WD Black SN850X Gen4 NVMe and Linux

Oh, yes! Another NVMe to experiment with in Linux!

This time, let’s look at the Western Digital Black SN850X Gen4 NVMe and how it compares to the Crucial T705 Gen5 NVMe in the same system.

Will there be much of a difference between Gen4 and Gen5?

Does it work with Linux? Yes, indeed!

Crucial T705 Gen5 NVMe and Linux

📅 May 8, 2024
“What? Is Gen4 NVMe not fast enough for Little Timmy’s game?”

I had the opportunity to use the latest and greatest Gen5 to see how it would perform in Linux and Windows. Results were…interesting.

The T705 is a step up from the T700 and advertises “up to” (uh-oh, there it is again…the dreaded “up to” clause) 13,600 MB/s reads, so this should make Little Timmy happy. Let’s test this using Disks.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Released

📅 May 2, 2024
Ubuntu 24.04 was released in April 2024 (a few days ago as of the time of this writing), and it is the latest in the LTS (Long Term Support) version of the Ubuntu series.

This also means that the other Ubuntu-derivative distributions, such as Xubuntu, Ubuntu Server, and Ubuntu Cinnamon, have also been given the upgrade treatment.

PeppermintOS – A Lightweight Linux Distribution

📅 April 18, 2024
“Less is more.”

No, this is not referring to the command less (which is more, by the way) but to a lightweight, minimal Linux distribution named peppermintOS that is perfect for lower-powered hardware or virtual machines where performance matters more than bells and whistles.

LVM Part 4: RAID

📅 April 6, 2024
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is available in Linux using mdadm, but did you know that RAID is also possible with LVM?

By default, LVM creates a linear logical volume, but we can create a RAID logical volume as well with RAID modes 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, and 10 (also known as 1+0).

How is RAID accomplished with LVM?

LVM Part 3: Logical Volumes

📅 April 3, 2024
We have created physical volume building blocks. We assigned them to volume group storage pools. Now, it is time for the final piece of the LVM system: logical volumes.

The logical volume is the “thing” that we format, mount, and allow users to interact with. We can treat a logical volume just like any other NVMe, SSD, or HDD.

LVM Part 2: Volume Groups

📅 April 1, 2024
We have our physical volumes created, but what do we do with them?

Can we format them? Can we store data on them?

No, not yet. A physical volume merely specifies a drive or partition that is to be used with LVM. The next step is to assign physical volumes to volume groups, and this is were the fun and flexibility of LVM becomes apparent.

LVM Part 1: Physical Volumes

📅 March 31, 2024
Linux has a number of handy technologies built in that have existed for a long time but seem to receive little attention because they are taken for granted or simply not talked about.

One of these is logical volume management (LVM) that allows us to treat hard drive storage space in a way similar to RAM. Comparable to adding another memory stick to expand RAM, we can add more hard drives to expand hard drive storage space. Need more secondary storage? Just add another hard drive.

This simple concept is incredibly versatile and saves time by eliminating the need to backup and restore data following a new drive addition to a system. It requires some extra steps to set up and has a few specific terms to learn, but the benefits are worthwhile.

LVM consists of three layers to create a working storage system. In this part, we will focus on the physical drives themselves, called physical volumes. These can be mechanical hard drives, SSDs, SAS, or even super fast NVMe storage devices.

How to Change Your Linux Hostname

📅 February 18, 2024
“How do I change the name of my computer without reinstalling it?”

The name of your Linux computer is called a hostname, and it can be changed anytime by the administrator.

Most of the time, the name you assign to your Linux installation need never be changed, but there are situations where this is necessary. For example, duplicating VMs or accidental duplicate naming by two different people. If you use LibreNMS, then you cannot add devices with duplicate hostnames. Therefore, a hostname might need to be changed.

No, you do not need to reinstall your entire OS. In fact, it is easy with a few commands and a reboot. Here are two ways to rename the hostname.

asciiquarium – The Cutest Lil’ Aquarium for your Terminal

📅 February 5, 2024
“What? An animated ASCII art aquarium that runs in a terminal? Yes!”

ASCII art is fun, but animated ASCII art is even more impressive. Why not brighten your day with a secondary terminal filled with marine life as you use Linux?

ASCIIQuarium is one of those rare gems that few seem to know about but always provides hours of entertainment in the background once discovered. It is as essential as sl, cowsay, and fortune, so why not?

Let’s have fun!