Cataphract

Some people don't clean their ass after they shit, should we not make toilet paper or bidet's available for the rest of us?

I can't see the message they replied to because the creator deleted it but I'm not getting what you're saying and people are upvoting you so there must be something I'm missing. Are you guys buying pc parts with pre-installed OS on them? If it's used than you're using the original OS you received the part with?

Yeah does anyone else wonder if this screams of incompetence from upper management? OP was ONLY able to get the disks, RAM, CPUs and Network Card. Sounds like someone higher up gave the "ok" just thinking the "Server" frame was the important part security wise. It would be an interesting scenario to see if the data center was able to upgrade the system while keeping all of the base components compatible and everything under cost or if this was just a screw up.

All valid points made in an academic setting. I think the general consensus, and the points other users are trying to make, involve more transparency and proper presenting of the facts in their statements. I have parroted the "oh you should try proton, they're more private and secure" to other people. This is a factual but misleading statement without the nuance of higher OPSEC fundamentals.

Just look at their main landing page for proton mail.

• Proton Mail's end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption ensure only you can see your emails. Not even Proton can view the content of your emails and attachments.

• Proton Mail protects you from these digital spies and prevents companies from monitoring you.

• your data is protected by some of the world's strictest privacy laws.

• From newsrooms, activists, and international organizations to academics, Nobel Prize winners, and movie characters, Proton Mail is the trusted choice for secure and private communication. Join over 100 million people worldwide who believe their online privacy is worth protecting.

A common user will look at this and believe that by just having this account, they will be protected. There is no asterisk* beside e-mail recovery explaining the dangers of linking to another e-mail. In fact, a lot of their services promote linking e-mail because you can't use third party verification if you haven't setup your recovery e-mail and/or cell phone verification. I ran into this trying to help an older relative who's paranoid about online accounts, ended up being more hoops and they were dissuaded because it always come down to "enter more information to continue...privately ;)"

The front landing page should have a section explaining everything that's being said here with vpn's, alternative e-mails, and how to really protect yourself with anonymity. To a lot of people, Private+Secure=Anonymous. It's not accurate, but unless you already know the things you have to do to protect your identity, it's not very clear on what the average person should do.

Fiber is a sore subject lol, it was a big local deal when fiber was coming to town with newspaper articles and everything about the big development and how great everything was gonna be with the upgrade in speed. Lots of crews all over the county for months (maybe years? time is fickle) and even had them running the lines on my street and a relatives on the other side of the main town. Turns out they decided to not actually make fiber available for the area, it's just running through. I understand you can't just splice into fiber lol, still irks me I have a box I can't touch or move with "Fiber" labelled on it sitting on the property though and have to deal with cable internet that runs like it's a DSL connection.

With wired Ethernet to every room, would something of this type of connection be aesthetically pleasing? I would like to bundle everything so there's not an excessive amount of wall plates and others have suggested running two lines in parallel with STP cat6a (cat8 will probably be saved for the next place if it has fiber available). I'm just worried about the look of having several wall jacks or several unknown connections that might confuse someone (I will label everything but that only goes so far for understanding). If I include coaxial it might look a little like this style of outlet if I'm not running two ethernet ports. I'm starting to lean into the coaxial/single ethernet just because cable/satellite tv is still king around these parts and people love their boxes.

If you had to have a modem box for internet with coaxial or DSL, would you prefer that tucked away into the server closet as well? or keep that in a separate area with the phone connections and just run an ethernet from the modem to the server closet where the router and switch setup are at?

The only problem with that is if you're pumping air out you have to think about where the air is coming in from. Older fireplaces are notorious for this because any air escaping through the chimney has to be replaced usually resulting in the rest of the house becoming actually colder through air gaps/cracks. Newer built houses even have ductwork for controlled air introduction when using exhaust fans like the range hood over the stove to maintain relative pressures with energy efficient houses (this house is nowhere near that level yet, but once newer windows are installed and I can seal the outlets I replace/install it will be one step closer).

One thought I did have is running the HVAC return through the area, it would reduce the relative humidity of the house as I've already installed several dehumidifiers for the closed crawl spaces I've sealed up and insulated but this whole geographical area is just horrible (/s about the servers being a dehumidifier, but realistically the equipment has to have some type of impact even if 1% lol) . Nearly every house I've worked on has some type of moisture issue but home owners typically don't care unless it becomes life-threatening or threatens the structure. My thoughts on the return is so cold air isn't directly blasted into the area as the dramatic temperature change might introduce condensation, the calculations for the CFM (airflow) have to be exact though so I'm not killing any systems early. The house has an old A/C system with an oil heating system (also has propane and electrical heating in other locations, idk if the person before me had a thing for collecting all the systems but it's rather insane), the a/c doesn't cover the entire structure though so I either have to think about replacing the entire setup (it is rather old but looks well maintained surprisingly) or milking the old system while installing a secondary hvac system for the unconditioned areas (mainly 2nd floor, plenty of attic space to install it which will probably be sealed as well if I do).

You definitely hit on a great idea though, I was planning on installing a secondary thermostat in the server area. If I did a return through and set it to active the hvac system fan when a temperature threshold is reached, in the winter it would disperse the heat through the house and I wouldn't have to worry about the system switching from A/C to Heat or how I would continue to cool an area now getting hot air directly pumped into it. Then in the summer the air returning would be directly cooled when necessary and released back into the house so I'm not worrying about another outside vent opening requiring filters that need to be replaced/inspected etc. Might be able to pull off the airflow requirements with something as simple as a slotted closet door a lot of bedrooms have. I would be concerned someone might replace the door one day without realizing it's importance so maybe dedicated wall venting into the server area is safer, even if it looked worse.

Oh nice! I had home assistant on my radar from other open source threads I read but hadn't run across the site link or realized they have smart hubs for sale with it. I've been hesitant with the automation setup because of the complications you mentioned. I imagined the high priced homes/condos with automated systems probably came with a subscription service for customer support with the equipment installed but wasn't sure if that assumption was right. If I can pull the same thing off with an open source project that's reliable and has custom equipment built for it then maybe it's worth looking into after all.

lol I've seen that before and sympathize every time I see my router log filled with my partners apple devices doing their thing. I'm slowly convincing them to move away from it all with suitable replacements I find along the way.

cheep Chinese ip cameras that have poe and are blocked from the internet

That's a good point. I've been introduced to those systems with some installs and was avoiding anything that connected to a server not under my control even if it's more complicated (completely wigs me out people are complacent with some unknown server recording EVERYTHING). I hadn't looked into "dumbing" the cameras to take advantage of their lower price points, much like you can buy a smart tv but avoid it's connectivity to use it more privately and without bloatware. Been sporadically searching security systems the past few weeks so I'll have to double down and keep that perspective in mind.

and here I thought I was being excessive with thinking about conduit. There is a large unfinished basement that mostly everything in it was destroyed from a flood. After I ripped everything out, installed a new stairwell, and ran new drainage to avoid the next eventual flood (as all lower elevations like to do), I was pondering running conduit for everything to protect from moisture in that area for at the very least some high wall outlets to power systems down there. I could scale that plan back and not have everything being conduit (for cost sake) but install it in specific spots for anything that won't have easy access in the future. I know of a few spots that will need new lines ran through 3 floors so the pull cables would come in handy for future use.

a dedicated UPS circuit so I could have a single, large UPS to backup everything that needs it

That's beautiful and didn't cross my mind. I've done solar installs so my mind always just thinks of that type of battery bank for my needs, that's definitely a viable alternative that I could tie into the cctv system for continuous security as well without adding extra systems. I've only had a small "pc" UPS that crapped out on me years ago but I see they're scalable so I will entertain myself looking at some specs while pondering.

Thank you for the cat6a recommendation. I was not trying to state this as something needs to be a "great improvement" nor am I looking for only recommendations that have a certain return value in mind. I recognize most "tech" things won't be taken into consideration for resale nor will I probably stumble into a tech person who would appreciate and pay extra for the value. Ducting would involve HVAC as it's something I'm familiar with and wouldn't be an issue.

I wasn't trying to get into a financial debate with housing and never said how long I've resided at this house but I can see how you would assume that from my post. I only stated the remaining years I have as a time-limit for any recommendations (can't wait around for household fusion to come available :P /s). Think of it as a fun hobby/side-project I'm doing involving the Tech that will give me a stepping stone for familiarity and exposure to how I eventually want to do a "forever" home I'll rot away in. I imagine there are plenty of projects/ideas out there I'm missing because I always run across something fun and new (like stair lighting with sensors and programmable modes).

The architectural design and remodeling parts involving financials is a whole separate category and has been my jam for decades so I'm not worried about that (dilapidated houses call to me and I've always answered so they can be lived in again). 3 years is plenty of time if you're qualified and have the expertise, I've already spent considerable time working on this property so don't worry too much about it. This is simply a "what do we want to do with the rest of our time here and improving the house that has shown us love" scenario. I do appreciate your comment though, I realize none of this is really special and helps tamp down my enthusiasm since I always tend to get carried away. The weather monitoring is an apt example, I never liked the prepackaged setups so had plans saved to build my own. That's something that will probably be better suited for the next home.