Infrastructure

Finally

I have finally updated the website for my open source project Oberon RTK.

The former site¹ uses a theme (set of templates) with a structure that was never intended for technical documentation. I hope it’s obvious that it’s just a quick hack of the theme used for this very website, a pure blog, structured along a time-line, with one article at a time in an uncluttered view – the purpose I had designed it for. But when I needed websites first for Oberon-RTS² and then for Oberon-RTK, I had other prios, so a quick hack of something I knew in-depth was the easiest solution.

However, the Oberon RTK website has become increasingly difficult to structure, and as a consequence, to navigate. I think the new layout makes it easier to get an overview, and also to navigate the contents.

I have used a theme that I have not designed and implemented myself this time, Docsy. I simply don’t have the knowledge and experience, as well as time and patience, with today’s CSS as required for this kind of work. CSS has become very powerful, but also incredibly complex and complicated. Docsy gets most things right, including the typography, which is important to me, even though I have done some minor tweaks. There still some more work to do, but things are ok-ish now.

Web Server

To serve the contents of this and the new Oberon RTK website, I now use Caddy, not any more nginx. For starters, caddy automatically and autonomously handles all the SSL certificate stuff. And it’s easier to configure considering my limited understanding and skills in that field.

Furthermore, I now use a different server provider, Hetzner in Germany. I get two virtual CPUs, 2 GB of RAM, 40 GB of SSD storage, and 20 TB of outgoing traffic for EUR 3.85 per month. The CPUs are AMD EPYC 7002 series processors. With Linode I get one virtual CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 25 GB of SSD storage, and 1 TB of traffic for USD 5.0 per month. I’ll see how things go with the new provider. My website consisting only of static files, all newly uploaded from my Mac here upon update and new contents, is easy to move from one provider to the next. Setting up a new Linux server takes some 15 to 20 minutes.

Windows

Also a “finally”, I have just re-installed Windows on my PC. I had used the same installation – of course continuously updated and upgraded – since I had built and upgraded the PC all the years back. Lots and lots of accumulated cruft. This is the first Windows computer I have ever owned, and I had tried out this and that over the years. Now I know exactly what I need the PC for: software development and gaming, nothing else. With such a clear focus it’s amazing how little one needs to install. I had purchased a new SSD, and did a completely fresh installation. The former system disk SSD is still installed as well, and now I copy over the data that I really need.

What is really annoying about Windows 11 is the intrusiveness of the system, as well as the programs provided with it. Unless you switch off all the spyware which is part of the system, all kinds of, and tons of, data gets exfiltrated and sent to Microsoft and even third parties. All under the guise of “improving the user experience” and all the BS along these lines. Windows even wants to show you “targeted ads” right in the operating system user interface!

I have used a checklist for the installation and configuration, that is, I have done this manually, just to understand the width and depth of all this privacy intrusion. Importantly, I really don’t want an on-line Mictosoft account on this system. I have not followed the checklist 100%, applying my own judgement, too. There are also programs that can do some this for you, such as O&O ShutUp10++, which I intend to use from time to time to check up on the settings – Windows sometimes silently turns back on some of its intrusive spyware. It’s both ridiculous and infuriating.³

MacBook Pro

I have received my new MacBook Pro 14" with a M4 Max processor. I love this little, but very powerful machine, with its matte screen, and it has replaced my iPad for many tasks and uses. I am carrying it around to use outside as well. It is going to replace my Mac mini as daily goto-computer, but as with the Windows PC, I am not going to copy over all data, and also regarding installed programs I am really holding back. I intend to put the Mac mini into the soon-to-be-installed network rack, accessing it remotely.

I connect the Macbook Pro using a CalDigit Thunderbolt Station. One Thunderbolt connection to the MacBook, and I get charging, Ethernet, monitor, and all the other ports on the station, so it’s easy to disconnect to carry around.

Backup

At first I had thought, well, with a powerful local network, wired all through the house, and with a central rack cabinet, I’ll buy a NAS for the backup of all my computers (there are also a few Raspberry Pi 5 here and there), as well as for archived data off-loaded from my computers. Here’s the problem with that solution: how do you back up that backup? Technically, not a problem, but recurring cost are. Following the 3-2-1 rule of backup, this NAS-backup should be off-site, which means on-line (“ze cloud”) unless you want to implement some physical rotation of backup devices to and from a friends house. I have tried that physical rotation thing, and it does not work in the long run. Laziness always wins.

The solution by Backblaze to back up computers does not work here, since it does not back up connected NAS, only directly connected drives. All solutions for on-line backup of NAS get very costly quickly.⁴ The Backblaze solution for computers, which I have used for many years now, costs a flat USD 99 per year per computer – for unlimited amounts data. As said, each directly connected drive can be backed up using this plan.

I have now purchased a TerraMaster D8 Hybrid direct attached storage box, which I am going to use for backup and archival purposes for the Mac. My existing Backblaze subscription will take care of its on-line backup. I’ll install two 12 TB spinning hard-drives plus a few NVMe SSDs, and figure out the best backup approach among those drives. The 10 Gb/s USB connection is fast enough for this purpose. It beats the wired network bitrate of 2.5 Gb/s. For the USB connection, you just need to make sure you have a cable capable of that bandwidth. Their labeling is soooo bad. Without a test device you can never really be sure what’s what.⁵

Alas, the APFS file-system does not have protections against corruption and bit rot, unlike for example ZFS. However, Carbon Copy Cloner provides a function where it checksums all files on the source and the target drives, which gives some protection in the sense that it alerts you of any related problem, so you can restore the damaged file from a healthy backup version. Backblaze retains older file versions for one year, and there are the A{FS snapshots on both the source and the target drives.

For the Windows PC, I will simply install another drive into the massive, mostly empty case for the backup. The PC is also connected to Backblaze.

Spinning hard-drives, with their rattling sound as they operate their heads, evoke a warm fuzzy nostalgic feeling. It was the sound of advanced computing in the Old Days. :)