njordomir

joined 2 years ago
 

I understand this could be posted in a hardware forum or I could use a stats comparison tool (and I've poked around a fair bit as is), but I'm curious, specifically from the self-hosted, roll-your-own NAS perspective, does the Minisforum n5 Pro seem like a decent machine for self-hosting? Any impressions? What percebtage of this is the marketing hype-train and what percentage would still be good if it shipped unbranded in a cardboard box. What would you expect this to cost?

https://www.minisforum.com/pages/n5_pro

Currently I'm running one of the DS-Series Synology NAS but I want to remove the Synology dependency because I don't fully trust them to deliver and not remove features. I would rather give the TrueNaAS thing a try (or something in that direction) now so I'm prepared to jump ship when I need to. I'm lucky enough to be able to buy a decent NAS and hang onto it for a while, but I want to come in below the point where an extra $100 doesn't really get me much anymore.

I am specifically interested in the hardware because I don't plan to use the default OS.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This is so whack. I don't get it, but it strikes me as true for many people 5-10 years younger than me. I'm the opposite. I want to use my desktop for everything and I'd sooner use a dumbphone/laptop combo than a smartphone with no computer. One thing I will never do on a phone is game. Sure, snake in the doctors office is one thing, but mobile gaming is so trash and scammy and bullshit that I just can't have any fun.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Interesting username. Are you a fellow student of Internet Comment Etiquette?

I know at least some of my containers use Postgres. Glad to know I inadvertently might have made it easier on myself. I'll have to look into the users for the db and db containers. I'm a bit lost on that. I know my db has a username and pass I set in the docker compose file and that the process is running with a particular GID UID or whatever. Is that what your talking about?

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

I miss this from cloud hosting. It's helpful to be able to save, clone, or do whatever with the current machine state and easily just flash back to where you were if you mess something up. Might be too much to set up for my current homelab though. My server does have btrfs snapshots of everything directly in grub which has let me roll back a few big screwups here and there.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

I've replaced the battery on my laptop twice. Didn't recognize the brand (might have been Dentsing or something like that) but it outperformed the stock battery in it's flattening state and maybe even when it was new! I watched it pretty closely for a while though and I'd NEVER buy a battery off temu.

93
submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by njordomir@lemmy.world to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
 

Hello Self-Hosters,

What is the best practice for backing up data from docker as a self-hoster looking for ease of maintenance and foolproof backups? (pick only one :D )

Assume directories with user data are mapped to a NAS share via NFS and backups are handled separately.

My bigger concern here is how do you handle all the other stuff that is stored locally on the server, like caches, databases, etc. The backup target will eventually be the NAS and then from there it'll be double-backed up to externals.

  1. Is it better to run #cp /var/lib/docker/volumes/* /backupLocation every once in a while, or is it preferable to define mountpoints for everything inside of /home/user/Containers and then use a script to sync it to wherever you keep backups? What pros and cons have you seen or experienced with these approaches?

  2. How do you test your backups? I'm thinking about digging up an old PC to use to test backups. I assume I can just edit the ip addresses in the docker compose, mount my NFS dirs, and failover to see if it runs.

  3. I started documenting my system in my notes and making a checklist for what I need to backup and where it's stored. Currently trying to figure out if I want to move some directories for consistency. Can I just do docker-compose down edit the mountpoints in docker-compose.yml and run docker-compose up to get a working system?

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Yeah, I don't care if they invent a paywall that jumps out of the screen and gives me a top notch scalp massage. I don't do paywalls.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I use Linux on desktop and I've been excitedly watching the various projects to bring FOSS Linux to mobile, but for me personally, it can't be a daily driver yet. Hopefully by the time I'm done degoogling and severing other app dependencies mobile Linux devices will be more evolved and have a better cost/feature ratio more on par with mainstream devices.

I'm mostly disappointed because the way Ubuntu teased a phone that docks to become a PC hasn't really come into full fruition yet. I'm not a Ubuntu user, but I do have a strong preference for working on a full sized screen. Being able to dock my phone to a display and get a non-phone UI means I could just carry a folding keyboard instead of a tablet.

If the EU sponsored an open source OS to reduce dependency on US tech, that could be a saving grace.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I'm considering a pixel tablet so I can put Graphene on it, but with the change in how google handles sources, I'm no longer sure.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

If there is a donation button and its a project, media item, service, etc that I use enough that I would buy it, I often donate. The amount depends on how badly they need the help. If I they try to steer me to recurring donations I don't donate at all (having the option as an opt-in is okay).

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 33 points 1 week ago (11 children)

If we're gonna let them on the road, I say that software should get points just like a driver, but when it gets suspended all the cars running that software get shut down.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

I'm a Buddhist/Atheist. There is far less to fight about here than between Christians/Atheist. I'm sure I'm a "bad" Buddhist too because I take the philosophical bits that make sense to me and leave all the deities and supernatural stuff alone, but Buddhists don't seem to mind and most atheists don't either.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

As a former evangelical Christian, who also dabbled in atheism, antitheism, etc, I settled into something that's probably closest to Zen Buddhism mixed with atheism. I've been on dates with people, many of them I probably never knew their religion, but the gung-ho Christians and the Mormons showed their incompatibility very quickly. Funnily enough, ex-catholics dig me and I like them. :-)

I don't see myself dating someone who is theocratic, doesn't believe abortion should be allowed, or wants me to go to their church with them. I sometimes tell the story of the time I was figuring myself out and ended up going on a date with a girl who didn't believe in dinosaurs. I call her dinosaur girl. I wish her well, but man did I dodge a bullet!

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (4 children)

I don't have an answer for you, but I, and probably a lot of the other silent up-voters, will be watching closely for an answer. Tablets haven't gotten as much attention as phones. My own is still on a stock OS, even as I've removed more and more google stuff elsewhere. I'm not sure when/if the leap will come.

 

My own city, which is not Indianapolis, has a few sections of trail that locals tend to avoid because they're congested with homeless camps and while I've never had an issue, there is a perception of danger and it doesn't make for a relaxing ride. I go in the day and in a group, but not alone at night.

I am planning a daytime ride in Indianapolis along the Monon Trail from Carmel to Downtown, then circling back using the White River. Are there any sketchy or outright dangerous sections of trail I should know about?

The city glows bright red on crime maps, but so does almost every downtown in every US city over 500,000 people.

I've looked at what's available online. A lot of what I could find was either generalized or dated so I'm still looking for additional perspectives.

 

https://pacersbikeshare.org/ (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Muscle Bike $2 + $0.20/min Electric Bike $5 + $0.25/min

That's $14 for an hour long ride and $26 or even $40 for a long ride and a short ride.

https://www.carmel.in.gov/our-city/experience/attractions/bike-carmel/bike-share-program

Similarly located, more walkable urbanism focused but less urban Carmel, Indiana has a more reasonable rate:

Muscle Bike $1.50 per half hour to rent with a cap of $24 for up to a 24-hour period.

Can anyone explain to me why this difference is so large? Over the years I've come across some expensive bike shares and some very affordable ones. The only other thing worth noting is that residents of Marion County, which Indianapolis is in, can ride a certain amount free and at a discount after that. I thought bike shares were perfect for visitors or travelers who may not have a car at their destination.

Would you consider the Pacers Bike Share in Indianapolis Expensive?

For this price, if I was in Indy for a week, I'd buy a Craigslist bike and donate it to some random kid when I left. $40 of gas would take me across the state.

5
submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by njordomir@lemmy.world to c/retrotechnology@lemmy.ca
 

Hi Folks,

We recently found a VHS video of a friend's scumbag parent getting kicked out of the house back in the 90s. We really want to digitize this video, but I can barely get it to play. The two VCRs I've tried keep having issues and trying to chew the tape or just stop and turn off. I wonder if the reels are too hard to move. We know the video is on there because we watched it a few days ago and it was decent save some typical VHS fuzzies and the occasional drop out of the picture.

If it would play, I would just use an adaptor and capture the VCR output. What I need is some advanced data recovery.

Is there a service out there that can directly scan and digitize the ribbon itself or recover a cassette that hasn't weathered the years so well? I'm happy to pay for this service, but I'm looking a skilled service that isn't just going to do what I tried to do, but can actually deliver results in a difficult case.

Can anyone be my hero and help me understand what I'm looking for and maybe help me find a service? Colorado local is great, but mail order is acceptable.

I do have at least 2 more VCRs I could try, but I don't want to do damage.

 

This is an open ended question. How do you create continuity in how you visualize your fitness journey across devices/platforms?

For example, I have data from my Amazfit, Zepp, Google Fitness days, I currently use a Garmin 530 while cycling and a Fenix 6 Pro Solar for everything else. With Garmin+ hinting at bad things to come and the high prices of Garmin watches I'm considering a possible Polar or a Suunto next. How do you visualize your trends over time?

  • do you feed your stats into a spreadsheet?
  • Do you use a quantified self app like Exist that pulls data from multiple sources

Another concern of mine is winding up split between ecosystems like if I bought a Suunto watch and eventually replaced my Garmin Edge 530 with a Wahoo device.

I can't pretend that Garmin does this especially well, even when my current devices are all Garmin, but I know my watch measures recovery and readiness after the rides I do on my edge, so I'm never in the dark as to where I stand on my recovery. Using a device only for workouts seems like it would be problematic as fitness isn't just movement, but also how you eat, sleep, etc.

 

Has anyone else seen this? This seems to be a common pattern lately. Companies will list all their products:

Product X1 Product X2 Product Y1 Product Y2 Product R42 Product F25

... but they don't have a page explaining what the difference between the X line, Y Line, R Line, and F Line actually are. Let's say they are gadgets. Would it hurt them in any way to simply say the X line prioritizes speed, the Y line is backwards compatible with legacy gadgets, the R line is meant for business use, and the F line is experimental form factors. How do you not think to put this info on your page?

 

I am specifically asking about software and needed libraries, not stuff like Wikipedia or the writings of Ernest Hemmingway.

To keep people from archiving all of github on thousands of shucked external hard drives cobbled together all Frankenstein-y to create a postapocalyptic data center assume a ~1TB storage limitation. Though I'm sure that person exists here on Lemmy somewhere :D

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Testing vs Prod (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by njordomir@lemmy.world to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
 

I've been slowly moving along in this self-hosting journey and now have a number of services that I regularly use and depend on. Of course I'm backing things up, but I also still worry about screwing up my server and having to rollback/rebuild/fix whatever got messed up.

I'm just curious, for those of you with home labs, do you use a testing environment of some kind or do you just push whatever your working on straight to "production

  • edit: grammar
 

Like may people, I enjoy watching other people play online and before streaming I used to do mayor's diaries (basically a city blog) with the Sim City 4 community. When I look at my cities over time a few trends emerge.

I'm curious what characterizes your cities? What are the giveaway brush-strokes showing a city was painted by you?

  • Full city trail systems. It's amazing how far cims will walk.
  • Colliding grids, I build urban and big, but I like to let smaller towns grow together over time. This resulting in misaligned grids and some "signature" streets with cool intersections.
  • Promenades, as an Urbanist, I'm almost always playing with the goal of maximizing transit/bike/ped travel while getting rid of cars and keeping trucks out of residential areas. There's almost always some grand pedestrian oval or linear park in my cities.
 

I can't take credit for the scenery since I downloaded the map, but it's been quite inspirational. This spot seemed perfect for a mining area. The mining industry looks like it flattened out this portion of the hill and is continuing to cut out of the mountainside while the river creates a steep cliff giving a great view of the rocky hillside. It supports 2 bus lines from the two nearest railway stations that bring the workers up the mountainside.

 

I ended up with a dense mostly pedestrianized, tram-centric core which is just off to the right. It looks great on ground level, but I still have some detailing to do before I share. The low-density neighborhoods out of frame in the north are currently getting some well-deserved detailing. I'm not sure what to put to the left of the station, the area is a bit of a dead end but has an excellent train, tram, and bus connections. I imagine I could fit either a small university or a tech cluster with a park. What do you reserve your best-connected areas for?

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