Future Proofing Server
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You keep cloning and configuring shit on a Win10 instance because you can't find the key?
That's silly and you should just stop doing that: https://github.com/massgravel/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts
There you go! One less problem to deal with.
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This is why I asked. Thank you!!!
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Live patching; I don't reboot
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I use one as a backup when problems happen and I go this route for the additional features that routers usually don't have like the spam blocking and vpn.
Window only faces internally so I'm okay w it not getting support and it's only purpose is as an acre point
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This way I get all of the features that I want that including things that off the shelf access points usually didn't have (eg ad blocking, internet accessible storage, and vpn) and for free since it's all 100% made out of old hardware cannibalized from only laptops and workstations.
It's also a perpetual project that forces me to keep the knowledge of how to work with these technologies since I stopped doing it professionally once I became a software engineer.
Also: I'm not too happy w the idea of the software getting old and compromised and adding to the zombie hordes of botnets or letting the Chinese or American governments decide what's best for my home network.
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It's real; I used to use it in my furniture to keep my dogs from chewing on it
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sour apple spray
Doesn't it attract ants etc?
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Window only faces internally so I'm okay w it not getting support
There is room some future proofing.
All your mobile devices connect directly to that Windows. Consider them 'unsafe'. Consider Windows 'unsafe' as well.
'unsafe' + 'unsafe' = incubator for all kinds of trouble IMHO.
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Interesting. How well has this feature been working out for you?
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An AP is just a WiFi point, you can use pretty much any AP with your pfsense router.
That’s what most of us do, using this windows VM just for WiFi is only going to cause you a headache in the future.
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well so far; the only time this machine reboots is when it loses power and it's usually once or twice per year.
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i'd like to replace it with something else; but the wireless network adapter is intel and i can only get 100 megabits using the linux driver whereas i get 1 gigabit using the windows driver.
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i don't think it's real apple and it has no smell, so no; or atleast not yet in the last five or so years.
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it causes headache now since, but i don't think i have another choice if i want faster than 100 megabit speeds.
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What about on major version update?
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they happen when the reboots occur.
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I would not want to expose my home server to the internet. VMs have been breached. I would dump the windows stuff, if nothing else it is not future proof. Consider an AP. Backup consider a hot mount sata enclosure. One can then do swapable high speed backups. I would want off line and off site backups. One issue with rsync is it may not store all file attributes. Just be aware and it may not keep historical snapshots. Some of this depends on how it is configured.
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not a concept; an actual, physical server that i've been using for almost five years now.
VMs have been breached
i have automatic updating enabled to incorporate cve fixes/updates asap on all of the instances and the host server.
now that you've made me aware, i intend to create automated jobs to destroy & create both vm's from an immutable golden image that are also pre-staged to capture all updates before they replace their older live and possibly compromised predecessors.
the host server is also gaped from internet access via pci passthrough dedicated to the pfsense vm; so the only entry vector, afaik, is through the pfsense firewall.
i was also wondering if an immutable distro for the host server would help with security as well and now i think i'll do that too.
I would dump the windows stuff, if nothing else it is not future proof. Consider an AP.
i'm limited to sub-100 megabit wifi speeds without the windows vm since intel will not allow the linux driver to have gigabit speeds in ap mode. i feel like this is the weakest part of the entire design and i was hoping someone had a better idea that didn't require AP purchase. all of the AP's i've purchased in the past eventually lost support from their manufacturers and they became compromise-able anyways so it's less future proof imo; whereas i plan on keeping this server running for atleast another decade and support is virtually guaranteed to be never ending.
also: i haven't yet encountered an AP that is capable of providing all of the features that i currently use. ie ad blocking; personal vpn; web hosting; and cloud-like internet accessible storage via ssh tunnel (in addition to others). purchasing a dedicated AP would effectively deny myself these capabilties and i would have pay $$$ for the privilege.
Backup consider a hot mount sata enclosure. One can then do swapable high speed backups. I would want off line and off site backups.
it feels silly to to me to purchase hardware to duplicate the same capability that i already have and that cloud like internet accessible storage is reason why offline backups don't work for me, but i can see the wisdom of having gapped backup duplicates nonetheless; so i'll figure out a way to incorporate it somehow.
these 3 very valid points are exactly why i asked this question and thanks for giving me this awareness.
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802.11ac will hit 600-800Mbps easily, and those APs are dirt cheap since it's old tech.
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Pretty much any wireless AC AP from the last 10 years can hit those speeds with no headache, no keys, and no Windows.
