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Home Lab

Before You Rebuild That Service, Query the Resolver: A DNS-First Debugging Routine

When sudo drags, package installs fail, or SSH works on one host but not another, the service is often innocent. This DNS-first troubleshooting ladder walks through resolv.conf, systemd-resolved, search domains, split-horizon zones, caching, and packet captures so you can rule out name resolution before rebuilding anything.

Nov 9, 2026

Home Lab

Firewall Archaeology: Auditing an Inherited nftables Ruleset Without a Maintenance Window

Inherited firewall rules are less like documentation and more like sediment. Here is a repeatable 2026 audit for nftables: snapshot the ruleset, tie every rule to a service and owner, catch iptables compatibility leftovers, and rehearse changes in a throwaway network namespace before production sees them.

Nov 9, 2026

Home Lab

One Mini PC, Five Distros: A Home Lab Package Cache That Keeps Your Data Cap Intact

A mixed Linux household can burn through a data cap just re-downloading the same updates. Here is how one spare mini PC, apt-cacher-ng, and a trimmed Fedora mirror turn that repeat traffic into a LAN-only habit, plus how to measure the savings and keep the cache from becoming a trust problem.

Nov 9, 2026

Home Lab

The Two-Server Problem: Auditing /etc Drift Before It Audits You

Two Linux boxes that were supposed to be twins can drift apart one hand-edited config at a time. Here is a practical, low-drama workflow for auditing /etc with etckeeper, Git, and a short weekly review that keeps small teams and homelabs honest.

Nov 8, 2026

Desktop Linux

Stop Opening the Task Manager: A Field Guide to systemd for Recovering Windows Admins

If your muscle memory still reaches for Services.msc or the Startup tab, this one's for you. Seven systemctl commands, each tied to a scenario you'll actually hit — from a dead service at boot to the background stuff you never asked for.

Nov 7, 2026

Home Lab

The Manual Is Already on Your Machine: Learning to Read man Pages Like a Veteran Sysadmin

Most Linux users treat man pages as a last resort, but seasoned sysadmins treat them as their first stop. Here's how to navigate, search, and actually use the manual — plus the forgotten commands that make it all faster.

Nov 7, 2026

Home Lab

When the Drive Dies at 2 A.M.: A Homelab Recovery Drill You Can Actually Practice

Drives fail, PSUs smoke, and updates break things — the question is whether you'll be ready. Here's a hands-on disaster recovery walkthrough for homelabbers, from 3-2-1 backups to a bare-metal restore with Clonezilla, plus a community checklist you can steal.

Nov 6, 2026

Home Lab

Your Basement Is the New Cloud: Building a Family Server on a $500 Budget

Across the country, hobbyists are ditching subscription services and rolling their own storage, media, and backup servers. Here's how to join them with modest hardware, Debian or TrueNAS, and a weekend of tinkering.

Nov 6, 2026

Desktop Linux

Thirty Days Off Windows: What Actually Happened When I Went All-In on Fedora

One writer swaps Windows 11 for Fedora for a full month and keeps an honest log of every snag, workaround, and small victory. From printer drivers to Proton gaming, here's the week-by-week reality check plus a checklist for anyone plotting their own escape.

Nov 5, 2026