So. New Year's Eve, and when I came to log on I found my systems wouldn't let me. A quick check and one of my servers, the important one, had died. Some belt and braces rearrangement and I carried on, just about. Then yesterday, another computer died...
For IT-heads out there, the first one was the one that hosts DHCP, the local software cache (apt-cacher-ng) and the log collector. Without it, nothing else except the firewall can run. Fortunately I had another workstation I could boot to get in and find out what had gone wrong and enough facilities on that to disperse functions into other boxes.
Then that other workstation began acting funny. Yesterday it wouldn't even get past the first screen that says INTEL. I'm less surprised about that box, I've had my suspicions for a while, but even so it comes at an awkward time. It is as if there is a great big poster in the sky saying SPEND MORE MONEY.
Having spent a lot of money flying to New York twice last year, I am loath to spend more right now, but it has to be done. What this means is that I'll have to spend time (and money) actually finding replacement boards and then building replacement computers. Time I'd much rather spend writing SEE.
Some of you have probably realised that SEE #117 ends rather abruptly half way through the day. That's because it originally covered the entire day and then became too large, so I split it in two. There's about half of #118 awaiting completion but I now have to direct my attention elsewhere for a short while. Sorry.
I hope that normal service (such as there is of it) can be resumed as soon as possible. Right now I have NO backup equipment of any sort to substitute in the event of any other breakage.
Oh, and I wish you all a Happy New Year!
Penny
Comments
Bad things happen quite often
Bad things happen quite often at wrong time :/
I assume Raspberry-Pi wont be enough as short-time replacement device?
35-50$ depending on model and case, currently using it as NAS/mail server
I considered it
I considered it, very briefly.
I have a number of devices of various kinds here and with one exception, the firewall, they all run 64-bit Debian. I didn't want the overhead (at the moment) of having to learn to use an ARM device. I have enough to think about as it is.
I have kept an eye on the Raspberry Pi and noted its uses and drawbacks, some of which the B models have fixed. Maybe later in the year...
Meanwhile, I have now ordered two motherboards and associated bits, come to around £300.
Penny
What about refurb?
There are some good deals on refurbished kit out there at the moment.
If you are not looking for Rackmout servers then there are plenty of dual/quad core midi towers out there.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?N=100019095%2...
Quad core $339
Rackmount
Actually, most of my kit is rackmount. This place does 1U boxes that start at around the same price as a regular case.
Most of it lives in a cupboard so rack modules make sense.
Penny
Capacitors and power supply.
May be it is something simple, like dead power supply or blown capacitors on motherboard? Both can be fixed relatively cheaply, if you have tools.
The problems
The server board is a VIA mini-ITX board which must be around 12-13 years old. Actually, having dug it out and put it into a test box, it boots up OK - although it still thinks it's a server, so I have to be careful!
I am suspicious of the power supply in the original box the server was in. We'll see. I have spares of those. I'm replacing the board on general principles - power saving, amongst other things.
As to the workstation, that was one of a pair of boards which didn't work out too well. The first one died over a year ago. Both made by Intel and I suspect a manufacturing fault somewhere. Whatever, I've moved away from them for other reasons but when they worked they did what was required of them.
I have replaced blown caps on motherboards before. It isn't one of my most favorite occupations. I'm currently typing this on one such board, which again has to be 12-odd years old.
Penny
Sorry to Hear
You've been cranking the SEE episodes out at a pretty good clip too. I was just thinking this morning about when we might see a new SEE posting (sorry to make this about me). Anyway, hardware problems are much better than health problems if there have to be problems. I hope all works out as you plan.
Hardware does not live forever
As we all know. I am of a practical sort as Christmas sales and the like makes cheap celeron systems dirt cheap, Funny I am an IT professional but I don't want to dabble with it much at home. Since you are running linux boxes a dirt cheap celeron system (in the US, during Chrimbo, a 250 USD special could be had, 20 inch monitor included), would be sufficient. Consolidate all your systems into one modern multi-core box, virtualize it if necessary and if it dies just copy the VM(s) to another box and keep going. Unless you have a system that drives an entire home with multiple people being served off for stuff like video NAS boxes and the like, it is amazing how small the system can be.