Hardware on Backend Engineering Strategy Tools

Optics — Can We Print a Lens?

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The question: can a 3D printed part function as a lens? Not a perfect optical instrument — but something that focuses or diffuses light usefully.

A Fresnel lens is the natural starting point. Instead of a thick curved lens, a Fresnel collapses the profile into a flat plate with concentric stepped rings — each ring approximating the angle of the equivalent curved surface. Much thinner, printable in flat layers.

Step 1 — Print and test

Two approaches to try:

FDM — clear PLA Printed on the Kobra X. Surface finish from FDM is rough at the layer scale — likely too much scatter for a clean focus, but worth seeing what you actually get.

Resin — clear resins Better surface resolution and the material can be optically transparent after curing and polishing. More promising. Several clear resins ordered for this:

ABS-Like 2.0 Clear — structural, less brittle
Standard Clear — higher detail
High Clear / Transparent resin

See 3D Printing for the full resin inventory.

Not started. Print attempts and results to follow.

IPMI

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) is a hardware-level management standard built into most server-class hardware. It runs on a dedicated processor on the motherboard — the BMC (Baseboard Management Controller) — independently of the host OS. The BMC has its own NIC, its own firmware, and its own IP address. You can power a server on or off, read sensor data, and access a serial console even if the host is completely dead.

Current version is IPMI 2.0, which added encryption and stronger authentication over 1.5.

BMC implementations by vendor

IPMI is the standard; each vendor ships their own BMC firmware on top of it:

Vendor	BMC / OOB product	Notes
Dell	iDRAC (Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller)	iDRAC 6/7/8/9; newer versions add Redfish
HP / HPE	iLO (Integrated Lights-Out)	iLO 2/3/4/5; iLO 4+ adds Redfish
Sun / Oracle	ILOM (Integrated Lights-Out Manager)	Sun Fire series (X4150, X4450, etc.)
Supermicro	IPMI / BMC	Web UI + IPMI; newer boards also Redfish
Lenovo / IBM	XClarity / IMM	IMM2 on older systems
HP BladeSystem	Onboard Administrator (OA)	Enclosure-level management (C7000, C3000) — separate from individual blade iLO

Most also expose a web UI and some form of virtual KVM (keyboard/video/mouse over network) in addition to IPMI over LAN.

Network setup

The BMC NIC is usually shared with a host NIC (shared/failover mode) or dedicated (preferred for management). Configure via BIOS/UEFI or the vendor’s setup utility before the OS boots.

Assign a static IP — a BMC on DHCP is workable but inconvenient. Keep BMCs on a dedicated management VLAN if possible; they have historically had security issues and shouldn’t be exposed to general traffic.

ipmitool

The standard CLI for IPMI over LAN. Available in most Linux package repos.

# Power control
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc-ip> -U <user> -P <pass> power status
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc-ip> -U <user> -P <pass> power on
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc-ip> -U <user> -P <pass> power off
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc-ip> -U <user> -P <pass> power cycle
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc-ip> -U <user> -P <pass> power reset

# Sensor readings (temperatures, voltages, fan speeds)
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc-ip> -U <user> -P <pass> sensor list

# System Event Log
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc-ip> -U <user> -P <pass> sel list
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc-ip> -U <user> -P <pass> sel clear

# Serial over LAN (SoL) — console access without KVM
ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc-ip> -U <user> -P <pass> sol activate
# Exit SoL: ~.

Use -I lanplus (IPMI 2.0 with encryption) rather than -I lan (IPMI 1.5, unencrypted) where supported.

Serial over LAN (SoL)

SoL forwards the server’s serial port over the IPMI connection — giving you a text console to the host without a KVM or physical access. Requires the host OS to have serial console enabled:

# Add to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX in /etc/default/grub
console=tty0 console=ttyS1,115200n8

# Enable serial getty
systemctl enable serial-getty@ttyS1.service

Baud rate must match what’s configured in the BIOS/BMC (typically 115200).

Security

IPMI has a poor security history:

IPMI 1.5 sends credentials in cleartext
IPMI 2.0 has had multiple authentication bypass vulnerabilities (RAKP, cipher 0)
The BMC itself runs independent firmware that may have unpatched CVEs
Default credentials (admin/admin, ADMIN/ADMIN) are common and widely known

Minimum steps:

Change default credentials immediately
Use IPMI 2.0 (lanplus) only
Disable cipher suite 0: ipmitool -I lanplus ... lan set 1 cipher_privs XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Isolate BMC network from internet and untrusted hosts — management VLAN with no external exposure
Keep BMC firmware updated

Redfish — the modern REST API replacement for IPMI
Out-of-band management overview
Hardware provisioning — PXE boot and bare-metal provisioning

Out-of-Band Management

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Out-of-band (OOB) management means controlling a server independently of its operating system — via a dedicated processor on the motherboard called the BMC (Baseboard Management Controller). The BMC has its own NIC, its own firmware, and its own IP. You can power a server on, read temperatures, and access a console whether or not the host OS is running, hung, or even installed.

Used for: bare-metal provisioning, remote recovery, hardware monitoring, firmware updates, automated power management.

Standards

Two main protocols, one old and one new:

	IPMI	Redfish
Protocol	Binary, UDP 623	HTTPS / JSON (REST)
Era	1998–	2015–
Scripting	ipmitool	curl, Python, any HTTP client
Security	Weak (known CVEs)	TLS + token auth
Availability	Universal	Modern hardware (roughly post-2015)

IPMI — the established standard; ipmitool, SoL, sensor readings, security considerations
Redfish — the modern replacement; REST API, curl and Python examples, firmware updates

Vendor implementations

Most vendors ship their own BMC firmware on top of these standards:

Vendor	Product	Supports
Dell	iDRAC	IPMI + Redfish (iDRAC 8+)
HP / HPE	iLO	IPMI + Redfish (iLO 4+)
Sun / Oracle	ILOM	IPMI 2.0, web UI
Supermicro	BMC	IPMI + Redfish (X11+)
Lenovo	XClarity / IMM	IPMI + Redfish
HP BladeSystem	Onboard Administrator	Enclosure-level; individual blades use iLO

Hardware provisioning — PXE boot, bare-metal provisioning tools

Redfish

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Redfish is a DMTF standard that defines a RESTful API for out-of-band server management. It replaces IPMI’s aging binary protocol with JSON over HTTPS — same capabilities (power control, sensors, firmware, console), but with a proper API, role-based access control, and standard authentication. Supported by all major server vendors on current-generation hardware.

Why Redfish over IPMI

	IPMI	Redfish
Protocol	Binary, UDP 623	HTTPS (REST/JSON)
Auth	RAKP (has CVEs)	HTTP Basic / Session tokens
Encryption	Optional (IPMI 2.0)	Always (TLS)
Discoverability	No	Yes (hypermedia)
Scripting	ipmitool flags	curl, Python, any HTTP client
Extensibility	Vendor OEM extensions	Structured OEM namespaces
Maturity	Established, aging	Modern, actively developed

Redfish is not universally available — older hardware (pre-2015 roughly) has IPMI only. Both coexist on many current systems; IPMI is still useful for compatibility. See IPMI.

Vendor implementations

Vendor	BMC	Redfish support
Dell	iDRAC 8+	Full, v1.0+
HPE	iLO 4+	Full (iLO 5 most complete)
Supermicro	BMC (X11+)	Full
Lenovo	XClarity	Full
Intel	BMC on server boards	Partial
OpenBMC	Open-source BMC firmware	Full (used by Facebook, Google infra)
AMI MegaRAC	OEM BMC firmware	Full

API structure

Redfish uses a consistent URL hierarchy rooted at /redfish/v1/. Navigation is hypermedia-driven — the root returns links to subsystems, and you follow them.

/redfish/v1/
├── Systems/ ← compute systems (servers)
│ └── 1/
│ ├── Processors/
│ ├── Memory/
│ ├── Storage/
│ └── Actions/ComputerSystem.Reset
├── Chassis/ ← physical chassis, power, thermal
│ └── 1/
│ ├── Power/ ← PSU status, power consumption
│ └── Thermal/ ← temperatures, fan speeds
├── Managers/ ← the BMC itself
│ └── 1/
│ └── NetworkInterfaces/
└── UpdateService/ ← firmware updates

Usage with curl

BMC="https://192.168.1.10"
USER="admin"
PASS="password"

# Get system overview
curl -sk -u "$USER:$PASS" "$BMC/redfish/v1/Systems/1" | jq .

# Power state
curl -sk -u "$USER:$PASS" "$BMC/redfish/v1/Systems/1" | jq .PowerState

# Power on
curl -sk -u "$USER:$PASS" -X POST \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
 -d '{"ResetType":"On"}' \
 "$BMC/redfish/v1/Systems/1/Actions/ComputerSystem.Reset"

# Power off (graceful)
curl -sk -u "$USER:$PASS" -X POST \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
 -d '{"ResetType":"GracefulShutdown"}' \
 "$BMC/redfish/v1/Systems/1/Actions/ComputerSystem.Reset"

# Force off
curl -sk -u "$USER:$PASS" -X POST \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
 -d '{"ResetType":"ForceOff"}' \
 "$BMC/redfish/v1/Systems/1/Actions/ComputerSystem.Reset"

# Thermal — CPU temps, fan speeds
curl -sk -u "$USER:$PASS" "$BMC/redfish/v1/Chassis/1/Thermal" | jq '.Temperatures[] | {Name, ReadingCelsius}'

Reset types vary by vendor — check AllowableValues in the action schema:

curl -sk -u "$USER:$PASS" \
 "$BMC/redfish/v1/Systems/1" | jq '.Actions["#ComputerSystem.Reset"]["ResetType@Redfish.AllowableValues"]'

Python — sushy

sushy is the reference Python library for Redfish, used by OpenStack Ironic:

import sushy

client = sushy.Sushy("https://192.168.1.10", username="admin", password="password", verify=False)

system = client.get_system("/redfish/v1/Systems/1")
print(system.power_state) # On / Off
system.reset_system(sushy.RESET_ON)
system.reset_system(sushy.RESET_FORCE_OFF)

Session-based auth

For scripts making many requests, create a session to avoid re-authenticating on every call:

# Create session
SESSION=$(curl -sk -X POST \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
 -d '{"UserName":"admin","Password":"password"}' \
 "https://192.168.1.10/redfish/v1/SessionService/Sessions" \
 -D -)

TOKEN=$(echo "$SESSION" | grep -i X-Auth-Token | awk '{print $2}' | tr -d '\r')

# Use token
curl -sk -H "X-Auth-Token: $TOKEN" \
 "https://192.168.1.10/redfish/v1/Systems/1" | jq .PowerState

Firmware updates

Redfish standardises firmware update via UpdateService:

# Check current firmware
curl -sk -u "$USER:$PASS" "$BMC/redfish/v1/UpdateService/FirmwareInventory" | jq .

# Push update (multipart, vendor-specific details vary)
curl -sk -u "$USER:$PASS" -X POST \
 -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
 --data-binary @firmware.bin \
 "$BMC/redfish/v1/UpdateService/update"

Vendor tooling (Dell racadm, HPE iLOrest) is often more reliable than raw curl for firmware updates.

IPMI — older binary protocol, still needed for pre-Redfish hardware
Out-of-band management overview
Hardware provisioning — PXE boot and bare-metal provisioning

Blade Inventory

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Blade Configurations (ASGARD — HP C7000)

All blades are HP BL460c Gen8. Manufacturer and model omitted from table — see systems inventory for roster.

Asset ID	Slot	CPU	RAM	Disk	LOM	SAS Ctrl	Mezz 1 (bays 3/4)	Mezz 2 (bays 5/6)
BLD-001	1	2× (?)	4GB — 1× RAM-008	2× HDD-011 (146GB, 15K)	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-002	2	2× (?)	14GB — 7× RAM-009/010 mixed	—	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-003	3	2× (?)	32GB — 8× RAM-008	2× HDD-012 (300GB, 10K)	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-004	4	2× (?)	8GB — 2× RAM-008	—	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-005	5	2× (?)	8GB — 2× RAM-008	1× HDD-011 + 1× HDD-012	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-006	6	2× (?)	8GB — 2× RAM-008	2× HDD-012 (300GB, 10K)	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-007	7	2× (?)	8GB — 2× RAM-008	1× HDD-013 + 1× HDD-014 (900GB each)	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-008	8	2× (?)	16GB — 2× RAM-007	2× HDD-012 (300GB, 10K)	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-009	9	2× (?)	8GB — 2× RAM-008	—	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-010	10	2× (?)	8GB — 2× RAM-008	2× HDD-012 (300GB, 10K)	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-011	11	2× (?)	8GB — 4× RAM-009	2× HDD-012 (300GB, 10K)	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-012	12	2× (?)	8GB — 4× RAM-009	2× HDD-012 (300GB, 10K)	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-013	13	2× (?)	32GB — 4× RAM-006	—	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-014	14	2× (?)	8GB — 2× RAM-008	—	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-015	15	2× (?)	8GB — 2× RAM-008	2× HDD-012 (300GB, 10K)	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—
BLD-016	16	2× (?)	8GB — 2× RAM-008	—	NIC-004	separate card, no P/N	—	—

Blade Enclosure Modules (ASGARD — HP C7000)

Bay Type	Module	Part No	Qty	Status	Notes
Interconnect	HP 1:10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch	438476-001	2	Installed	Bays 1-2; Int: ports 1-16 blade downlinks; Ext: 1× CX4 10GbE, 2× XFP 10GbE, 4× RJ45 1GbE
Interconnect	—	—	—	Empty	Bays 3-4: mezzanine slot 1 fabric — Ethernet, FC, SAS, or IB
Interconnect	—	—	—	Empty	Bays 5-6: mezzanine slot 2 fabric — Ethernet, FC, SAS, or IB
Interconnect	—	—	—	Empty	Bays 7-8: mezzanine slot 2 fabric (double-wide IB uses bays 5+7)
OA	HP Onboard Administrator	4K09B5 / P/N 407296-001	2	Installed	Redundant pair; with VGA
OA	HP Onboard Administrator	4K08A6 / P/N 459526-001	1	Spare	No VGA; different revision
Power Supply	HP BladeSystem c7000 PSU	?	6	Installed	Full (6/6)
Fan	HP BladeSystem c7000 Fan	?	10	Installed	Full (10/10)

System Overviews

HP BladeSystem C7000 — QuickSpecs

10U · up to 16 half-height blades · shared power/cooling/networking via backplane · Onboard Administrator

The C7000 is a substantial 10U blade enclosure designed to host up to 16 server blades, along with storage blades and integrated networking/management modules. It provides a consolidated infrastructure for power, cooling, and network connectivity, significantly simplifying cable management and enabling high-density computing environments. These systems were foundational for many enterprise virtualization platforms.

HP BL460c Gen8 — QuickSpecs

Half-height blade · 2× LGA2011 (E5-2600 v1/v2) · up to 192GB DDR3 ECC Reg · 2× SFF SAS bays · FlexibleLOM + 2 mezzanine slots

The BL460c Gen8 is a half-height server blade for the c-Class BladeSystem enclosure. Each blade supports two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v1 or v2 series processors and up to 24 DDR3 ECC Registered DIMMs across 24 slots. Local storage is limited to two 2.5" SFF SAS/SATA bays managed by an embedded Smart Array P220i controller. Networking is handled through the FlexibleLOM slot (populated with the HP FlexFabric 554FLB in ASGARD), which connects to the enclosure’s interconnect bays via the backplane. Two additional mezzanine slots allow expansion with Fibre Channel, SAS, or InfiniBand HBAs.

ASGARD Interconnect Bay Architecture — c7000 Interconnect Components · Wikipedia

8 interconnect bays (4 pairs) · each pair ties to a specific fabric/mezzanine slot on all blades

The c7000 rear has 8 single-wide interconnect bays arranged as 4 matched pairs. Both bays in a pair must carry the same module type — they connect to the same blade mezzanine slot and form a redundant fabric. Up to 4 simultaneous fabrics are supported.

Bay pair	Blade connection	Currently	Could hold
1 / 2	LOM (onboard NIC)	HP 1:10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch ×2	Ethernet switch or pass-thru
3 / 4	Mezzanine slot 1	Empty	Ethernet, Fibre Channel (4/8Gb FC switch), SAS switch, InfiniBand
5 / 6	Mezzanine slot 2	Empty	Same options as 3/4
7 / 8	Mezzanine slot 2	Empty	Same; or second half of a double-wide InfiniBand module (bays 5+7)

Note: to use FC, SAS, or InfiniBand bays the blades themselves also need matching mezzanine cards installed. BL460c Gen8 blades have 2 mezzanine slots available.

Common modules seen in homelab use (none currently owned):

Fibre Channel: HP 4Gb/8Gb BLc FC switch (e.g. AJ821A for 8Gb)
SAS: HP SAS BLc Switch — gives blades shared SAS fabric access to DAS like MIMIR
InfiniBand: HP DDR/QDR IB switch — requires matching IB mezzanine card in each blade

HP BladeSystem Onboard Administrator (OA) — User Guide

P/N 407296-001 (installed ×2, with VGA) · P/N 459526-001 (spare ×1, no VGA) · Fits OA bays (separate from interconnect bays)

The OA is the management brain of the c7000 enclosure. It provides a web GUI, SSH/CLI, and SNMP interface for managing all blades, power supplies, fans, and interconnect modules. Two OA modules run as a redundant active/standby pair — if the primary fails, the standby takes over without interruption.

External connectors (407296-001 / with VGA):

1× RJ-45 management Ethernet (dedicated OOB network)
1× USB (for local keyboard)
1× DB-9 serial console
1× VGA (local video output for console access)

459526-001 (spare, no VGA): earlier/different revision — same management functions, management Ethernet + USB + serial, but no VGA port for local console.

HP 1:10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch — User Guide · QuickSpecs

P/N 438476-001 (spare/FRU) / 438031-B21 (orderable) · c-Class BladeSystem interconnect module · 16 blade downlinks + 7 uplinks

Managed Gigabit/10GbE blade switch in a single interconnect bay. Each module connects to all 16 blade bays via the enclosure backplane. ASGARD has two installed (in adjacent bays 1 and 2), linked via the port 17 X-Connect.

Port map:

Port(s)	Connector	Speed	Role
1–16	Backplane	1GbE	Blade downlinks (1 per blade bay)
17	Internal	10GbE	X-Connect crosslink to adjacent bay switch
19	SFF-8470	10GbE	CX4 copper uplink (Ethernet — not SAS despite same connector)
20–21	XFP	10GbE	Fiber/DAC uplinks (XFP cages; older/larger than SFP+)
22–25	RJ-45	1GbE	Copper uplinks

Cables & Transceivers Inventory

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

SAS Cables

Component ID	Type	Connectors	Length	Qty	Notes
CBL-SAS-001	Internal Mini-SAS	SFF-8087 → SFF-8087	?	?
CBL-SAS-002	Int → Ext Mini-SAS	SFF-8087 → SFF-8088	?	?	Needed for internal cards (CTRL-002/003) to reach DAS
CBL-SAS-003	Ext SAS	SFF-8470 → SFF-8088	?	?	CTRL-006 → MIMIR

Ethernet Cables

Component ID	Type	Speed	Length	Qty	Notes
CBL-ETH-001	Cat5e/Cat6	1GbE	?	?

SFP / SFP+ Transceivers

Component ID	Type	Speed	Wavelength	Reach	Qty	Where used
SFP-001	SFP	1GbE	?	?	?	BIFROST-01/02 (28 cages each); MODI (4 cages)
SFP-002	XFP	10GbE	?	?	?	ASGARD switch ports 20-21 (2× XFP per module × 2)

Adapters

Component ID	Description	From	To	Qty	Notes
ADP-001	SFF-8470 → SFF-8088	SFF-8470	SFF-8088	?	Passive; alternative to CBL-SAS-003 if cabling via adapter

Controller Inventory

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Controller Catalog

Component ID	Manufacturer	Model	Type	PCIe Slot	Connectors	Qty	IT Mode	Notes
CTRL-001	IBM / LSI	ServeRAID MR10i	RAID	PCIe x8	2× SFF-8087 (int.)	1	not possible	Cache module FRU 25R8079 attached; SAS1078 chip
CTRL-002	LSI	9211-8i	RAID	PCIe 2.0 x8	2× SFF-8087 (int.)	1	eligible
CTRL-003	LSI	9211-8i	HBA	PCIe 2.0 x8	2× SFF-8087 (int.)	1	✓ flashed	IT mode (passthrough)
CTRL-004	Dell	PERC H710	RAID	PCIe 2.0 x8	2× SFF-8087 (int.)	1	? verify	Hardware RAID, may already be flashed for HBA
CTRL-005	HP	Smart Array P410	RAID	PCIe 2.0 x8	2× SFF-8087 (int.)	1	not possible
CTRL-006	IBM / LSI	ServeRAID-8e (FRU 39R8852)	HBA	PCIe 1.0 x8	2× SFF-8470 (ext.)	2	n/a	External SAS; needs SFF-8470→SFF-8088 cable for MD1200
CTRL-007	IBM / LSI	SAS3082E-R (FRU 44E8690)	HBA	PCIe x8	2× SFF-8087 (int.)	1	n/a	Internal SAS; 3Gb/s
CTRL-008	LSI	MegaRAID SAS 8708EM2	RAID	PCIe x8	2× SFF-8087 (int.)	1	not possible	iBBU06 attached
CTRL-009	IBM / LSI	ServeRAID M1015 (FRU 46C8937)	RAID	PCIe 2.0 x8	2× SFF-8087 (int.)	2	? verify	LSI 9220-8i OEM; IT-flashable (same path as 9211-8i), may already be flashed for HBA

Controller Placement

Asset ID	Hostname	Component ID	Slot / Location	Role
SYS-001	FREJA	CTRL-001	Enclosure	RAID controller
SYS-002	TYR	CTRL-002	Enclosure	RAID controller
SYS-003	TOR	CTRL-003	Enclosure	HBA passthrough
SYS-004	MD1200	(no controller)	Enclosure	Disk shelf controller
SYS-005	ODEN	CTRL-009	Enclosure	RAID controller
SYS-006	LOKE	CTRL-009	Enclosure	RAID controller

Controller Overviews

Here are some brief overviews of selected storage controllers, highlighting their typical uses and characteristics.

LSI 9211-8i (e.g., CTRL-002, CTRL-003) — IT mode flashing guide

8-port SAS/SATA · 6Gb/s per port · PCIe 2.0 x8 · CTRL-003 flashed to IT (passthrough) mode

The LSI SAS 9211-8i is a highly popular host bus adapter (HBA) in homelab and enthusiast communities. While capable of functioning as a basic RAID controller, it is most frequently flashed to “IT (Initiator Target) mode” to operate purely as an HBA. This passthrough mode is essential for software-defined storage solutions like ZFS (TrueNAS/OpenZFS) or unRAID, enabling the operating system to have direct control over individual drives.

Dell PERC H710 (e.g., CTRL-004) — spec sheet

8-port SAS/SATA · 6Gb/s · PCIe 2.0 · 512MB battery-backed cache · RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60

The Dell PERC H710 is an enterprise-grade RAID controller commonly found in Dell PowerEdge servers. It supports a comprehensive range of RAID levels (0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60), providing robust data protection and optimized performance for server storage. These controllers typically incorporate battery-backed cache (BBWC) or flash-backed cache (FBWC) to enhance write performance and ensure data integrity during unexpected power events.

HP Smart Array P410 (e.g., CTRL-005)

8-port SAS · 3Gb/s · PCIe · RAID 0/1/5/10

The HP Smart Array P410 is a legacy RAID controller designed for older generations of HPE ProLiant servers. It offered hardware RAID capabilities, supporting RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 10. Although still functional, its performance and feature set are considered dated compared to contemporary controllers, making it suitable for less intensive storage tasks or environments requiring compatibility with older hardware.

IBM ServeRAID-8e / LSI SAS3444E (CTRL-006 ×2)

4-port external SAS · 3Gb/s · PCIe 1.0 x8 · 2× SFF-8470 (SAS-A, SAS-B)

The ServeRAID-8e is an IBM OEM of the LSI SAS3444E, purpose-built for connecting external SAS enclosures and DAS units. Unlike the internal-only cards in this inventory, its SFF-8470 ports face the rear bracket, making it the right card to pull when you need to link a host to the MD1200. Note: the MD1200 uses SFF-8088 ports, so a SFF-8470 → SFF-8088 cable is required. Pull one of these when adding a host that needs direct DAS connectivity and lacks a native external SAS port.

IBM/LSI SAS3082E-R (CTRL-007)

8-port SAS/SATA · 3Gb/s · PCIe x8 · 2× SFF-8087 (int.)

The SAS3082E-R is an IBM OEM internal SAS HBA providing eight SAS/SATA ports via two SFF-8087 connectors. Like the 9211-8i it operates as a passthrough HBA, making it suitable for ZFS/TrueNAS builds where the OS needs direct drive access. Pull this card when you need to expand internal port count in a host and the 9211-8i units are already allocated — the 3Gb/s bandwidth is the limiting factor versus the 9211-8i’s 6Gb/s, so prefer the 9211-8i for performance-sensitive pools.

LSI MegaRAID SAS 8708EM2 (CTRL-008) + iBBU06

8-port SAS/SATA · 3Gb/s · PCIe x8 · 2× SFF-8087 (int.) · RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60 · battery-backed cache

The MegaRAID SAS 8708EM2 is a hardware RAID controller with an iBBU06 battery backup unit attached, which protects the write cache during power loss. Pull this card when you need hardware RAID with a battery-backed cache — typically for workloads like virtual machine storage or databases where write performance and data integrity under power failure both matter. For ZFS or software-defined storage, prefer the 9211-8i or SAS3082E-R in HBA/passthrough mode instead, as hardware RAID sits between ZFS and the drives and undermines its integrity guarantees.

CPU Inventory

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

CPU Catalog

Component ID	Manufacturer	Model	Cores	Threads	Base Clock	Socket	TDP	Qty	Notes
CPU-001	Intel	Xeon E5430	4	4	2.66GHz	LGA771	80W	4	Harpertown 45nm; no HT
CPU-002	Intel	Xeon E5520	4	8	2.26GHz	LGA1366	80W	2	Nehalem-EP; HT enabled; fits M3
CPU-003	Intel	Xeon E5504	4	4	2.00GHz	LGA1366	80W	1	Nehalem-EP; no HT; fits M3
CPU-004	Intel	Core 2 Quad Q6600	4	4	2.40GHz	LGA775	95W	1	Kentsfield; desktop; no server fit
CPU-005	Intel	Xeon E5410	4	4	2.33GHz	LGA771	80W	1	Harpertown 45nm; no HT; fits M1

CPU Placement

Asset ID	Hostname	Component ID	Quantity	Notes
SYS-001	FREJA	???	1	Single socket; LGA771 (M1)
SYS-002	TYR	???	2	Dual socket; LGA771 (M1)
SYS-003	TOR	???	2	Dual socket; LGA771 (M1)
SYS-005	ODEN	???	2	Dual socket; LGA1366 (M3)
SYS-006	LOKE	???	2	Dual socket; LGA1366 (M3)
SYS-009	HEIMDAL	CPU-001	2	Dual socket; LGA771

Disk Inventory

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Storage Media

Component ID	Manufacturer	Model	Capacity	RPM	Interface	Quantity	Notes
HDD-001	IBM / Fujitsu	MBB2073RC	73.4GB	10K RPM	SAS 3Gbps	6	2.5" SFF; enterprise
HDD-002	IBM / Seagate	ST9146802SS (FRU 43X0825)	146.8GB	10K RPM	SAS 6Gbps	22	2.5" SFF hot-swap; IBM P/N 42D0248
HDD-003	Seagate	Constellation ES.3 ST1000NM0043	1TB	7200 RPM	SAS 6Gbps	20
HDD-004	Kingston	SSDNow V300 SV300S37A/120G	120GB	—	SATA	7	Consumer SSD; used as boot drives
HDD-005	Samsung	970 EVO	500GB	—	NVMe M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4	1	In PCIe x16 riser (FRU 43V7066) in ODEN
HDD-006	Western Digital	WD Blue WD10EZEX	1TB	7200 RPM	SATA 64MB cache	4	Consumer-grade; mfg. 2015-11
HDD-007	Seagate	ST500LM000	500GB	5400 RPM	SATA	1	SSHD; 8GB NAND cache; laptop-grade
HDD-008	Hitachi	HTS542525K9SA00	250GB	5400 RPM	SATA	1	Laptop-grade
HDD-009	Samsung	HD300LD	300GB	7200 RPM	PATA (IDE)	1	Desktop; 8MB cache; legacy interface
HDD-010	Seagate	Barracuda 7200.7 ST380013AS	80GB	7200 RPM	SATA	1	Desktop; legacy
HDD-011	HP / Seagate	EH0146FARWD (518216-002 / GPN 652599-002)	146GB	15K RPM	SAS 6Gbps	3	2.5" SFF; enterprise; BL460c Gen8 pulls
HDD-012	HP	EG0300FBVFL (641552-001 / GPN 652566-001)	300GB	10K RPM	SAS 6Gbps	15	2.5" SFF; enterprise; BL460c Gen8 pulls
HDD-013	HGST	Ultrastar C10K900 HUC109090CSS600 (EMC 118033034-02)	900GB	10K RPM	SAS 6Gbps	1	2.5" SFF; enterprise
HDD-014	Toshiba	AL13SEB900 (HDEBC00NAA51)	900GB	10K RPM	SAS 6Gbps	1	2.5" SFF; enterprise

Storage Assignments

System ID	Hostname	Component ID	Quantity	Total Installed Storage	Notes
SYS-001	FREJA	HDD-004	1		single drive
SYS-002	TYR	HDD-002	8		raid 10
SYS-003	TOR	HDD-002	8		HBA
SYS-004	MD1200	HDD-003	15	15 TB	SAS HBA not installed; shelf unconnected
SYS-005	ODEN	HDD-004	4	480GB
SYS-005	ODEN	HDD-005	1	500GB	M.2 via riser
SYS-009	HEIMDAL	HDD-001	3	219GB
BLD-001	BLADE-01	HDD-011	2	292GB
BLD-003	BLADE-03	HDD-012	2	600GB
BLD-005	BLADE-05	HDD-011	1	146GB	mixed config
BLD-005	BLADE-05	HDD-012	1	300GB	mixed config
BLD-006	BLADE-06	HDD-012	2	600GB
BLD-007	BLADE-07	HDD-013	1	900GB	mixed config
BLD-007	BLADE-07	HDD-014	1	900GB	mixed config
BLD-008	BLADE-08	HDD-012	2	600GB
BLD-010	BLADE-10	HDD-012	2	600GB
BLD-011	BLADE-11	HDD-012	2	600GB
BLD-012	BLADE-12	HDD-012	2	600GB
BLD-015	BLADE-15	HDD-012	2	600GB

Storage Media Overviews

Here are some brief overviews of the storage media types in the inventory, highlighting their characteristics and typical applications.

Enterprise SAS HDDs (e.g., HDD-001, HDD-002)

73GB / 146GB · 7200 RPM · SAS 3Gbps · make/model unidentified

These hard disk drives are engineered for high reliability and continuous operation within server environments. SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) interfaces provide superior performance, enhanced reliability, and enterprise-specific features compared to consumer-grade SATA drives. SAS HDDs of this generation (e.g., 73GB or 146GB at 7200 RPM with SAS 3Gbps) were common in servers from the late 2000s. Despite their modest capacities by today’s standards, their robust construction and enterprise-grade design make them suitable for homelab applications where durability is prioritized, such as for boot drives or less critical data storage.

Seagate Constellation ES.3 ST1000NM0043 (e.g., HDD-003) — datasheet

1TB · 7200 RPM · SAS 6Gbps · 128MB cache · 1.4M hr MTBF · AES-256 SED

The Seagate Constellation ES.3 series represents enterprise-class hard drives designed for high-capacity, 24/7 operation in data centers. The ST1000NM0043 is a 1TB model, featuring a 7200 RPM spindle speed and a SAS 6Gbps interface. These drives offer an excellent balance of capacity, performance, and enterprise-level reliability, making them ideal for bulk storage in homelab NAS or storage arrays where data integrity and longevity are critical.

Enterprise SSD (e.g., HDD-004)

120GB · SATA/SAS · make/model unidentified

Enterprise Solid State Drives (SSDs) are built to withstand demanding server workloads, providing significantly higher endurance, consistent performance, and often integrated power loss protection features that surpass those of consumer SSDs. A 120GB enterprise SSD, whether with a SATA or SAS interface, would typically be deployed as an operating system boot drive, for caching solutions, or for hosting small, performance-sensitive applications within a server environment. Their speed and inherent reliability, even with smaller capacities, can considerably enhance overall system responsiveness.

GPU Inventory

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

GPU Catalog

Component ID	Manufacturer	Model	Quantity	VRAM	Interface	Compute Cap	Notes
GPU-001	NVIDIA/Dell	Quadro 600	3	1 GB	PCIe	sm_21
GPU-002	EVGA	GTX 770	1	2 GB	PCIe	sm_30	Requires 6+8 pin power

GPU Placement

Asset ID	Hostname	Component ID	Slot / Location	Role	Notes

GPU Overviews

Here are some brief overviews of the GPUs in the inventory, highlighting their typical uses and characteristics.

NVIDIA Quadro 600 (e.g., GPU-001)

96 CUDA cores · 1GB GDDR3 · low-profile · 40W TDP

The NVIDIA Quadro 600 is an entry-level professional graphics card from the Fermi generation (circa 2010-2011). Designed primarily for CAD, DCC (Digital Content Creation), and basic scientific visualization, it is not optimized for gaming workloads. Equipped with 1GB of VRAM and typically presented in a low-profile form factor, these cards are well-suited for providing display output in servers that lack integrated graphics, or for light compute tasks that can utilize NVIDIA’s CUDA architecture, though performance will be limited by their vintage.

EVGA GTX 770 (e.g., GPU-002) — NVIDIA specs

1536 CUDA cores · 2GB GDDR5 256-bit · 3.2 TFLOPS · 230W TDP · Compute Capability sm_30

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770, frequently available in variants such as the EVGA GTX 770, was a high-end gaming graphics card released in 2013, based on the Kepler architecture. Featuring 2GB (or 4GB) of GDDR5 VRAM, it delivered strong performance for its release era. In a homelab setting, a GTX 770 can be repurposed for tasks like video transcoding, entry-level machine learning experiments, or providing robust graphical output for a dedicated workstation attached to a server. Its requirement for external power connectors (typically 6+8 pin) signifies its higher power consumption profile.

CUDA compatibility: sm_30 (Kepler) is below the minimum for most current ML tooling — PyTorch 2.x requires sm_37, vLLM requires sm_70, and pre-built Ollama packages target sm_50+. GPU-accelerated inference with off-the-shelf tools is unlikely without custom builds. CPU fallback is the practical path.

Network Inventory

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

NIC Catalog

Component ID	Manufacturer	Model / FRU	Ports	Speed	Interface	Notes
NIC-001	IBM	Onboard (x3550 M3 mobo)	2	1GbE	RJ45	Integrated; present on all x3550 M3
NIC-002	IBM	Dual-port GbE Daughter Card (FRU 43V6927)	2	1GbE	RJ45	Add-in daughter card slot
NIC-003	Sun / Intel	Onboard quad GbE (Sun Fire X4150)	4	1GbE	RJ45	Integrated; all 4 ports on rear
NIC-004	HP / Emulex	FlexFabric 554FLB (647584-001)	2	10GbE	SFP+ FLB	FlexibleLOM slot; FCoE + Flex-10 capable; BL460c Gen8

NIC Placement

Asset ID	Hostname	Component ID	Total Data Ports	Mgmt Port	Notes
SYS-005	ODEN	NIC-001	2× GbE	1× IMM
SYS-006	LOKE	NIC-001 + NIC-002	4× GbE	1× IMM	Daughter card FRU 43V6927
SYS-009	HEIMDAL	NIC-003	4× GbE	1× mgmt	OPNsense firewall

Network Addresses

Asset ID	Hostname	Interface	Role
SYS-005	ODEN	eth0	data
SYS-005	ODEN	eth1	data
SYS-005	ODEN	mgmt	IMM
SYS-006	LOKE	eth0	data
SYS-006	LOKE	eth1	data
SYS-006	LOKE	eth2	data
SYS-006	LOKE	eth3	data
SYS-006	LOKE	mgmt	IMM

Switch Ports

Asset ID	Hostname	Port Type	Count	SFP Cages	Uplink	Notes
SYS-012	BIFROST-01	SFP Fiber	28	28	?	All-SFP switch
SYS-013	BIFROST-02	SFP Fiber	28	28	?	All-SFP switch
SYS-014	MODI	RJ45 + SFP	24+4	4	?	24× GbE PoE + 4× SFP
SYS-015	MAGNI	RJ45	24	?	?	24× GbE managed
SYS-016	VALI	RJ45	24	?	?	Fanless; 24× GbE

RAM Inventory

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Memory Types

Component ID	Manufacturer	FRU / Model	Capacity	Type	Speed	Qty	Notes
RAM-001	IBM	25R8079	8GB	DDR2 ECC FBDIMM	667MHz	16
RAM-002	Unknown	—	4GB	DDR2 ECC FBDIMM	667MHz	6
RAM-003	Unknown	—	?	?	—	?
RAM-004	Unknown	—	?	?	—	?
RAM-005	Micron	MT36KSF1G72PZ-1G4M1FI	8GB	DDR3 ECC Reg	1333MHz	6	2Rx4
RAM-006	Hynix	HMT31GR7CFR4C-PB	8GB	DDR3 ECC Reg	1600MHz	10	2Rx4
RAM-007	Micron	MT18KSF1G72PDZ-1G6E1HG	8GB	DDR3 ECC Reg	1600MHz	16	2Rx8
RAM-008	Hynix	HMT151R7BFR4C-H9 / HP 500203-061	4GB	DDR3 ECC Reg	1333MHz	27	1Rx4
RAM-009	HP	500202-061 / 501533-001	2GB	DDR3 ECC Reg	1333MHz	15	2Rx8
RAM-010	IBM	43X5046	2GB	DDR3 ECC Reg	1333MHz	7	1Rx4

Memory Allocation

Asset ID	Hostname	Component ID	Quantity	Total Installed RAM
SYS-001	FREJA	RAM-002	6	24GB
SYS-002	TYR	RAM-001	8	64GB
SYS-003	TOR	RAM-001	8	64GB
SYS-005	ODEN	RAM-005	6	48GB
SYS-005	ODEN	RAM-006	6	48GB (runs at 1333MHz; mixed speed)
BLD-001	BLADE-01	RAM-008	1	4GB
BLD-003	BLADE-03	RAM-008	8	32GB
BLD-004	BLADE-04	RAM-008	2	8GB
BLD-005	BLADE-05	RAM-008	2	8GB
BLD-006	BLADE-06	RAM-008	2	8GB
BLD-007	BLADE-07	RAM-008	2	8GB
BLD-008	BLADE-08	RAM-007	2	16GB
BLD-009	BLADE-09	RAM-008	2	8GB
BLD-010	BLADE-10	RAM-008	2	8GB
BLD-011	BLADE-11	RAM-009	4	8GB
BLD-012	BLADE-12	RAM-009	4	8GB
BLD-013	BLADE-13	RAM-006	4	32GB
BLD-014	BLADE-14	RAM-008	2	8GB
BLD-015	BLADE-15	RAM-008	2	8GB
BLD-016	BLADE-16	RAM-008	2	8GB
BLD-002	BLADE-02	RAM-009 + RAM-010	7	14GB (mixed; odd count)

System Inventory

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Systems

Asset ID	Hostname	Manufacturer	Model	Form Factor	Notes
SYS-001	FREJA	IBM	System x3550 M1 Type 7978	1U	Rack server (S/N: KDHPPNN); 1/2 CPU slots populated
SYS-002	TYR	IBM	System x3650 M1 Type 7979	2U	Rack server
SYS-003	TOR	IBM	System x3650 M1 Type 7979	2U	Rack server
SYS-004	MIMIR	Dell	PowerVault MD1200	2U	Disk shelf
SYS-005	ODEN	IBM	System x3550 M3	1U	Mixed DDR3 1333+1600 ECC Reg; PCIe x16 riser (FRU 43V7066)
SYS-006	LOKE	IBM	System x3550 M3	1U	M3 board in M2 chassis; no RAM; CPU unknown
SYS-007	ASGARD	HP	BladeSystem C7000	10U	Blade enclosure (Hosts 1-16)
SYS-008	BALDER	HP	ProLiant DL320 G5p	1U	Dual 250GB SATA
SYS-009	HEIMDAL	Sun	Sun Fire X4150	1U	2× Xeon E5430 (8c/8t); 4× onboard GbE; OPNsense
SYS-010	VIDAR	HP	ProCurve 1800-24G	1U	Fanless/Silent Switch (J9028A)
SYS-011	GUNGNIR	ZyXEL	ZyWALL 110	1U	Security Gateway / Firewall
SYS-012	BIFROST-01	Edge-Core	ECS4510-28F	1U	28-Port SFP Fiber Switch
SYS-013	BIFROST-02	Edge-Core	ECS4510-28F	1U	28-Port SFP Fiber Switch
SYS-014	MODI	HP	V1910-24G-PoE	1U	365W PoE Switch (JE007A)
SYS-015	MAGNI	Cisco	Catalyst 2960G	1U	24-Port Managed Gig Switch
SYS-016	VALI	HP	ProCurve 1800-24G	1U	Fanless/Silent Switch (J9028A)
SYS-017	RATATOSK	Avocent	KVM Switch	1U	Rackmount KVM
SYS-018	SURTR-01	APC	Back-UPS CS 650	Desktop	UPS Unit 1
SYS-019	SURTR-02	APC	Back-UPS CS 650	Desktop	UPS Unit 2
SYS-020	MUNINN	Cisco	Catalyst 2960 WS-C2960-24TC-L	1U	24× 10/100 + 4× uplink
SYS-021	BIFROST	Raspberry Pi	Raspberry Pi 1 Model B	SBC	Jump node; Raspbian; port-forward 22222→22; rack-mounted
SYS-022	—	Raspberry Pi	Raspberry Pi 1 Model B	SBC	Spare
SYS-023	—	Raspberry Pi	Raspberry Pi 1 Model B	SBC	Spare

Blade Nodes (Inside ASGARD)

Asset ID	Hostname	Manufacturer	Model	Slot
BLD-001	BLADE-01	HP	BL460c Gen8	1
BLD-002	BLADE-02	HP	BL460c Gen8	2
BLD-003	BLADE-03	HP	BL460c Gen8	3
BLD-004	BLADE-04	HP	BL460c Gen8	4
BLD-005	BLADE-05	HP	BL460c Gen8	5
BLD-006	BLADE-06	HP	BL460c Gen8	6
BLD-007	BLADE-07	HP	BL460c Gen8	7
BLD-008	BLADE-08	HP	BL460c Gen8	8
BLD-009	BLADE-09	HP	BL460c Gen8	9
BLD-010	BLADE-10	HP	BL460c Gen8	10
BLD-011	BLADE-11	HP	BL460c Gen8	11
BLD-012	BLADE-12	HP	BL460c Gen8	12
BLD-013	BLADE-13	HP	BL460c Gen8	13
BLD-014	BLADE-14	HP	BL460c Gen8	14
BLD-015	BLADE-15	HP	BL460c Gen8	15
BLD-016	BLADE-16	HP	BL460c Gen8	16

System Overviews

Here are some brief overviews of selected systems to provide context and highlight their typical roles or notable features.

IBM System x3550 Type 7978 / x3650 Type 7979 Series — x3550 overview · x3650 overview

1U (x3550) / 2U (x3650) · dual Xeon (Harpertown/Nehalem) · DDR2 ECC FBDIMM up to 32GB · SAS/SATA

These were enterprise-grade rack servers, popular in the late 2000s, powered by Intel Xeon processors (e.g., Nehalem, Westmere generations). The x3550 is a compact 1U server, ideal for general-purpose computing, while the x3650 is a 2U model offering greater expansion capabilities for storage or PCIe cards. They served as reliable workhorses for various data center applications, including virtualization and database hosting.

HP BladeSystem C7000 — QuickSpecs · BL460c Gen8 QuickSpecs

10U · up to 16 half-height blades · shared power/cooling/networking via backplane · Onboard Administrator

The BL460c Gen8 blades have onboard LOM providing 1GbE connectivity. No mezzanine cards are currently installed — 10GbE requires FlexibleLOM adapters.

Sun Fire X4150

1U · dual Xeon (Harpertown) · 16 DIMM slots · 4 network interface

A 1U rackmount server from Sun Microsystems, the Sun Fire X4150 typically featured Intel Xeon processors. Sun’s x86 server line was recognized for its build quality and integration, often running Solaris or Linux. I use it as a dedicated firewall / network appliance (OpenSense), utilizing its robust hardware for network security and routing tasks.

Dell PowerVault MD1200 — specs

2U DAS · 12× LFF (3.5") hot-swap SAS/SATA bays · 6Gb/s SAS · up to 24TB raw

The PowerVault MD1200 is a direct-attached storage (DAS) enclosure, designed to expand the storage capacity of compatible servers (such as Dell PowerEdge servers or others equipped with suitable SAS HBAs). This 2U unit can accommodate up to 12 LFF (3.5-inch) SAS/SATA drives, providing an expandable and cost-effective solution for adding raw storage to a homelab environment.

ZyXEL ZyWALL 110

2× GbE WAN · 4× GbE LAN · VPN gateway · IPS/IDS

The ZyWALL 110 is a professional-grade security gateway and VPN firewall. It delivers comprehensive network security features, including intrusion prevention, content filtering, and strong VPN capabilities. This appliance is well-suited for establishing a secure perimeter for a homelab network or segmenting different network environments for enhanced control and protection. However since I don’t have any license for it is currently not used.

3D Printed Rack Parts

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Filling gaps in the rack build with printed parts — ears, blanks, and a modular tray system. Mix of sourced models from Printables and geometry scripted in Blender Python.

Sourced Models

Model	What it is	Status
1U Universal Rack Ears	Rack ears for gear that ships without them	Printed
1U–4U Spacer / Blank Panel	Blank panels to fill empty rack units	Printed
RackMod 1U Slide-A	Modular 1U tray system with slide-in modules	Testing
19" 1U/2U/3U Cover Plates	Solid cover/blanking plates for 19" rack	Queued
1U Rack Cable Ears	Rack ears with integrated cable management	Queued
Raspberry Pi 1U rack mount	1U mount for RPi in 19" rack (BIFROST)	Printed
Zip Tie Clip 45mm T-Slot	Cable management clips for 45mm extrusion	Queued

Scripted Parts

Geometry generated by a Python script running inside Blender rather than modeled by hand. The immediate need was a support brace for the rack — a 220×150×8mm plate with 40 through-holes in a specific alternating-spacing pattern, the B.E.S.T label engraved into the top face, exported directly to STL.

Writing it in Python means the layout lives in a config block at the top of the file. Changing hole count, plate dimensions, or row spacing is a constant, not a modeling operation.

Rack Support Brace — 220×150mm plate, 10×4 hole grid, engraved text, automated renders | script

More on the approach: Blender Python for 3D printing

Print setup: 3D Printing — Garage

3D Printing

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Two printers: an FDM machine for structural and functional parts, a resin printer for detail work. Different tools for different jobs — the resin produces sharper geometry at the cost of more process overhead.

FDM — Anycubic Kobra X

Current machine. Workhorse for rack accessories, enclosures, and anything that needs to be durable and dimensionally accurate. Printing in PLA for most jobs.

Replaced an older Prusa i3 MK0 that still works but is no longer the daily driver. Shelved for now. CNC conversion or rebuild is somewhere on the list, parts donor if it comes to that first.


Build volume	260 × 260 × 260 mm
Bed	PEI spring steel, max 100°C
Nozzle (stock)	0.4 mm hardened steel, max 300°C
Speed	300 mm/s recommended, 600 mm/s max
Extrusion	Direct drive
Leveling	LeviQ3.0 auto-leveling
Multicolor	4-colour native (ACE 2 Pro), expandable to 19
Extras	AI spaghetti detection, HD camera, filament runout

Nozzles on hand: 0.4 mm (stock), 0.25 mm (not tried yet). Expandable to 0.6 / 0.8 mm.

Filament on hand

Brand	Material	Colour	Qty	Notes
Verbatim	PLA	Black	1 kg	Original stock
Bambu Lab	PLA Basic	Orange	1 kg
Bambu Lab	PLA Basic	Green	1 kg
Bambu Lab	PLA Basic	Magenta	1 kg
Bambu Lab	PLA Basic	Clear	1 kg
Bambu Lab	PLA Basic	Red	1 kg
Bambu Lab	PETG	Red	1 kg	Refill spool
Bambu Lab	PETG	Blue	1 kg	Refill spool
Bambu Lab	PETG	Black	1 kg	Refill spool
SUNLU	PLA	Black	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	White	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Grey	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Red	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Light Blue	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Light Yellow	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Green	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Orange	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Pink	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Lavender Purple	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Brown	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Olive Green	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Oak	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Skin	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
SUNLU	PLA	Transparent	0.25 kg	Sampler pack
TECBEARS	PLA Matte	Black	10 kg	High-speed rated (600 mm/s), bulk stock

Resin — Anycubic Photon Mono 2

Mono LCD resin printer. Used for detail parts — scout badges, finer geometry — where FDM resolution isn’t enough. Paired with an Anycubic Wash & Cure 3 for post-processing.


Build volume	143 × 89 × 165 mm
Screen	6.6" Mono LCD, 4096 × 2560, ~2000 hrs
XY resolution	34 μm
Z accuracy	10 μm (single linear rail)
Print speed	≤ 50 mm/hr
Leveling	4-point manual
Light source	Parallel matrix
Build platform	Laser-engraved aluminium alloy
Data input	USB Type-A 2.0

Wash & Cure 3


Wash capacity	Fits Mono 2 build plate
UV wavelength	405 nm
Cure time	~2–3 min

Resin on hand

Resin	Type	Colour	Qty	Notes
ABS-Like V2	ABS-Like	Black	~3 kg	Structural / strength
ABS-Like 2.0	ABS-Like	Beige	8 kg
ABS-Like 2.0	ABS-Like	Translucent Green	1 kg
ABS-Like 2.0	ABS-Like	Clear	1 kg	For lens work eventually
Standard V2	Standard	Black	~0.5 kg	Display / detail
Standard	Standard	Light Beige	8 kg
Standard	Standard	Translucent Green	1 kg
Standard	Standard	Clear	1 kg	For lens work eventually
Craftsman	Detail	Grey	~1 kg	Sharp detail, brittle

Detailed resin mixing notes and maintenance log kept separately.

Slicer / Workflow

Notes to follow — slicer setup, print profiles, export workflow.

Rack and homelab prints: 3D Printed Rack Parts

Touchscreen HUD Build

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A small batch of fanless Atom-based machines with touchscreens — picked up as a hardware experiment, now being packaged up to hand out to colleagues at nerd night.

The goal: a fully reproducible setup. Boot from a Debian preseed image, drivers configured, sensible defaults in place, and a demo running out of the box. Each machine goes out with a link back to the repo so anyone who wants to dig in or rebuild from scratch can do so.

Repos

touchdemo — demo application running on the devices (work in progress)
debian-preseed-demo — automated Debian install via preseed (in progress)

Still to figure out

Power adapter specs and sourcing
Preseed configuration — touch input, display drivers, auto-login
First-boot experience and documentation

Hardware on Backend Engineering Strategy Tools

Optics — Can We Print a Lens?

Step 1 — Print and test

IPMI

BMC implementations by vendor

Network setup

ipmitool

Serial over LAN (SoL)

Security

Related

Out-of-Band Management

Standards

Vendor implementations

Related

Redfish

Why Redfish over IPMI

Vendor implementations

API structure

Usage with curl

Python — sushy

Session-based auth

Firmware updates

Related

Blade Inventory

Blade Configurations (ASGARD — HP C7000)

Blade Enclosure Modules (ASGARD — HP C7000)

System Overviews

HP BladeSystem C7000 — QuickSpecs

HP BL460c Gen8 — QuickSpecs

ASGARD Interconnect Bay Architecture — c7000 Interconnect Components · Wikipedia

HP BladeSystem Onboard Administrator (OA) — User Guide

HP 1:10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch — User Guide · QuickSpecs

Cables & Transceivers Inventory

SAS Cables

Ethernet Cables

SFP / SFP+ Transceivers

Adapters

Controller Inventory

Controller Catalog

Controller Placement

Controller Overviews

LSI 9211-8i (e.g., CTRL-002, CTRL-003) — IT mode flashing guide

Dell PERC H710 (e.g., CTRL-004) — spec sheet

HP Smart Array P410 (e.g., CTRL-005)

IBM ServeRAID-8e / LSI SAS3444E (CTRL-006 ×2)

IBM/LSI SAS3082E-R (CTRL-007)

LSI MegaRAID SAS 8708EM2 (CTRL-008) + iBBU06

CPU Inventory

CPU Catalog

CPU Placement

Disk Inventory

Storage Media

Storage Assignments

Storage Media Overviews

Enterprise SAS HDDs (e.g., HDD-001, HDD-002)

Seagate Constellation ES.3 ST1000NM0043 (e.g., HDD-003) — datasheet

Enterprise SSD (e.g., HDD-004)

GPU Inventory

GPU Catalog

GPU Placement

GPU Overviews

NVIDIA Quadro 600 (e.g., GPU-001)

EVGA GTX 770 (e.g., GPU-002) — NVIDIA specs

Network Inventory

NIC Catalog

NIC Placement

Network Addresses

Switch Ports

RAM Inventory

Memory Types

Memory Allocation

System Inventory

Systems

Blade Nodes (Inside ASGARD)

System Overviews

IBM System x3550 Type 7978 / x3650 Type 7979 Series — x3550 overview · x3650 overview

HP BladeSystem C7000 — QuickSpecs · BL460c Gen8 QuickSpecs

Sun Fire X4150

Dell PowerVault MD1200 — specs

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