I've written a few times about my quest to build the ultimate home storage/server rig. But one issue was surprisingly vexing: What kind of case has room for a dozen or more hard disk drives? In this update, I'll talk about the various options as well as the one I ultimately picked: The NZXT H440 (and a Corsair power supply). 2017 Update: After owning and using this case … [Read more...] about 14 Drives For 14 Ports: A Case For FreeNAS
Amazon
Free as in Coffee – Thoughts on the State of OpenStack
Last week I headed to Austin, Texas to attend the semi-annual OpenStack Summit there. Along with the usual socializing, I was looking to understand the current state of the technology: What does OpenStack really mean these days, and where is it going? Let's start with "free". As "the Internet" is quick to point out, this critical word has multiple meanings, and corporate … [Read more...] about Free as in Coffee – Thoughts on the State of OpenStack
Rocking Out With the Topping VX1 Desktop/Bookshelf Amplifier
A few months back, I asked folks on Twitter and LinkedIn for recommendations for a desktop amplifier for a pair of bookshelf speakers. I ended up with a Topping VX1, one of the many "Class-T" digital amps lauded by audiophiles for their excellent sound reproduction. Boy am I impressed! It's rare that such an inexpensive gadget (around $100!) delivers so much … [Read more...] about Rocking Out With the Topping VX1 Desktop/Bookshelf Amplifier
Review: TP-LINK TL-SG2424 Smart Gigabit Ethernet Switch for Home or Office
For the most part, inexpensive Ethernet switches are interchangeable. You buy whichever gigabit switch is cheapest and has the right number of ports for you. And they're amazingly cheap - I picked up an 8-port D-Link gigabit switch the other day for under $40! They're all the same inside anyway, and they're all merely adequate at sending packets hither and yon. But … [Read more...] about Review: TP-LINK TL-SG2424 Smart Gigabit Ethernet Switch for Home or Office
Adding a Second Ethernet Port to an Intel NUC via Mini PCIe
As I mentioned in my previous post about Raspberry Pi power monitoring, I recently built a VMware vSphere "datacenter" from three Intel NUC mini PC's. One limit of the NUC is that it has just one Ethernet port. But there's a Mini PCIe slot inside the fourth-generation NUC that can be used to add a second Ethernet NIC! Here's my story. A Bit About the Intel NUC … [Read more...] about Adding a Second Ethernet Port to an Intel NUC via Mini PCIe