https://www.mrplanb.com Technical articles, guides, and insights on Proxmox, Kubernetes, and homelab infrastructure. en-us Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT contact@mrplanb.com (Mr.PlanB) contact@mrplanb.com (Mr.PlanB) https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/checkmk-alternatives https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/checkmk-alternatives Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Checkmk alternatives compared for 2026: Zabbix for flexibility, Prometheus for Kubernetes, LibreNMS for pure network monitoring, and more — which one fits when Checkmk doesn't. Checkmk Monitoring Zabbix Nagios Prometheus https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/does-qemu-limit-proxmox-virtual-machine-performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/does-qemu-limit-proxmox-virtual-machine-performance Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT QEMU adds some overhead to every Proxmox virtual machine, but it is rarely the main reason a workload performs poorly. Proxmox combines QEMU with KVM, allowing most guest processor instructions to run through the Proxmox Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/librenms-alternatives https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/librenms-alternatives Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT LibreNMS alternatives compared for 2026: Zabbix for broader scope, Checkmk for auto-discovery, PRTG for Windows shops, and more — which one replaces LibreNMS well and which doesn't. LibreNMS Monitoring Zabbix Network Monitoring SNMP https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/librenms-vs-commercial-monitoring-tools https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/librenms-vs-commercial-monitoring-tools Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT LibreNMS vs Datadog vs LogicMonitor compared: what you gain paying for commercial network monitoring, and when free, self-hosted LibreNMS is genuinely enough. LibreNMS Datadog LogicMonitor Monitoring Network Monitoring https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/librenms-vs-prometheus https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/librenms-vs-prometheus Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT LibreNMS vs Prometheus compared: auto-discovery vs manual exporter setup, SNMP-native network monitoring vs Kubernetes-native metrics, and which one to pick for each job. LibreNMS Prometheus Monitoring Network Monitoring SNMP https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/nginx-proxy-manager-vs-traefik-on-proxmox-which-reverse-proxy-should-you-choose https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/nginx-proxy-manager-vs-traefik-on-proxmox-which-reverse-proxy-should-you-choose Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A reverse proxy gives applications running on Proxmox consistent domain names, HTTPS certificates and a controlled path from users to internal Proxmox Containers Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/opennms-vs-zabbix https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/opennms-vs-zabbix Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT OpenNMS vs Zabbix compared for 2026: provisioning and scale, alerting workflow, community size, and which one fits large carrier-grade networks versus general infrastructure. OpenNMS Zabbix Monitoring Network Monitoring SNMP https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/pi-hole-vs-adguard-home-on-proxmox-which-dns-blocker-is-better https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/pi-hole-vs-adguard-home-on-proxmox-which-dns-blocker-is-better Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Pi hole and AdGuard Home can block advertising, tracking and unwanted domains across an entire network. Once clients use the service as their DNS resolver, filtering can apply to computers, phones, televisions, game Proxmox Containers Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/plex-vs-jellyfin-on-proxmox-which-media-server-is-better https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/plex-vs-jellyfin-on-proxmox-which-media-server-is-better Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Plex and Jellyfin can turn a Proxmox server into a centralized platform for streaming movies, television programs, music and other personal media. Both organize media libraries, retrieve metadata, support multiple users Proxmox Containers Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/prometheus-vs-zabbix https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/prometheus-vs-zabbix Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Prometheus vs Zabbix compared for 2026: pull vs push architecture, Kubernetes fit, alerting, and which one actually matches your infrastructure — cloud-native or traditional. Prometheus Zabbix Monitoring Kubernetes DevOps https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-ve-version-history-upgrade-paths https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-ve-version-history-upgrade-paths Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A running reference for Proxmox VE's major version history, Debian base versions, and the correct upgrade path to get from an old release to current — updated as new versions ship. Proxmox Version History Upgrade Guide Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/qemu-vs-kvm-in-proxmox-what-is-the-difference https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/qemu-vs-kvm-in-proxmox-what-is-the-difference Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT QEMU and KVM are frequently discussed as competing virtualization technologies, but that comparison is misleading. In Proxmox, they perform different parts of the same virtual machine Proxmox Containers Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-opnsense-on-proxmox-in-production https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-opnsense-on-proxmox-in-production Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Running OPNsense as a virtual machine on Proxmox can be a reliable production design. It can reduce hardware costs, simplify backups and make firewall recovery faster than rebuilding a failed physical Proxmox Virtualization Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-pi-hole-in-lxc-or-a-vm-on-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-pi-hole-in-lxc-or-a-vm-on-proxmox Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Pi hole needs very little processing power, memory or storage, making it an ideal service to host on Proxmox. The main decision is whether to install it inside an LXC container or a complete virtual Proxmox Containers Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-plex-in-lxc-or-a-vm-on-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-plex-in-lxc-or-a-vm-on-proxmox Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Plex Media Server can run successfully in either a Proxmox LXC container or a virtual machine. Both options can organize a media library, stream to local devices, support remote users and use hardware acceleration when Proxmox Containers Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-the-ubiquiti-unifi-network-application-on-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-the-ubiquiti-unifi-network-application-on-proxmox Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Running the Ubiquiti UniFi Network Application on Proxmox can be an efficient way to manage access points, switches and other UniFi network devices without purchasing a separate Proxmox Containers Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/state-of-homelab-monitoring-2026 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/state-of-homelab-monitoring-2026 Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT What homelabbers and small IT teams are actually searching for, comparing, and adopting in 2026 — based on real search demand, not vendor marketing. Monitoring Zabbix LibreNMS Prometheus Checkmk Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/unifi-controller-vs-unifi-cloudkey-should-you-host-unifi-on-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/unifi-controller-vs-unifi-cloudkey-should-you-host-unifi-on-proxmox Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A UniFi network needs a management system to adopt access points, configure switches, collect statistics and apply network policies. That management system can run on dedicated Ubiquiti hardware, such as a CloudKey, or Proxmox Containers Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-pros-and-cons https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-pros-and-cons Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The real pros and cons of Zabbix in 2026: what it does exceptionally well, where it genuinely struggles, and who should (and shouldn't) choose it. Zabbix Monitoring Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-vs-grafana https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-vs-grafana Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Zabbix vs Grafana explained: why this isn't really a head-to-head, how they pair together, and where Checkmk vs Grafana fits the same pattern. Zabbix Grafana Checkmk Monitoring Dashboards https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/solarwinds-2026-price-hike-has-customers-asking-the-one-question-vendors-fear-most-why-are-we-still-paying https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/solarwinds-2026-price-hike-has-customers-asking-the-one-question-vendors-fear-most-why-are-we-still-paying Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The renewal call that changed the Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/solarwinds-customers-are-furious-the-subscription-shift-feels-less-like-progress-and-more-like-a-shakedown https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/solarwinds-customers-are-furious-the-subscription-shift-feels-less-like-progress-and-more-like-a-shakedown Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The bill didn’t just go up. It changed the Cloud Observability Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/solarwinds-customers-are-getting-the-2026-renewal-shock-and-the-anger-is-no-longer-quiet https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/solarwinds-customers-are-getting-the-2026-renewal-shock-and-the-anger-is-no-longer-quiet Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The quote arrived like a trap https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/solarwinds-thinks-it-can-pull-a-broadcom-but-customers-aren-t-buying-the-bluff https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/solarwinds-thinks-it-can-pull-a-broadcom-but-customers-aren-t-buying-the-bluff Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The price hike landed with the wrong kind of VMware Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/is-terraform-the-best-way-to-manage-proxmox-infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/is-terraform-the-best-way-to-manage-proxmox-infrastructure Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Terraform is one of the most effective tools for creating repeatable Proxmox infrastructure. It can define virtual machines, LXC containers, templates, storage files, network interfaces and Cloud Init settings as Proxmox Kubernetes Containers Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/opnsense-vs-pfsense-on-proxmox-which-virtual-firewall-is-better https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/opnsense-vs-pfsense-on-proxmox-which-virtual-firewall-is-better Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Running a firewall as a Proxmox virtual machine can reduce hardware requirements and make network services easier to back up, migrate and restore. OPNsense and pfSense are two of the most established firewall platforms Proxmox Virtualization Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/portainer-vs-proxmox-container-management-which-gives-you-more-control https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/portainer-vs-proxmox-container-management-which-gives-you-more-control Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Portainer and Proxmox both provide graphical interfaces for managing containers, but they control different layers of Proxmox Kubernetes Containers Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-portainer-in-lxc-or-a-vm-on-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-portainer-in-lxc-or-a-vm-on-proxmox Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Portainer provides a graphical interface for managing Docker containers, images, volumes, networks and application stacks. On Proxmox, the main deployment decision is whether Docker and Portainer should run inside an Proxmox Containers Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-traefik-in-docker-lxc-or-a-vm-on-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-run-traefik-in-docker-lxc-or-a-vm-on-proxmox Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Traefik can run in several ways on Proxmox. You can deploy it as a Docker container, install the Traefik binary inside an LXC container, or place it inside a dedicated virtual Proxmox Containers Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/traefik-vs-nginx-proxy-manager-on-proxmox-which-is-easier https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/traefik-vs-nginx-proxy-manager-on-proxmox-which-is-easier Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Running several applications on Proxmox usually creates a routing problem. Services such as Home Assistant, Jellyfin, Immich, Portainer and monitoring dashboards may each use a different virtual machine, container, IP Proxmox Containers Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-in-docker-sounds-wrong-which-is-exactly-why-everyone-couldn-t-look-away https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-in-docker-sounds-wrong-which-is-exactly-why-everyone-couldn-t-look-away Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Some projects arrive with a clean pitch. Others kick the door open wearing a fake mustache and ask the room to explain why it’s mad. “Proxmox in a Docker container” is very much the second kind. The idea is simple Proxmox Kubernetes Containers Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-kernel-6-14-just-got-cut-loose-and-homelab-admins-are-feeling-the-floor-move https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-kernel-6-14-just-got-cut-loose-and-homelab-admins-are-feeling-the-floor-move Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Kernel news usually lands like dry toast: necessary, technical, and easy to ignore until something breaks. This one didn’t. Proxmox’s 6.14-based kernel series is now out of support, and the announcement hit a very Proxmox Containers Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-homelab-debate-got-ugly-because-incusos-hit-a-nerve https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-homelab-debate-got-ugly-because-incusos-hit-a-nerve Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A quiet homelab experiment turned into a surprisingly emotional fight about trust, polish, and what people actually want from their virtualization stack. The setup was simple enough: IncusOS running inside an existing Proxmox Virtualization Backup Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/glusterfs-was-supposed-to-be-dead-then-someone-dragged-it-back-into-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/glusterfs-was-supposed-to-be-dead-then-someone-dragged-it-back-into-proxmox Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Feature That Disappeared and the People Who Refused to Move Proxmox Virtualization Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-doesn-t-need-a-truenas-killer-it-needs-a-storage-story-that-makes-sense https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-doesn-t-need-a-truenas-killer-it-needs-a-storage-story-that-makes-sense Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Idea That Sounds Obvious Until You Touch Proxmox Kubernetes VMware Containers https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-proxmox-installer-didn-t-fail-that-monster-pc-probably-did https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-proxmox-installer-didn-t-fail-that-monster-pc-probably-did Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT When the USB Stick Isn’t the Proxmox Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-tiny-tmnt-homelab-is-cute-until-you-realize-it-s-a-full-production-pipeline https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-tiny-tmnt-homelab-is-cute-until-you-realize-it-s-a-full-production-pipeline Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Sewer Lair Is Not Just a Proxmox Kubernetes Containers Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ansible-vs-terraform-for-proxmox-automation-which-should-you-use https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ansible-vs-terraform-for-proxmox-automation-which-should-you-use Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Manually creating Proxmox virtual machines works well when an environment contains a few stable workloads. The process becomes harder to control when administrators must deploy dozens of similar systems, rebuild test Proxmox Containers Storage Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/can-ansible-fully-automate-a-proxmox-cluster https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/can-ansible-fully-automate-a-proxmox-cluster Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Ansible can automate most of a Proxmox cluster’s routine lifecycle, including node preparation, cluster creation, virtual machine deployment, storage configuration, user management, firewall rules and backup Proxmox Containers Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-vs-xcp-ng-which-open-source-hypervisor-is-better https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-vs-xcp-ng-which-open-source-hypervisor-is-better Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Choosing between Proxmox VE and XCP ng is difficult because both platforms solve the same central problem: running and managing virtual machines without tying the business to an expensive proprietary hypervisor. Both Proxmox VMware Containers Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-choose-xcp-ng-or-proxmox-for-a-vmware-migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/should-you-choose-xcp-ng-or-proxmox-for-a-vmware-migration Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Leaving VMware involves more than selecting another hypervisor. Every virtual machine must be transferred, tested and protected without creating unacceptable downtime or breaking critical Proxmox VMware Containers Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/terraform-vs-manual-proxmox-deployment-which-is-more-reliable https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/terraform-vs-manual-proxmox-deployment-which-is-more-reliable Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Creating a virtual machine manually through the Proxmox interface can feel more reliable than using Terraform. An administrator sees every setting, confirms each action and can stop immediately when something looks Proxmox Containers Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/a-stack-of-cheap-lenovos-and-a-raspberry-pi-turned-into-the-perfect-homelab-rabbit-hole https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/a-stack-of-cheap-lenovos-and-a-raspberry-pi-turned-into-the-perfect-homelab-rabbit-hole Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A pile of Lenovo mini machines, a Raspberry Pi 5, and one very dangerous question: what should this cluster run? That’s how every good homelab spiral starts. The setup wasn’t framed as production infrastructure or a Proxmox Containers Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-8-to-9-went-so-smoothly-it-made-people-suspicious-of-their-own-anxiety https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-8-to-9-went-so-smoothly-it-made-people-suspicious-of-their-own-anxiety Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Major infrastructure upgrades usually come with a little ritual dread. Backups get checked twice, release notes get stared at like legal documents, and every admin quietly imagines the one cursed service that won’t come Proxmox Containers Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-became-a-symbol-in-europe-s-messy-fight-to-take-tech-back https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-became-a-symbol-in-europe-s-messy-fight-to-take-tech-back Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The call was simple enough: vote for Proxmox on goeuropean.org. The reaction was anything but simple. Proxmox, an Austrian virtualization platform with a loyal admin crowd, makes an easy poster child for European Proxmox Containers Virtualization Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-datacenter-manager-1-1-feels-like-the-missing-pane-of-glass-but-not-everyone-needs-the-window https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-datacenter-manager-1-1-feels-like-the-missing-pane-of-glass-but-not-everyone-needs-the-window Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox Datacenter Manager 1.1 landed with the kind of quiet announcement that sounds boring until you realize how many people have been waiting for exactly this shape of tool. The promise is simple: a central place to Proxmox Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-finally-has-an-official-mobile-app-and-half-the-community-somehow-missed-it https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-finally-has-an-official-mobile-app-and-half-the-community-somehow-missed-it Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The discovery landed with the perfect kind of homelab confusion: wait, Proxmox has an official iOS app now? The post wasn’t framed like a product launch. It was more like someone opening the App Store, stumbling into a Proxmox Virtualization Backup Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-kernel-updates-are-exhausting-but-ignoring-them-feels-even-worse https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-kernel-updates-are-exhausting-but-ignoring-them-feels-even-worse Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Kernel updates have been coming fast enough lately that even patient Proxmox users are starting to feel the grind. One admin summed up the fatigue perfectly: updating isn’t just a casual click for them. It means Proxmox Containers Storage Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-mail-gateway-9-1-is-a-boring-release-in-the-best-possible-way https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-mail-gateway-9-1-is-a-boring-release-in-the-best-possible-way Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox Mail Gateway 9.1 didn’t spark a sprawling argument, which almost feels strange for infrastructure software. The post was just the release link, the score climbed, and the lone visible comment said, “Excellent Proxmox Storage Backup Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/pve-electrified-is-the-kind-of-proxmox-mod-that-starts-a-ui-knife-fight https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/pve-electrified-is-the-kind-of-proxmox-mod-that-starts-a-ui-knife-fight Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT PVE-electrified is not trying to be subtle. The showcase promised faster guest start and stop feedback, command buttons directly inside the resource tree, a rewritten React-based resource tree, quicker state icon Proxmox Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-gtx-1080-ti-still-has-the-vram-but-the-future-has-moved-on-without-it https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-gtx-1080-ti-still-has-the-vram-but-the-future-has-moved-on-without-it Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The GTX 1080 Ti refuses to die gracefully. Years after its prime, people still look at its 11GB of VRAM and wonder whether it’s secretly the smarter buy than a newer RTX 2060 or 2070. That was the heart of this debate: Proxmox Containers Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/virtual-os-museum-on-proxmox-is-retro-heaven-with-a-network-gremlin-hiding-inside https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/virtual-os-museum-on-proxmox-is-retro-heaven-with-a-network-gremlin-hiding-inside Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The idea is irresistible: take the Virtual OS Museum, stuff it into a Proxmox VM, and suddenly your modern hypervisor becomes a time machine for VAX/VMS, OS/2, Windows 2.11, BBC Micro memories, and all the weird old Proxmox Virtualization Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/amazon-s-water-number-looks-huge-until-the-real-fight-starts https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/amazon-s-water-number-looks-huge-until-the-real-fight-starts Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Billion-Gallon Headline Did Its Storage Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/data-center-workers-are-getting-tired-of-being-the-internet-s-villain https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/data-center-workers-are-getting-tired-of-being-the-internet-s-villain Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Forum That Used to Feel Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/he-got-the-data-center-job-now-comes-the-part-nobody-puts-in-the-offer-letter https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/he-got-the-data-center-job-now-comes-the-part-nobody-puts-in-the-offer-letter Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Win Feels Huge Because It Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/he-was-hired-as-a-data-center-tech-then-they-tried-to-turn-him-into-the-whole-it-department https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/he-was-hired-as-a-data-center-tech-then-they-tried-to-turn-him-into-the-whole-it-department Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Job Changed, But the Paycheck Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-ai-data-center-boom-feels-like-1999-with-hotter-chips-and-a-shorter-fuse https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-ai-data-center-boom-feels-like-1999-with-hotter-chips-and-a-shorter-fuse Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Ghost of Dark Fiber Is Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-ai-data-center-race-just-turned-into-a-power-race-and-nobody-looks-ready https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-ai-data-center-race-just-turned-into-a-power-race-and-nobody-looks-ready Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Number Is Absurd, But the Signal Is Storage Backup Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-data-center-panic-is-getting-loud-weird-and-exhausting https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-data-center-panic-is-getting-loud-weird-and-exhausting Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The New Bogeyman Has Blinking Storage Backup Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-data-center-panic-is-overblown-but-the-bill-is-still-coming https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-data-center-panic-is-overblown-but-the-bill-is-still-coming Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Panic Has a Point, Even When It Gets Storage Backup Cloud Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-free-data-center-course-everyone-was-desperate-to-find https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-free-data-center-course-everyone-was-desperate-to-find Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A Hidden Door Into Mission-Critical Cloud Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-quietly-dropped-an-ios-app-and-homelab-owners-are-feeling-weirdly-seen https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-quietly-dropped-an-ios-app-and-homelab-owners-are-feeling-weirdly-seen Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The app nobody expected to Proxmox Storage Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-s-vcf-9-1-requirements-feel-like-a-door-slamming-shut-on-smaller-labs https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-s-vcf-9-1-requirements-feel-like-a-door-slamming-shut-on-smaller-labs Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Upgrade That Suddenly Feels Too VMware Containers Cloud Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kernel-7-0-broke-the-containers-and-suddenly-the-easy-upgrade-didn-t-feel-so-easy https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kernel-7-0-broke-the-containers-and-suddenly-the-easy-upgrade-didn-t-feel-so-easy Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT The reboot that turned confidence into Proxmox Containers Virtualization Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/press-update-and-pray-the-proxmox-9-2-upgrade-has-admins-excited-nervous-and-already-checking-their-backups https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/press-update-and-pray-the-proxmox-9-2-upgrade-has-admins-excited-nervous-and-already-checking-their-backups Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT The upgrade everyone wants, but nobody fully Proxmox Containers Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-2-is-here-and-the-homelab-crowd-is-already-arguing-about-what-better-should-mean https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-2-is-here-and-the-homelab-crowd-is-already-arguing-about-what-better-should-mean Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT The release landed, and the wishlist got Proxmox Kubernetes VMware Containers https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-2-landed-and-the-real-fight-is-over-how-much-power-the-ui-should-have https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-2-landed-and-the-real-fight-is-over-how-much-power-the-ui-should-have Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT The release felt big because the expectations got Proxmox Kubernetes VMware Containers https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-lxc-vs-vm-debate-is-really-about-fear-control-and-how-much-isolation-helps-you-sleep-at-night https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-lxc-vs-vm-debate-is-really-about-fear-control-and-how-much-isolation-helps-you-sleep-at-night Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT The beginner question that exposes the whole Proxmox Proxmox Containers Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-proxmox-8-2-7-to-9-2-upgrade-sounds-simple-until-you-remember-it-s-six-servers-and-a-backup-box https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-proxmox-8-2-7-to-9-2-upgrade-sounds-simple-until-you-remember-it-s-six-servers-and-a-backup-box Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT The question every cautious admin asks before pressing Proxmox Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-vmware-exit-problem-backups-downtime-and-all-the-stuff-nobody-put-on-the-slide-deck https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-vmware-exit-problem-backups-downtime-and-all-the-stuff-nobody-put-on-the-slide-deck Sat, 23 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Leaving VMware is not just a VM conversion project. The hard part is backups, snapshots, appliances, maintenance windows, vendor support, and all the quiet assumptions VMware made invisible. VMware Migration Backups Downtime Proxmox Hyper-V https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-moment-a-40gb-s-storage-beast-hit-the-wall-then-grew-even-bigger https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-moment-a-40gb-s-storage-beast-hit-the-wall-then-grew-even-bigger Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s a certain kind of excitement that only infrastructure people understand. It’s not flashy. Nobody outside the room cares when storage latency drops or when a dashboard lights up green across every node. But the Storage Ceph NVMe https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-storage-platform-that-looked-ready-until-operators-started-living-with-it https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-storage-platform-that-looked-ready-until-operators-started-living-with-it Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Enterprise storage buying decisions rarely fail on day Storage HPE https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vast-data-s-ai-os-has-people-asking-one-brutal-question-is-this-real-infrastructure-or-just-ai-theater https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vast-data-s-ai-os-has-people-asking-one-brutal-question-is-this-real-infrastructure-or-just-ai-theater Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s a special kind of exhaustion that hits infrastructure people when another vendor walks in and says the words “AI-ready.” You can almost hear the collective sigh through the rack doors. Storage teams have Storage VAST Data Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/nobody-trusts-vmware-anymore-and-that-might-be-the-real-collapse-no-one-saw-coming https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/nobody-trusts-vmware-anymore-and-that-might-be-the-real-collapse-no-one-saw-coming Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Nobody Trusts VMware Anymore, and That Might Be the Real Collapse No One Saw Proxmox Kubernetes VMware Containers https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-weird-little-secret-behind-hpe-msa-and-dell-powervault-sometimes-your-different-storage-array-isn-t-that-different https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-weird-little-secret-behind-hpe-msa-and-dell-powervault-sometimes-your-different-storage-array-isn-t-that-different Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Enterprise storage has a funny way of making simple things look mysterious. A bezel changes. A logo moves. The management UI gets a new color scheme. The licensing menu shifts around. Suddenly two products get sold like Storage Dell HPE Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/golden-cages-and-quiet-regret-why-walking-away-from-data-centers-feels-impossible-until-it-isn-t https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/golden-cages-and-quiet-regret-why-walking-away-from-data-centers-feels-impossible-until-it-isn-t Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT “Golden Cages and Quiet Regret: Why Walking Away From Data Centers Feels Impossible — Until It Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-thought-i-didn-t-understand-docker-turns-out-everyone-else-is-arguing-about-the-wrong-thing https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-thought-i-didn-t-understand-docker-turns-out-everyone-else-is-arguing-about-the-wrong-thing Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT “I Thought I Didn’t Understand Docker—Turns Out Everyone Else Is Arguing About the Wrong Containers Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-depends-is-not-an-answer-the-quiet-chaos-behind-one-simple-vm-question https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-depends-is-not-an-answer-the-quiet-chaos-behind-one-simple-vm-question Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT “‘It Depends’ Is Not an Answer: The Quiet Chaos Behind One Simple VM Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-quiet-security-revolution-is-here-and-it-might-break-everything-before-it-fixes-anything https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-quiet-security-revolution-is-here-and-it-might-break-everything-before-it-fixes-anything Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT “Kubernetes’ Quiet Security Revolution Is Here—and It Might Break Everything Before It Fixes Kubernetes Containers Storage Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-wants-you-to-move-on-from-ingress-yet-gateway-api-feels-like-a-puzzle-nobody-asked-for https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-wants-you-to-move-on-from-ingress-yet-gateway-api-feels-like-a-puzzle-nobody-asked-for Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT “Kubernetes Wants You to Move On From Ingress, Yet Gateway API Feels Like a Puzzle Nobody Asked Kubernetes Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/six-years-of-silence-explodes-into-one-feature-that-could-quietly-rewrite-kubernetes-security-forever https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/six-years-of-silence-explodes-into-one-feature-that-could-quietly-rewrite-kubernetes-security-forever Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT “Six Years of Silence Explodes Into One Feature That Could Quietly Rewrite Kubernetes Security Kubernetes Containers Storage Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-digital-life-will-outlive-you-and-you-re-probably-handling-it-completely-wrong https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-digital-life-will-outlive-you-and-you-re-probably-handling-it-completely-wrong Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT “Your Digital Life Will Outlive You—And You’re Probably Handling It Completely Storage Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-homelab-just-became-enterprise-tech-overnight-and-not-everyone-is-ready-for-it https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-homelab-just-became-enterprise-tech-overnight-and-not-everyone-is-ready-for-it Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT “Your Homelab Just Became Enterprise Tech Overnight—And Not Everyone Is Ready for VMware Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/two-vmax-cabinets-one-painful-truth-some-enterprise-storage-was-never-meant-to-be-reborn https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/two-vmax-cabinets-one-painful-truth-some-enterprise-storage-was-never-meant-to-be-reborn Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s something oddly emotional about seeing old enterprise storage sitting there, still physically impressive, still full of metal, fans, controllers, shelves, cache, mystery, and menace. These systems were not built Storage Dell Ceph https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/microvms-might-kill-your-containers-and-that-s-exactly-why-people-are-excited https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/microvms-might-kill-your-containers-and-that-s-exactly-why-people-are-excited Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT MicroVMs inside Proxmox are forcing people to rethink the old container-versus-VM debate by offering a lighter path to isolation with real caveats. MicroVMs Proxmox Containers Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-re-finally-leaving-but-at-what-cost-the-raw-messy-reality-of-breaking-up-with-vmware https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-re-finally-leaving-but-at-what-cost-the-raw-messy-reality-of-breaking-up-with-vmware Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A grounded look at early VMware exit projects, where networking mistakes, TPM gaps, and encryption tradeoffs turn migration plans into real-world friction. VMware Migration Virtualization HPE Morpheus Infrastructure Strategy https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-was-supposed-to-be-fine-inside-the-vmware-renewal-rollercoaster-no-one-can-predict https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-was-supposed-to-be-fine-inside-the-vmware-renewal-rollercoaster-no-one-can-predict Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT VMware renewal stories now range from manageable to brutal, exposing how pricing, bundling, and negotiation leverage vary wildly across customers. VMware Renewal Licensing Enterprise IT Infrastructure Costs https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-replaced-my-workstation-with-a-vm-and-somehow-it-didn-t-fall-apart https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-replaced-my-workstation-with-a-vm-and-somehow-it-didn-t-fall-apart Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A firsthand story of replacing a workstation with a VM, where GPU passthrough, remote streaming, and trial-and-error turned virtualization into a real productivity setup. GPU Passthrough Virtual Workstation Proxmox Remote Access https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/msft-s-7-billion-ai-gamble-feels-bigger-than-tech-it-feels-like-the-start-of-something-you-can-t https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/msft-s-7-billion-ai-gamble-feels-bigger-than-tech-it-feels-like-the-start-of-something-you-can-t Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Microsoft's Fairwater buildout is more than a flashy data center expansion. It signals a shift toward industrial-scale intelligence infrastructure with real consequences for power, concentration, and access. AI Infrastructure Microsoft Data Centers GPU Clusters https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-diy-san-rabbit-hole-one-engineer-asked-how-modern-storage-really-works-and-the-answer-got-complicated-fast https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-diy-san-rabbit-hole-one-engineer-asked-how-modern-storage-really-works-and-the-answer-got-complicated-fast Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s a certain kind of question that cuts through the usual enterprise storage noise. Not “which vendor is better?” Not “why is this license so expensive?” Not “why did the dashboard break after the firmware update?” Storage NetApp Dell HPE NVMe https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/here-s-your-full-blog-with-the-cta-integrated-naturally-at-the-end https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/here-s-your-full-blog-with-the-cta-integrated-naturally-at-the-end Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT AI’s power problem is not just about megawatts. It is about volatility, grid instability, and the growing role of software-defined power systems inside modern data centers. AI Infrastructure Data Centers Power Grid Energy https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-vmware-exit-trap-why-companies-are-quietly-gambling-on-a-one-year-escape-from-broadcom https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-vmware-exit-trap-why-companies-are-quietly-gambling-on-a-one-year-escape-from-broadcom Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A look at the contract gamble some companies are considering to escape Broadcom-era VMware pricing, and why the workaround feels more like a deadline-driven bet than a plan. VMware Broadcom Licensing Enterprise Strategy https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/you-don-t-need-proxmox-backup-server-until-the-day-you-really-really-do https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/you-don-t-need-proxmox-backup-server-until-the-day-you-really-really-do Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why Proxmox Backup Server often looks optional at first, then becomes compelling once deduplication, visibility, and worst-case recovery planning enter the picture. Proxmox Backup Server Backups Disaster Recovery Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/80-failure-rate-and-support-still-has-no-answer-when-a-major-release-feels-like-a-gamble https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/80-failure-rate-and-support-still-has-no-answer-when-a-major-release-feels-like-a-gamble Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT When installs fail more often than they succeed, a major release stops feeling like progress and starts looking like an operational gamble teams no longer trust. Veeam Upgrades Support Windows Server https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-blamed-veeam-for-everything-until-we-realized-the-real-problem-wasn-t-the-software https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-blamed-veeam-for-everything-until-we-realized-the-real-problem-wasn-t-the-software Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A story about where software frustration ends and environment reality begins, and why some of the loudest backup complaints turn out to be tangled with setup complexity. Veeam Troubleshooting S3 Backups Operations https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-knew-this-was-coming-the-quiet-collapse-of-vmware-loyalty-turns-into-a-high-stakes-exit https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-knew-this-was-coming-the-quiet-collapse-of-vmware-loyalty-turns-into-a-high-stakes-exit Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A look at why longtime VMware customers are finally planning exits, what makes Proxmox appealing, and why large migrations are as strategic as they are technical. VMware Exit Proxmox Migration Strategy Enterprise Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-re-done-with-veeam-the-breaking-point-that-turns-it-loyalty-into-burnout https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-re-done-with-veeam-the-breaking-point-that-turns-it-loyalty-into-burnout Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT What starts as recurring S3 backup pain turns into daily operational fatigue, exposing how product instability and slow support can push long-time users toward burnout. Veeam Support S3 Backups IT Burnout https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-says-something-is-broken-but-won-t-tell-you-what-the-silent-failure-that-turns-upgrades-into- https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-says-something-is-broken-but-won-t-tell-you-what-the-silent-failure-that-turns-upgrades-into- Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A vague unsupported-agent warning turns a routine upgrade into an exhausting audit, showing how dangerous opaque errors become when systems point to nothing concrete. Veeam Upgrades Troubleshooting Visibility https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/128gb-of-ram-and-it-still-eats-everything-when-backup-software-starts-fighting-your-infrastructu https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/128gb-of-ram-and-it-still-eats-everything-when-backup-software-starts-fighting-your-infrastructu Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Even oversized hardware can get overwhelmed when backup services consume memory relentlessly, dragging jobs for days and turning resource scaling into a losing strategy. Veeam Performance Memory Usage Backup Proxies https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/50-000-vms-and-one-bitter-goodbye-the-quiet-chaos-behind-a-vmware-exit-no-one-wanted https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/50-000-vms-and-one-bitter-goodbye-the-quiet-chaos-behind-a-vmware-exit-no-one-wanted Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A closer look at the operational, emotional, and technical tradeoffs behind a forced VMware exit at enterprise scale, where migration tools promise simplicity but reality stays messy. VMware Hyper-V Migration Enterprise Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-800-a-month-tape-vault-nobody-wants-to-explain-anymore https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-800-a-month-tape-vault-nobody-wants-to-explain-anymore Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s a very specific kind of shame that lives inside old infrastructure line items. It’s not loud. It doesn’t break production. It doesn’t trigger alerts. It just sits there, month after month, quietly billing the Storage Tape Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-cra-panic-is-real-why-some-teams-are-calm-and-others-feel-like-they-re-drowning https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-cra-panic-is-real-why-some-teams-are-calm-and-others-feel-like-they-re-drowning Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why the Cyber Resilience Act feels manageable for some teams and overwhelming for others, and how scope, ownership, and evidence discipline shape the difference. Cyber Resilience Act Compliance Product Security Governance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/if-it-s-only-10-vms-why-are-we-even-paying-the-quiet-revolt-against-enterprise-backup-thinking https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/if-it-s-only-10-vms-why-are-we-even-paying-the-quiet-revolt-against-enterprise-backup-thinking Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT When infrastructure gets smaller and more disposable, the case for paid enterprise backup starts to wobble, and teams begin redefining what 'enough' really means. Veeam Community Edition Enterprise Backup Cloud Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-one-zabbix-feature-is-quietly-turning-monitoring-tools-into-automation-engines https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-one-zabbix-feature-is-quietly-turning-monitoring-tools-into-automation-engines Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Webhook media types are pushing Zabbix beyond alerting into workflow automation, where flexibility can unlock fast integrations or create new operational chaos. Zabbix Automation Webhooks Incident Response https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-server-in-your-pocket-sounds-amazing-until-you-realize-what-you-re-actually-trusting https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-server-in-your-pocket-sounds-amazing-until-you-realize-what-you-re-actually-trusting Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT ProxMan’s Android release promises full Proxmox control from a phone, but it also raises uncomfortable questions about trust, transparency, and mobile ops convenience. Proxmox Mobile Management Security Homelab Tools https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ai-just-took-over-zabbix-and-not-everyone-is-ready-for-what-comes-next https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ai-just-took-over-zabbix-and-not-everyone-is-ready-for-what-comes-next Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A look at how AI-driven Zabbix control changes monitoring from dashboards into conversational operations, and why that power raises new trust and safety concerns. Zabbix AI Monitoring Automation Infrastructure Operations https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/fresh-os-clean-install-still-broken-when-even-starting-over-doesn-t-save-you https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/fresh-os-clean-install-still-broken-when-even-starting-over-doesn-t-save-you Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A full wipe-and-reinstall should have ended the problem, but a core Veeam service still refuses to stay up, turning a clean slate into another dead end. Veeam Windows Server Troubleshooting Backup Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/thinking-about-using-manageengine https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/thinking-about-using-manageengine Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical look at where ManageEngine works, where it creates friction, and why support, cloud workflows, and operational overhead matter more than the demo suggests. ManageEngine IT Operations Endpoint Management ITSM https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-s-just-7-vms-why-are-we-still-paying-for-this-the-uncomfortable-truth-about-backup-in-a-cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-s-just-7-vms-why-are-we-still-paying-for-this-the-uncomfortable-truth-about-backup-in-a-cloud Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT As on-prem footprints shrink, teams are questioning whether full enterprise backup stacks still make sense for a handful of rebuildable virtual machines. Veeam Community Edition Cloud Backup Strategy https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/1-500-vms-one-wrong-move-the-brutal-reality-of-escaping-vmware-without-breaking-everything https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/1-500-vms-one-wrong-move-the-brutal-reality-of-escaping-vmware-without-breaking-everything Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Migrating 1,500 VMs off VMware sounds automatable until storage bottlenecks, Windows driver issues, and downtime tradeoffs expose the true blast radius. VMware Migration Proxmox Automation vSAN https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-backups-are-there-so-why-can-t-i-use-them-when-recovery-feels-just-out-of-reach https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-backups-are-there-so-why-can-t-i-use-them-when-recovery-feels-just-out-of-reach Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT When repositories survive but configuration doesn’t, recovery becomes a brutal contrast between backups you can map easily and backups that stay visible but unusable. Veeam Recovery Agent Backups Disaster Recovery https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-zabbix-widget-update-quietly-fixes-what-monitoring-dashboards-have-been-getting-wrong-for-y https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-zabbix-widget-update-quietly-fixes-what-monitoring-dashboards-have-been-getting-wrong-for-y Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A close look at how a Host Overview widget update improves monitoring dashboards through better customization, visual context, and faster drill-down workflows. Zabbix Dashboards Observability UX https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/everything-worked-until-it-didn-t-the-hidden-fragility-of-simple-upgrades-in-backup-infrastructu https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/everything-worked-until-it-didn-t-the-hidden-fragility-of-simple-upgrades-in-backup-infrastructu Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A clean upgrade can still unravel into drifting agents, broken assignments, and lost control, revealing how deceptive 'healthy' status can be in backup systems. Veeam Upgrades PostgreSQL Backup Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-zabbix-module-quietly-exposes-how-much-money-your-infrastructure-is-burning https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-zabbix-module-quietly-exposes-how-much-money-your-infrastructure-is-burning Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT This post explores how a Zabbix FinOps module reframes monitoring data as cost accountability, highlighting the tension between right-sizing efficiency and operational risk. Zabbix FinOps Infrastructure Cost Capacity Planning https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-tried-to-replace-veeam-and-realized-backup-isn-t-just-a-tool-it-s-a-trade-off-you-can-t-escap https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-tried-to-replace-veeam-and-realized-backup-isn-t-just-a-tool-it-s-a-trade-off-you-can-t-escap Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Replacing a heavyweight backup platform sounds appealing until the trade-offs show up in restore depth, pricing, and the operational realities MSPs actually live with. Veeam MSP Backup Strategy Cove https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/did-they-just-kill-it-overnight-the-quiet-panic-around-vmware-photon-s-disappearing-act https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/did-they-just-kill-it-overnight-the-quiet-panic-around-vmware-photon-s-disappearing-act Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why VMware Photon OS link breakage triggered panic, how Broadcom-hosted URLs changed the picture, and why trust erodes when core infrastructure quietly moves. VMware Photon OS Broadcom Linux Distribution Platform Trust https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-asked-for-a-price-and-got-silence-instead-how-support-delays-quietly-push-customers-away https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-asked-for-a-price-and-got-silence-instead-how-support-delays-quietly-push-customers-away Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A small team's attempt to get straightforward licensing pricing turns into weeks of silence, exposing how slow support can quietly erode trust before renewal deadlines hit. Veeam Support Pricing Customer Experience https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-log-cost-panic-isnt-just-a-meme-its-a-warning-shot-for-the-whole-industry https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-log-cost-panic-isnt-just-a-meme-its-a-warning-shot-for-the-whole-industry Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Recurring shock over Datadog log costs points to a much bigger issue: teams still want rich visibility, but they are far less willing to accept opaque or runaway pricing for it. Datadog Logs Observability Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-simple-zabbix-tool-just-exposed-how-broken-server-tuning-really-is https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-simple-zabbix-tool-just-exposed-how-broken-server-tuning-really-is Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical take on why automated Zabbix server tuning feels useful, where it breaks down, and why teams still struggle to turn monitoring math into confident configuration decisions. Zabbix Server Tuning Performance Monitoring https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-re-a-small-customer-why-does-it-feel-like-nobody-cares-the-slow-death-of-trust-in-enterprise- https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-re-a-small-customer-why-does-it-feel-like-nobody-cares-the-slow-death-of-trust-in-enterprise- Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Slow responses and missing follow-through hit small customers hardest, turning what should be a simple renewal conversation into a long erosion of confidence. Veeam Support Enterprise Software Customer Trust https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-storage-admin-isn-t-dead-but-the-job-is-losing-its-old-skin-fast https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-storage-admin-isn-t-dead-but-the-job-is-losing-its-old-skin-fast Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT For almost two decades, storage admins have been told their job was about to disappear. First virtualization was going to flatten everything. Then cloud was going to make on-prem arrays feel like museum pieces. Then Storage NetApp Pure Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-stayed-loyal-too-long-the-quiet-shift-from-intel-to-amd-that-s-rewriting-the-data-center-play https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-stayed-loyal-too-long-the-quiet-shift-from-intel-to-amd-that-s-rewriting-the-data-center-play Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why long-loyal Intel shops are reevaluating AMD, where licensing economics complicate the story, and how data center buying habits are shifting. AMD EPYC Intel Data Center Hardware Licensing Economics https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/everybody-wants-monitoring-without-the-pain-and-thats-why-this-market-keeps-breaking-hearts https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/everybody-wants-monitoring-without-the-pain-and-thats-why-this-market-keeps-breaking-hearts Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A broader discussion about monitoring-tool frustration shows why buyers keep bouncing between expensive convenience, cheaper toil, and the fantasy of getting both without tradeoffs. Monitoring Datadog SaaS Operations https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmwares-lower-tiers-keep-disappearing-and-thats-making-every-it-manager-look-over-the-fence https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmwares-lower-tiers-keep-disappearing-and-thats-making-every-it-manager-look-over-the-fence Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A late-March VMware renewal discussion showed how smaller and midsize buyers increasingly feel like Broadcom is telling them to pay much more or get out. VMware Broadcom IT Management Renewal https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/if-new-relic-is-fading-datadog-isnt-automatically-the-happy-ending https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/if-new-relic-is-fading-datadog-isnt-automatically-the-happy-ending Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT As teams rethink older observability vendors, the conversation is not simply about who wins next. It is about whether buyers still trust the whole premium-platform script. Datadog New Relic Observability SRE https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/stuck-waiting-for-proxmox-9-2-the-frustration-of-chasing-kernels-in-a-moving-target-world https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/stuck-waiting-for-proxmox-9-2-the-frustration-of-chasing-kernels-in-a-moving-target-world Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why users chasing newer kernels for ROCm, drivers, or bug fixes keep colliding with Proxmox's slower upstream release cadence. Proxmox Kernel Linux Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmug-used-to-feel-like-a-gateway-drug-for-vmware-now-it-feels-like-an-obituary https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmug-used-to-feel-like-a-gateway-drug-for-vmware-now-it-feels-like-an-obituary Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A March thread about low-cost VMware access for personal use showed how badly Broadcom has damaged one of the company’s old on-ramps for future practitioners. VMware VMUG Broadcom Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-ssd-isn-t-safe-just-because-it-s-new-the-firmware-gamble-most-homelab-users-ignore https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-ssd-isn-t-safe-just-because-it-s-new-the-firmware-gamble-most-homelab-users-ignore Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why SSD firmware gets ignored until it causes real pain, and how homelab users balance risk, complacency, and low-level storage maintenance. SSD Firmware Homelab Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-two-node-cluster-is-a-trap-the-brutal-truth-about-proxmox-quorum-no-one-explains https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-two-node-cluster-is-a-trap-the-brutal-truth-about-proxmox-quorum-no-one-explains Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why two-node Proxmox clusters create false confidence, how quorum really behaves, and what admins miss when they expect HA without a third vote. Proxmox Clusters Quorum High Availability https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-datadog-line-item-thats-quietly-eating-modern-infrastructure-budgets https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-datadog-line-item-thats-quietly-eating-modern-infrastructure-budgets Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A wider infrastructure pricing debate keeps circling back to Datadog because many teams now see observability spend as one of the easiest line items to underestimate and one of the hardest to unwind. Datadog Cloud Costs FinOps Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-snapshots-aren-t-broken-your-assumptions-are-the-5tb-shock-that-exposes-a-hidden-zfs-trap https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-snapshots-aren-t-broken-your-assumptions-are-the-5tb-shock-that-exposes-a-hidden-zfs-trap Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A plain-English explanation of why ZFS snapshot space usage can look completely wrong until you understand the assumptions that were wrong all along. ZFS Snapshots Storage Proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-vmware-exit-door-is-crowded-and-thats-making-every-renewal-look-even-uglier https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-vmware-exit-door-is-crowded-and-thats-making-every-renewal-look-even-uglier Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A March discussion about reducing VMware usage by 2028 captured a new reality: many customers want out, but a lot of them still feel painfully stuck on the way there. VMware Broadcom Migration Alternatives https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vast-buying-red-stapler-feels-like-a-cloud-pivot-with-a-giant-question-mark-attached https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vast-buying-red-stapler-feels-like-a-cloud-pivot-with-a-giant-question-mark-attached Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s a moment in enterprise storage when a company stops sounding like a storage company and starts sounding like it wants to become a platform for everything. That moment is exciting if you believe the strategy is Storage VAST Data NetApp Pure Storage Ceph Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/you-re-mounting-it-wrong-the-nfs-mistake-that-keeps-breaking-homelabs https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/you-re-mounting-it-wrong-the-nfs-mistake-that-keeps-breaking-homelabs Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical breakdown of the NFS mistakes that confuse homelab users, especially when they expect shared storage to behave like a local VM disk. NFS Homelab Storage Proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/stop-overengineering-your-homelab-the-quiet-war-over-ssh-keys-no-one-talks-about https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/stop-overengineering-your-homelab-the-quiet-war-over-ssh-keys-no-one-talks-about Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why a simple question about SSH keys in homelabs turns into a debate over control, convenience, automation, and how much engineering is too much. SSH Homelab Automation Linux https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/somebody-built-an-open-source-datadog-rival-and-the-loudest-reaction-was-finally https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/somebody-built-an-open-source-datadog-rival-and-the-loudest-reaction-was-finally Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT The warm reaction to new open source observability tools says less about novelty and more about how badly many teams want a believable alternative to the current pricing and platform status quo. Datadog Open Source Monitoring SaaS https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmwares-end-of-support-clock-is-quietly-becoming-its-own-kind-of-ransom-note https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmwares-end-of-support-clock-is-quietly-becoming-its-own-kind-of-ransom-note Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT March arguments over vSphere 8 support timelines show how VMware customers are being forced to make long bets on short trust. VMware Broadcom EOS Support https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/that-one-curl-command-could-own-your-server-the-quiet-fear-behind-proxmox-setup-scripts https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/that-one-curl-command-could-own-your-server-the-quiet-fear-behind-proxmox-setup-scripts Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why convenience scripts feel irresistible in Proxmox homelabs, and why experienced admins stay wary of blindly running curl-piped setup commands as root. Proxmox Security Scripts Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/am-i-screwed-the-moment-a-homelab-turns-into-a-data-loss-horror-story https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/am-i-screwed-the-moment-a-homelab-turns-into-a-data-loss-horror-story Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A power outage, failing NVMe reads, and unsupported repair tooling turned one homelab recovery attempt into a blunt lesson about backups and storage risk. Homelab Data Loss Storage Backups https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-finally-shut-it-down-the-quiet-messy-and-emotional-breakup-between-enterprises-and-vmware https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-finally-shut-it-down-the-quiet-messy-and-emotional-breakup-between-enterprises-and-vmware Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why more enterprises are quietly planning their VMware exit, from rising costs and contract fatigue to the messy reality of migrations and risk tradeoffs. VMware Virtualization Enterprise IT Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcoms-core-count-rules-are-turning-vmware-renewals-into-absurd-theater https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcoms-core-count-rules-are-turning-vmware-renewals-into-absurd-theater Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A March thread about reducing VMware core counts exposed a maddening new reality: using less infrastructure does not always mean paying less. VMware Broadcom Core Licensing VCF https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-day-a-three-node-cluster-refused-to-trust-itself https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-day-a-three-node-cluster-refused-to-trust-itself Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A plain-English breakdown of why a three-node cluster shuts down or panics after losing quorum, even when one host can still run every VM. Proxmox High Availability Clusters Quorum https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-a-cluster-loses-its-mind-the-harsh-reality-behind-three-node-high-availability https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-a-cluster-loses-its-mind-the-harsh-reality-behind-three-node-high-availability Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why a three-node HA cluster can panic when two nodes disappear, and how quorum and split-brain protection shape that behavior. Proxmox High Availability Clusters Quorum https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-self-hosted-datadog-alternatives-suddenly-feel-less-like-a-hobby-and-more-like-an-exit-plan https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-self-hosted-datadog-alternatives-suddenly-feel-less-like-a-hobby-and-more-like-an-exit-plan Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT The rising excitement around self-hosted observability alternatives is not just about open source pride. It is about teams wanting visibility without recurring financial and emotional whiplash. Datadog SigNoz Self-Hosted Observability https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-moment-someone-called-unraid-enterprise-storage-and-the-room-got-very-quiet https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-moment-someone-called-unraid-enterprise-storage-and-the-room-got-very-quiet Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT There are arguments in IT that start politely and then slowly reveal something much bigger than the technology being discussed. This one began with a small company, around 30 people and growing, trying to choose a NAS Storage NetApp Pure Storage Dell HPE Unraid https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-in-an-outage-still-feels-powerful-so-why-do-buyers-sound-so-torn https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-in-an-outage-still-feels-powerful-so-why-do-buyers-sound-so-torn Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Recent debate around Datadog shows a familiar split: teams trust it in incidents, but many no longer trust how much pain comes with keeping that trust. Datadog Incidents SRE Monitoring https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-vmware-costs-go-full-horror-movie-even-the-alternatives-start-looking-beautiful https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-vmware-costs-go-full-horror-movie-even-the-alternatives-start-looking-beautiful Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A March pricing thread laid bare the new VMware reality: even teams that once dismissed alternatives are now reassessing what 'too expensive to stay' really means. VMware Broadcom Costs Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cve-2026-22039-how-an-admission-controller-vulnerability-turned-kubernetes-namespaces-into-a-security-illusion https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cve-2026-22039-how-an-admission-controller-vulnerability-turned-kubernetes-namespaces-into-a-security-illusion Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Just saw this nasty Kyverno CVE that's a perfect example of why I'm skeptical of admission controllers with god-mode RBAC. Kubernetes Security Tooling https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-built-this-because-i-was-tired-of-opening-the-web-ui-the-tiny-macos-app-that-made-proxmox-admi https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-built-this-because-i-was-tired-of-opening-the-web-ui-the-tiny-macos-app-that-made-proxmox-admi Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A lightweight macOS menu bar app for Proxmox taps into a common frustration among home lab admins who want faster visibility and control than the web UI provides. Proxmox macOS Homelab Tools https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-upgraded-my-servers-from-a-bus-ride-the-surprisingly-smooth-reality-of-a-proxmox-7-9-upgrade https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-upgraded-my-servers-from-a-bus-ride-the-surprisingly-smooth-reality-of-a-proxmox-7-9-upgrade Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A long-delayed Proxmox 7 to 9 upgrade turned out to be much smoother than expected, highlighting how fear of major infrastructure upgrades can drift far beyond the real operational risk. Proxmox Upgrade Homelab Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/if-it-ain-t-broke-don-t-fix-it-or-should-you https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/if-it-ain-t-broke-don-t-fix-it-or-should-you Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT The debate around Proxmox 9 upgrades is less about shiny new features and more about how admins weigh stability, security updates, and long-term maintenance. Proxmox Upgrade Security Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/my-network-used-to-look-like-this-the-nostalgia-and-reality-behind-a-homelab-diagram https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/my-network-used-to-look-like-this-the-nostalgia-and-reality-behind-a-homelab-diagram Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT An old homelab diagram becomes a snapshot of a more ambitious era, and a reminder of how real-life constraints reshape even the best-planned infrastructure. Homelab Networking Infrastructure Proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-small-proxmox-feature-that-quietly-fixed-one-of-homelab-s-most-annoying-problems https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-small-proxmox-feature-that-quietly-fixed-one-of-homelab-s-most-annoying-problems Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox 9's NIC name override feature solves a deeply familiar homelab headache by making interface naming less fragile after harmless hardware changes. Proxmox Networking Homelab Linux https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/wait-you-shouldn-t-disable-root-the-surprisingly-confusing-reality-of-hardening-a-proxmox-server https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/wait-you-shouldn-t-disable-root-the-surprisingly-confusing-reality-of-hardening-a-proxmox-server Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Hardening Proxmox sounds straightforward until standard Linux advice collides with the way the platform actually works, especially around SSH and root access. Proxmox Security Hardening Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-fatigue-why-so-many-teams-sound-one-renewal-away-from-snapping https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-fatigue-why-so-many-teams-sound-one-renewal-away-from-snapping Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A wave of exasperated discussion around Datadog shows a market where even satisfied users sound emotionally spent by pricing, packaging, and constant negotiation. Datadog Renewal SRE Observability https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/oreillys-cilium-up-and-running-out-now https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/oreillys-cilium-up-and-running-out-now Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Nicolas Vibert, Filip Nikolic, and James Laverack spent the last year pouring over Cilium's kernel magic to it accessible to everyone. Kubernetes Cilium https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmwares-cheapest-path-keeps-vanishing-and-small-teams-are-running-out-of-road https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmwares-cheapest-path-keeps-vanishing-and-small-teams-are-running-out-of-road Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT March discussions around Standard subscriptions and product retirement show how VMware’s lower-end path is becoming harder to trust for smaller environments. VMware Broadcom SMB vSphere https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-jobs-look-amazing-until-you-see-the-salary https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-jobs-look-amazing-until-you-see-the-salary Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Datadog's recruiting appeal is strong, but engineers comparing offers are finding a more complicated picture once compensation, geography, and role level come into focus. Datadog Observability Careers Compensation https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/engineers-are-quietly-abandoning-elk-and-building-their-own-observability-stacks https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/engineers-are-quietly-abandoning-elk-and-building-their-own-observability-stacks Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Engineering teams are rethinking ELK as telemetry volume and cost grow, pushing them toward leaner observability stacks built around OpenTelemetry, OpenSearch, and tracing-first tooling. Observability ELK OpenTelemetry OpenSearch https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/everyone-wants-observability-but-nobody-knows-where-to-start https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/everyone-wants-observability-but-nobody-knows-where-to-start Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Many teams buy observability tools before they understand observability itself, creating a gap between telemetry collection and the ability to answer new operational questions. Observability Monitoring Telemetry SRE https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/inside-vertiv-the-quiet-reality-of-working-in-the-data-center-infrastructure-giant https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/inside-vertiv-the-quiet-reality-of-working-in-the-data-center-infrastructure-giant Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Vertiv's reputation in data center infrastructure creates strong interest from applicants, but accounts from the field point to a more mixed reality around workload, growth, and compensation. Vertiv Data Center Infrastructure Careers https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-300k-observability-question-is-ai-actually-fixing-incidents-or-just-selling-better-dashboard https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-300k-observability-question-is-ai-actually-fixing-incidents-or-just-selling-better-dashboard Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Premium observability vendors are selling AI-driven incident response at a steep price, leaving teams to decide whether faster root-cause analysis is real value or polished positioning. Observability AI Datadog Dynatrace https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-observability-treasure-hunt-why-engineers-still-don-t-know-what-metrics-their-systems-actual https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-observability-treasure-hunt-why-engineers-still-don-t-know-what-metrics-their-systems-actual Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Modern stacks emit vast amounts of telemetry, yet engineers still struggle to discover which metrics exist, where they come from, and how to use them effectively. Observability Metrics Prometheus OpenTelemetry https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/there-is-no-best-observability-platform-and-engineers-know-it https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/there-is-no-best-observability-platform-and-engineers-know-it Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT The search for a single best observability platform breaks down fast because teams need different mixes of logs, traces, metrics, SLOs, and operational tradeoffs. Observability Monitoring Tooling OpenTelemetry https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/two-days-left-on-vmware-and-suddenly-every-bad-option-looks-real https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/two-days-left-on-vmware-and-suddenly-every-bad-option-looks-real Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A March panic thread about expiring vSphere licenses shows what VMware’s new economics do to small teams: they turn routine planning into last-minute survival math. VMware Broadcom Migration Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/yaml-is-breaking-observability-the-quiet-crisis-inside-opentelemetry-pipelines https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/yaml-is-breaking-observability-the-quiet-crisis-inside-opentelemetry-pipelines Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT As OpenTelemetry pipelines grow more complex, YAML is turning from simple configuration into a source of fragility, ambiguity, and operational drag. Observability OpenTelemetry YAML DevOps https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-bill-shock-is-turning-observability-into-a-budget-horror-show https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-bill-shock-is-turning-observability-into-a-budget-horror-show Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fresh complaints about Datadog billing capture a deeper panic: teams no longer trust that their monitoring spend will stay understandable for more than a quarter. Datadog Observability Pricing FinOps https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/once-your-vmware-license-expires-the-door-doesnt-just-close-it-slams https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/once-your-vmware-license-expires-the-door-doesnt-just-close-it-slams Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A March thread about expired vSphere support captures the new VMware reality: old licenses no longer feel like a safety net, they feel like a countdown. VMware Broadcom Support Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/yubihsm-2-cert-manager-hardware-signed-tls-certificates-on-kubernetes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/yubihsm-2-cert-manager-hardware-signed-tls-certificates-on-kubernetes Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT I built a cert-manager external issuer that signs TLS certificates using a private key inside a YubiHSM 2. Kubernetes Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-sales-pressure-turns-monitoring-into-a-door-to-door-nightmare https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/datadog-sales-pressure-turns-monitoring-into-a-door-to-door-nightmare Sat, 07 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Online complaints about relentless Datadog outreach show how a monitoring tool can lose goodwill long before the product itself loses relevance. Datadog Observability Sales DevOps https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-netapp-vast-lawsuit-is-the-kind-of-storage-drama-that-makes-buyers-freeze https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-netapp-vast-lawsuit-is-the-kind-of-storage-drama-that-makes-buyers-freeze Sat, 07 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Enterprise storage usually saves its drama for outages, bad firmware, failed migrations, and renewal quotes that arrive looking like ransom notes. Lawsuits are different. They move slower, sound drier, and usually live Storage VAST Data NetApp Pure Storage Dell HPE https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-s-ruthless-ai-power-play-record-profits-a-100-billion-chip-bet-and-the-vmware-shockwave https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-s-ruthless-ai-power-play-record-profits-a-100-billion-chip-bet-and-the-vmware-shockwave Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Broadcom's latest quarter signals an aggressive AI-era strategy built on custom silicon, networking dominance, and a high-impact VMware licensing reset. Broadcom AI VMware Semiconductors Enterprise IT https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-renewal-sticker-shock-is-pushing-loyal-customers-to-the-edge https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-renewal-sticker-shock-is-pushing-loyal-customers-to-the-edge Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A fresh wave of VMware renewal complaints shows how pricing shock has turned routine infrastructure budgeting into a yearly panic attack. VMware Broadcom Licensing Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/flux-cd-deep-dive-architecture-crds-and-mental-models https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/flux-cd-deep-dive-architecture-crds-and-mental-models Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Hey everyone! Kubernetes Flux CD https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-hidden-performance-trap-in-proxmox-how-a-recommended-cpu-setting-quietly-slowed-an-entire-wi https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-hidden-performance-trap-in-proxmox-how-a-recommended-cpu-setting-quietly-slowed-an-entire-wi Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT The most unsettling performance issues are the ones that don't show up in metrics. CPU usage looks fine. Memory isn't under pressure. Monitoring dashboards stay calm. Yet users... Proxmox VMware Migration Performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-hidden-problem-waiting-for-teams-that-replace-vmware-automation https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-hidden-problem-waiting-for-teams-that-replace-vmware-automation Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT When companies start planning their exit from VMware, the conversation usually revolves around hypervisors, storage clusters, and networking. Proxmox VMware Migration Automation https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-vmware-exit-door-is-getting-crowded-why-so-many-companies-are-suddenly-looking-at-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-vmware-exit-door-is-getting-crowded-why-so-many-companies-are-suddenly-looking-at-proxmox Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Sometimes the biggest industry shifts show up in small, almost casual announcements. Proxmox VMware Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/where-s-vmotion-the-question-that-reveals-the-real-learning-curve-when-moving-from-vmware-to-pro https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/where-s-vmotion-the-question-that-reveals-the-real-learning-curve-when-moving-from-vmware-to-pro Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT When VMware administrators first begin exploring Proxmox, the conversation almost always starts with the same question: what replaces the familiar VMware features? Proxmox VMware Migration Automation Performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/new-policy-sharing-new-kubernetes-tools-must-be-in-the-weekly-thread https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/new-policy-sharing-new-kubernetes-tools-must-be-in-the-weekly-thread Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Hi all. Kubernetes AWS Tooling Community https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-the-cloud-caught-fire-the-day-objects-took-down-amazon-s-uae-region-and-shook-devops-faith https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-the-cloud-caught-fire-the-day-objects-took-down-amazon-s-uae-region-and-shook-devops-faith Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT It sounds like the plot of a techno-thriller: “objects” streak across the sky, sparks fly inside a hyperscale data center, and suddenly parts of the internet go dark. Except this wasn’t fiction. One of Amazon’s data centers in the United Arab Emirates was hit amid escalating conflict in the region, triggering a fire, a power shutdown, and a cascading outage that rippled through core AWS services . AWS Cloud DevOps https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/windows-server-finally-got-serious-about-nvme-and-storage-people-still-don-t-trust-it-yet https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/windows-server-finally-got-serious-about-nvme-and-storage-people-still-don-t-trust-it-yet Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT There are few things more satisfying in infrastructure than watching an old assumption get punched in the mouth by a benchmark. For years, Windows Server has carried a reputation in storage circles that ranges from Storage NVMe https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-just-wanted-a-simple-backup-how-a-kopia-error-turned-into-a-blinkdisk-love-story-and-a-lesson- https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-just-wanted-a-simple-backup-how-a-kopia-error-turned-into-a-blinkdisk-love-story-and-a-lesson- Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT It started with a familiar kind of frustration. A mini PC running Ubuntu. A Windows laptop. A clean goal: back up files from multiple devices to one small home server. Nothing fancy. Nothing enterprise. Just solid, reliable backups. Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/is-vmware-dying https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/is-vmware-dying Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT The question isn’t subtle. It’s raw. “What is the future for VMware administrator?” That’s not a casual career check-in. That’s someone staring at job boards, seeing fewer openings, hearing whispers about rising prices and companies jumping ship, and wondering if the ground beneath them is starting to crack . Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/uninstall-it-now-the-huntarr-panic-that-shook-truenas-and-sparked-a-supply-chain-wake-up-call https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/uninstall-it-now-the-huntarr-panic-that-shook-truenas-and-sparked-a-supply-chain-wake-up-call Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT “This needs to be taken down.” Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/you-can-t-have-it-both-ways-the-hard-truth-about-sharing-a-single-gpu-between-vms-and-lxc-in-pro https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/you-can-t-have-it-both-ways-the-hard-truth-about-sharing-a-single-gpu-between-vms-and-lxc-in-pro Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT It always starts with momentum. Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-local-dns-filter-is-probably-being-bypassed-right-now-and-you-don-t-even-know-it https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-local-dns-filter-is-probably-being-bypassed-right-now-and-you-don-t-even-know-it Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s a specific kind of satisfaction that comes from spinning up your own DNS filter. You install AdGuard Home. You load up carefully curated blocklists. You point DHCP at your resolver. You watch queries scroll by and think: I control my network now. Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/free-isn-t-free-anymore-the-brutal-reality-of-updating-esxi-8-0u3e-to-8-0u3h-without-paying-a-ce https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/free-isn-t-free-anymore-the-brutal-reality-of-updating-esxi-8-0u3e-to-8-0u3h-without-paying-a-ce Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why ESXi patch updates can become entitlement-gated and what that means for free-tier users. ESXi VMware Licensing Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ibm-s-31-billion-gut-punch-is-ai-finally-cracking-big-blue-s-unbreakable-moat https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ibm-s-31-billion-gut-punch-is-ai-finally-cracking-big-blue-s-unbreakable-moat Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT IBM lost $31B in a day; here is what that move may signal about AI disruption, legacy moat durability, and market overreaction risk. IBM AI Stock Market Enterprise Tech https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-anatomy-of-modern-kubernetes-data-protection-securing-kubevirt-workloads-at-enterprise-scale-in-2026 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-anatomy-of-modern-kubernetes-data-protection-securing-kubevirt-workloads-at-enterprise-scale-in-2026 Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Enterprise-grade KubeVirt backup in 2026 depends on Kubernetes-native APIs, CSI snapshots, dependency graph awareness, and zero-trust architecture. Kubernetes KubeVirt Backup Enterprise Security Data Protection https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/you-think-three-developers-and-ai-can-replace-vmware-the-brutal-reality-facing-every-next-big-vi https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/you-think-three-developers-and-ai-can-replace-vmware-the-brutal-reality-facing-every-next-big-vi Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A hard look at what it takes to build a credible VMware alternative beyond licensing frustration and early prototypes. VMware Virtualization KVM Startup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/truenas-25-10-2-is-here-and-it-s-the-kind-of-update-that-quietly-saves-you-from-disaster https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/truenas-25-10-2-is-here-and-it-s-the-kind-of-update-that-quietly-saves-you-from-disaster Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical breakdown of TrueNAS 25.10.2 fixes that prevent upgrade failures, SMB migration issues, and NFS edge-case instability. TrueNAS ZFS Storage Release Notes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/truenas-isn-t-paywalling-your-nas-but-the-trust-crack-is-already-there https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/truenas-isn-t-paywalling-your-nas-but-the-trust-crack-is-already-there Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT An analysis of the v26.04 paywall debate, what TrueNAS staff actually clarified, and why trust perception still matters. TrueNAS Open Source Licensing Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-etcd-breaks-at-scale-in-kubernetes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-etcd-breaks-at-scale-in-kubernetes Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT This r/kubernetes discussion unpacked why etcd breaks at scale in kubernetes and the practical tradeoffs engineers surfaced around it, with the original post linking out to lear... Kubernetes etcd https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/can-we-get-an-ai-megathread https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/can-we-get-an-ai-megathread Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT In the last couple of hours alone I’ve seen 3 threads advertising vibecoded slop. Kubernetes AI Community https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/btrfs-inside-proxmox-vms-smart-flexibility-or-a-cow-on-cow-trap-waiting-to-happen https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/btrfs-inside-proxmox-vms-smart-flexibility-or-a-cow-on-cow-trap-waiting-to-happen Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Using BTRFS inside Proxmox VMs can be great for snapshots and subvolumes, but stacking CoW on CoW (especially on ZFS hosts) can introduce serious IO overhead and fragmentation risks. Proxmox BTRFS ZFS Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-m-a-machinist-not-it-the-raw-frustrated-brilliant-reality-of-wiring-cncs-into-a-proxmox-server https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/i-m-a-machinist-not-it-the-raw-frustrated-brilliant-reality-of-wiring-cncs-into-a-proxmox-server Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A real-world shop-floor story of moving CNC workflows off a single fragile PC by using Proxmox, practical network design, and low-friction file transfer choices that actually work. Proxmox CNC Networking Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-25gbe-dream-is-slamming-into-a-wall-the-brutal-truth-about-my-3-node-ceph-cluster https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-25gbe-dream-is-slamming-into-a-wall-the-brutal-truth-about-my-3-node-ceph-cluster Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 3-node Proxmox + Ceph lab with enterprise NVMe and 25GbE looked perfect on paper, but benchmark ceilings exposed the practical bottlenecks that matter most in small clusters. Ceph Proxmox 25GbE Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-most-dangerous-storage-question-isn-t-ssd-vs-hard-drive-it-s-why-you-trust-one-disk-at-all https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-most-dangerous-storage-question-isn-t-ssd-vs-hard-drive-it-s-why-you-trust-one-disk-at-all Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s a beautiful simplicity to the question: if you had very important files being read and written 24/7 for a long time, would you trust them more on a brand-new SSD or a brand-new hard drive? Same environment. No Storage Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/can-we-let-it-lapse-the-risky-vmware-renewal-question-no-one-wants-to-answer-too-late https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/can-we-let-it-lapse-the-risky-vmware-renewal-question-no-one-wants-to-answer-too-late Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical view of VMware support lapse risk, perpetual rights, and timing decisions around VVF subscription moves. VMware Licensing VVF Strategy https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/from-pve-5-to-9-what-happens-when-legacy-infrastructure-refuses-to-let-go https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/from-pve-5-to-9-what-happens-when-legacy-infrastructure-refuses-to-let-go Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A real-world look at moving fragile, business-critical workloads from Proxmox VE 5 to 9, including NAS bottlenecks, i440FX-to-Q35 risk, and practical migration tactics that prioritize survival over speed. Proxmox Migration Legacy Infrastructure Windows 7 Backup Strategy Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/hpe-s-morpheus-gamble-why-it-teams-are-torn-between-escaping-vmware-and-walking-into-another-tra https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/hpe-s-morpheus-gamble-why-it-teams-are-torn-between-escaping-vmware-and-walking-into-another-tra Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why teams evaluating HPE Morpheus as a VMware exit are split between promising lab results and production trust gaps. HPE Morpheus KVM VMware Alternatives https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-shows-up-but-won-t-pass-through-the-esxi-usb-wifi-trap-that-catches-everyone https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-shows-up-but-won-t-pass-through-the-esxi-usb-wifi-trap-that-catches-everyone Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why USB WiFi passthrough on ESXi often fails even when devices appear in lsusb and quirks are configured. ESXi USB Passthrough Networking Troubleshooting https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-works-but-it-feels-wrong-the-real-way-to-run-a-java-monolith-on-kubernetes-without-breaking-y https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/it-works-but-it-feels-wrong-the-real-way-to-run-a-java-monolith-on-kubernetes-without-breaking-y Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical production guide to running a Java monolith on Kubernetes without fragile NodePort duct tape. Kubernetes DevOps Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-isn-t-your-load-balancer-it-s-the-puppet-master-pulling-the-strings https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-isn-t-your-load-balancer-it-s-the-puppet-master-pulling-the-strings Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Kubernetes orchestrates load balancers, but does not replace them; this post explains what actually handles production traffic. Kubernetes DevOps Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/minio-repo-archived-spent-2-days-testing-k8s-s3-compatible-alternatives-helm-docker https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/minio-repo-archived-spent-2-days-testing-k8s-s3-compatible-alternatives-helm-docker Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Hey, MinIO repo got archived on Feb 13, been hunting a K8s-ready S3 object storage for two days. Kubernetes Security Storage Helm https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-invisible-expired-certificate-in-vcenter-and-why-you-can-t-see-it-in-certificate-management https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-invisible-expired-certificate-in-vcenter-and-why-you-can-t-see-it-in-certificate-management Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why the data-encipherment cert alert appears in vCenter even when Certificate Management looks healthy. VMware vCenter Certificates Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-post-is-basically-asking https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-post-is-basically-asking Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A grounded take on when CPU limits help, when they hurt, and how to choose based on workload behavior. Kubernetes DevOps Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-one-s-almost-always-a-resolution-scaling-mismatch-issue-not-an-actual-fullscreen-bug https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-one-s-almost-always-a-resolution-scaling-mismatch-issue-not-an-actual-fullscreen-bug Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A quick troubleshooting sequence for VMware fullscreen corner gaps caused by display scaling mismatch. VMware Display Troubleshooting Desktop https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-have-2-000-service-accounts-and-no-one-knows-who-owns-them-the-multi-cloud-iam-crisis-nobody- https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-have-2-000-service-accounts-and-no-one-knows-who-owns-them-the-multi-cloud-iam-crisis-nobody- Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why unmanaged machine identities across AWS, Azure, and GCP become a security and governance crisis at scale. Kubernetes DevOps Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-thought-kubernetes-would-save-us-the-production-failures-no-one-puts-on-the-conference-slides https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/we-thought-kubernetes-would-save-us-the-production-failures-no-one-puts-on-the-conference-slides Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A field report on real Kubernetes production failures and the human factors that trigger them. Kubernetes DevOps Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/gallium-xcpng-edge-shift-vmware-alternatives https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/gallium-xcpng-edge-shift-vmware-alternatives Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT VMware is no longer the automatic default. XCP-ng and Gallium are gaining traction among teams optimizing for distributed edge infrastructure, cost control, and architectural simplicity. VMware XCP-ng Gallium KVM Edge Computing Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/what-kubernetes-feature-looked-great-on-paper-but-hurt-you-in-prod https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/what-kubernetes-feature-looked-great-on-paper-but-hurt-you-in-prod Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT there are features in Kubernetes that look amazing on paper. Kubernetes Production https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-valentine-with-kubernetes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/this-valentine-with-kubernetes Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT This r/kubernetes discussion unpacked this valentine with kubernetes! and the practical tradeoffs engineers surfaced around it, with the original post linking out to i.redd.it. Kubernetes Community https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-the-very-hard-way https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-the-very-hard-way Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT This r/kubernetes discussion unpacked kubernetes the (very) hard way and the practical tradeoffs engineers surfaced around it, with the original post linking out to labs.iximiuz... Kubernetes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/two-node-clusters-fibre-channel-vmware-proxmox-migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/two-node-clusters-fibre-channel-vmware-proxmox-migration Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT An IT team managing 10 clusters and 21 hosts across global sites is migrating its entire VMware infrastructure to Proxmox, navigating architectural constraints and storage complexities that don't appear in vendor documentation. VMware Proxmox Migration Fibre Channel Storage Enterprise https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/running-postgresql-in-kubernetes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/running-postgresql-in-kubernetes Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Is it true that stateful programs are better run on a separate machine than in Kubernetes? Kubernetes PostgreSQL https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/s3-b2-wasabi-real-cost-cheap-cloud-storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/s3-b2-wasabi-real-cost-cheap-cloud-storage Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Storage is cheap. Retrieval isn't. A breakdown of S3, B2, and Wasabi for media teams pushing 15TB+ per month — and why egress fees, archive tiers, and restore frequency matter more than price per terabyte. Cloud Storage AWS S3 Backblaze B2 Wasabi Media Workflows https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-storage-refresh-that-starts-as-netapp-vs-pure-vs-dell-and-ends-as-a-fight-over-your-future-self https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-storage-refresh-that-starts-as-netapp-vs-pure-vs-dell-and-ends-as-a-fight-over-your-future-self Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Storage decisions have a way of pretending they’re about hardware. Pick the array. Pick the ports. Pick the controller model. Pick the licensing bundle. Get the quote. Run the proof of concept. Act like the whole thing Storage NetApp Pure Storage Dell HPE Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-vs-librenms-k12-network-monitoring https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-vs-librenms-k12-network-monitoring Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Zabbix vs LibreNMS tested head-to-head: setup time, auto-discovery, and which one actually fits a small IT team's staffing reality — not just a feature checklist. Zabbix LibreNMS Monitoring K-12 Networking https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/microsoft-365-mfa-forcing-admins-breaking-workflows https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/microsoft-365-mfa-forcing-admins-breaking-workflows Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Microsoft's mandatory MFA enforcement for 365 admin accounts is catching teams off guard, breaking legacy workflows, and forcing overdue security cleanups across organizations of every size. Microsoft 365 MFA Security Sysadmin Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-vmware-partial-renewals-trap https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-vmware-partial-renewals-trap Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Broadcom's refusal to allow partial VMware renewals is forcing customers into all-or-nothing decisions—renew everything for years upfront, or accelerate risky migrations. The exit is no longer yours to control. VMware Broadcom Licensing Enterprise IT Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/looking-for-a-replacement-for-minio-s3-made-easy-with-garage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/looking-for-a-replacement-for-minio-s3-made-easy-with-garage Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT **Update: garage-operator v0.1.x released — Kubernetes operator for Garage (self-hosted S3 storage)** About a month ago I shared a project I’ve been building: a Kubernetes opera... Kubernetes Storage Production https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/aws-load-balancer-controller-adds-general-availability-support-for-kubernetes-gateway-api https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/aws-load-balancer-controller-adds-general-availability-support-for-kubernetes-gateway-api Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT This r/kubernetes discussion unpacked aws load balancer controller adds general availability support for kubernetes gateway api and the practical tradeoffs engineers surfaced ar... Kubernetes AWS https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/traefik-proxmox-provider-homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/traefik-proxmox-provider-homelab Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A new Traefik provider plugin brings Docker-style automatic service discovery to Proxmox VMs and containers, eliminating manual routing config and changing how homelabs handle reverse proxy setup. Proxmox Traefik Homelab Networking Open Source https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/esxi-to-ahv-nutanix-ce-homelab-rebuild https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/esxi-to-ahv-nutanix-ce-homelab-rebuild Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT A real-world homelab migration from aging VMware 6.7 to Nutanix Community Edition—covering the surprisingly smooth install, AHV's mindset shift, and why walking away from ESXi felt less like loss and more like relief. Nutanix VMware AHV Homelab Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/tailscale-real-world-uses-nas-streaming https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/tailscale-real-world-uses-nas-streaming Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Beyond the marketing, Tailscale solves real problems: NAS access from anywhere, bypassing sports blackouts, secure media streaming, and connecting homelabs without port forwarding headaches. Tailscale VPN Networking Homelab Self-Hosting https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-end-of-kubernetes-ingress-nginx-your-march-2026-migration-playbook https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-end-of-kubernetes-ingress-nginx-your-march-2026-migration-playbook Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Hey everyone, sharing an article I wrote about the upcoming End-of-Life for the community-maintained kubernetes/ingress-nginx controller happening in March 2026. Kubernetes Security Ingress https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/helm-in-production-hard-won-lessons-and-gotchas https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/helm-in-production-hard-won-lessons-and-gotchas Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT This r/kubernetes discussion unpacked helm in production: hard-won lessons and gotchas and the practical tradeoffs engineers surfaced around it, with the original post linking o... Kubernetes Helm Production https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/immich-proxmox-lxc-stability-gamble https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/immich-proxmox-lxc-stability-gamble Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Running Immich in a Proxmox LXC container sounds elegant, but real-world experience reveals stability challenges. Here's what the community learned about LXC vs VM approaches. Proxmox LXC Immich Docker Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/top-5-zabbix-alternatives-enterprise-management https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/top-5-zabbix-alternatives-enterprise-management Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Zabbix alternatives compared for 2026: Prometheus for Kubernetes, Datadog for SaaS observability, PRTG for SMBs, and more — which one actually fits your infrastructure. Zabbix Monitoring Enterprise Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubediagrams-0-7-0-is-out https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubediagrams-0-7-0-is-out Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT [**KubeDiagrams**](https://github.com/philippemerle/KubeDiagrams) 0.7.0 is out! Kubernetes Helm Tooling https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/lose-root-password-vmware-esxi-one-way-door https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/lose-root-password-vmware-esxi-one-way-door Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT On modern ESXi, there's no recovery path for a lost root password. That's not an oversight — it's a deliberate security design that forces reinstallation over rescue. VMware ESXi Security Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/escaping-vmware-windows-boot-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/escaping-vmware-windows-boot-proxmox Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT VMware licensing chaos made leaving easy. But Windows VMs don't migrate quietly — they blue screen. Here's what actually fixes the INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE nightmare. Proxmox VMware Windows Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-200tb-tape-killer-everyone-wants-to-believe-in-but-storage-people-have-seen-this-movie-before-copy https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-200tb-tape-killer-everyone-wants-to-believe-in-but-storage-people-have-seen-this-movie-before-copy Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s a very specific kind of excitement that happens when someone claims they can replace tape. It’s not normal gadget excitement. It’s deeper, weirder, more archival. Tape is one of those technologies everyone loves Storage Tape Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/deduplication-nightmares-tar-slows-down https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/deduplication-nightmares-tar-slows-down Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT TAR archives and deduplication don't always play nice. Here's why your backup strategy might be underperforming and what alternatives exist for dedup-aware archiving. Backup Deduplication Storage Cohesity TAR https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/rancher-price-kubernetes-dashboard https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/rancher-price-kubernetes-dashboard Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Rancher gave platform teams calm — one login, twenty clusters, all understandable. Then the rancher price changed. Not by a little. Here's why there's still no obvious replacement. Kubernetes Rancher SUSE DevOps Enterprise https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/what-actually-goes-wrong-in-kubernetes-production https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/what-actually-goes-wrong-in-kubernetes-production Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Hey Kubernetes folks, I’m curious to hear about real-world production experiences with Kubernetes. Kubernetes Tooling Production https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-to-nutanix-migration-lessons https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-to-nutanix-migration-lessons Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Real-world experiences from IT pros who've migrated from VMware to Nutanix—covering Move tool performance, licensing costs, support quality, and the cultural shift between platforms. VMware Nutanix Migration AHV HCI https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-vsphere-license-expired-now-what https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-vsphere-license-expired-now-what Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT When your vSphere subscription expires, VMs keep running—but you lose the ability to fix anything. Here's what really happens, from technical lockouts to legal letters. VMware Licensing Broadcom vSphere Compliance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-alternative-commercial-upgrade-data-center https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-alternative-commercial-upgrade-data-center Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Zabbix excels at metric gathering, but enterprise data centers often hit a ceiling where passive monitoring isn't enough. Learn when it's time to consider a commercial Zabbix alternative that offers active infrastructure management. Zabbix Monitoring Data Center Infrastructure Management Enterprise IT https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/docker-lxc-vs-vms-proxmox-debate-2026 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/docker-lxc-vs-vms-proxmox-debate-2026 Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox LXC vs VM vs Docker in LXC: a decision guide comparing security, performance, backup behavior, and operational risk so you can pick the right model for each workload. Docker LXC Proxmox VMs Containers Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/prometheus-counters-aren-t-broken-but-they-re-breaking-teams-who-treat-them-like-datadog https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/prometheus-counters-aren-t-broken-but-they-re-breaking-teams-who-treat-them-like-datadog Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why counter semantics confuse teams during Datadog to Prometheus migrations, and the query patterns that avoid silent misreads. Prometheus Counters Datadog Metrics https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/mixing-ram-sizes-proxmox-server-settled https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/mixing-ram-sizes-proxmox-server-settled Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT The definitive answer to whether you can mix RAM sizes and speeds on a Proxmox server. Spoiler: yes, but there's a right way to do it. Proxmox Hardware RAM Memory Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-starwind-synology-storage-turducken https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-starwind-synology-storage-turducken Sun, 25 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT A story about running Ceph, StarWind VSAN, and Synology simultaneously—not by design, but because every attempt to simplify storage somehow added another layer instead. Proxmox Ceph Storage High Availability StarWind Synology https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/clawdbot-proxmox-practical-guide https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/clawdbot-proxmox-practical-guide Sun, 25 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT How to run Clawdbot, a self-hosted AI agent, on Proxmox VE: LXC gotchas, systemd workarounds, Docker alternatives, and security hardening. Proxmox AI Clawdbot Self-Hosted LXC Docker Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/pvesphere-proxmox-tool-skepticism https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/pvesphere-proxmox-tool-skepticism Sun, 25 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT PveSphere launched as a production-ready multi-cluster management platform for Proxmox VE. The community's reaction? Cautious optimism mixed with hard-earned skepticism about what 'production ready' really means. PveSphere Proxmox Multi-Cluster Infrastructure Open Source https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-200tb-tape-killer-everyone-wants-to-believe-in-but-storage-people-have-seen-this-movie-before https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-200tb-tape-killer-everyone-wants-to-believe-in-but-storage-people-have-seen-this-movie-before Sat, 24 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT There’s a very specific kind of excitement that happens when someone claims they can replace tape. It’s not normal gadget excitement. It’s deeper, weirder, more archival. Tape is one of those technologies everyone loves Storage Tape Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-proxmox-migration-failed-not-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-proxmox-migration-failed-not-proxmox Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most failed Proxmox migrations aren't Proxmox failures at all. They're the result of assumptions VMware spent 15 years teaching us to make — and infrastructure that stopped hiding its complexity. Proxmox VMware Migration ZFS Ceph Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/how-one-team-slashed-prometheus-memory-from-60gb-to-20gb-and-exposed-the-silent-cardinality-cris https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/how-one-team-slashed-prometheus-memory-from-60gb-to-20gb-and-exposed-the-silent-cardinality-cris Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT A real case study on cutting Prometheus memory usage from 60GB to 20GB by identifying toxic labels and reclaiming scrape reliability. Prometheus Cardinality SRE Monitoring https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-vmware-3k-to-21k-small-it-teams https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-vmware-3k-to-21k-small-it-teams Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT VMware renewals are hitting small IT teams with 7x price increases. For many, the math no longer works — and the exodus to Proxmox and Hyper-V is accelerating. VMware Broadcom Licensing Migration Proxmox Hyper-V https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/fix-slow-ci-pipeline-qa-not-hardware https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/fix-slow-ci-pipeline-qa-not-hardware Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT When your CI pipeline takes an hour, throwing hardware at it rarely helps. The real gains come from rethinking QA — tiering tests, fixing flakiness, and rebuilding trust in feedback loops. DevOps CI/CD Testing QA Pipeline Optimization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-starwind-ha-storage-proxmox-middle-ground https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-starwind-ha-storage-proxmox-middle-ground Sun, 18 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT When you want your Proxmox storage to 'just stay up' during node failures, you hit the awkward middle ground between Ceph, StarWind VSAN, clustered filesystems, and DIY NAS solutions. Here's why none of them feel quite right. proxmox ceph storage high-availability starwind nas https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/prometheus-how-we-slashed-memory-usage-and-discovered-our-dashboards-were-the-real-problem https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/prometheus-how-we-slashed-memory-usage-and-discovered-our-dashboards-were-the-real-problem Sat, 17 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT A step-by-step breakdown of reducing Prometheus memory pressure by auditing high-cardinality metrics and fixing expensive dashboard query habits. Prometheus Grafana Cardinality Performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-ha-maintenance-mode-cluster-ice https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-ha-maintenance-mode-cluster-ice Sat, 17 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT A routine hardware upgrade turned into a cluster-wide reboot storm because someone forgot to put HA into maintenance mode. Here's what went wrong, how to prevent it, and why Proxmox still doesn't have a GUI button for this critical step. proxmox high-availability clustering maintenance corosync https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/tape-storage-was-supposed-to-be-dead-then-someone-showed-up-with-50pb-and-a-reality-check https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/tape-storage-was-supposed-to-be-dead-then-someone-showed-up-with-50pb-and-a-reality-check Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every few years, someone declares tape storage dead with the confidence of a person who has never had to preserve tens of petabytes inside a closed site. It’s easy to laugh at tape from the comfort of a laptop with an Storage Tape VAST Data Ceph NVMe Backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/because-real-heroes-build-their-own-exporters-and-sometimes-that-s-exactly-the-right-move https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/because-real-heroes-build-their-own-exporters-and-sometimes-that-s-exactly-the-right-move Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Building a custom exporter can be the fastest path to useful observability when critical systems lack stable community integrations. Prometheus Exporters Monitoring Engineering https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/blackwell-proxmox-nvidia-drivers-refuse-load https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/blackwell-proxmox-nvidia-drivers-refuse-load Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Nvidia's new Blackwell GPUs and their 'open' kernel modules should make Linux life easier. But Proxmox 9.1 users are hitting a frustrating wall where drivers compile fine but refuse to load—and the usual fixes don't help. Proxmox Nvidia Blackwell GPU Linux Drivers https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/s3-storage-boxes-vps-proxmox-backup-2026 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/s3-storage-boxes-vps-proxmox-backup-2026 Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Wasabi vs Backblaze B2 vs Hetzner Storage Box for Proxmox Backup Server in 2026: real monthly costs, egress fees, and reliability tradeoffs compared. Proxmox Backup PBS S3 Storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-san-vmware-exit-problem https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-san-vmware-exit-problem Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Leaving VMware for Proxmox? Your SAN-backed cluster won't behave the same way—and that gap in expectations catches many teams flat-footed. Proxmox VMware SAN Storage Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-i-recommend-native-prometheus-instrumentation-over-opentelemetry-and-why-that-title-sparked- https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-i-recommend-native-prometheus-instrumentation-over-opentelemetry-and-why-that-title-sparked- Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT A focused argument for native Prometheus metrics instrumentation in specific scenarios, with clear boundaries on where OpenTelemetry remains the better fit. Prometheus OpenTelemetry Instrumentation Metrics https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/windows-11-proxmox-performance-broken https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/windows-11-proxmox-performance-broken Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT High-end Proxmox builds with modern Intel CPUs are seeing mysterious Windows 11 performance issues. The community is divided on whether it's a configuration problem, a QEMU issue, or a Windows 24H2 regression. Proxmox Windows 11 Virtualization KVM Performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-power-failure-initramfs-boot https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-power-failure-initramfs-boot Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT A power outage turned into a week-long debugging session when initramfs refused to mount the root filesystem. Here's what went wrong and how to fix it. Proxmox Linux Boot Troubleshooting Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-120pb-storage-question-that-makes-every-just-use-open-source-answer-feel-suddenly-expensive https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/the-120pb-storage-question-that-makes-every-just-use-open-source-answer-feel-suddenly-expensive Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT There are storage questions, and then there are storage questions that make everyone in the room sit up straighter. One hundred and twenty petabytes for HPC and AI in support of quantitative research is the second kind. Storage Tape VAST Data NetApp Pure Storage Dell https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-did-tesla-move-to-clickhouse-instead-of-scaling-thanos-and-what-that-actually-says-about-pro https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-did-tesla-move-to-clickhouse-instead-of-scaling-thanos-and-what-that-actually-says-about-pro Wed, 07 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why large teams sometimes choose ClickHouse over Thanos or Cortex, and what that decision reveals about architecture, cost, and query patterns at scale. Prometheus Thanos ClickHouse Observability https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/10-proxmox-mistakes-avoid https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/10-proxmox-mistakes-avoid Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT 10 common Proxmox mistakes—from ZFS RAM pitfalls to HA misconfigurations—that even seasoned admins make, and how to avoid each one. Proxmox Virtualization ZFS Home Lab Best Practices https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/monitoring-my-homelab-became-a-second-job-and-i-m-not-even-getting-paid https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/monitoring-my-homelab-became-a-second-job-and-i-m-not-even-getting-paid Sun, 04 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical look at monitoring stack sprawl in homelabs and how to simplify alerting, dashboards, and ownership before observability becomes busywork. Homelab Monitoring Prometheus Proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/migrating-200-vms-proxmox-networking-problem https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/migrating-200-vms-proxmox-networking-problem Sat, 27 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Why large-scale VMware to Proxmox migrations succeed or fail based on networking archaeology, not hypervisor mechanics. Proxmox VMware Migration Networking Enterprise https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-multi-tenant-self-service-cloud-rbac-sdn https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-multi-tenant-self-service-cloud-rbac-sdn Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT A deep dive into turning one Proxmox node into isolated per-project labs where teams self-manage VMs through the GUI—without root access and without seeing each other's resources. proxmox multi-tenant sdn rbac self-service https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/stop-touching-every-device-the-smarter-way-to-funnel-snmp-traps-into-zabbix-at-scale https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/stop-touching-every-device-the-smarter-way-to-funnel-snmp-traps-into-zabbix-at-scale Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT How centralized SNMP trap ingestion and template-driven routing reduce drift and scale Zabbix monitoring across large fleets. Zabbix SNMP Scalability Monitoring https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/holy-proxmox-jesus-three-node-cluster-data-center https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/holy-proxmox-jesus-three-node-cluster-data-center Thu, 25 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT A three-node Proxmox cluster with 4.5TB of RAM and hundreds of CPU cores drew major attention once readers realized it was serious production infrastructure. proxmox cluster enterprise infrastructure amd-epyc https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-update-strategy-ansible-prayer https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-update-strategy-ansible-prayer Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT A look at how homelabbers actually keep Proxmox, LXCs, and VMs updated, from elegant automation to hopeful reboots. proxmox updates ansible homelab automation https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/running-sessions-shell-hack-proxmox-ssh https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/running-sessions-shell-hack-proxmox-ssh Sun, 21 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT A simple .bashrc trick to remind you about running screen and tmux sessions when working on remote Proxmox systems via SSH. Proxmox SSH Linux Shell Productivity https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/midsize-business-proxmox-migration-savings https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/midsize-business-proxmox-migration-savings Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT A real-world account of migrating a 500-employee business from VMware to Proxmox—six months in, the results are mostly positive, occasionally frustrating, and financially hard to ignore. Proxmox VMware Migration Enterprise Cost Savings https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/eight-years-of-silence-and-finally-a-juniper-ex-template-that-understands-virtual-chassis https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/eight-years-of-silence-and-finally-a-juniper-ex-template-that-understands-virtual-chassis Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT A modernized Juniper EX template adds Virtual Chassis discovery and member-level visibility for real production monitoring. Zabbix Juniper Templates Network Monitoring https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ai-didnt-kill-devops-stakes-higher https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ai-didnt-kill-devops-stakes-higher Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT AI hasn't replaced DevOps — it's made the consequences of bad decisions faster and bigger. Here's why velocity without understanding is a recipe for expensive lessons. AI DevOps Automation Kubernetes Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-pros-ditching-platform-2025 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-pros-ditching-platform-2025 Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT 2025 is shaping up as a major VMware migration year, with many long-time operators evaluating alternatives for cost and control. VMware Proxmox Broadcom Virtualization Migration Hyper-V https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/citrix-to-proxmox-accidental-upgrade-worked https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/citrix-to-proxmox-accidental-upgrade-worked Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT What started as an unplanned escape from internal politics became a deep dive into a hypervisor he now swears by. One engineer's story about accidentally switching from Citrix to Proxmox—and never looking back. Proxmox Citrix VMware Virtualization Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/virtiofs-best-thing-not-using-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/virtiofs-best-thing-not-using-proxmox Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT VirtIOFS has quietly become the go-to way to bridge the gap between host and guest operating systems. If you've been sticking to Samba or NFS, you might be missing out on one of the simplest and fastest ways to get shared folders in your VMs. Proxmox VirtIOFS Virtualization File Sharing ZFS https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-subscription-worth-it-paywall-stability https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-subscription-worth-it-paywall-stability Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Is Proxmox subscription worth it? Breakdown of enterprise repo benefits, socket pricing, support value, and when no-subscription is still enough. proxmox virtualization licensing homelab enterprise https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-12-hour-alert-summary-is-nice-but-here-s-why-it-s-missing-the-most-important-problems https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/your-12-hour-alert-summary-is-nice-but-here-s-why-it-s-missing-the-most-important-problems Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Why 12-hour event summaries miss long-running active incidents, and how to merge history and current problem state correctly. Zabbix Alerting Automation Operations https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kasm-workspaces-proxmox-vdi-setup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kasm-workspaces-proxmox-vdi-setup Tue, 09 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Explore how Kasm Workspaces paired with Proxmox VE offers a browser-based, scalable, and free VDI alternative to Citrix and VMware Horizon. Proxmox VDI Kasm Citrix Virtualization Self-Hosting https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/clusterfcked-kubernetes-admin-stories https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/clusterfcked-kubernetes-admin-stories Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Managing Kubernetes at scale is challenging. Real stories from admins navigating YAML complexity, vendor differences, and leadership pressure. Kubernetes DevOps SRE Cloud Native War Stories https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-server-running-no-login-common-mistakes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-server-running-no-login-common-mistakes Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Your Zabbix server is running, the frontend loads, but login fails. Here's the checklist of common culprits—from Docker networking to SELinux—that keep wrecking setups. Zabbix Monitoring Troubleshooting MySQL Linux https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-five-year-licensing-virtualization-market https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-five-year-licensing-virtualization-market Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Broadcom's push for five-year VMware contracts is accelerating migration planning and long-term budgeting decisions across the virtualization market. VMware Broadcom Licensing VCF Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-vmware-3k-to-47k-shockwave https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-vmware-3k-to-47k-shockwave Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT A VMware Essentials customer went from $3K to $47K overnight. This article explores how licensing changes are pushing teams to evaluate Proxmox, Hyper-V, and other alternatives. VMware Broadcom Proxmox Hyper-V Migration Licensing https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/minio-maintenance-mode-s3-alternatives https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/minio-maintenance-mode-s3-alternatives Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT MinIO's open-source version is now in maintenance mode. Here's what happened, why the community is frustrated, and which S3-compatible alternatives like Garage, SeaweedFS, and Ceph are rising to take its place. MinIO S3 Object Storage Self-Hosting Garage SeaweedFS Ceph https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-licensing-maze-16-72-96-cores https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-licensing-maze-16-72-96-cores Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT VMware's core minimums have become a puzzle: 16 cores per socket in the docs, 72 cores minimum in practice, and now 96 for vSphere 8. Here's how IT teams are navigating the confusion. VMware Broadcom Licensing Enterprise Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/apt-upgrade-vs-dist-upgrade-proxmox-trap https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/apt-upgrade-vs-dist-upgrade-proxmox-trap Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT A single misplaced apt upgrade command can quietly break your Proxmox host. Here's why the command you trust most is actually the dangerous one, and how to avoid the partial upgrade nightmare that catches everyone eventually. proxmox debian apt system-administration upgrades homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-1-35-security-first-release https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-1-35-security-first-release Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Kubernetes 1.35 isn't your typical incremental update. With cgroup v1 dropped, hardened certificate validation, constrained impersonation, and user namespaces enabled by default, this release reads like the security overhaul the platform has needed for years. kubernetes security k8s containers devops cgroups rbac https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-cncf-donation-damage-control https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-cncf-donation-damage-control Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Broadcom donated a Kubernetes tool to CNCF, but community response remains mixed due to recent platform and licensing changes. broadcom vmware kubernetes cncf open-source bitnami harbor https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-enterprise-gotchas-vmware-admins https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-enterprise-gotchas-vmware-admins Sat, 29 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT VMware admins migrating to Proxmox face unexpected challenges that go beyond technical specs. From storage design to NUMA tuning and Windows licensing, here are the real-world gotchas experienced engineers wish they'd known before starting their migration. proxmox vmware migration enterprise storage ceph networking numa https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/state-of-ai-2025-pilots-transformation https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/state-of-ai-2025-pilots-transformation Sat, 29 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Three years into the generative AI era, 88% of organizations are using AI, but only one-third have begun scaling it. This deep dive reveals what separates high performers from the rest: transformative ambition, workflow redesign, and strategic investment in AI agents. ai enterprise transformation scaling agents workforce innovation https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zero-downtime-deploys-without-kubernetes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zero-downtime-deploys-without-kubernetes Sat, 29 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Kubernetes is not the only way to achieve zero-downtime deployments. This article covers proven alternatives such as load balancers, blue-green rollout patterns, and graceful shutdown strategies. kubernetes deployment devops infrastructure best-practices load-balancing https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/remote-proxmox-zero-inbound-access https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/remote-proxmox-zero-inbound-access Fri, 28 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Running a Proxmox host at a friend's place with no inbound access? Here's how homelabbers solve the networking puzzle with WireGuard, Tailscale, Cloudflare Tunnel, and creative routing — plus the one piece of hardware you absolutely need. proxmox networking vpn wireguard tailscale homelab remote-access https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/home-lab-spaghetti-monster-proxmox-chaos https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/home-lab-spaghetti-monster-proxmox-chaos Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Home labs start clean but quickly become chaotic. From mystery LXCs to forgotten VMs, learn why documentation, naming conventions, and infrastructure-as-code are essential for taming the spaghetti monster. Proxmox Home Lab Documentation Best Practices https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/unraid-manager-app-ios-release https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/unraid-manager-app-ios-release Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT A solo developer quietly released Unraid Manager for iOS, and the community went wild. Here's why this free app is a game-changer for iPhone users — and why Android folks are left waiting. unraid mobile-app ios home-lab api https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ecc-vs-non-ecc-ram-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ecc-vs-non-ecc-ram-proxmox Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT ECC vs non-ECC RAM for Proxmox: the real data-integrity risks, when ZFS makes ECC matter more, and whether the extra cost is worth it for homelabs vs small business. proxmox hardware ram ecc homelab business https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-1-upgrade-kernel-panic-network-gpu https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-1-upgrade-kernel-panic-network-gpu Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox 9.1 brings new features but also kernel panics, network crashes, and GPU issues. Users report instability with Mellanox NICs, iGPU passthrough, and Frigate setups—raising questions about upgrade readiness. Proxmox Troubleshooting Kernel GPU Networking https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/manufacturing-it-vcf-minimal-deployment https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/manufacturing-it-vcf-minimal-deployment Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Mid-sized manufacturers face a tough choice with VCF 9: deploy the full stack or find a minimal viable path. Here's how to stay compliant without rebuilding your entire infrastructure. VMware VCF Manufacturing NSX vSAN Broadcom https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/veeam-nutanix-ahv-backup-registration-failure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/veeam-nutanix-ahv-backup-registration-failure Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT A chaotic journey through trying to connect Veeam to a Nutanix AHV cluster, where the proxy deploys perfectly but refuses to register—featuring port checks, certificate mysteries, and Reddit support group therapy. Nutanix AHV Veeam Backup Troubleshooting Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ecs-to-eks-kubernetes-migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ecs-to-eks-kubernetes-migration Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Moving from ECS to EKS is a common progression with real complexity. This guide covers common migration issues and how teams handle them. Kubernetes AWS ECS EKS Cloud Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ram-linux-mint-proxmox-memory-management https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ram-linux-mint-proxmox-memory-management Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT A journey through realizing that maxing out RAM in a Proxmox cluster isn't always a hardware problem—sometimes it's just too many desktop OSs and not enough containers. Proxmox RAM LXC Linux Mint Memory Management Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/lxc-docker-proxmox-9-1-questions https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/lxc-docker-proxmox-9-1-questions Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox VE 9.1 introduces OCI image support for LXC containers and more. We answer the biggest questions about this release, from Docker-in-LXC fixes to TPM changes and upgrade stability. Proxmox LXC Docker Virtualization Containers https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-1-oci-containers-docker-reality https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-1-oci-containers-docker-reality Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox 9.1's new OCI container feature promises Docker-like functionality, but the reality is more nuanced. We dive into what actually works, what doesn't, and why this isn't the Docker replacement many hoped for. Proxmox Docker LXC Containers OCI https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/inside-cloudflare-worst-outage-2019 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/inside-cloudflare-worst-outage-2019 Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT A database permissions change triggered a chain reaction that caused Cloudflare's biggest outage in six years. Here's how a doubled feature file brought down a massive portion of global Internet traffic. Cloudflare Outage Internet Infrastructure Bot Management ClickHouse DNS https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-ve-9-1-release-whats-new https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-ve-9-1-release-whats-new Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox VE 9.1 brings meaningful improvements including OCI image support for LXC, virtual TPM in qcow2 format, smarter nested virtualization, enhanced SDN visibility, and kernel 6.17—but watch out for compatibility issues. Proxmox VE Release Kernel LXC TPM SDN Upgrade https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cost-effective-ceph-homelab-builds https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cost-effective-ceph-homelab-builds Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT From mini-PCs to pizza box servers, homelab enthusiasts share their real-world Ceph builds. Here's what actually works without breaking the bank. Ceph Home Lab Storage Distributed Storage Cost Optimization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/usb-vs-sata-pbs-storage-debate https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/usb-vs-sata-pbs-storage-debate Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT When downsizing forces you to virtualize PBS, choosing between USB and SATA storage becomes more than a technical decision—it's a philosophy about reliability, convenience, and what 'good enough' really means. Proxmox PBS Storage USB SATA Backup Virtualization Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/oracle-linux-vmware-enterprises-test-switch https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/oracle-linux-vmware-enterprises-test-switch Mon, 17 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT When a major enterprise tested Oracle Linux as a VMware replacement after Broadcom's 300% price increase, they discovered the truth isn't about features—it's about everything VMware built around them over two decades. VMware Oracle Linux OLVM Virtualization Broadcom Enterprise Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/redundant-dns-home-vpn-privacy-setup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/redundant-dns-home-vpn-privacy-setup Mon, 17 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT A deep dive into building a highly available, privacy-focused DNS infrastructure at home using Pi-hole, Unbound, Keepalived, and VPN routing—delivering enterprise-grade reliability in your home network. DNS Pi-hole Unbound VPN Home Lab Privacy https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubecost-vs-opencost-kubernetes-cost-monitoring https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubecost-vs-opencost-kubernetes-cost-monitoring Sun, 16 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Teams adopt Kubecost or OpenCost hoping for clarity on K8s spending. Instead, they often face timeouts, scaling issues, and workarounds that make cost monitoring more painful than the actual bill. Kubernetes Cost Monitoring Kubecost OpenCost FinOps https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vcf-takeover-vmware-pricing-market https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vcf-takeover-vmware-pricing-market Sun, 16 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT VMware VCF pricing shift explained: why costs jumped, which customers are most affected, and how teams are evaluating migration options. VMware VCF Broadcom Licensing Pricing Enterprise https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-enterprises-ban-docker-devs-workarounds https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/why-enterprises-ban-docker-devs-workarounds Sun, 16 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT While containers are mainstream, many large regulated organizations still ban Docker on developer machines. Here's why the restrictions exist and how dev teams work around them. Docker Containers Enterprise Security Podman https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/opsgenie-alternatives-devops-alerting-tools-2025 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/opsgenie-alternatives-devops-alerting-tools-2025 Sat, 15 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Opsgenie is losing ground as DevOps teams migrate to modern alerting platforms. Discover why engineers are tired of outdated workflows and which tools they're choosing instead—from Incident.io to Datadog On-Call. DevOps Monitoring Opsgenie Incident Management Alerting SRE https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-ai-integration-sysadmin-response https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-ai-integration-sysadmin-response Sat, 15 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT VMware AI launches with Intelligent Assist in vDefend, but sysadmins are skeptical. Discover why the community is cautious about AI in production environments and what VMware needs to do to win their trust. VMware AI vDefend Infrastructure Sysadmin Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ingress-nginx-retiring-kubernetes-favorites https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ingress-nginx-retiring-kubernetes-favorites Fri, 14 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Ingress-NGINX is retiring in March 2026, but the Kubernetes community isn't panicking. Operators have already shifted to alternatives like Traefik, Envoy Gateway, and Cilium—here's what's replacing the decade-old workhorse. Kubernetes Ingress Networking Gateway API Traefik Envoy Cilium Istio NGINX https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-licensing-harsh-reality-2026 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-licensing-harsh-reality-2026 Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT VMware licensing in 2026 explained: per-core pricing impact, budget math for small IT teams, and practical alternatives after Broadcom changes. VMware Licensing Broadcom vSphere Cost Management IT Budget Hypervisor https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/aws-backup-native-eks-support https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/aws-backup-native-eks-support Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT AWS Backup now natively supports Amazon EKS, eliminating the need for custom scripts and third-party tools. Here's why this changes everything for Kubernetes disaster recovery. AWS EKS Kubernetes Backup AWS Backup Disaster Recovery DevOps Cloud https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/docker-lxc-ticking-time-bomb-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/docker-lxc-ticking-time-bomb-proxmox Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Running Docker inside LXC containers on Proxmox seems efficient, but is it safe? Community insights reveal the real risks and rewards of containers-in-containers. Docker LXC Proxmox Containers Virtualization Security https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/hycu-veeam-cohesity-catalogic-nutanix-backup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/hycu-veeam-cohesity-catalogic-nutanix-backup Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT HYCU vs Veeam vs Cohesity vs Catalogic for Nutanix backup: real operator feedback on restore speed, complexity, and total cost for smaller teams. Nutanix Backup HYCU Veeam Cohesity Catalogic Disaster Recovery AHV https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-cluster-crash-bad-api-call https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-cluster-crash-bad-api-call Sun, 09 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT A single malformed curl request crashed every monitor in a Ceph cluster, freezing VMs and bringing down an entire homelab. Here's how one admin rebuilt from scratch — and what we can all learn about API validation in distributed systems. Ceph Storage API Disaster Recovery Proxmox Debugging https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cloud-first-regret-later-it-pros-migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cloud-first-regret-later-it-pros-migration Sun, 09 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Behind the glossy cloud promises lies a harder truth: IT professionals share their real experiences with cloud migrations, unexpected costs, and why 'cloud first' doesn't always mean 'cloud best.' Cloud Migration AWS Azure Cost Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/goodbye-vmware-kubernetes-kubevirt-virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/goodbye-vmware-kubernetes-kubevirt-virtualization Sat, 08 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT After Broadcom's aggressive licensing changes, enterprises are saying goodbye to VMware and embracing Kubernetes with KubeVirt—a migration story about freedom, control, and the future of virtualization. VMware Kubernetes KubeVirt Broadcom Virtualization Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/no-budget-enterprise-drives-proxmox-ssd-wearout https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/no-budget-enterprise-drives-proxmox-ssd-wearout Sat, 08 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox SSD wearout guide: reduce write amplification, tune ZFS, and extend consumer drive life when enterprise SSDs are out of budget. Proxmox SSD Storage ZFS Hardware Performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-virtual-infrastructure-becomes-hostage-vvf-vcf-saga https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-virtual-infrastructure-becomes-hostage-vvf-vcf-saga Fri, 07 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT The transition from vSphere Foundation to VMware Cloud Foundation isn't just a technical change—it's a fundamental shift in who VMware serves. Small to mid-sized organizations are being priced out of an ecosystem they helped build. VMware VCF VVF Broadcom Virtualization vSphere https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/fork-it-till-you-make-it-kubernetes-backup-drama https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/fork-it-till-you-make-it-kubernetes-backup-drama Thu, 06 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT When Broadcom acquired Velero, the Kubernetes community didn't panic—they prepared to fork. Here's why open-source backup tools are becoming trust exercises, and what engineers are doing about it. Kubernetes Velero Backup Broadcom Open Source CNCF https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-dc-migration-saga-active-directory-mess https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-dc-migration-saga-active-directory-mess Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT When a company migrated their domain controllers from VMware to Proxmox, the NIC vanished and chaos ensued. Here's how the community debugged the restore nightmare and why you should never restore a DC. Proxmox Active Directory Migration VMware Domain Controller Networking https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/six-grand-twelve-drives-one-dream-200tb-server-portfolio https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/six-grand-twelve-drives-one-dream-200tb-server-portfolio Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT One engineer built a 200TB Proxmox and TrueNAS system from scratch—not for work, but as proof of skill. This is the story of how a homelab became a living resume. Homelab TrueNAS Proxmox ZFS Storage Career Self-hosting https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/claude-copilot-chaos-ai-hollowing-tech-teams https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/claude-copilot-chaos-ai-hollowing-tech-teams Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT A trial AI integration meant to boost productivity quietly became a cost-cutting weapon, gutting hiring pipelines and leaving junior engineers staring into an uncertain future. AI Claude Copilot DevOps Career Management Automation https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/layoffs-lies-ai-excuse-ibm-holiday-gift-workers https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/layoffs-lies-ai-excuse-ibm-holiday-gift-workers Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT A critical look at IBM layoffs, AI transformation messaging, and how cost pressure is affecting technology teams. IBM Layoffs AI Corporate Economy Jobs https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/podman-vs-docker-better-paper-losing-practice https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/podman-vs-docker-better-paper-losing-practice Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Podman is objectively better in many ways—rootless, daemonless, secure. So why does Docker still dominate? Turns out, being better on paper isn't enough when the real world runs on docs, support, and stability. Podman Docker Containers DevOps Rootless Compose https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/tailscale-was-down-again https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/tailscale-was-down-again Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT When Tailscale's admin console went dark, it triggered more than frustration—it sparked a wave of interest in self-hosted alternatives like Headscale and raised questions about trusting cloud-based VPN infrastructure. Tailscale VPN Self-hosting Headscale Outage Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-ha-minimum-viable-cluster-smbs https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-ha-minimum-viable-cluster-smbs Sun, 02 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Exploring the smallest Proxmox cluster setup that makes sense for high availability with Ceph—from 2-node setups with QDevices to the community's recommended 3-5 node configurations. Ceph Proxmox High Availability SMB Storage Clustering https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-ssd-vanishing-reboot-issues https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-ssd-vanishing-reboot-issues Sun, 02 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT A deep dive into troubleshooting disappearing NVMe SSDs in Proxmox servers, from PCIe quirks to power delivery issues, with real solutions from the community. Proxmox Hardware Troubleshooting NVMe SSD https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/rdp-linux-beginners-debian-ubuntu https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/rdp-linux-beginners-debian-ubuntu Sun, 02 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT Discover how beginners are successfully switching from Windows to Linux in their home labs by setting up RDP access on Debian, Ubuntu, and other distros—making remote desktop as smooth as Windows without the resource drain. Linux RDP Proxmox Debian Ubuntu Remote Access https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/helper-scripts-hidden-risks-proxmox-community https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/helper-scripts-hidden-risks-proxmox-community Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT The Proxmox community is divided: are helper scripts the ultimate efficiency tool or a security risk waiting to happen? We explore both sides of the automation debate. Proxmox Security Automation Homelab Community https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/legacy-cpu-performance-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/legacy-cpu-performance-proxmox Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Can a 14-year-old dual Xeon system still run Windows 11? The homelab community shows how Proxmox turns aging hardware into a learning playground—even when performance isn't the primary goal. Proxmox Hardware Virtualization Homelab Performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/mariadb-operator-25-10-stateful-kubernetes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/mariadb-operator-25-10-stateful-kubernetes Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT MariaDB Operator 25.10 brings production-ready async replication, automated failover, and snapshot-based replica recovery to Kubernetes—making stateful workloads finally feel like first-class citizens. Kubernetes MariaDB Database Operators Stateful Workloads https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/p2v-ahv-without-move-2025 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/p2v-ahv-without-move-2025 Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Nutanix Move doesn't handle physical-to-virtual conversions for AHV. Here's the community-tested playbook IT pros are using in 2025 to migrate physical servers to AHV—VirtIO drivers, Veeam, and a little improvisation. Nutanix AHV P2V Virtualization Migration VirtIO Veeam https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/unraid-7-2-0-game-changer https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/unraid-7-2-0-game-changer Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Unraid 7.2.0 brings a responsive mobile UI, ZFS RAIDZ expansion, and a built-in API. Here's why the community is calling this update a game-changer. Unraid Storage NAS ZFS Docker https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-killed-vsphere-standard-smbs-doing-instead https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-killed-vsphere-standard-smbs-doing-instead Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Broadcom discontinued vSphere Standard, leaving SMBs scrambling. Real IT pros share their migration stories and why Proxmox and Hyper-V are winning the day. VMware Broadcom Proxmox Hyper-V Migration SMB https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-live-container-migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-live-container-migration Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Kubernetes has mastered orchestration, but still lacks native live container migration. Explore why this feature is missing, how CAST AI is changing the game with CRIU, and why it's time for K8s to catch up. Kubernetes Containers Migration DevOps Cloud Native CRIU Stateful Workloads https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/pbs-same-host-backup-performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/pbs-same-host-backup-performance Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT High-end hardware but slow backups? Learn why running Proxmox Backup Server in a VM on the same host creates bottlenecks—and what you can do about it. Proxmox PBS Backup Performance Storage Virtualization https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-support-worth-it-real-users https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-support-worth-it-real-users Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Deep dive into real experiences with Proxmox official support—from engineers managing massive clusters to MSPs weighing the value. Find out if paid support is worth it for your deployment. Proxmox Support Enterprise MSP https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/windows-vms-crawling-proxmox-cpu-fix https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/windows-vms-crawling-proxmox-cpu-fix Mon, 27 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Slow Windows VMs in Proxmox? The CPU type setting might be killing your performance. Learn why 'Host' isn't always best and how switching to emulated models can deliver 15x speed improvements. Proxmox Windows Virtualization Performance Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ephemeral-kubernetes-namespaces-dev-environments https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ephemeral-kubernetes-namespaces-dev-environments Sun, 26 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Exploring the benefits and challenges of using ephemeral Kubernetes namespaces for development environments, from automated cleanup to state management complexities. Kubernetes DevOps CI/CD Namespaces Cloud Native Testing https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/truenas-ubuntu-unraid-best-backup-server-os https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/truenas-ubuntu-unraid-best-backup-server-os Sun, 26 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT TrueNAS vs Ubuntu vs Unraid for offsite backups: compare cost, setup complexity, ransomware resilience, and long-term maintenance for homelab storage. Unraid TrueNAS Ubuntu Backup Homelab Storage ZFS https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/aws-govcloud-vs-commercial-cloud-breakdown https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/aws-govcloud-vs-commercial-cloud-breakdown Sat, 25 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT When us-east-1 went down, GovCloud stayed up. We explore why AWS's isolated government cloud survived the outage, and what it reveals about architecture, dependencies, and real resilience. AWS cloud GovCloud outage infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cloud-vs-couch-vps-better-self-hosting-2025 https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cloud-vs-couch-vps-better-self-hosting-2025 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT The self-hosting community is shifting from home servers to VPS. We explore why public cloud self-hosting is gaining ground, where home servers still win, and how hybrid setups offer the best of both worlds. self-hosting VPS cloud homelab proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-vs-hyperv-unexpected-nuances https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/vmware-vs-hyperv-unexpected-nuances Sat, 25 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Switching from VMware to Hyper-V isn't just about installing a new hypervisor—it's a complete mindset shift. Explore the real-world nuances of making the leap. VMware Hyper-V Virtualization Microsoft Migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/grafana-monitoring-tool-adoption-failure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/grafana-monitoring-tool-adoption-failure Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT How a DevOps team spent $40K on a new monitoring platform, only to keep using Grafana. 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Here's what Dell won't tell you about support, compatibility, and running Proxmox in production. proxmox dell enterprise vmware hardware https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-lvm-thin-storage-bloat-solutions https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-lvm-thin-storage-bloat-solutions Thu, 23 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Proxmox LVM-thin filling up? Learn practical fixes to reclaim space, prevent pool bloat, and stop backup or VM failures before they happen. Proxmox Storage LVM-Thin Homelab Performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-vcf-shakeup-calm-guide https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/broadcom-vcf-shakeup-calm-guide Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Broadcom's VMware Cloud Foundation licensing changes are here. Here's the clear, calm guide to understanding what changed, what it means for your infrastructure, and how to respond strategically. VMware Broadcom VCF Cloud Licensing Enterprise https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/everyone-googled-multi-region-failover https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/everyone-googled-multi-region-failover Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT When AWS US-East-1 went down, engineers worldwide frantically Googled multi-region failover. But the reality is much harder than the diagrams suggest—here's why building true resilience is expensive, complex, and often left underfunded. AWS Cloud Multi-Region Failover Infrastructure Outage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-port-8006-firewall-frustration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-port-8006-firewall-frustration Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT A deep dive into why blocking Proxmox's port 8006 is harder than it looks, exploring the layers of virtual firewalls, VLANs, and the architecture that makes management port control so tricky. Proxmox Firewall Security Networking Port Configuration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/aws-east-1-outage-biggest-liability https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/aws-east-1-outage-biggest-liability Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT When AWS US-EAST-1 went down due to DNS failure, it exposed the painful irony of cloud resilience. 82 services crashed, including Slack, DockerHub, and Ring. Here's why the cloud's most popular region became its biggest single point of failure. AWS Cloud Outage DNS US-EAST-1 Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/gitops-argocd-emergency-fixes https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/gitops-argocd-emergency-fixes Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT GitOps can be clean in theory but difficult under production pressure. A practical look at ArgoCD emergency-fix workflows and operational tradeoffs. GitOps ArgoCD Kubernetes DevOps SRE Production https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-cloud-breaks-aws-outage-took-down-half-internet https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/when-cloud-breaks-aws-outage-took-down-half-internet Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT At midnight Pacific Time on October 20th, the internet started acting weird. Amazon, Duolingo, Fortnite, and Slack all went dark. The culprit? Another AWS US-EAST-1 outage that exposed how centralized—and fragile—the modern internet really is. AWS Cloud Outage Internet US-EAST-1 Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-vs-zfs-storage-wars-proxmox-community https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-vs-zfs-storage-wars-proxmox-community Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Ceph vs ZFS in Proxmox homelabs: a practical comparison of complexity, failure handling, and performance for real-world self-hosted clusters. Proxmox Storage Ceph ZFS Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-vs-zfs-vs-nas-proxmox-ha-storage https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/ceph-vs-zfs-vs-nas-proxmox-ha-storage Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Ceph vs ZFS vs NAS for Proxmox HA: tradeoffs, failure patterns, and architecture choices that improve reliability without overengineering. Proxmox Storage Ceph ZFS High Availability https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-ups-support-missing https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-9-ups-support-missing Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT If you've upgraded to Proxmox 9 and can't find UPS configuration in the WebGUI, you're not alone. Here's what happened to UPS support and how the community is handling it. Proxmox UPS NUT Power Management Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-iscsi-storage-vmware-migration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/proxmox-iscsi-storage-vmware-migration Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Migrating from VMware to Proxmox? If your Proxmox iSCSI storage performance is a nightmare, you're not alone. Here's what's wrong—and what to fix. Proxmox iSCSI Storage VMware Performance https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/tailmox-1-2-0-proxmox-tailscale https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/tailmox-1-2-0-proxmox-tailscale Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Tailmox 1.2.0 uses Tailscale to connect Proxmox hosts across any distance, bypassing VPN headaches and NAT traversal. Here's why it matters for distributed homelabs. Proxmox Tailscale Networking WireGuard Clustering https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/editing-prod-sre-breakglass https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/editing-prod-sre-breakglass Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT GitOps promises pristine, repeatable deployments — until it's 2AM and your cluster is on fire. Here's why kubectl edit in prod isn't always a sin. SRE GitOps Kubernetes ArgoCD Incident Response https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/enterprise-bloat-oss-cost-cutting https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/enterprise-bloat-oss-cost-cutting Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT A team saved $100,000 by swapping an overpriced enterprise API gateway for Kong OSS. Here's why more teams should ask: do we actually still need this? Kubernetes Open Source Cost Optimization DevOps Infrastructure https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/open-source-free-until-not-cncf https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/open-source-free-until-not-cncf Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT The internet runs on open source tools maintained by volunteers who might burn out or walk away at any time. What happens when 'free' stops being free? Open Source CNCF Kubernetes Infrastructure Cloud Native https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/blue-green-live-cluster-upgrades https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/blue-green-live-cluster-upgrades Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT Blue-green deployments are the gold standard — but in the real world, plenty of teams are upgrading clusters in-place and living to tell the tale. Here's what the trenches actually look like. Kubernetes DevOps Cluster Management EKS AKS https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-vs-checkmk-prometheus-lightweight-monitoring https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zabbix-vs-checkmk-prometheus-lightweight-monitoring Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT Zabbix vs Checkmk vs Prometheus, tested for lightweight monitoring: setup effort, auto-discovery, and which tool actually fits a small team's stack. Monitoring Zabbix Prometheus CheckMK DevOps https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-docs-good-or-least-terrible https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-docs-good-or-least-terrible Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT In a world of cryptic PDFs and half-baked API references, Kubernetes documentation might just be... good? Or maybe it's just less bad than the rest. Kubernetes Documentation DevOps Developer Experience https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/maintainers-martyrs-myths-kubernetes-labor https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/maintainers-martyrs-myths-kubernetes-labor Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT Kubernetes powers the modern internet, but peek under the hood and you'll find unpaid volunteers, burnout, and a labor model running on fumes. Time to rethink the deal. Open Source Kubernetes CNCF Maintainers Community https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cue-kyaml-battle-fix-yaml https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/cue-kyaml-battle-fix-yaml Sat, 15 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT YAML is everywhere in Kubernetes land, but engineers are over it. Enter CUE, Kyaml, Jsonnet, and a wave of tools trying to fix configuration without throwing it all out. YAML CUE Kubernetes DevOps Configuration https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/getting-started-proxmox https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/getting-started-proxmox Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT A comprehensive guide to installing and configuring Proxmox Virtual Environment for your homelab. Proxmox Tutorial Homelab https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-homelab-setup https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/kubernetes-homelab-setup Wed, 10 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT Learn how to deploy a production-grade K3s cluster on Proxmox with high availability. Kubernetes K3s Tutorial https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zfs-configuration-guide https://www.mrplanb.com/blog/zfs-configuration-guide Fri, 05 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT Master ZFS pool creation, tuning, and best practices for data integrity and speed. Storage ZFS Performance