Disclosure: The U.2 version of the 900P 280GB was the only model available anywhere, so I purchased one to test. Intel later provided me a loaner AIC version of the 900P as well, in the 280GB capacity. There were no stipulations, I continue to candidly share my experiences. Unfortnately, things did…
This article underwent significant changes since first published, as it was quickly found to contain conclusions that were incorrect. It was based on just one very early engineering sample I obtained directly from Intel that turned out not to be a reflection of the now generally available P4800X…
New podcast episode announced at the averageguy.tv, where you can also listen and/or subscribe: Paul Braren (@paulbraren) joins us to talk about his current work load at VMware and an update on some super fast VM parts that will make his home lab a bunch faster, his home Wifi set up with Eero, a…
There was a little-discussed and finally mature capability that arrived with VMware ESXi 6.5, back in November of 2016. With last month's release of ESXi 6.5 Update 1, it's only gotten easier to configure your ESXi server to allow you to pass a single NVMe storage device, such as an Intel Optane…
Turns out the question of what backup solution to use to protect a home lab's VMs in a home lab comes up a lot here at TinkerTry, especially when a major new release of vSphere arrives on the scene. It's become such an important thing to consider for IT Pros working off the NFR code…
First, NAND based SSDs arrived in SATA, SAS, and PCIe form factors, almost a decade ago. In 2015, NVMe became widely available, in various shapes and sizes, including U.2 (looks like a thick metal 2.5" laptop drive), and HHHL (Half Height Half Length) PCIe cards, aka AIC (Add In Card)s. With…
Disclosure This SSD is on a temporary loan from Intel, and it appears to be an engineering sample, in the 375GB size that is planned for product launch. This loaner was made with no formal expectations or stipulations, just a brief chance to TinkerTry this datacenter technology in my own VMware…
Keeping this one short-and-simple, to really encourage you to visit the source article to read through details and tips found at: New ESXCLI Commands in vSphere 6.5 Nov 19 2016 by Florian Grehl at Virten.net If you're wondering if your NVMe drive might need a firmware update, and you're running…
Shop The Promise SANLink3 T1 NBaseT Adapter is available on: Amazon - Promise SL3T1GL Thunderbolt 3 to Base-T Ethernet Bus Powered Adapter Dell - Dell part #A9623557 eBay - All items with SL3T1GL in the description Newegg - Promise Thunderbolt 3 to Base-T Ethernet Bus Powered Adapter (SL3T1GL) …
Sometimes there's a post that is so perfect as it is that I just have to call it out, hoping to extend the readership of the author's source article. Simple, elegant, and to the point, not exactly my strengths. I therefore present to you, with little words to say other than "read this"…
Just want the easy upgrade (rather than download ISO) methods for vSphere 6.5 Update 1, also known as 6.5U1 or 6.5 U1? No problem, jump on over to: How to easily update your VMware vCenter Server Appliance from 6.5.x to 6.5 Update 1 (VCSA 6.5 U1) How to easily update your VMware Hypervisor from…
Here are the Technical Specifications for the tested 32GB module. Intel® Optane™ Memory Series 32GB M.2 80mm Performance Sequential Read (up to) 1350 MB/s Sequential Write (up to) 290 MB/s Power - Active 3.5 Watts Power - Idle 1 Watt Endurance Rating (Lifetime Writes) 182.5 TB Enhanced Power Loss Da…
If you've read TinkerTry for a while, you'll know I've enjoyed relying on Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE, right through version 1.5, to protect multiple physical PCs in my family. Several times a year, I'll do a full restore of important PCs to a VM, to be absolutely sure my backups are good.…
This article is a work in progress, more photos to be added soon. That's a lot of hi-res pics, glad I have KeyCDN ready for you! Had a great time at VeeamON 2017 in New Orleans, meeting many virtualization experts and bloggers for the first time. Oh, and I learned stuff too! There were also so many…
Trying to go here: www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/tools.html or here: www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/overview.html to get to the direct download URL here: ssd.samsungsemi.com/ecomobile/ssd/update14.do?fname=/Samsung_SSD_960_PRO_2B6QCXP7.iso for the latest…
Just 6 months after vSAN 6.5! VMware vSAN 6.6 Release Notes VMware vSAN 6.6 | 18 April 2017 | ISO Build 5310538 Check for additions and updates to these release notes. This vSAN release is a big deal, with so many improvements. Behind the scenes, I've been working on NVMe pass through ideas for…
Introduction If you're looking for a deep dive into the history of consumer and enterprise SSDs that stretches back about 9 years now, right through to today's NVMe and 3D XPoint (which Intel calls Optane and Micron calls QuantX), and tomorrow's NVDIMMs, then you're in the right place! This audio I…
Image from "Applying Intel® Optane™ SSDs to MySQL- Part 1: Fast Storage" by Ken LeTourneau at Intel. Allyn Malventano discusses 3D XPoint technology and Optane implementation on PC Perspective podcast 442, Mar. 23 2017. Last week was big for journalists, attending Intel's closed…
New podcast episode announced here: Jim Collison https://twitter.com/jcollison was joined by Paul Braren from https://TinkerTry.com for show #299 of Home Gadget Geeks brought to you by the Average Guy Network. It's been about 9 months since I've had the opportunity to be on Jim's show, and we…
Backstory - M.2 NVMe arrives in 2015 I began talking about NVMe back in 2014, with over a thousand mentions since. It's been a big deal for the home lab/home datacenter, working particular well with VMware's ESXi hypervisor on Xeon D, blessed with full-speed PCIe 3.0 x 4 in that tiny M.2 form…
The Problem I recently had to turn in an old laptop that I sometimes used with my bootable 2.5" Samsung 850 EVO 2TB SSD. Uh oh, now I have a few weeks to wait for a new system, meanwhile, how do I get stuff done? Sure I had my superfast SuperServer Workstation that I sometimes use this SSD in,…
If you have a Dell Precision laptop with up to a 1TB Toshiba M.2 NVMe SSD inside, congratulations, you have quite a nice workstation! This "corporate" laptop is blessed with a 4K display, and that envy-inducing thin bezel. A close cousin of the popular and highly rated Dell XPS 15 that a…
Veeam Vanguard Definition: At VMware's Tech Summit in Las Vegas's fake Venice, Feb 01 2017. Happened to have an appropriate shirt for hunting down fellow Vanguard John Nicholson. These individuals have been nominated as Veeam Vanguards. A Veeam Vanguard represents our brand to the highest level in…
It sure took a while, but the first Samsung 960 PRO and EVO shipments to US customers finally arrived the third week of December, that long saga unfolded here. So far, it's looking good! But why should only I have all the fun, as I performed my first set of confidence-building tests. I wanted to…
TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here. Currently consulting while seeking my next employer.
Paul Braren, MCSE in 1998, VCP #2681 in 2005, vExpert 2014 to 2024, Veeam Vanguard Emeritus, 2015 to 2019.
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Easily update VMware ESXi at TinkerTry.com/easy-update-to-latest-esxi
After 6 successful years testing then shipping well over 1,000 Xeon D Bundles, Wiredzone had to stop selling them in mid-2021 due to cost, supply, and logistics challenges. The Xeon D-1700/2700 (Ice Lake D) was a minor refresh for 2023, with Xeon D-1800/2800 (Granite Rapids D) refresh slightly better in 2024, and hopefully Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids-D) much better in 2025 featuring PCIe Gen5, MCRDIMMs, and 100GbE networking, wow! I'm bummed that Pat Gelsinger was apparently ousted from Intel's helm in these challenging times, but I'm also grateful to have had the honor of working at VMware when he was the CIO there. I'll leave it at that, given the whole Broadcom thing.
