stefano

stefano, 1 month ago to sysadmin

This morning, a colleague (a sysadmin who works exclusively on Red Hat) needed to quickly create a VM for a reverse proxy. Among the requirements:

Minimal, only for nginx
Root file system on btrfs (I don't know why, but it's their internal policy)
Be online ASAP

I swiftly installed Alpine Linux for them. With just two commands, I set up the root on btrfs and got the setup running. Within a minute, the VM was up; in ten seconds, nginx was installed, and within two minutes, it was configured.

They were amazed by the speed and lightness of it all, as well as the updated kernel.

Alpine Linux remains, in my opinion, an excellent and flexible solution in the Linux environment.

#AlpineLinux #SysAdmin #VM #Efficiency #Linux

stefano, 1 month ago to music

Busy Tuesday SoundTrack

https://invidious.fdn.fr/watch?v=pJ_vgFF52w0

#SoundTrackOfTheDay #Music #MastoMusic #MastoRadio #FediMusic #FediRadio #JukeBox

stefano, 1 month ago to proxmox

Today I pondered something: Proxmox and others boast native ZFS integration as one of their strengths. Many Proxmox features rely on ZFS's unique capabilities, and many setups are built around them. If Oracle were to send a cease and desist tomorrow, how would the situation unfold?

#Proxmox #ZFS #Oracle #CeaseAndDesist

stefano, 1 month ago to llm

I just asked Llama3 Instruct (7B Q8): "Tell me all you know about ZFS on OpenBSD"

Llama3 replied: "A great topic!

ZFS is a combined file system and logical volume manager designed by Sun Microsystems, now owned by Oracle. It's known for its advanced features, high performance, and reliability. On OpenBSD, ZFS is available as part of the base system since version 5.4 (released in 2011). Here are some key aspects of using ZFS on OpenBSD:

Installation

To install ZFS on OpenBSD, you'll need to specify zfs as your file system during installation. This will create a ZFS pool with a single vdev (virtual device) containing the root file system.

ZFS Pool

A ZFS pool is the top-level container for all ZFS storage. It can contain one or more virtual devices (vdevs), which are used to store data and metadata. On OpenBSD, you'll typically create a single pool with a single vdev containing the root file system.

VDEVs

Vdevs are the building blocks of a ZFS pool. They're composed of one or more disk devices, and can be configured in various ways (e.g., RAID-Z, mirror, single-disk). OpenBSD supports the following vdev types:

• raidz: A type of RAID-5, providing redundancy with data striping.
• mirror: A simple mirroring configuration for each block.
• single: A single disk vdev, used for a standalone pool or for testing.

ZFS Features

Some notable ZFS features available on OpenBSD:

• Snapshots: Instantaneous copies of your file system at a specific point in time. You can take snapshots, clone them, and even revert to previous states if needed.
• Send/Receive: Allows you to send and receive entire ZFS pools or datasets between systems.
• Checksums: Data integrity checks are performed on all data written to disk.
• Compressed: Compression is supported for both data and metadata, reducing storage requirements.
• Quotas: Limits can be set for individual datasets to prevent excessive usage.

OpenBSD-specific ZFS settings

Some OpenBSD-specific configuration options:

• zfs_load: Controls whether the ZFS module is loaded at boot time. Set it to YES in /etc/sysctl.conf to enable ZFS support.
• zfs_root: Specifies the root file system dataset name. Typically set to tank/root.
• zfs_pool: Sets the default pool name (e.g., tank).

ZFS CLI

The OpenBSD ZFS command-line interface (CLI) is similar to other Unix-like systems:

# zpool list # List all pools and their status  
# zfs list # List all datasets in a pool  
# zfs snapshot # Create a new snapshot of a dataset  
# zfs clone # Clone a snapshot or dataset  
# zfs send # Send a dataset or snapshot to another system  

Tips and Considerations

• Be cautious when using ZFS, as some operations (e.g., zpool destroy) can be destructive.
• Regularly check your pool's health with zpool status and ensure you have enough disk space.
• Use zfs snapshots to create regular backups of your file systems.

This is just a brief overview of using ZFS on OpenBSD. If you have specific questions or concerns, feel free to ask!"

We're safe. And I should ask Theo why he's always lied and never announced ZFS support on OpenBSD. 😆

#LLM #llama3 #OpenBSD #ZFS

ErikJonker, 1 month ago to ai

The score of Llama3 70B on the LMSYS leaderboard is impressive. Although it's also clear that the latest GPT-4 is still a lot better. However Llama3 is opensource and freely available and a larger version (400B parameters) is on the way and will be closer to GPT4 with regard to performance on the various benchmarks.
https://chat.lmsys.org/?leaderboard
#AI #GPT4 #LMSYS #Leaderboard #Llama3 #opensource

stefano, 1 month ago to linux

The Double-Edged Sword of Docker: Balancing Benefits and Risks

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/04/22/the-doubled-edge-sword-of-docker/

#Docker #Linux #IT #SysAdmin #Containerization #DevOps

stefano, 1 month ago to photography

Me and my first phone Over 40 years ago.

This photo has been on my grandma's living room cabinet for as long as I can remember. She passed away a couple of years ago, and to keep her memory alive, my wife suggested we keep it in our living room.

A blast from the past looking towards the future.

No, the phone doesn't run Android or iOS 😆

#Photography #Photo #Me #JustMe #ThrowbackThursday #BackInTime

stefano, 1 month ago to linux

"How it all began"

I saw an ad for this CD set at a very low price in a computer magazine. I decided to give it a try, enticed by the low cost and this 'alternative solution to Windows', and in late 1996 I ordered this set.
When it arrived, I was fascinated (having never used a Unix or Unix-like system before) but a bit daunted by the lack of support for the main applications I knew. A few months later, though, I decided to give it another go and from that point, I never looked back. Whether it was Linux, one of the BSDs, or something similar (but Unix or Unix-like), I was not going back to systems like Windows.

My #ThrowbackThursday today is probably one of the most significant in my computing life.

#Linux #TechHistory #OpenSource #Unix #TechNostalgia #ComputingMemories #BSD #TechnologyEvolution #OldSchoolComputing #1996 #ITLife

This is a photo of the back cover of the "InfoMagic LINUX Developer's Resource CD-ROM" case. The cover lists the contents of the 6-CD set, including distributions like Red Hat 3.0.3 "Picasso", Slackware 3.1, Debian GNU/Linux 1.1.4, and others, with various kernel sources up to version 2.0.12+. It mentions the inclusion of a "QuickStart" installation guide and additional software like X-Free86 Version 3.1.2, with references to online resources. There's also information about the included on-line documentation like "Installation & Getting Started Guide" by Matt Welsh and "Network Administrators Guide", as well as file format details. Contact information for InfoMagic, including telephone, fax, email, and web address, is listed, along with the company's address in Flagstaff, AZ. A barcode is present on the bottom right. The text indicates the product is from 1996, providing a glimpse into the distribution of Linux software in the mid-1990s.

stefano, 1 month ago to ubuntu

This is nice: Ubuntu 24.04 Supports Easy Installation Of OpenZFS Root File-System With Encryption

https://www.phoronix.com/news/OpenZFS-Ubuntu-24.04-LTS

#Ubuntu #Linux #ZFS

stefano, 1 month ago to FreeBSD

To reaffirm my #ThankYouTuesday today - following my post earlier about FreeBSD freezing if a laptop doesn't have the battery installed (https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@stefano/112280720122710027), @jeffpc has prepared a patch and suggested I try it (https://reviews.freebsd.org/P636).
I did, and it worked.
This is the spirit that characterizes the open-source community and the fantastic members who comprise it.

#FreeBSD #OpenSourceCommunity #OSS #OpenSource

stefano, 1 month ago to opensource

For today's #ThankYouTuesday, I want to express my gratitude to the entire open-source community. Past, present, and future. I owe so much to what many developers, sysadmins, enthusiasts have built and maintained. I've always believed that culture should be free and accessible to all, and the OSS community has made it possible to study, learn, and implement complex and professional solutions without the need for closed systems, licenses, or expensive "certification" courses.

To the Open Source community, heartfelt thanks!

#OpenSource #Gratitude #OSS #ThankYou

stefano, 1 month ago to FreeBSD

This is interesting: I've installed FreeBSD 14.0-RELEASE on that laptop. However, every time I try to check the system's status with 'top', it crashes. I suspected this was due to the absence of a battery, so I tested this theory with the command sysctl hw.acpi.battery and - boom - experienced the same crash.

It seems that FreeBSD does not function well on a laptop without a battery.

Can anyone suggest a workaround or solution? I'd like to avoid re-inserting the 9-years-old worn-out battery.

#FreeBSD #Laptop #HP

stefano, 1 month ago to photography

Walking in Ferrara at Spring time

#Photography #Photo #Picture #Pic #PhotoMonday #FotoMontag #Spring #Italy #Ferrara

stefano, 1 month ago to golang

Interesting reading: Go performance from version 1.0 to 1.22

https://benhoyt.com/writings/go-version-performance-2024/

#go #golang #programming #performance

stefano, 1 month ago to random

Sunbathing on a Silent Suday

#SilentSunday

stefano, 2 months ago to music

Ennio Morricone for a rushy friday 🙂

https://yt.artemislena.eu/watch?v=Wmdu9VAkZ4s

#Music #SoundTrackOfTheDay #MastoRadio #FediRadio #FediMusic #JukeBox

stefano, 2 months ago to random

Though they've been gone for several years now, within the walls of my grandparents' house, I could still sense their presence, hear their voices, and smell their familiar scents. Closing the door for the last time today marked more than just an end to my visits—it symbolized the closure of my childhood and adolescence. It's an incredibly sad day for me. Yet, in this moment of reflection, I'm reminded that the sun will rise again tomorrow. Life, in all its facets, continues to move forward. This includes the BSD-based mail system I've been diligently working on, which is nearing a significant milestone.

#Grandparents #Memory #EndOfAnEra #ChildhoodMemories #MovingForward #Sunrise #NewBeginnings #BSD #TechProgress

raven, 2 months ago to random German

I've tried out GrapheneOS on my Pixel 8 and I like it. The installation was flawlessly althought I was a little bit scared of destroying something 😅

My initial impression: Very minimalistic from the beginning, it feels like the first time after an Arch installation 😄, the Sandboxed Google Play feature works very good, only the AOSP apps should be renewed in the future or replaced with more modern alternatives

I hope that Graphene will going on with this great work

@GrapheneOS

#grapheneos #aosp

stefano, 2 months ago to random

20 years from now, you’d give anything to be this exact age, exactly this healthy, in this exact moment.
Take a second to enjoy it.

Richard Webster

#Quote

stefano, 2 months ago to random

For today's #ThankYouTuesday, I want to thank my wife.
When (rarely happens) a critical server crashes at night, she doesn't complain about the sudden wake-up call. Instead, she reads it before I even do, to figure out whether to shake me out of bed or reassure me and let me sleep.
And that says a lot about how fortunate I am...

cuddle, 2 months ago to random

There are just too many "problems" with C++. I wish modern C++ was something back in the day, so we won't have to suffer.

Libraries still uses iostream to display in stdout/stderr and it's certainly not my favorite. It's slow, bloated, and isn't even describable.

e.g.
std::cout << a.x << " " << a.y << " " << a.z << '\n';
vs
std::println("{} {} {}", a.x, a.y, a.z);

And here we come, standard of string

why:
std::string a = "Hello world";
if (a.find('r') != std::string::npos)
fmt::println("{}", pos);
else
fmt::println("not found");

and why not:
std::string a = "Hello world";
if (a.contains('r')) // Do member function overloading in the class
fmt::println("{}", pos);
else
fmt::println("not found");

why standard doesn't implement trimming functions for white spaces? why do I always have to rely on iterators for such things... (it's just feels like I've to type too much for a basic functionality)

and there's more but let's keep this post small.

stefano, 2 months ago to FreeBSD

This is strange: last October I created a FreeBSD VNET jail and defined a wireguard interface and a vxnet interface. It was working. Today I started the jail and it doesn't work anymore:

/sbin/ifconfig vxlan create vxlanid 77 vxlanlocal 10.77.0.1 vxlanremote 10.77.0.2 inet 10.77.1.1/24
ifconfig: SIOCIFCREATE2 (vxlan): Invalid argument

What could be wrong?

#FreeBSD #vxnet