Drivers as Weapons: How Software Can βChangeβ Your GPU
GPU drivers can alter clocks, power limits, memory behavior, and stability. Learn how to diagnose, prove, and control driver-induced GPU changes in production.
ZFS Dedup Tables (DDT): What They Are and Why They Hurt
Understand ZFS dedup tables (DDT), why they crush RAM and performance, how to diagnose pain fast, and what to do instead in production.
Debian 13 kernel tainted: what it means and when you should care
Learn what βkernel taintedβ means on Debian 13, how to read taint flags, and when to care for support, debugging, reliability, and incident response.
Office VPN for ERP/CRM apps: prevent freezes and timeouts the right way
Stop ERP/CRM freezes over office VPN by fixing latency, MTU, DNS, and session handling. Diagnose fast with commands, then harden with proven patterns.
WordPress Plugin Broke Your Site: Disable It via FTP/SSH and Recover Fast
Learn how to disable a broken WordPress plugin via FTP or SSH, restore access fast, validate logs, and prevent repeat outages with safe workflows.
The RTX era: how NVIDIA sold the future early
RTX made ray tracing real by shipping partial hardware, loud marketing, and evolving software. Learn what it changed, why it hurt, and how to run it safely.
When to upgrade your GPU: timing without FOMO
Learn when a GPU upgrade is actually worth it: diagnose bottlenecks, measure workload fit, avoid FOMO, and plan upgrades with production discipline.
Intel Core generations: how to decode the names without losing it
Decode Intel Core CPU names fast: generations, suffixes, iGPU, mobile vs desktop, and real commands to verify whatβs actually installed.
Dovecot Mailbox Corruption: Recovery Steps That Minimize Damage
A production-first playbook for diagnosing and recovering Dovecot mailbox corruption with minimal damage, downtime, and data loss.
Cmd+K Search Modal UI: Results Lists, Keyboard Hints, and Empty States (HTML/CSS-First)
Design a Cmd+K search modal that feels instant and reliable: accessible results lists, keyboard hints, sane empty states, and failure-proof HTML/CSS-first UI.
Ubuntu 24.04: DNS caches lie β flush the right cache (and stop flushing the wrong one) (case #26)
Ubuntu 24.04 DNS problems often come from the wrong cache layer. Learn what to flush, how to prove it, and avoid outages from stale DNS.
DNS: Unbound caching resolver β set it up in 15 minutes (and avoid the common trap)
Set up an Unbound caching DNS resolver in 15 minutes with production-safe defaults, fast checks, and fixes for the most common failure traps.
Proxmox Security Checklist: 2FA, RBAC, Firewall, Updates, and Safe Remote Access
A production-grade Proxmox security checklist covering 2FA, RBAC, firewalling, patch strategy, and safe remote access with real commands and fixes.
MySQL vs MariaDB on a 16GB VPS: When Replication and Pooling Become Mandatory
On a 16GB VPS, MySQL vs MariaDB decisions are mostly about failure modes. Learn when replication and pooling stop being optional and become mandatory.
Ubuntu 24.04 Watchdog resets: detect silent hangs before they cost you uptime (case #18)
Practical Ubuntu 24.04 guide to watchdog resets: spot silent hangs, instrument the kernel, read logs, tune thresholds, and stop mystery reboots.
MariaDB vs PostgreSQL Migration: Move Without Downtime and Without Surprises
A production-ready MariaDB to PostgreSQL migration guide: dual-write, CDC, cutover checks, data quirks, performance traps, and fast diagnosis playbooks.
Proxmox CIFS βPermission deniedβ: fix credentials, SMB dialect, and mount options
Fix Proxmox CIFS permission denied by validating SMB creds, dialect, share ACLs, UID/GID mapping, and mount options with fast, decisive checks.
CSS Animations That Donβt Murder Performance: Transform/Opacity Rules + Pitfalls
Learn to ship smooth CSS animations using transform and opacity, avoid layout thrash, diagnose jank fast, and verify GPU/compositor behavior in DevTools.
DNS Cache Poisoning Basics: Harden Your Resolver Without Overengineering
Learn how DNS cache poisoning works, how to spot it fast, and how to harden recursive resolvers with practical commands and sane defaults.
dnsmasq Cache + DHCP: A Clean Config That Doesnβt Fight Your System
Run dnsmasq for fast DNS cache and reliable DHCP without battling systemd-resolved or NetworkManager. Practical configs, diagnostics, and fixes.
Docker: Alpine vs Debian-slim β stop picking the wrong base image
Alpine vs Debian-slim isnβt about image size. Learn the real tradeoffs: libc, DNS, TLS, debugging, CVEs, performance, and reliable production builds.
ZFS L2ARC sizing: When 200GB Helps More Than 2TB
A practical guide to sizing ZFS L2ARC: why smaller can win, how to measure real cache value, and avoid metadata thrash and RAM burn.
WireGuard βHandshake did not completeβ: pinpoint NAT, ports, and time issues
A field-tested WireGuard troubleshooting guide to chase down βhandshake did not completeβ failures: NAT, UDP ports, routing, MTU, and clock drift.
ZFS Quotas for Multi-Tenant: Preventing One User From Killing the Pool
Practical ZFS quota patterns for multi-tenant systems: dataset design, refquota, reservations, snapshots, and fast diagnosis to stop pool-filling outages.
ZFS dRAID Sparing: How Distributed Spares Change Recovery
Learn how ZFS dRAID distributed spares change rebuild behavior, what to monitor during recovery, and the exact commands to diagnose bottlenecks fast.
Cloud Gaming Wonβt Kill GPUs (NoβHereβs Why)
Cloud gaming wonβt kill GPUs. It shifts where GPUs live and adds brutal networking, latency, and ops limits that keep local hardware relevant.
MariaDB vs PostgreSQL on HDD: Who Suffers More Under Disk Pressure (and Why)
A production-focused look at MariaDB vs PostgreSQL on spinning disks: IOPS pain, write amplification, tuning, fast diagnosis, and fixes that stick.
Proxmox pveproxy.service failed: 7 common causes and the right fix order
A field-tested playbook to fix Proxmox pveproxy.service failed fast: the seven common root causes, correct triage order, and safe recovery steps.
Ubuntu 24.04: Fix βToo many open filesβ on Nginx by raising limits the right way (systemd)
Stop Nginx EMFILE errors on Ubuntu 24.04 by fixing systemd limits, verifying fs.file-max, and tuning Nginx worker filesβsafely.
ZFS for MySQL: Avoiding Latency Meltdowns Under Write Bursts
Practical ZFS tuning for MySQL to survive write bursts: control sync writes, ZIL/SLOG behavior, recordsize, and IO latency with real commands and fixes.
Email migration: Move mail to a new server with minimal downtime (real steps)
A production-grade email migration runbook: replicate mail safely, cut over DNS with minimal downtime, verify delivery, and recover fast if it breaks.
Debian 13 βDependency failedβ at boot: find the one service blocking startup (case #29)
Track down the single systemd unit that stalls Debian 13 boot with βDependency failed,β using logs, critical-chain, and practical fixes.
Why CPUs Run Hot: Turbo, Power Limits, and Reality
Modern CPUs run hot by design: turbo boosts, power limits, and cooling assumptions collide. Learn how to diagnose throttling and fix it safely.
ZFS Special VDEVs on SAS SSDs: The Pro Move for Metadata
Use SAS SSDs as ZFS special vdevs to accelerate metadata and small I/O safely. Learn sizing, commands, failure modes, and ops playbooks.
Ubuntu 24.04 βCert verify failedβ: Fix CA bundles and intermediate chains properly
Diagnose and fix Ubuntu 24.04 βcert verify failedβ errors by repairing CA bundles, intermediate chains, and trust stores across apt, curl, and apps.
Power Limits and Boost: Why Your GPU Has a Mind of Its Own
Learn how GPU power limits, boost clocks, thermals, and firmware interactβso you can diagnose throttling, stabilize performance, and stop surprises.
AMD Chiplets: The Trick That Resurrected Ryzen
How AMDβs chiplet design revived Ryzen: better yields, faster iteration, and real-world NUMA gotchas. Diagnose bottlenecks with commands and fixes.
PostgreSQL vs CockroachDB: HA without dramaβor HA with new kinds of pain
A production-minded comparison of PostgreSQL and CockroachDB for high availability: failure modes, operational tasks, fast diagnosis, and hard-won lessons.
ZFS IO Scheduler Choices: mq-deadline vs none for HDD, SSD, and NVMe
Pick the right Linux IO scheduler for ZFS: when to use mq-deadline vs none on HDD, SSD, and NVMe, plus diagnosis, commands, and fixes.
ZFS zfs list -o space: The View That Explains βWhere Did It Go?β
A production-grade guide to zfs list -o space: interpret ZFS space accounting, snapshots, refreservation, and find where capacity disappeared fast.
Docker Bind Mount Permissions on Windows: The Least Painful Setup
Practical, least-pain setup for Docker bind mount permissions on Windows: WSL2, UID/GID mapping, diagnostics, and fixes for real-world failures.
Why Two GPUs Are Often Worse Than One (The Real Reasons)
Two GPUs can be slower, pricier, and less reliable than one. Learn the real bottlenecks: PCIe, VRAM, sync, drivers, and ops traps.
MySQL vs PostgreSQL for Multi-Tenant SaaS: Tenant Isolation That Survives Growth
Choose MySQL or PostgreSQL for multi-tenant SaaS with isolation that survives growth: models, failure modes, commands, and playbooks from ops reality.
Office VPN Zero Trust: Replace Flat Networks with Role-Based Access
Move from flat office VPNs to zero trust access with role-based policies. Design identity-aware paths, diagnose bottlenecks, and avoid common traps.
Email: Outbound reputation tanked β what to stop doing immediately (and fixes)
A production-grade playbook to stop deliverability bleeding fast, diagnose SPF/DKIM/DMARC and bounces, and rebuild sender reputation safely.
The Blue Screen of Death: a crash that became pop culture
How the Blue Screen of Death went from kernel panic to meme, and how to diagnose crashes fast using dumps, logs, drivers, and storage checks.
Debian 13: βText file busyβ β why deploys fail and how to fix safely (case #57)
Deploys on Debian 13 fail with βText file busyβ when executables or libraries are replaced while running. Diagnose fast and fix without downtime.
MySQL vs PostgreSQL for High Concurrency: Who Hits the Wall First and Why
A production-minded comparison of MySQL and PostgreSQL under high concurrency: bottlenecks, locking, tuning, diagnostics, and failure modes to fix fast.
Ubuntu 24.04 tmpfs/ramdisk gone wild: stop it eating RAM (without breaking apps)
Tame Ubuntu 24.04 tmpfs and ramdisks that balloon RAM and trigger OOM. Diagnose fast, set safe limits, and keep /run, /tmp, and apps stable.
Debian 13 βSegfaultβ Crashes After Upgrade: Find the Exact Library Mismatch (Case #55)
Track Debian 13 post-upgrade segfaults to the exact library mismatch using core dumps, dynamic linker tracing, symbols, and dpkg audit steps.