Yesterday, I spent some hours again with my lovely rack. No, not my ribs. My server rack! 😅
What I did
- I changed some very long LAN cables to shorter ones. The old ones were just… quick and dirty.
- I added another switch – same model. It’s for backup and also gives me more ports. Yay!
- I removed a metal thingy with cable holders and added a fan thing with 8 fans to blow out hot air. Much cooler now. Literally.
- I tied some cables together with zip ties. Because… order!
Switch or not to switch?
I thought about buying a new switch. A fancy one from Mikrotik. It has 48 ports, Linux OS, and fans! 😍 But… it’s 3 times more expensive than my good old TP-Link switches.
What I appreciate about this TP-Link switch model is that I can turn off the LEDs – which helps keep the mosquitoes away. That “feature” wasn’t available on the MikroTik… and who wants to tape over 48 port LEDs, right? 😄
So, I stay cheap (smart!) for now. Maybe my switches die earlier from the heat. But hey, still cheaper. I call this: Budget Nerd Strategy™.
Deep Nerd Thoughts
These are the things I think about, when I sit near my rack. Just me, the cables, and my hobby-hosting dreams.
What I want to do someday
- Take the whole rack down and rebuild it.
- Put the servers more to the bottom – cooler air there.
- Not be so chaotic next time… maybe. 🤔
When I first filled the rack, I just wanted it done fast. Not smart. Just fast. This is how many IT projects go, right?
Future Ideas
Maybe in 1–2 years, I’ll take out the servers, give them a good cleaning (you know… with compressed air, not a shower 😅), and replace the old HDDs with SSDs. Fast! Cool! Energy saving! Nerd heaven!
That’s it for today. Rack life is hard, but beautiful. ❤️
