The Class E Network

Zitat von geaves

Wow you have been busy...re the carpentry trim I noticed that when we went to see the wife's pen friend in Cincinnati we don't do that in the UK just skirting boards (baseboard) the windows are never trimmed. I understand what you mean about the baseboards though, in our last house I removed them, laid the floor, then re fixed the baseboard, much neater and no ugly 'trim' to install.

Well, the baseboards I'm using are new and have a pattern cut in them at the top, so they qualify as being trim lumber. It's so thin these days, at 1/2". Lately, if one wants something thicker it's either build it up with layers (like adding 1/4 round at the bottom), drop a bundle on high end lumber, or cut it yourself. I probably should have used something 3/4" thick for baseboard, and rounded over the top with my table router.

Zitat von geaves

Looks as if we're going to replace our windows, remove the old wooden ones and replace with double glazed UPVC, to replace with wood double glazed is just way too expensive. Also want to replace the hob and oven in the kitchen, want to remove the gas hob and install an induction and a self clean oven it's all built in as well so I'm hoping I can find like for like in sizes.

Gas.. Out where the new place is,, it's not an option unless one wants to get propane off of a truck. We got a new electric stove (cook top and oven integrated) and called it done. Good luck in trying to finding the right size. If anything has more than a few years on it, finding a replacement item can be a challenge.

I replaced all windows and exterior doors as part of the renovation. The windows are double glazed vinyl and they're guaranteed for the life of the owner. (Of course, when one is retired, such a guarantee is not much of a commitment. )
In any case, I think you're doing the right thing with PVC windows, especially as you're moving toward retirement.
Unless you're willing to do maintenance operations on wooden windows every 5 years or so (repaint, restain, waterproof, etc.), which can mean getting up on a ladder (not the wisest thing to do as one gets older), vinyl is the way to go.

The trim carpentry I'm referring to is the interior frames of the windows and, in my case, the doors as well. I'm using a single piece of pre-made trim lumber per window or door, as the top stop, but 90% of it I'm cutting and finishing from raw lumber. While it's time consuming, the result looks good, it has more character than the pre-cut trim in the big box home stores, and it saves a TON of money.

My new store bought baseboards are wood, but it's junk wood - white wood with "finger" glued sections to make 8 to 12' lengths. But you'd never know that it's not a continuous length, on the finished side, and it's pre-primed which saves some paint time. I'd consider the plastic lumber in that it would never rot or shrink over time but it's not as durable as wood. Like you, I believe 6" tall and 3/4" thick is best, but the time and expense are factors.

While the outside is PVC, the inside of windows as they're made for new construction must be trimmed out. (At least, I'm not aware of "kit's" for the job.) Note that I'm not doing any that could be considered "ornate". Ornate is for your side of the pond... . In the colony's it simple utilitarian fare, but I wanted a clean finish and really close seams that, with a bit of chalk, could be made air tight.
I really don't mind doing it but I hope it's the last time. The novelty of trim carpentry and cabinet making has worn off. We also have a cabin to renovate, so we can have company on occasion. I hope the cabin is the last precision work I'll ever have to do. I still have a ton of building to do over there, a green house, a root cellar, a wood shed and a pavilion / summer kitchen, but at least I'll be back to an accuracy if 1/8" to 3/16". Cutting stock to a 1/16" or, preferably, a 1/32", and the assembly processes involved with cabinets can be downright irritating.
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Zitat von geaves

On another front my MicroSever arrived and it was as described, virtually brand new, not even a spec of dust inside and not a single mark on the case, and in original box with the packaging and discs and guides!!
But, I'm just not sure how to transfer/move/setup from the old to the new my thoughts are;

1) Back everything up (goes without saying)
2) Transfer the old hard drives over
3) Boot with an existing OMV USB.....this is part I'm not sure of...run omv-firstaid, but what from the menu and do I have to!
3a) Stop Emby Docker
4) Remove all references a) samba shares b) file shares
5) Unmount and stop the raid, then delete it
6) If that works wipe the drives
7) Format drives if necessary
'8) Install and configure UnionFS
9) Install and configure SnapRaid
10) Set up file shares
11) Set up samba
To do the last 2 I shall have to take some screen shots so the share set up is identical to current.

OR

Complete clean install, totally start from scratch, which seems more of a pia as that would mean setting up Docker and everything else.

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In most cases, your existing data drives would transfer. (But you want Unionfs and SNAPRAID, so...) Your OS, on a USB drive, might not transfer. As I understand it, Linux installs, in the X86 and AMD64 world, use install scripts that query your server and load modules / open source drivers / make adjustments, etc., for your NIC and other hardware and firmware as needed.

Maybe you should try to boot on your USB drive as it is, without stripping anything out. (You might get "missing drive errors but, temporarily, that's no big deal.)
(For #3, above, you'd need a monitor and keyboard attached. When the prompt comes up on the monitor, omv-firstaid runs from the command line. omv-firstaid will provide a menu where you can set an IP or go with DHCP. )
It wouldn't hurt anything to try this, but to be sure nothing bizarre would happen down the road, I think I'd rebuild from scratch. That's my default reaction, "rebuild", because I've never tried what you're suggesting.

I agree, building from scratch with a lot of added functions, shares, etc., is a PITA and can take hours. That's why I strongly believe in OS backup and I'm a reluctant to update or rebuild my main server to OMV4 until after we move.
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We stayed here an extra day, again. It's back to the flooring salt mines tomorrow. Fortunately, and to my complete surprise, we have 15MBS DSL over there. Not bad.

So you're saying that you took a USB drive with an OMV build, from another PC (hardware), and it worked without modification on your N54L? The opensource world comes up a NIC driver that will work with multi-cards... That's remarkable.

(BTW: My full size server "beeps" two different ways, when it's boot up and shutting down. I can tell, by sound, when it's up and running or when shutdown is complete, but I could easily live without that. )

Yeah - with Pi-Hole in a Docker, using Mac-Vlan int, that would happen. Setting up the Mac-Vlan virtual interface attaches the sub-interface to the "parent", by the name assigned to the physical NIC. It's an easy fix and you're probably already there.

Since it uses ECC (and low cost UDIMM's can be easily acquired easily) I'm seriously entertaining the idea of getting one myself.
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So,,, I have some questions for you :

I read something about a 2TB drive size. Is that a BIOS size limit, per bay?

I know you're using Emby and Pi-Hole. Are you running anything else?

What is the BIOS mod about? (The 5th drive?)

What do you think so far?

I got my old EX470 up and running OMV4! It has a 100mbs NIC, 2GB ram, and performance is not high (passmark 475) but it's an AMD Sempron which is 64bit and it has to be faster that an R-PI. And, it's designed for low power consumption. The hardware is pretty good.

I took a page from your book and built OMV on another AMD machine. With a custom made cable to plug a monitor into the mobo, I changed the BIOS setup to boot to USB and changed the disk arrangement to JBOD, in accordance with this thread. From there is was omv-firstaid to fix the network, a hard reset (unplugged), and it's up and running. I'm working on a config now.

I was surprised at the actual HD capacity sitting in that box. It had 3TB in three disks and, with a 1TB drive I had laying around, it now holds 4TB. That's more than enough to backup my data store. I think I'm going with UnionFS and SNAPRAID, but I may just play with disk formats and setups for awhile.

I found the EX470 unresponsive this morning,, with no network connectivity. It wouldn't even answer ping! (with standard settings). With a reboot, it was back up again. I have to be objective - the EX wasn't on an UPS and we have minor power hits often enough to make me give it the benefit of a doubt.

I any case, I'm happy with my "freebie". It will be interesting to see what it's throughput tests show. A slow sata controller, slow drives and 100mbs. Still, it's got to be better than an R-PI and it will host up to 5 drives. (1 by e-sata.) I think I'll use it for "cold" storage.

Well, the EX470 appears to have "coded" again. Since the Video adapter is not permanently installed yet, I have no idea what's going on. It "appears" to be up so it could be NIC related. Also, it could be the old USB2 stick I built for a quick test, or something else went wrong with the install. There's lot's of messages in syslog for collectd. Other than noting the message is correct, I haven't run it down.

Also, it appears to have two hard drives that are marginal. One has reallocated sectors (52,000 hours) and the other one has a Current pending sector and an Offline uncorrectable (43,700 hours).

I think it's going to get packed for the move. While $70 or so will be needed for a couple OEM 1TB drives, I can use it to test an actual HD failure, and recovery using SNAPRAID.

Yeah, there are no graphs. None. I see the collectd issue as a symptom that something may have gone wrong with the build itself or, maybe, I need to test the USB2 stick. That stick is old. (It's time to buy another Costco 3 pack. ) And there's the old 100mbs switch I had laying around, that I took off-line because I suspected it of misbehavior in the past.

Curiously, the EX470 has been up overnight and Rsync'ing the main server so the hardware may be OK. I haven't given up on it. I just need more info and since it's a true headless design, requiring a custom made Mobo adapter just to see VGA and case mod's to make it permanent, getting info is not easy.

Hot glue would bind the pins together and it's pretty easy to control. That would have been easier, I wish I would have thought of that. (I may make one that way.) But there are other "uglier" ways.

When I trash an old platform, I save some some (a lot?) hardware. VGA cables are easy enough and splicing one to a mobo header cable can be done, even if extra pins may need to be hack-sawed off.
(And it seems they're using a lot of pins.)

Really, it's only necessary to pass one ground, for a low res monitor, but to each their own.

The bare minimum is:
CN2.............VGA
4 brn --|
10 brn --|

14 red......01 (RED)
18 brn......02 (GREEN)
19 blue.....14 (VSYNC)
22 grn......03 (BLUE)
23 wht.....13 (HSYNC)
24 blk......10 (GROUND)

Zitat von geaves

I'm thinking about getting one of these for the Microserver and remove the DVD drive, I have a spare drive I can use for for testing, install rsnapshot plugin then copy the backups to an external usb on W10, this would leave my Pi redundant, but it would mean I could use just one box.

Why not? The price seems low enough.
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Unless I miss my guess, the G7 has a PCIe slot. Have you seen this -> thread?

And this card
And these cables

That's an additional 8 drives, with a real controller. (That would let you use some of those drives you have. ) You might have to mod the case for a cable exit, if you couldn't get the cables out of a back cover. It's easy to extend power and with 3 foot sata cables, and a drive cage liberated from an old case, you could create a lot of add-on capacity for the G7. (A drive cage with a fan is also available on E-bay.)
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I already have a new high capacity server case. After the move, during this winter, I'm thinking about moving the internals of TS140 to the new case and buying the above, just for the expansion. (The prices are right.) Unless I miss my guess, my CPU, Mobo, etc., are going to be fine for the next 5 to 10 years, maybe longer.