TP-Link JetStream 8-Port 10GE SFP+ L2+ Managed Switch Review

Reading time: 13 minutes
For quite a while now, I’ve been utilizing a Cisco Nexus 3064PQ 10G/40G network switch to support my home lab. While the switch is a fantastic, feature-rich device, it also was designed for use in a data center environment. Thus, the switch generates a lot of heat, utilizes a lot of power, and has cooling fans that sound like turbo jets when running at full speed. Luckily, the only time that the fans run at full speed is during a reboot of the switch, but even at their lowest speed, they are quite noticeable.

Intel Optane NVMe Drives, 10Gtek U.2 Adapters, and PCIe Bifurcation

Reading time: 3 minutes
While recently building out my new home lab server, I had the opportunity to install several Intel Optane 905p U.2 NVMe drives. Because my motherboard did not natively support U.2 devices, I acquired multiple 10Gtek U.2 to PCIe adapters to connect 6 U.2 drives to the system. These adapters come in either PCIe 3.0 x16, PCIe 3.0 x8, or PCIe 3.0 x4, depending on the number of U.2 devices the adapter supports.

New Nested Virtualization Home Lab Server Build

Reading time: 6 minutes
Recently, I participated in a VMware vExpert program in partnership with Intel Corporation and coordinated by Matt Mancini and Simon Todd, where Intel offered to provide VMware vExperts with Intel Optane NVMe devices for use in our home labs. While I wasn’t initially selected to receive the hardware, there was a second chance opportunity to apply again after working on extending the reach of my social media presence. In addition to receiving Intel Optane NVMe devices during the second chance opportunity, Matt Mancini graciously donated several home lab devices as prizes for the top three individuals who grew their social media presence the most.

Aria Operations Compliance Content for the vSphere 8.0 STIG Readiness Guide is Available

Reading time: 11 minutes
On April 18, 2023, VMware released their “VMware vSphere 8.0 STIG Readiness Guide”. This guide, while not an official STIG, is based on years of experience assisting the DoD in generating the official DISA STIG releases for previous VMware vSphere product versions. Based on their knowledge of the DoD SRGs and previous STIGs, they are confident that the guidance provided within the VMware vSphere 8 STIG Readiness Guide would enable an environment to pass certification with minimal changes should an official DISA STIG be released by the DoD.

Automated Snapshot Cleanup with VMware Aria Operations

Reading time: 7 minutes
Before the addition of Automation Central to VMware Aria Operations (formerly VMware vRealize Operations), I had created my own method of cleaning up outdate snapshots. I documented this method of executing VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator workflows to remediate alerts in my blog post from 2019 titled Automated Alert Remediation in vRealize Operations 7.x using vRealize Orchestrator. This process involved creating an alert in VMware Aria Operations that would be generated when a snapshot reached a specific age.

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