What Did You Do Today???

After all of that setup and the issues that I have had with FreeNAS (11.2) I have decided to start over and give UnRAID a try. This OS runs off of a USB drive and everything is stored in memory. I know, FreeNAS is the same, but I just created a small 10GB partition (VM) for FreeNAS and then attached one of my 8TB drives to it. I was just testing and no, that was not the cause for the issues I was having. It was a permission error.

But, in doing a little reading I found out that UnRAID will do everything I need it to do. I think I can even run the RCH Backup Server within UnRAID as a VM just like I was going to do before. If it won't, not a big loss, I can just setup a very small PC to do that work. That server only needs 512mb or RAM to run and only needs a single core CPU.

The most important thing is, UnRAID will run Plex way smoother than running it in a VM, or so I have read. I'm going to give it a try. I'm not deleting my main drive that I have VMWare installed on so if I want to go back to that, I can. I'm also not destroying any files, I'm actually backing them up as we speak. And the funny thing is, I'm backing them up slower than my new internet is going to be hahahaha. I'm only running about 650Mbps on the backup currently.

So not doing anything Rc related today (other than writing that quick article that I thought was already written. But when it didn't publish last night I knew... Yup... I forgot to write that one lol.

What are you doing?
 
So here is the low down on what I'm dealing with. I have two servers actively running on this one box. I'm using VMWare where I have 3 VM's, one of which is not doing anything ATM. It's the exact same server! The Plex files downloaded to my computer at 650Mbps at almost a constant rate. This was ALL of my videos that I have on it. Now, I have the FreeNAS server and I'm trying to pull files off of it and it keeps losing connection. EXACT SAME SERVER AS THE PLEX! It will go for a few seconds and then stop, then go for a few seconds, then stop. And when I say a few seconds I'm talking about 5 seconds on, 10 seconds off. This could be with multiple small files or it could be with a single large file, it doesn't matter. Something with FreeNAS is screwed up causing this issue. No wonder why I hated FreeNAS in the past. Just goes to show, you get what you pay for. And I'm about to pay over a bill for UnRAID.... Here's hoping....
 
Well, late last night I was finally able to pull the last of the files off of the FreeNAS server. That took far too long, I will never look at FreeNAS again. I had already setup UnRAID and already had Plex installed, I just needed a directory to store all of the files in. I clicked on Plex, I clicked on edit, and I clicked on Disk 1. Done. I had already formatted the 8TB disk and spun it up in UnRAID.

So now the moment of truth. I had 142GB worth of files that I needed to get onto the plex server drive but I really wanted to go to bed. Ah well, lets see what it does. I mount the network drive to my desktop computer, and I drag the file over and boom, an average of 950Mbps transfer, no dips, some slow downs on certain files but exactly as it should have done. It took all of a few minutes to take all of those files and put them back on the drive over the network.

So I was able to watch some Tv last night on Plex which made me happy. I woke up this morning and decided I would go ahead and put the other 4 disks on the server and take them live. I already pulled the files from them so formatting them was not an issue. I do have a 5th drive that is still in the server, but I'm keeping just in case. It is the WD 500GB drive and that is where VMWare is located. Don't want to get rid of that one just yet. Put the other 4 online with no issues at all.

From there it was time to setup the new RCH Backup Server, which I already had setup on the VMWare server. I have never setup a VM in UnRAID so this was all new. So I start looking around trying to find where to create the VM. I'm looking hard, so hard in fact, I completely missed the "VMS" at the top of the page like "New Posts" is on this page at the top lol. Finally found it, and clicked on it. It actually has a directory called ISOS which is ISO's or images of Operating Systems. So I edited that directory so I had access to it and opened it up on my computer. I thought about dragging in an old copy of CentOS 7, but decided to just download a new copy. This is when I got a little bit of a chuckle lol.

The CentOS 7 file size was almost 1GB for the Minimal Install image. For my little 6/6 internet, that could take quite a long time. But I think my current ISP is trying to bait people to not switch over to direct fiber internet. I started this download and holy crap this thing was going fast. Way faster than normal. So I open up task manager and my 6/6 internet is pulling up to 35Mbps download speeds! That is the fastest I have ever seen! But, 35Mbps vs 1000Mbps for the same price.... It's easy to see where I'm going lol.

so the ISO is downloaded, I drag that 1GB file into the ISOS directory (on my computer to the server) and that file took just a few seconds to transfer. I think about 8 seconds ;) You know, 8 bits per byte, it was transferring at 1Gbps for a 1GB file (Gbps is GigaBIT per second and GB is GigaBYTE). Nerdy stuff but I thought it was a little funny. Randy would get it hahaha.

ISO is on the sever, server is created and boom, it's setting up as I type this. Easiest VM I have ever setup. I'm absolutely loving UnRAID. My memory useage with VMWare was MAX, all 16GB or RAM. My memory useage on UnRAID, 10%.... Yea...
 
Server is not recognizing the USB drive on some occasions. I restarted the server to do some testing this morning and when it booted back up, it booted into VMWare, not the OS on the thumb drive. Okay, I was afraid of this, so I shut it down and pulled the sata connector from the HDD for that OS so the only OS on the system now is UnRAID, and it didn't boot. I restarted and hit f7 for the boot menu and the USB drive was not showing up. I unplugged the USB drive and plugged it back in and the server gave me a single beep, basically saying, "I don't want that". Been messing with it for an hour and it just now booted back up.

I think I need to make a run to best buy and pick up some of those cheap $5.00 16GB mini thumb drives. Might as well change the thumb drive now before my trial is over and they charge me for changing it over....
 
Not that bad, but worse than the battery. I was driving into town to pick up a package that a member sent me, pick up some coffee (whole bean) and I was on my way to get a new coffee grinder. I went from Hwy 77 to Hwy 9 and had just gotten onto I-35 and while I was under the bridge, my car backfired horribly loud. I thought it sounded cool, but the people behind me backed off in a hurry. Guess they didn't like that sound or the fire that filled the under side of my car (dumped exhaust lol). It finally cleared up about 1/2 mile down the road and I was able to make it to the store without any more issues.

I picked up my grinder and as I was pulling back out onto the road, it did it again, but this time, lower RPM and I was able to throttle it to work it through it without making Ed Noble Parkway sound like a war field lmao. It straightened up and at that time, I decided Best Buy was not on my list anymore even though it was just across the interstate from me. Instead, I got on the interstate, back to Hwy 9 then back to Hwy 77. It didn't act up again that whole way (I live pretty far outside of town lol). So I decided to stop into Walmart and pick up some "cheaper" coffee that I could use to just grind and get the grinder dialed in and just toss the grinds.

Well that turned out to be a bad idea. It made it to Walmart, I parked and decided to take a few minutes to let the engine cool off just a touch while I was in there. I forgot to mention, I had been smelling coolant (antifreeze) on the way to the store to get the grinder. I looked under the car before I left, and there was no puddle anywhere. Anyway, I come out of the store with two bags of coffee, not the cheapest, but two that I do actually like, Espresso and Cafe' Verona. I start the car, it starts right up and I go to leave. I get to the first top sign, stop, then take off to the next one. On the way to the next stop sign it starts studdering again. I get to the stop sign, it's dead. I try to start it, nothing, just cranks. I keep trying and find that if I floor it, it will start, but it is pissed off lol. I get it started, I keep the RPM's high (manual trans) and I pull out onto the road. I just need to make it to my house, that's it.

So I'm on the road and I'm about to turn into the turn lane and it dies again I keep playing with it until it sounds horrible and all of a sudden, smoke/steam. Well, that was the end of my "limping it home". I get out of the car, remember I'm in the Middle of a 4 lane road in teh left turn lane. So I have two lanes on each side of me. I pop the hood and there is coolant everywhere. I start looking around and I had a huge hole in my upper Radiator hose. Not a big deal, right? WRONG! My car is a 1996 Camaro Z28. The second to the last year of the LT1 engine. This engine was only produced from 1992 to 1997 for one very good reason. The OPTI-Spark ignition.

You see, the distributor on the LT1 is not on the top rear of the engine like a Gen 1 SBC, it on the front of the engine. It is driven straight off of the crankshaft and sits behind both the water pump and the harmonic balancer. This "Opti" has one fatal flaw. Sensitive electronics in a high voltage environment. As long as it is kept dry, it works great. But when it gets wet, like when you blow a radiator hose all over it, it starts jumping the spark to other cylinders hence the backfiring and nto running. Can't keep an engine running if it is not firing on the correct cylinders lol.

So yea, It's a big deal in that it takes someone like me about 2 hours to replace the opti because of where it is located on teh engine. I have to go to the parts store and not only get the radiator hoses, coolant and opti, but I also have to get new gaskets for the water pump since I have to pull it off to get to the opti. I may do something stupid that I said I would never do again. If I do, you can find it on my youtube channel BrokeAuto or Z28.com. It will be uploaded in both places. But not this weekend, it's supposed to get stupid cold, the wife is gone so I have no car right now. Had to call a wrecker to get my car to the house....

But hey, I had some really good coffee, I picked up a package that is sure to make a great series of videos for helicopter fans and I have a variety of coffee to try out. So now I'm just sitting here waiting on Mondays T-Maxx video to finish uploading. I was hoping to have better internet by now, but nope, still waiting. So uploading this video very slowly...
 
wow that sucks. what about work or do you work from home . do you have a garage to work in . the job doesn't really sound that difficult unless you have to do it in the cold . my daily driver is a 2016 Chevy Silverado . my second ride is a 2004 Chevy Silverado with a parasitic draw so I have it on a battery tender . will not fit in my garage and 2 dam cold out side to work on it I use it for plowing . up to 10 inches of snow Sunday into Monday. I hope you have a second vehicle . well good luck .
 
The power draw on your older truck is likely the instrument panel. Very common on those trucks. You can have it fixed on a component level. Wish I could find a truck like that as a second vehicle. My wife has out other vehicle about 2 hours away taking care of her brother.

I do have a garage, I'm just tired of working on this car lol. I have torn the front of the engine apart on this thing so many times the threads are likely about worn out lmao. to me, it is not hard, just tiring lmao.

Grinder worked out fantastic! I forgot what an actual good cup of coffee tasted like... And I didn't have to pay $5.00 a cup for it.
 
glad to here you have a garage . after this winter when it warms up I will start pulling fuses to find the draw . one place I will look at is the antilock brake system . had the lines all replaced and was told that when they cycle the antilock brake system on and off to purge the air out it will place havoc on the system . the mechanic that I had do the work is out of business . so come may new driver license and state inspection . just may have them look at it when they are inspecting it . I hope your wife's brother is ok.
 
I think tomorrow when my wife's over taking care of her mother before we get the snow I am going to try and straighten out that helicopter . it would probably be easier for me to work on your car than that dam helicopter , either way we both have are work cutout for are selves .
 
Rather than pulling fuses, get a volt meter with an amp function. Most are 10 amps for the cheap ones. With this, you can jump the leads on the fuses to see if it is pulling power. Make sure you wait a minute before doing so. The Instrument panel has a shutdown period where it will always pull power, then shut down and pull very minimum current. Cycling the power as you stated is a good way to kill some of the components on the board.

And BIL had back surgery. Had some disks removed and back fused. Not something that I will go through that's for sure.
 
yes look for the milliamp draw and the trace it back to the component . I have a real good test meter . I saw my little Chinese back doctor she works for pain solutions . had a shot in my back about a month ago . that did not feel so good . when we spoke yesterday I told her that the pain subsided for about 3 days . they had to push it through scar tissue . now the pain radiates across my lower back and down my right side . walking down the stairs at my company yesterday morning my right Achilles tendon really hurt had to hold the hand railing . in April they are going to shoot me in the right side the doctor who's doing this said that he could not give me the shot because there was no disk there. he told me about this pain interrupter from Boston scientific . no good reviews on that process. she told me that if this shot doesn't work then they will have to give me one in by the tail bone into the spinal cavity. I asked her what if I did nothing . she said quality of life would diminish .oh don't get into any car accidents ,don't fall down or slip on the ice. there goes hunting and ice fishing . this woman would not be doing the operation . I have a spinal doctor for that . with as many disk that I have damaged they would have to fuse 5 vertebrae . and that would require going in through the abdomen into the abdominal cavity . so they are very reluctant to do that she says . time for second opinions. I hope your brother in law will be ok. I am sure he will be with his sister looking after him
 
Good way to check for parasitic draw is with a voltmeter across a fuse that is still in place.
I know it sounds wrong, how can you have a voltage across a fuse you may be thinking.
Try it, put a volt meter across your headlight fuse, (set to millivolts if it is not auto ranging) check the reading then turn on the headlights.
This guy explains it well, this is how I have been doing it for years.

 
So I just got a call about my vehicles warranty running out. Automated of course. But it asked if I wanted to speak to a representative. Why yes I do! Some lady gets on there and starts clearly reading a script. Remember that kid in Billy Madison that he is making fun of, yea, a grown woman is reading like that, FOR A LIVING! I'm holding back laughter and doing the same thing Billy does in the movie (TA-TA-TA-TODAY JUNIOR!!!!) when she finally gets to the point where she asks me what I drive. I tell her, a 1996 Chevy Camaro Z28 with a T56 swap, 3.42 gears in the rear end with an Eaton posi, 18" C5 wheels, Hooker Super Comp Long Tube Headers, SLP Cold Air Induction.... Once I got there, she just hung up on me. I had a good laugh at this one.
 
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