Homelab

HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8

Some time ago I wrote about a home server. This time it is about my home lab. When choosing a server, I looked at size, capacity and power consumption. And I ended up choosing the HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8. I did some quick research and it turned out that the best I could choose was the Xeon 1265L-V2 processor (best power to TDP ratio) and 16Gb ECC RAM. To this I added a total of four Seagate ST2000VM003 3.5″ drives, each with a capacity of 2TB.

This HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 is a powerful and reliable option for those who need a microtower server. Featuring an Intel Xeon E3-1265L v2 CPU, 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.5GHz base and 3.5GHz boost and 16GB ECC DDR3 RAM (maximum possible). The operating system is installed on a Kingston A400 SSD 2.5″ SATA 960GB (SA400S37/960G) for agility and performance.

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Users in EU will have a choice

Google has just announced a change for users in Europe that will allow them to decide exactly how much data sharing is right for them. The new policy, which the company says is in response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), allows users to opt out of data sharing for all, some or none of Google’s selected services. The services listed include YouTube, search, advertising services, Google Play, Chrome, Google Shopping and Google Maps. However, the policy is not airtight – Google will still share user information when necessary to perform a task (for example, when you pay for a purchase on Google Shopping using Google Pay), to comply with the law, to prevent fraud or to protect against abuse.

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Nextcloud wins the Acteurs du Libre European Award 2023

Nextcloud has won the European Award of the Acteurs du Libre contest! This is a huge recognition for the community, the Nextcloud team, and the visionary leaders behind the project.

What is the Acteurs du Libre contest?

The Acteurs du Libre contest is part of the Open Source Experience event, which celebrates the achievements of Free Software companies, entrepreneurs, projects and associations. The contest awards six prizes every year, each honoring a different aspect of FOSS development, management or implementation: the Committed Public Service Award, the European Award in collaboration with APELL, the Business Development Award, the Best Open Source Strategy Award, the Open and Ethical Digital Award, and the Jury’s Special Award.

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Comparison of lightweight Linux distros

DietPi

I started to look for a replacement for my DietPi (I’m using it as my everyday OS). It’s installed as a VM on the Proxmox server. It’s fast, it’s nice, it reliable, but I want to change something 🙂

Also, one of the reasons why I selected DietPi was the Home Assistant core. Or I should say – the way it’s installed. And how most of the software is managed in DietPi. It uses DietPi-Software, which allows you to quickly and easily install popular software “ready to run” and this software is already optimized for your system. Only the software you need is installed.

What is DietPi? DietPi is an extremely lightweight Debian OS, highly optimized for minimal CPU and RAM resource usage, ensuring your SBC always runs at its maximum potential. It has a lots of different flavours, so you may install it on Raspberry Pi, Odroid, Pine64, Radxa, Allo, NanoPi, OrangePi, but also on standard PC and as a VM (I’m sure I didn’t mention all of them, but those I remember :P)

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Patch your confluence if it’s not done yet

https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2023/10/04/etr-cve-2023-22515-zero-day-privilege-escalation-in-confluence-server-and-data-center/

Atlassian has been made aware of an issue reported by a handful of customers where external attackers may have exploited a previously unknown vulnerability in publicly accessible Confluence Data Center and Server instances to create unauthorized Confluence administrator accounts and access Confluence instances.

The Vulnerability has been marked with a maximum CVSS value (10/10) and allows you to create a Confluence administrator account from the Internet.

Doorbell

I have few blink cameras at home. And, to be honest, I’m really happy how they are working. So when I was looking for a doorbell, a one from blink was the obvious choice for me.

Company which I already know, application which I already have, integrated into my home assistant instance. Should be perfect.

Should be. After less than a month I’m sending it back. Blink is using a pair of lithium batteries. In all other cameras they are working few months. In the doorbell max is a week. It’s not a joke – one week. And this is when I set up a maximum energy saving options. No movement detection. No recording when system is armed. Nothing. Only recording when someone press the button.

I already have an alternative. Ring doorbell (2nd generation). It’s more expensive, but it’s working.

Ok. I had to install the application to set it up first time. And to integrate it with my Amazon account. But then I may not use it anymore. Not, if I want to use it as a doorbell only. And, to be honest, ring has a better integration with Alexa.

So at the end, I have few blink outdoor cameras, but ring doorbell 😂

Whiteboard from Atlassian

Atlassian will release their own whiteboard. It will be a part of the confluence. So you will not have to use miro or mural (or similar online services). You will not need apps like Microsoft whiteboard or Apple freeform. Confluence will be everything what you need.

You want to more know? Or maybe even join the beta tests? Check https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/whiteboards

What Agile really means

It’s simply a way of thinking a little outside the box and often not very functional. Agile is about one thing: doing your job wisely, in the shortest possible time. There is no room for performing meaningless tasks and repeating beaten patterns over and over again. It’s worth remembering that agile is not something that can be started by a single person in a team. It is absolutely necessary that the whole team works in the same way.

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