FreeNAS Home Server Build
I’ve spent the last couple months configuring and setting up a new home server, with the intent of using it as a storage and media server.I looked at a few different options for the operating system I...
View ArticleBuilding a Custom Linux Environment With Openbox
In the past month or so I have been putting together my own desktop environment starting with Archlinux and openbox and piecing all the different parts together to make a proper desktop environment....
View ArticleFreeNAS Server Build Article Featured In BSD Magazine
My recent FreeNAS Server Build article was featured in BSD Magazine for their January issue all about open source storage. The magazine is a free download on their website.)
View ArticleUsing Btrfs for Easy Backup and Rollback
Having been introduced to ZFS on my server, I started to feel as though I was somehow using an inferior filesystem on Linux while using ext4. I became used to copy on write features that are part of...
View ArticleMulti Boot Linux With One Boot Partition
Recently while setting up a new install of Linux and making my partitions I was wondering why I needed a separate boot partition for every Linux install on my system. I also didn’t want to have to use...
View ArticleArch Linux on ZFS - Embed ZFS in Archiso
After using ZFS on FreeNAS and then using btrfs on Linux , I was curious to see how ZFS on Linux stacked up against btrfs. I attempted setting up Arch Linux on ZFS around a year ago and after running...
View ArticleArch Linux on ZFS - Installation
In the last section of this series I explained how to embed ZFS on the Arch Linux install media so that an installation can be completed from the ISO. While in this section I will go through the...
View ArticleMaking a ZVOL Backed Virtualbox VM on Linux
There are various benefits to using a ZFS backed block storage device, or ZVOL, as opposed to large file on disk. In this article I look at how virtual machines can be made using ZFS backed block...
View ArticleOpenVPN On FreeBSD 10.3
While trying to setup OpenVPN, I noticed there was no up-to-date information with correct instructions. OpenVPN uses EasyRSA to setup keys, it has recently been changed in version 3. As a result of...
View ArticleArch Linux on The Surface Pro 4
I recently acquired a Surface Pro 4 and it was instantly obvious what a great machine it is. Having a tablet for casual use, while still having the capabilities of a powerful computer that you can use...
View ArticleArch Linux on ZFS - Part 3: Backups, Snapshots and Other Features
In previous posts I went though setting up a custom Arch Linux install image with ZFS pre-installed, and then installing ZFS on Arch linux. Once finished the install, the fun part comes; playing with...
View ArticleArch Linux on ZFS - Part 2: Installation
In the last section of this series I discussed using ZFS snapshots, ZFS send and using other interesting features ZFS has to offer. In this post I discuss setting up a arch system using a ZFS pool as a...
View ArticleMaking a ZVOL Backed Virtualbox VM on Linux
There are various benefits to using a ZFS backed block storage device, or ZVOL, as opposed to large file on disk. In this article I look at how virtual machines can be made using ZFS backed block...
View ArticleOpenVPN On FreeBSD 10.3
While trying to setup OpenVPN, I noticed there was no up-to-date information with correct instructions. OpenVPN uses EasyRSA to setup keys, it has recently been changed in version 3. As a result of...
View ArticleArch Linux on The Surface Pro 4
I recently acquired a Surface Pro 4 and it was instantly obvious what a great machine it is. Having a tablet for casual use, while still having the capabilities of a powerful computer that you can use...
View ArticleArch Linux on ZFS - Part 3: Backups, Snapshots and Other Features
In previous posts I went though setting up a custom Arch Linux install image with ZFS pre-installed, and then installing ZFS on Arch linux. Once finished the install, the fun part comes; playing with...
View ArticleContainerizing Graphical Applications On Linux With systemd-nspawn
Recently I was looking to install an application on Linux with a large number of dependencies: TeXstudio and it’s TeXLive libraries. I wasn’t sure I wanted the packages sitting around on my computer...
View ArticleA Brief Introduction to LXC Containers
I recently found myself needing a machine to compile binaries on for a CentOS server. I first considered actually spinning up a CentOS system on a VPS; however, that seemed a little overboard just for...
View ArticleRunning Nextcloud in a jail on FreeBSD
I configured Nextcloud 12 inside a FreeBSD jail in order to allow me access to files i might need while at University. I figured this would be a optimal solution for files that I might need access to...
View ArticleSwitching to Nixos from Arch Linux
I recently made the switch to NixOS after using Arch for several years. NixOS is different from any other operating system I’ve ever used. It has a built-in declarative functional programming language...
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