I've been using calendar.google.com since I accepted that at least one company will know more about me than I do myself. I've got other apps pulling the schedule in as well.

@mlnews Only took them 6 months to get around to it. Did they even send a unit to one of the DD-WRT devs? Doesn't seem like it anyway.

Stallard Technologies (www.stikc.com) has PowerEdge 1950G2 in stock. They aren't something I'd want to keep turned on all the time, but they do include the basic DRAC. 32GB RAM and 2 E5345 CPU runs ~$200. I'd imagine one of those would be enough to start.

@christophergault said:

@scottalanmiller Damn, I still have allot to learn about all this...

You're asking the questions to learn tho. We all had to start somewhere, hopefully you can learn from our mistakes!

@johnhooks said:

I thought SSD's would eliminate the need for RAID. But I'm still on the fence about this.

Wow, missed that the first time through. Where did THAT idea come from?

@johnhooks said:

So we're supposed to take "tech tips" from someone who runs a server with 3 RAID 5's striped together in Windows with no backups? And apparently that server not only stores everything, but does their video encoding......

Running a business off a home built server with consumer class SSD drives. Consumer class drives and no backups are the problems here. So sad from someone who really should know better.

@BRRABill said:

Interesting tidbit you may or may not know. (I am sure you do.)

While the H310 DOES support single drives non-RAID), the H710 does NOT. You can use a single drive by creating a single member RAID0 array.

Not that you wouldn't always use RAID in a server. Just thought that was interesting.

Good to know with my predilection for software raid, in that specific usage case an H310 will be just fine should I need another HBA.

@JaredBusch said:

@quicky2g said:

This thing is looking pretty slick:

http://www.auramedia.tv/

I don't want to pay $150 for a tv tuner and DVR.

I don't need all the other features. I just need a tuner and DVR. I already have ways to stream all the things.

A usb dongle and a laptop set to never hibernate/shutdown. Your choice of software to make it work, lots of options available.

@coliver said:

@travisdh1 said:

@coliver said:

Played a few training missions in Elite Dangerous last night... wow is that hard to play with a controller. It was either that or the ship I was using was very slow, training mission so understandable. It feels awesome and the game looks amazing even on my slightly outdated gaming PC. I can see where playing this with a Rift or other VR would be phenomenal.

I'm really not a fan of the training missions, and most of the missions you find on the in-game mission board aren't worth doing. The Sidewinder you start out in is the most maneuverable ship in the game, and worst in every other aspect.

I'm travisdh1 in-game if you want to friend me, I'll try to give you a hand starting out. Only worked my way up to a Viper so far, which is just plain mean. It's only got 2 guns, but they're both Large hardpoints. Damage has a bit of a different model than many other games I've played. If you're attacking a larger vessel with small/medium weapons, the weapons don't do as much damage. So the Viper is the small ship with big guns that take down the bigger ships quickly, which means making much better bounties while hunting criminals (my favored way to make money.)

I'll add you in game. I'm playing the training missions to get a hang of the controller, it is going to take a long time before I actually pilot proficiently with it unfortunately.

Oh, I forgot the biggest starting detail of all! Those training missions give you fixed weapons. You rarely hit anything with those initially. Get in game and do a cargo run so you can pickup a gimbaled weapon or two! You'll actually hit things when you shoot at them (unless you're a LOT more patient with getting used to the controls than I was.)

@Kelly said:

Looks like SlingTV would only get me part of the way there since it doesn't carry the major networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX). Hmm

Just break down and spend the money to put an aerial antenna, and a motor to turn it if you want to get really fancy. You should be able to pickup a good number of the local channels you'd otherwise miss that way. If you're close enough to the transmitters, you might be able to get away with an indoor model. You'll save tons of money in the long run.

@coliver said:

Played a few training missions in Elite Dangerous last night... wow is that hard to play with a controller. It was either that or the ship I was using was very slow, training mission so understandable. It feels awesome and the game looks amazing even on my slightly outdated gaming PC. I can see where playing this with a Rift or other VR would be phenomenal.

I'm really not a fan of the training missions, and most of the missions you find on the in-game mission board aren't worth doing. The Sidewinder you start out in is the most maneuverable ship in the game, and worst in every other aspect.

I'm travisdh1 in-game if you want to friend me, I'll try to give you a hand starting out. Only worked my way up to a Viper so far, which is just plain mean. It's only got 2 guns, but they're both Large hardpoints. Damage has a bit of a different model than many other games I've played. If you're attacking a larger vessel with small/medium weapons, the weapons don't do as much damage. So the Viper is the small ship with big guns that take down the bigger ships quickly, which means making much better bounties while hunting criminals (my favored way to make money.)

@JaredBusch said:

@coliver said:

@JaredBusch said:

@coliver said:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cayuga-salt-mine-elevator-malfunction-traps-17-miners-underground-lansing-n491851?cid=sm_fb

I have been in a salt mine in Kansas. These guys were simply stuck in an elevator. Thakfully not in a mine collapse.

Right, I've been to this mine before it is massive.

I have a client in a Hutchinson, KS and there is a salt mine there that I went to one time with the family while doing some server work.

underkansas.org

Doesn't sound quite as much fun as that secret government underground facility in Randolph, KS that the locals ended up putting I435 by the front door. You can literally see inside when the doors are open going by on the highway now. I think they've got a number of different companies running the place now, storage and a data center of some sort.

@BRRABill said:

@travisdh1 said:

I haven't heard of anyone actually trying this, but Dell just uses re-branded LSI controllers. Don't know how much firmware customization they've done, but I'd bet the drives could be moved between Dell and LSI controller cards.

Yes this surely would go into the "don't try at home" category, I think.

For sure.

@BRRABill said:

Worked with no issues. Not even a beep.

Now, I assuming if I had gone with a non-DELL controller, there would have been issues? Or can all cards read the same info on the disk? Is it a standard?

I haven't heard of anyone actually trying this, but Dell just uses re-branded LSI controllers. Don't know how much firmware customization they've done, but I'd bet the drives could be moved between Dell and LSI controller cards.

@scottalanmiller said:

I think at this point when we hit the datacenter we are looking at a baker's dozen lab servers. 6x Scale, 3x Dells, 3x HP Proliants and one Sparc that we have not bought yet but I am determined to get. Then at least four storage systems on top of that (Synology, ReadyNAS, Drobo and, we are told, an Exablox.)

Still considering making your test lab available outside NTG?

@scottalanmiller said:

@coliver said:

@scottalanmiller said:

@travisdh1 said:

Tom's Harware has a list made for SAM.

I agree. Looks like a Radion R7 360 is currently the sweet spot.

Want GTX to interface with Steam.

What does this mean? Are we talking about the driver integration that Steam does? Or is there something more?

Steam has several features that use the NVidia streaming technology that is only included in GTX model GPUs. You can use Steam without it, but not all Steam features like the Steam Link.

AMD has a separate recording app now. It might do streaming, haven't looked for that. It works with all games tho, not just Steam ones.

@scottalanmiller said:

@travisdh1 said:

Tom's Harware has a list made for SAM.

I agree. Looks like a Radion R7 360 is currently the sweet spot.

Want GTX to interface with Steam.

I always forget about that. Wish they'd enable the same features through AMD. I'm all AMD at the moment.

Tom's Harware has a list made for SAM.

I agree. Looks like a Radion R7 360 is currently the sweet spot.

@scottalanmiller said:

@Minion-Queen said:

Have a good day people....

have fun storming the castle.

Do you think they'll make it?

@coliver said:

@travisdh1 said:

@DustinB3403 said:

I playing a game in my head right now "Why the F is my coffee cup empty... how to auto refill...."

You need the ****ingcoffee.sh mentioned over at jitbit

@DustinB3403 said:

@coliver said:

I downloaded Vermintide and Elite Dangerous last night. I setup my gaming PC in my living room again but still stuck with a Steam Controller, which is actually pretty great.

Nice.

I did end up grabbing Elite Dangerous: Horizons this week. My advice is to enjoy ED and skip Horizons for the time being. Lots of little details need fleshed out yet with Horizons. The best ways to make money are still fighting in a High-Intensity Resource Extraction site and rare commodity trading. Fighting in resource extraction sites is actually safer for me than rares trading (not hauling illegal goods around all the time.)

My brother has started to play it a bit so hoping we can do some flying together. I've been reading that a flight stick is basically required have you had the same experience?

I already had a nice flight stick, so haven't tried the mouse/keyboard thing. It should work if you've got some sort of game controller tho (XBox or Playstation type thing.) I can do everything I need but open menus via the flight-stick. I'm a solo-mode weenie, and not afraid to say it.