Lukas

Linux

Proxmox vs VMware ESXi in 2026 — And How to Migrate

Proxmox VE vs VMware ESXi compared in 2026 — cost, features, clustering, backups — plus how to migrate ESXi VMs to Proxmox with the built-in import wizard.

AI

Ollama — A Local LLM for Sysadmin Tasks

Run a local LLM with Ollama on Linux — install, pull models, use the HTTP API from scripts, and analyze logs offline without sending data to a cloud provider.

Windows Server

Managing Windows Server Core Without a GUI

Run Windows Server Core without the desktop — sconfig basics, PowerShell remoting, Windows Admin Center, adding roles, and the gotchas that catch GUI admins.

Gameserver

Counter-Strike 2 Dedicated Server on Linux

Install a CS2 dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian with SteamCMD, get a GSLT, set the right ports and cvars, add Metamod/CounterStrikeSharp, and run it under systemd.

Docker

A Prometheus + Grafana Monitoring Stack in Docker

Stand up Prometheus, Grafana and node_exporter with Docker Compose — real scrape config, node metrics, a dashboard, and alert rules that actually fire.

Docker

Self-Hosted Uptime Monitoring with Uptime Kuma

Run Uptime Kuma in Docker for uptime monitoring — HTTP/TCP/ping checks, Telegram and Discord alerts, a public status page, and a reverse proxy with TLS.

Linux

systemd Timers Instead of cron

Replace cron jobs with systemd timers — .timer + .service pairs, OnCalendar syntax, Persistent catch-up, journald logging, and when cron is still fine.

Hytale

Hytale Server Backups and Auto-Restart with systemd

Keep a Hytale dedicated server alive — clean nightly world backups with tar + restic, a scheduled daily restart via systemd timer, and crash recovery.

Gameserver

Factorio Headless Server on Linux

Set up a Factorio headless dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian — download the official tarball, server-settings.json, port 34197 UDP, mods, RCON and a systemd unit.

Gameserver

Rust Dedicated Server on Linux

Install a Rust dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian with SteamCMD, set the server.* cvars, open the right ports, add Oxide/uMod plugins, and run it under systemd.

Windows Server

Windows Task Scheduler from PowerShell — Cron for Windows

Create and manage scheduled tasks on Windows from PowerShell — New-ScheduledTaskAction, triggers, run as SYSTEM, S4U logon, XML export, and the gotchas.

Linux

Proxmox + ZFS — A Storage Pool That Survives a Disk Death

Build a redundant ZFS pool on Proxmox VE — mirror vs raidz, ashift, ARC cap, scrubs, and how to replace a dead disk without losing a VM.