SumGuy's Ramblings
The art of wasting time.
Docker, self-hosting, AI/LLM, Linux, and DevOps — explained by someone who learned the hard way. No fluff, no enterprise jargon, just practical stuff that actually works on real hardware.
Recent Posts
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cert-manager: ACME at Scale
cert-manager makes Let's Encrypt automatic on Kubernetes — once. Then you scale, hit DNS-01 quirks, wildcard limits, and rate-limit walls. Here's the full survival guide.
12 min read -
Rootless Docker: Tips, Gotchas & Fixes
Rootless Docker tuning deep-dive: network drivers, env vars, port drivers, cgroup delegation, and real troubleshooting — anchored to Docker Engine 29.x.
12 min read -
Argo Rollouts vs Flagger Progressive Delivery
Argo Rollouts uses a Rollout CRD with a slick UI. Flagger watches your Deployment with a Canary CRD. Here's which progressive-delivery tool to pick.
11 min read -
Network Booting Diskless Nodes with iPXE
Boot any OS over the network using iPXE — covers dnsmasq proxyDHCP setup, HTTP boot menus, Talos OS live boot, and the quick netboot.xyz shortcut method.
12 min read -
Argo Workflows vs Tekton
Two Kubernetes-native pipeline engines from CNCF — Argo Workflows and Tekton. Different philosophies, same goal: stop using Jenkins. Honest comparison.
12 min read -
DIY NAS Build: Compute, Drives, Power Walkthrough
Build a proper DIY NAS in 2026: case selection, CPU choice, drives, HBA card, ZFS pool layout, UPS sizing, and a real power budget that will not fail you.
14 min read -
k3sup vs kubeadm for Homelab Clusters
kubeadm is the official Kubernetes bootstrapper. k3sup is a one-shot SSH installer for k3s. Here's which one to use for your homelab cluster.
11 min read -
Dead Container Took Down Prod
A real postmortem: how a forgotten survey-tool container, an uncapped Docker log driver, and rootless networking combined to kill prod for a Monday morning.
12 min read -
Mikrotik RouterOS for Home Lab
Mikrotik routers cost $50, run a real OS, and humiliate prosumer gear. RouterOS basics, VLANs, firewalling, and why your homelab probably needs one of these.
16 min read -
Dell R720 vs HP DL380 G9: Used Server Knife Fight
Dell R720 or HP DL380 G9 for your home lab? We compare CPU generation, power draw, fan noise levels, iDRAC vs iLO, and which used pizza box wins the fight.
12 min read -
etcd vs Consul vs ZooKeeper Coordination
etcd powers Kubernetes. Consul is the service-discovery Swiss army knife. ZooKeeper is the grizzled veteran. Here's how to pick a coordination store.
12 min read -
pfSense vs OPNsense in 2026
Two FreeBSD firewall distros, one bitter fork. pfSense vs OPNsense in 2026 — which one to pick for your home lab, and why the licensing drama still matters.
10 min read
