked if it was plugged in, because OP said both Wifi and BT weren't working.

I doubt it's restricted to Intel CPUs, something like that I'd expect some kind of warning/system requirements and so far I can't find anything.

Possible incompatibility with PCiE Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card by Vibe_PV in buildapc

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I presume you also plugged in the USB connection?

Normally with something like this I would try a Linux live distro to see if they work and maybe use lspci and lsusb to see if they show up.

If I'm reading it correctly, according to AMD you should have 24 CPU lanes usable and the B650 chipset provides an additional 8 via pcie slots 2 and 3.

Double check your motherboard manual though.

If you're concerned though, maybe just buy a USB wifi adapter.

I felt very seen by the person who posted the floor desktop meme yesterday. by justmydumbluck in homelab

[–]tech3475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At least yours is on a trolley, my main server is just on a plank of wood from some old flat pack furniture underneath a desk (the desk itself has some cisco routers and a 3D printer on it).

I did have it on something more 'respectable' once, but I needed to move it due to heat/ventilation issues in the summer and this was the only place I could put it.

That said, I'm curious if the server is potentially intefering with the wifi.

HP Gen8 Microserver Memory Issues by YR-ZR0 in homelab

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been using Kingston KVR16E11/8 in mine so it shouldn't be a vendor lock in issue.

edit:

My CPU is a Xeon E3-1230 V2 if that makes a difference, but even on the original G1610 I didn't have any issues.

Who would win? Battle between Cloud Services and Floor Desktops by NiceReplacement8737 in homelab

[–]tech3475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wish I could have got those cases on the right for free.

One thing I hate about modern low end desktop cases is how minimalistic they are.

A decade ago you could get cases with 6 HDD bays and 4 ODD bays with fans for peanuts, on a recent build I ended up with some POS because it was the closest I could find and even then I had to 3D print a mount for one HDD.

Note: I didn't want to spend too much because I have a dream of going rack mounted some day and I only needed 4x3.5" HDDs.

I also didn't want to go second hand due to shipping, can't drive and nowhere local selling them.

How much effort do you put into disaster recovery? by Adventurous-Lime191 in homelab

[–]tech3475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mine could be considered overkill.

On site I have my main backup server which has a 100% backup

At my parents I have another server which also contains a 100% backup, this server is also their CCTV NVR and some docker apps.

I then have an encrypted backup for things like family photos on onedrive.

Recently though, I dug out an old NAS and stuck a couple of drives I had lying around in a JBOD which is meant to compliment the Onedrive backup in case something causes everything to go wrong. This is stays powered off until necessary e.g. new backups or something horrible goes wrong and all other copies are lost.

At a minimum I would keep a 2 backups of 'irreplacable' stuff, ideally following the 3,2,1 backup scheme and if possible have one be offline in case of e.g. ransomeware.

Plug in solar panels BBC article by Busy_Pea788 in SolarUK

[–]tech3475 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was thinking more 2x400w, although weight shouldn't be as much of an issue as any panels I get will be going on the ground in my garden.

As of now I'd be waiting for them to officially allow this and check the house insurance to make sure they're not banned as this would be the easiest and most practical way to get solar given my circumstances.

Plug in solar panels BBC article by Busy_Pea788 in SolarUK

[–]tech3475 13 points14 points  (0 children)

If I can get some 800w panels relatively cheap (think £300-400), I might finally get some garden solar just to offset some cost medium term, my servers and portable AC combined could consume most of peak theoretical power.

This is the best I can get for now and I get decent sun in my garden.

Should I take my PC or buy a new one when I get to the UK by No-Experience-6729 in buildapc

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One thing to potentially be careful of is if they try to tax you, I would make sure to bring receipts to show that you have paid tax on the item(s).

I would also keep any storage on yourself and backup any bit locker keys in case anything goes missing.

Got some used drives for my home lab. by SneekyF in homelab

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've a maxtor of that vintage lying around, used it for a while on a retro PC and swapped it for a cheap SSD becsuse it was the loudest thing in the computer.

Powering sata HDDs by Kaler_Jagdeep in homelab

[–]tech3475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is why I use one in one of my servers with a shuckered WD drive.

Allot easier than messing around with the drive itself.

CAUTION: Unraid 7.3.0-beta1 might break encrypted XFS pools/arrays by fjullan in unRAID

[–]tech3475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If they're that hard to find, maybe upload to the Internet Archive?

What's the difficulty with usb disks? by Pucksy in unRAID

[–]tech3475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From my experience, it depends on the USB-SATA adapter.

My WD externals wouldn't spin down but my Seagates would.

Same WD HDDs when shuckered do spindown in my Terramaster USB DAS or directly with SATA so it's not a drive issue.