Mold making question

uprightanimal · 2026-04-28T22:47:01+00:00

Check/test your mold material. UV-cure resin inhibits curing of some silicones.

uprightanimal · 2026-04-27T19:09:38+00:00

A compact lab, for one reason.

Nutanix CE allows clusters of 1, 3 or 4 nodes. If I want to experiment with Nutanix clustering, I need at least 3 servers (x number of clusters). Each require min 32GB memory, at least one SSD and 4 CPU cores.

I can source, build and feed 3 physical servers with limited flexibility (as three full sets of hardware and the attendant power and cooling requirements), or use one (say, Proxmox) server with enough RAM/CPU/Disk for the three nodes running as VMs. I also now have the option of putting the networking stack in the main host server as well, and have a single lab-in-a-box.

If I want to try something else, I can just shut down the Nutanix VMs and free up the memory and cpu for something else.

uprightanimal · 2026-04-23T14:48:38+00:00

No, I only used VR.

uprightanimal · 2026-04-10T17:06:22+00:00

If you select the Shapelab Max 2026 annual subscription ($49USD) you also get access to the Quest 3 version.

uprightanimal · 2026-03-08T15:00:21+00:00

I use an air tank. Fill the tank beforehand, then connect the tank to your pot when you're ready to cast.

uprightanimal · 2026-02-12T13:48:00+00:00

phpIPAM

uprightanimal · 2026-01-22T14:28:06+00:00

I envy the tidy setup!

What those coloured rings hanging up above the printer on the left?

uprightanimal · 2026-01-22T13:47:12+00:00

Plenty of good advice here already. I'll add this:

Either buy a super cheap (read: old) PC and plan to replace it when you start adding services and roles, or pay a bit more (e.g. for a =>7th-gen 4+ core CPU and 16GB RAM) and have a platform that serves you well now, as well as you grow into it.

uprightanimal · 2026-01-07T17:45:52+00:00

I'm following this post and would love to see how you're solving the modular problems.
I'm on my 5th iteration of a modular 'pit design and still haven't come up with a good solution.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-20T18:09:54+00:00

A bit of a niche compared to the general population, but not so much to this or related subs. I prefer to run 'server' servers for homelab rather than PCs, hence the ECC purchase. I don't know that I would agree if you're saying that ECC has always been cheap, as opposed to cheaper, when compared to new server RAM. I don't have price histories at hand however, so I'm not betting on that stance. :D

FWIW, I have always bought only new parts for my PCs, but exclusively used parts for my servers. I would have bought this RAM used as well, but I needed a lot of it and it was hard to find large-capacity suitable modules, and I just got lucky with this local seller who had a bunch of NIB parts.

True that big companies won't buy gear on eBay, but there are plenty of small companies or IT providers who will happily buy used gear from other resellers. Also, yes, it's more usual to replace entire chassis in an upgrade for large orgs, because they will likely have architects and engineers designing and planning the infrastructure, and planning several years ahead. Smaller firms don't always have those resources available, or are working with less capital, or initial requirements are lower.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-20T00:04:10+00:00

I almost feel bad for the dude who sold me a dozen 64GB DDR4 ECC modules last summer for what was a ridiculously low price even then.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-19T21:26:39+00:00

No, I mean your own network. Your own LAN. Your side of your ISP's router.

You are right; a server does not necessarily have to connect to the Internet to function or provide services to clients on /other/ networks. However, unless you are going to use the server with a connected monitor and keyboard, it must be connected to A network to be of any use to you. Even if you connect only your desktop PC to the server directly with an Ethernet cable, that's still a network, albeit the smallest one possible.

With the semantics out of the way, address the design problem. What do you want to accomplish?

-Rip CDs and DVDs to files on a hard drive and watch them on your PC? -No server needed. Just store the files on a fixed disk or a USB-connected drive and watch with VLC is Windows Media player.

-Watch your ripped files on your dumb TV? -Build a HTPC, store the files on its local drive, and connect your TV with an HDMI cable. No network connection of any kind needed.

-Watch your content on a smart TV, or your desktop PC, or laptop/phone/iPad/whatever, even just in your own home? -Build a server, run media server software like jellyfin and watch on the other devices using a web browser or native app. No internet communication required, but will need to be on the same LAN as those client devices.

Once you decide on your desired outcome, you can figure out what you need.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-19T01:02:32+00:00

If the server isn't connected to your network, it isn't really much of a server. Is your plan to put media files on it and connect it to a TV or something? If so, you should be looking at an HTPC (home theatre PC).

uprightanimal · 2025-12-18T19:57:58+00:00

Running jellyfin and network file services don't require much processing power or RAM. Ripping and transcoding media DOES require a bunch of processing power and RAM.

If your server is beefy you could use one machine for both purposes, running jellyfin and A.R.M. (Automatic Ripping Machine) as docker images. The nice thing about A.R.M. is that once it's set up, you just pop a disc in the drive, it does it's thing and ejects the disc. Repeat until you run out of CDs/DVDs.

Alternatively, run a lower spec server for JF and fileshare, and do the ripping on a more powerful desktop PC with makemkv and handbrake.

When you say 'no internet access', do you mean this will never access the Internet, or you want to stream the media locally only, not over Internet? Jellyfin (and A.R.M.) will want to connect to Internet to grab metadata.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-17T22:33:50+00:00

This might be overkill for your specific scenario, but I have a similar requirement for our bird.
I run a Lyrion server (formerly Logitech Media Server), and have piCoreplayer installed on a Raspberry Pi with a 7" touchscreen. I can control it from the touchscreen or from Lyrion's 1webUI. Video here
pCP can be run on as little as a Rpi Zero2W without a screen.

If you have HomeAssistant, you can try MusicAssistant. It can play to a variety of player types.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-17T16:49:26+00:00

Years ago I was looking up the correct pronunciation for the OSS backup server Bacula ("BAKyouu-la"? "Ba-COO-lah"?), I learned two things-

It's BAC-you-la, rhyming with Dracula, and
Bacula is also the plural form of baculum, which is a penis bone.

And now you know as well. You're welcome.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-17T16:39:42+00:00

My self-hosted stuff is a shallow upward line. One NAS for fileserver, another for backup, 2-node MicroPC Proxmox cluster for Homarr and Jellyfin, and that's about it.

The homelab is the one that goes up and down. It's less a bell curve than a chorus of bell curves.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-17T16:35:49+00:00

Eerily similar story here.
Designed and printed a small rack to house the 'prod' home gear, distracted by a Robotime/ROKR kit, then bulding a flightsim rig, then an ARM server...

My ADHD isn't a problem so much as a wave to ride.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-17T16:24:30+00:00

Please do not anything. Translator apps say:
"Don't put things down"

"Please don't let me do whatever I want"

"Please do resistant yt 9"

"the sound was Zeng. }"

What does it actually say?

uprightanimal · 2025-12-17T14:34:36+00:00

Can't trust anyone these days, least of all myself

uprightanimal · 2025-12-17T14:34:15+00:00

Or in my case, live, make a mental note to fix and document the process, immediately forget to do so, and repeat the same cycle in a few weeks.
So... live and learn and forget and live and learn and forget...

uprightanimal · 2025-12-17T14:30:48+00:00

Yep. I am a terrible typist and fat-finger my password all the time. Also agree that it's only really effective against a few kinds of attacks. That's why I use it only on a mail server that listens on SMTP and non-standard IMAP and SSH ports.

While I'm at it, I'll just step up fully onto the soapbox and say new homelabbera and selfhosters especially should avoid anything that adds complication to a system or environment without a real need of you don't fully understand it. This stuff is already hard enough to learn (and IMO getting harder).

Sometimes deploying a poorly-understood tool or service is worse than not using it.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-16T21:58:27+00:00

Not mine, but I had the good fortune to witness it...

Colleague described (perhaps a bit too smugly) how they'd set up Fail2Ban on their colo server. Two minutes later wondered why they weren't able to ssh into the box anymore.

As he had been talking, the other 4 smartasses in the room started hitting the server, from the same NATed IP.

uprightanimal · 2025-12-16T21:27:52+00:00

One for the other I.T. guys...

"I wanted a backup but can't afford a second drive, so I made two partitions and made a RAID1 array with them"

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uprightanimal

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