Saving an old server from the E-waste to create a NAS ElectronicsWizardry 2023-05-21 | I was able to save this old tower server from the E-waste bin. In this video I test, clean, and rebuilt the server. Then I install TrueNAS to use the server as a NAS.
Setting Up A 4 Node Proxmox Cluster With A 2u4n Server and Q&A ElectronicsWizardry 2023-10-07 | Upcoming live stream where I will setup a Proxmox cluster with a 4u2n server. Also happy to answer any questions you may have.
Is An Engineering Sample CPU Worth The Savings? Comparing A Xeon 6148 With An ES Version ElectronicsWizardry 2023-09-30 | Thanks to Unix Surplus for providing the hardware used in this video. Check them out here: unixsurplus.comEngineering sample CPUs can be found for prices that seem too good to be true. Today I compare a normal and engineering sample variant of the Xeon 6148 to see how they differ. I also go over some possible ways to reduce risk when purchasing a ES CPU.
Getting the most out of Proxmox Backup Server: Backing up other data, Offsite syncs, and more ElectronicsWizardry 2023-09-09 | In this video I go over how to get the most out of Proxmox Backup server by showing how to use many of the advanced features. Some of the features I cover include backing data other than VMs and Containers, Encryption, and offsite syncs. I also test performance with different hardware configurations, and go over some tips to increase performance.00:00 Intro00:43 Users and permissions04:57 Namespaces08:46 Backing up non PVE data20:03 Restoring non PVE data25:54 Encrypting backups28:54 Syncing PBS servers36:02 PBS technical details39:02 Performance testing41:37 Tuning and hardware recommendations43:16 Conclusion
Movespeed HB7450 1TB review, A PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD with no DRAM ElectronicsWizardry 2023-08-25 | In this video I review a Movespeed HB7450 and compare it to other popular SSDs on the market. I run many benchmarks and try real world scenarios to see how it holds up. Here are links provided my Movespeed if you want to check the price or purchase this SSD.MOVESPEED 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD $49 at Walmart, up to 7,450MB/swalmart.com/ip/2186079932MOVESPEED 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD $88 at Walmart, up to 7,450MB/swalmart.com/ip/1507828419MOVESPEED 4TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD $199 at Walmart, up to 7,450MB/swalmart.com/ip/2321233408MOVESPEED Walmart store:walmart.com/seller/101306950
How to setup PBS to backup your Proxmox VMs and Containers ElectronicsWizardry 2023-08-16 | In this video I go over all the basics with PBS. I go over how to setup PBS, create and restore backups in Proxmox, and what to keep an eye on in PBS.Let me know if you have any more questions about PBS in the comments, or topics that I could go into more detail about00:00 Intro00:31 Where PBS can be installed01:01 Recommended hardware03:38 Installing PBS06:16 Configuring PBS07:50 Setting up disks and repositories09:17 Adding PBS to Proxmox VE14:36 Managing Backup in PBS18:34 Restoring Backups20:07 Things to keep an eye on in PBS21:43 Conclusion
ZimaBoard Review. A Flexible Mini server with PCIe and SATA ElectronicsWizardry 2023-08-05 | Today I take a look of the ZimaBoard, and small computer aimed for server applications. Compare to to most other Mini PCs the ZimaBoard has dual SATA ports, and a PCIe slot.Thanks to ZimaBoard providing these units for review, but this video is all of my thoughts. Here are some links from ZimaBoard if you want to purchase one of these boards.ZimaBoard Official Site: bit.ly/44ux08MShop ZimaBoard Now: bit.ly/3rz10l9ZimaBoard Amazon: bit.ly/4478n1b00:00 Intro00:43 ZimaBoard Overview02:53 Power, Performance and Thermals11:02 Software Compatibility12:09 Server Use Cases14:50 Conclusion
Testing Optane Drives in Homelab/Server Usecases, Are They Worth it With the Price Drops? ElectronicsWizardry 2023-07-27 | I have noticed that Optane SSDs like the 900p have had their prices drop significantly after they have been discounted. Today I want to try to find a use case for these ssds in a server environment, and take a look at applications like as a swap drive, zfs log drive, and a ZFS special drive.0:00 Intro0:15 Optane overview0:50 find a good use for Optane drives2:18 Testing swap drive performance3:17 Optane and power loss protection4:00 ZFS log drive perforamnce4:15 ZFS Special drive testing5:30 Other Optane server drives to take a look at6:20 Looking back at Optane drives in the market7:07 Conclusion
Upgrading an C32 Opteron Server to the max ElectronicsWizardry 2023-07-17 | I this video i upgrade a socket c32 Opteron server I found with the top of the line processors, 64GB of ram, multiple SSDs and other parts to see how capable this system can be if used as a hypervisor.Here is my first video on fixing up this server and setting it up as a nas: youtube.com/watch?v=r2QP-WOlYA8&feature=youtu.be
Proxmox 8: New features and Upgrade process ElectronicsWizardry 2023-06-28 | In this video video I take a look at the latest big release of Proxmox, version 8. I take a look at the new features and my thoughts on them. I also go over the upgrade process with a system running Proxmox 7.4.00:00 Intro00:08 New features overview03:49 Upgrade Process9:45 Conclusion
How does Proxmox use P and E cores? ElectronicsWizardry 2023-06-22 | With new x86 processors I want to see how Proxmox deals with these different types of cores. I use a test system with a 12900k to test how Proxmox with allocate P and E cores when using VMs and containers. I also test to see if E cores could be used to save power on a system.This testing was done on Proxmox 7.4 with the optional kernel 6.2 in June 2023 before Proxmox 8 was released.Thanks to @Patryk122PL for letting me know how to pin containers to cores. To do this, edit the containers config file at /etc/pve/ct/(ct-ID).conf, then add this line to the config file: lxc.cgroup2.cpuset.cpus: 0-7. A VM can also have its cores pinned to specific cores on the host using under the CPU settings on the Processors options page.0:00 Intro1:00 How the kernel uses P and E cores3:42 VM core allocation5:09 Tying to use E cores to save power6:48 Container core allocation8:29 Conclusion
Taking a look at a RAM SSD: Radian RMS-200 ElectronicsWizardry 2023-06-15 | How much faster would a SSD be if it used RAM instead of flash? I this video I look at Radian RMS-200 that I got off Ebay to see how fast this drive is, how it works, and what uses is a 8GB RAM SSD good at.
Trying out ZFS in Unraid beta ElectronicsWizardry 2023-06-09 | I test out the latest Unraid beta with support for ZFS. I try setting up pools in ZFS, adding drives to pool, moving drives between ports, and more. I also try to find out a bit of whats going on under the hood by looking at aspects of the implementation, like how the arc size is managed.0:00 Intro0:19 Interface tour0:57 Setting up a ZFS pool3:25 Adding drives to a pool6:14 Adding drives in the terminal7:26 Testing manually added drives after a reboot8:10 Testing changing drive ports10:09 What does auto filesystem do?11:13 Can drives be accidentally formatted?13:22 ZFS scrubs and alerts14:44 How is the ZFS arc size set?16:18 Conclusion
Taking a look at the M1 Mac Mini as a home server ElectronicsWizardry 2023-06-01 | In this video I test using a M1 mac mini as a home server running Mac OS 13. I try installing many common home server software, look at how Mac OS can be used as a server OS, and compare it to other solutions on the market. I also take a look at the transcoding abilities of M1 processor and the power consumption of the system.
How to clone drives using DD and GParted ElectronicsWizardry 2023-05-14 | Want to replace a drive with a different drive? In this video I go over how DD and GParted can be used to clone drives of different sizes, and some of the details of whats going on with partitions when this happens.
How to create users and set permissions in Proxmox ElectronicsWizardry 2023-05-05 | Running with just the root user is a bad idea for security. In this video I go over what can be controlled with permissions, how to use permissions and a few examples of setting permissions.00:00 Intro00:10 What can be controlled with permissions02:03 Permissions settings overview02:21 Realms03:36 Users04:01 Groups04:35 Creating user permissions05:15 Pools06:30 Roles08:10 Example #1 Adding an Admin10:17 Example #2 Creating a user that can only access VMs in a pool13:57 Giving a user access to storage with a Quota15:35 Example #3 Creating a user that only has console access to one VM17:30 Example #4 Creating a group with a shared pool of VMs
Do used Server SSD make sense for a homelab? Comparing consumer and server SSDs. ElectronicsWizardry 2023-04-16 | I run tests to compare used server grade SSDs vs consumer SSDs in a home lab setup. I test performance and power of the drives to see which drive is a better pick
Ways to save space on a drive/NAS: Compression and Deduplication ElectronicsWizardry 2023-04-11 | In this video I go over some of the methods I use to save space on my NAS and file shares. I go over ways I find files that can be deleted, remove duplicate files, and compress files to save space.Some of the programs I used in this video:Winidirstat: Disk usage statistics viewer windirstat.netNcdu: Disk usage statistics viewer for command line https://dev.yorhel.nl/ncdu (also on most package managers)Fdupes: Basic duplicate file finder github.com/adrianlopezroche/fdupes (also on most package managers)Czkawka: Powerful duplicate finder, with fuzzy matching qarmin.github.io/czkawka7zip: Compression tool with near the best compression ratio 7-zip.org (on most package managers as p7zip-full)JpegXL: A new image compression format that offers some of the best compression ratio and lossless jpeg recompression jpegxl.info (the cjxl and djxl tools I used as available on most package managers in the libjxl package or on Github here github.com/libjxl/libjxl)Adobe DNG Converter: Converts RAW files to the DNG format, often with better compression helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/using/adobe-dng-converter.htmlFFMPEG: Powerful video and audio compression tool ffmpeg.orgShutter encoder: GUI Compression Tool using FFmpeg backend shutterencoder.com/enGhostscript: PDF tool with compression abilities ghostscript.com/docs/9.56.1/Install.htm (also on most package managers)00:00 Intro00:16 Visual disk usage viewers01:03 Using find to remove matching files 01:34 Finding duplicate files02:39 Filesystem deduplication03:25 Replacing duplicate files with hard links04:06 Compression overview05:34 File compression with 7zip07:27 Filesystem compression08:14 Image compression with JpegXL09:59 Lossless compression ration comparison11:16 Raw image compression with DNG12:13 Video compression with AV114:11 PDF Compression15:07 Audio compression15:53 Conclusion
3 ways to migrate your Proxmox VE server to new hardware ElectronicsWizardry 2023-03-09 | I cover 3 methods to migrate a Proxmox VE server from an exiting piece of hardware to new hardware. I cover migrating drives to the new system, using backups to restore data, and using a cluster. I cover the pros and cons of each method and when I would use them.Let me know if you have any thoughts or video suggestions in the comments below.00:00 Intro00:16 Moving drives: Overview + pros and cons01:17 VZ Dump backups: Overview + pros and cons01:40 Using clusters for migration: Overview + pros and cons02:07 Demo: Moving drives06:12 Demo: VZ Dump backups12:01 Demo: Using clusters for migration
Seagate Mach.2 Review. Over 400mB/s from a HDD ElectronicsWizardry 2023-02-26 | This is a review of the Seagate Mach.2 Exos 2x14 ST14000NM0081, the first dual actuator HDD. This drive is one of the fastest HDDs on the market, with nearly double the speed and IOPS of any other drive on the market. I take a look at the performance of this drives and go over how the dual actuator tech works, and how it can be used.Let me know if you have any ideas of what I can do with this drive in the comments below.00:00 Intro00:37 What is a dual actuator drive?01:54 The OS sees 2 drives?02:16 Performance testing03:04 Weird quirks03:49 SMART data04:38 Conclusion
3 Node Hyperconverged Proxmox cluster: Failure testing, Ceph performance, 10Gb mesh network ElectronicsWizardry 2023-02-20 | Why stop at 1 server? This videos goes over Proxmox clusters, what they can do, and how failure is handled.Thanks to QSFPTEK for providing the network cables and transceivers used in this video. These products are available in the links below:10G SFP+ DAC: qsfptek.com/product/34865.htmlSFP-10G-T: qsfptek.com/product/100090.htmlSFP+-10G-SR: qsfptek.com/product/30953.htmlOM3: qsfptek.com/product/99661.htmlLet me know if you have any ideas that I can do with this cluster. I'd love to try more software and hardware configurations. This video also skipped many of the details when setting up this cluster. Let me know if you want me to go into more details with any parts of this video.00:00 Intro00:32 Hardware overview00:57 Networking hardware setup03:06 Software overview03:30 Ceph overview05:06 Network configuration6:30 Advantages of a cluster7:10 Ceph performance8:45 Failure testing9:00 Ceph drive failure9:28 network link failure10:00 Node failure11:06 ConclusionFull Node Specs:Node0:EMC Isilon x2002x L563024GB DDR34x500GB SSDsNode1:DIY server with Intel S2600CP motherboard2x E5 2680 v264GB 5x Sun F40 SSDs(20x 100GB SSD spresented to the OS)Node2:Asus LGA 2011v3 1u server1x E5 2643 v4128GB DDR44x500GB SSDs
Using a M.2 SSD in a Camera? Zitay CF Express Converter Review ElectronicsWizardry 2023-02-12 | Ever wanted to use a M.2 card in a camera in stead of expensive CF Express type b cards? This adapter lets you use standard M.2 2230 SSDs in a camera for much cheaper than an off the shelf card. In this review, I run tests to see how well this adapter works and what it is like using this adapter compared to a CF Express card.Disclaimer: Zitay provided me with this unit for review. No money exchanged hands, and all of these opinions and thoughts are mine and sourced from my testing. Zitay has not reviewed this video before it went public.Here is a like to purchase this CF Express converter: zitay.com/ZITAY-CFexpress-Type-B-Card-to-NVME-M-2-2230-SSD-Adapter-Compatible-with-Nikon-Z6-Z7-Z9-Canon-RC-R5-R5C-Panasonic-GH6-SSD-is-not-included-p3294682.html00:00 Intro00:24 Why use an adapter?01:42 Performance testing03:07 Notes on SSD performance04:57 Whats included in the box05:15 build quality05:42 Assembly process06:27 Power consumption06:54 Conclusion
Converting a Physical system to a Proxmox VM ElectronicsWizardry 2023-02-05 | I go over 4 ways to convert a physical computer to a Proxmox VM. This can be used to replace ageing systems with virtual infrastructure or to migrate from another hypervisor to Proxmox.00:00 Intro00:18 OverView of the Process01:28 Creating a VM for the data to be migrated into03:58 Methods or migrating data to the VM05:52 Using CLonezilla for migration09:28 Using Disk2Vhd for migration13:39 Using a Linux live USB and DD for migration15:40 Using the Proxmox host to create a image18:37 Conclusion
How much does a low TDP CPU matter? Comparing low and normal TDP server CPUs ElectronicsWizardry 2023-01-29 | Does it make sense to get the low Xeon CPU if you want to save power in a server? I take a look at a low power 6 core vs a high power 8 core CPU and see how the power consumption differs in different workloads, and if the high power CPU can be turned into a low power CPU if the user wants to.
Proxmox Recovery: Getting VMs running after a host failure ElectronicsWizardry 2023-01-17 | A VM host can have issues and leave all of the VMs unable to run again. I go over how to restore VMs from PBS and VZ dump backups, and extract VM images from a previous data disk.
2022 Project Followup ElectronicsWizardry 2022-12-29 | I wrap up 2022 with some of the projects I have been working on their current status. Thanks for watching and more great content will be coming in 2023.0:00 Intro0:36 SSDs Ive reviewed1:22 Host managed SMR HDD1:55 HDD with soldered SATA cable2:07 SSD Endurance testing status2:55 Bluetti AC200P 4:58 Silencing a network switch5:08 Thanks for Watching!!!
The trick to faster parity speeds on windows storage spaces ElectronicsWizardry 2022-12-22 | Storage spaces parity has been known for slow parity speeds since it came out. In this video I got over how NTFS cluster size and Interleave size and be set to get much better write speed with storage spaces.0:00 Intro0:42 The truck: cluster and interleave size1:45 Creating a volume using the GUI3:36 creating a volume using Powershell 6:27 How this works under the hood 8:53 Why did it take so long to find this trick?10:01 Microsoft rant11:47 Conclusion
Dual mSATA Boot card with Ethernet, how does it all connect? ElectronicsWizardry 2022-12-14 | One of my interesting Ebay finds is a Isilon 415-0059 boot card with Ethernet. I was curious how the mSATA drives, SATA ports, Ethernet port and pcie slot connected and how this card was used. I hook this card up to a un-supported system and see how I can access the drives and how useful this card is for uses outside of the Isilon x410 server it was designed for.
Best RAID for mixed drive sizes. Unraid vs BTRFS vs Snapraid+Mergerfs vs Storage spaces. ElectronicsWizardry 2022-12-07 | Got a bunch of spare drives and want a single volume with some redundancy? I take a look at 4 different software RAID solutions and compare the speed, usage space and other features of these solutions.0:00 Intro1:14 Unraid2:45 BTRFS4:21 Snapraid+Mergerfs6:18 Storage Spaces9:21 Testing Results10:45 Discussing the parity write holeNote: This is a re-upload after a previous version had audio issues. This version is much better, but may still have some glitches. Let me know if you have seen issues like this in resolve, as I don't have these audio issues with playing back, only in the exports.
Proxmox 7.3 Testing and Q&A ElectronicsWizardry 2022-11-23 | Here goes my first live stream. Feel free to ask me questions. I'm also going to be testing some server things aswell.
10 tips to get the most out of your Proxmox server ElectronicsWizardry 2022-11-21 | Here are some of the little tips and tweaks I have learned while using Proxmox VE. 0:00 Intro00:05 Turning off atime in ZFS00:26 Turning Proxmox into a network switch01:05 Using VM templates01:27 Creating a ISO to copy files to a VM02:24 Changing default storage device02:44 Some of my preferred VM settings03:25 Scripting and setting KVM parameters04:20 Finding space used by VMs and snapshots with ZFS04:46 Using Hibernation to keep VM state during a host reboot05:15 Outro
Converting an AIO PC to a Monitor ElectronicsWizardry 2022-11-12 | An AIO PC is nice, until the PC gets old and there is a monitor that can't be used. In this video I convert a old AIO with a decent 1080p panel to a desktop monitor for $25 using an adapter board from ebay. I go over the process I went over to convert the AIO to a monitor and what I looked out for during this process.
CPU Pinning in Proxmox: Configuration and Performance testing ElectronicsWizardry 2022-11-05 | CPU pinning can lock a VM to specific threads. While not officially supported in Proxmox, Linux tools allow CPU pinning to be configured and I test the performance impact CPU pinning can create and when it would make sense to be used.Raw Data: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oMxCvhliSRqciaxIYvF-pdgAaDRZudToZMsWLz-CBlc/edit?usp=sharing00:00 Intro00:22 What is CPU pinning?01:39 Setting up CPU pinning in Proxmox09:39 Benchmark results
How have Dell OptiPlexs changed in the last 10 years? ElectronicsWizardry 2022-10-26 | I compare a 10 year old OptiPlex 3010 to a new 5090 to see what changes have been made in the last 10 years. I compare IO, build quality, cooling, design and other aspects of the system.0:00 What is a Optiplex?2:15 Exterior changes5:01 Inside layout11:28 Conclusion
Tweaking a CPU for power efficiency: Underclocking vs Undervolting vs Eco mode ElectronicsWizardry 2022-10-17 | I compare many different ways of tweaking a CPU to increase efficiency and lower power consumption to see what methods work best for which use cases.
How to setup HDD Spin down in Proxmox VE ElectronicsWizardry 2022-10-05 | Don't want platters spinning 24/7? This video goes over how spindown can be configured to save power and reduce noise in a server. I also go over the software changes that are required to allow a HDD to stay spundown instead of cycling0:00 Why Spin down a HDD2:22 Using HDparm to change settings4:20 Software configuration6:04 ZFS caching tests7:26 NAS VM8:17 RAID and disk controllers9:12 Conclusion
Using a Host Managed SMR HDD. Compatibility and Performance ElectronicsWizardry 2022-09-25 | In this video I compare a host managed SMR HDD to a device managed SMR HDD and take a look at the performance and compatibility differences. I also talk about the different filesystems that worked for me when using this drive.Note: This is a re upload due to audio issues in the previous upload.
Whats the faster VM storage on Proxmox ElectronicsWizardry 2022-09-10 | ZFS, BTRFS, LVM, Directory. There are many options for storing VM images on a disk in Proxmox and other KVM based hypervisors. In this video, I take a look at the features and performance of all of these different storage methods.For my test system I used a Xeon E5 2643 V4 system running Proxmox VE 7.2-7 with 128GB RAM, and a PM1725 as the test ssd.
You got a rack server, now what. Going over the hardware and setup of a rack server ElectronicsWizardry 2022-09-03 | You just got a rack server and don't know what to do with it? In this video I go over how the hardware is layed out in most rack server, and go over some of the issues you may come across when working with the hardware. I also show how to install an OS, IMPI, and the BIOS on a server.
Upgrading a Dell Optiplex 3010 to the max ElectronicsWizardry 2022-08-25 | How far can you push a older Optiplex 3010? In this video I upgrade an older business desktop PC with a GPU, faster storage, more ram and see how well it can handle games and work as a server.
Creating a virtual router in Proxmox ElectronicsWizardry 2022-08-12 | I go over how a virtual router can be created in a VM using proxmox, and how the network needs to be setup for this to work.
SSD vs HDD for a gigabit NAS, does disk type affect performance? ElectronicsWizardry 2022-08-06 | In this video, I test if using a SSD or HDD in a NAS limited to a 1 gigabit network makes a difference in performance. I test performance using benchmarks, video editing, and backup workloads.0:00 Intro1:02 Test setup1:28 Crystal disk mark 3:08 Real world performance testing5:16 Conclusion
How much CPU performance is needed for a NAS ElectronicsWizardry 2022-07-29 | I take a look at samba and how CPU performance affects the network copy speeds. I even got a pentium 4 to copy files at 500mB/s.
Using external HDDs in Proxmox ElectronicsWizardry 2022-07-19 | I go over how Proxmox VE can use external HDDs. I test functions like passthough a disk to a vm and booting from it, and using a external HDD with a existing filesystem to store Proxmox vms.00:00 Intro00:28 Using a External HDD as a Proxmox storage drive01:27 Passing a disk to a VM07:21 Booting from a passed through disk09:19 Using a drive with existing partitions and keeping data
Taking a look at an Asus 2011-3 server ElectronicsWizardry 2022-07-07 | I won the minimum bid on eBay for this server. I take a look at the system I got and how it works. It included a Asus z10pr-d16, 4x Micron 1100 drives, 128gb of ram, I will take a look to see if its as good of a deal as I thought it was.
A home networking nerds look at Verizon 5G home ElectronicsWizardry 2022-07-01 | I take a look a the Verizon 5G home internet, and many of the technical parts of the service. I look at functions such as IP allocation, the web interface, speeds, using the device in multiple locations, and positioning to the tower.
Replacing a failed boot USB in my Proxmox server ElectronicsWizardry 2022-06-11 | I killed a usb boot drive after 1.25 years and about 10TB of writes. Now the drive went read only and needed replacement, but I wanted to make it harder for myself by doing it hot.
All about Proxmox Boot drives: Capacity, Endurance and Performance ElectronicsWizardry 2022-05-27 | In this video I take a look at many different aspects of a boot drive used for Proxmox VE. I do testing to find out how much space, endurance and speed is needed. I also go over many different types of drives that can work as a boot drive and what would work best for a server.Here is the link to my script that I used to get the daily writes on the drives in Proxmox. github.com/ElectronicsWizardry/linuxDailyDriveWrites
