WizardTux
WizardTux
I’m an Operations Director at an MSP, an Air Force veteran, and a lifelong tinkerer.
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About
I’m an Operations Director at an MSP, an Air Force veteran, and a lifelong tinkerer. Before IT, I served as an integrated avionics journeyman, working on aircraft systems where attention to detail and troubleshooting under pressure weren’t optional. That mindset carried straight over when I moved into IT, and I’ve been working in the field officially since 2016.
Today I split my time between leading teams and service delivery at an MSP and getting my hands dirty in the home lab. My day-to-day spans Windows and Windows Server, Active Directory, multiple Linux distros, and macOS, with Proxmox and Hyper-V handling virtualization. I’m a big believer that the best way to learn is to build something, break it, and build it better.
I’m not here to be fancy, just to share what I’ve learned, what’s worked, and what I’d do differently. If you’re into tech, development, homelabbing, or making the jump from the military into IT, you’re in the right place.
Home lab
The pictures are old, but I still have the 2950 in production. I have a Supermicro on deck, I just haven't added it to the setup yet.
Servers and computers
- Dell PowerEdge 2950 · Running Proxmox
- PowerEdge 1950 · Old Firewall - Not in use.
Network
- Netgate 6100 · Firewall - OSPF to Microtik
- Mikrotik CRS326-24G-2S+RM · Primary Router - OSPF to pfSense
- MikroTik CRS112-8G-4S-IN · Not in use currently.
Badges
All badgesMembership (9)
OGLegendary · Issued Oct 2026 by staff
Founding MemberLegendary · Issued Oct 2026 by staff
Five Year MemberEpic · Earned Mar 2019
Ten Year MemberEpic · Earned Mar 2024
Here for the MoveEpic · Earned Oct 2026
One Year MemberRare · Earned Mar 2015
Contributing (5)
PublishedRare · Earned Jan 2015
Conversation StarterRare · Earned Mar 2016
Welcome to the CrowdCommon · Earned Jan 2015
First ReplyCommon · Earned Aug 2015
Poll PositionCommon · Earned Oct 2026
Streaks (2)
7 Day StreakCommon · Earned Oct 2026
Homelab This Weekend: 3 WeeksCommon · Earned Nov 2026
Trust and security (3)
RegularEpic · Earned Oct 2026
LeaderEpic · Earned Oct 2026
Locked DownRare · Earned Nov 2026
Labs (11)
- Asking the Right QuestionsLab · Nov 2026
- Debian Networking BasicsLab · Oct 2026
- Installed DebianLab · Oct 2026
- Installed Proxmox VELab · Oct 2026
- Installed Ubuntu ServerLab · Oct 2026
- Installed WindowsLab · Oct 2026
Recent topics
All activityRecent replies
I almost always check ram and processor first I think anything under an i5 (or Core 5 now-a-day) is not really worth the trouble (the generation also matters here). The other thing is I see a lot of p...
I agree that RAID is not a backup, its a safety net for if you have hardware failures. I think the main difference that isn't always explained well is that RAID is like an instant copy across X amoun...
I really need to get some more videos made.
> **RackGhostDwayne** (#1): > > run two internal resolvers carrying identical records, and hand out both I may be a bit confused by this but this is what I would do for my local records and then forw...
> **RackGhostDwayne** (#1): > > The problem: you connect a trunk between two switches from different vendors, the tagged VLANs mostly work, and then something odd shows up. One VLAN leaks into another...
We used to (and sometimes I think they still do) have a client that would go and get their own referbs from Microcenter. Once we gave them some guidelines I think they got better but I know initially...
I use docker desktop on my Mac and Windows. Its really just a GUI interface. Honestly I think I started with desktop back before I ever ran anything on linux (but I could be wrong about that as one of...
Personally I've never sold a phone, I tend to keep mine until they die... But I would think a full reset would be plenty.
> **SamTinkers** (#2): > > I'd probably pick just one run and call that the whole project for now The problem with that is if you're running one you may as well run more (or at least put some pull st...
> What is the one alert that has actually caught a real problem for you before a user noticed? Disk space and RAID issues, sometimes ping alerts but we have most of those set to 6 minutes to keep us...