From time to time someone is curious about how many and what kinds of computers I use at home. Let me just preface this by saying that I use way less now than I used to, but still quite a few. Here’s the current list:
Bigfoot:
This is one of a pair of servers I bought recently to allow me to experiment with some virtual machines. This is an Appro server with 2x2ghz Opteron procs and 4gb of ram. Right now it’s running VMware ESXi 4 and hosting all my important infrastructure VMs.
Charlotte:
As the name implies, this is my daughter’s computer. It’s a 1ghz eMac with a gb of ram running OS X 10.4 which she uses to harass the internet.
Chupacabras:
Much like the “Charlotte” computer, my daughter uses this to bebop around on (she swiped this from me). This is an 12 inch Apple g3 500mhz iBook with 640 megs of ram. This is probably the best looking iBook model Apple came out with (imho) and it runs OS X 10.4 quite nicely.
JerseyDevil:
This server was purchased with Bigfoot as a pair so that I could do some work with virtual machines. It has an identical hardware configuration to the other server, which is an Appro server with 2x2ghz Opteron procs and 4gb of ram. This server is running VMware ESXi 4 and, early on, also suffered an HDD failure so has a brand new HDD.
Kraken:
This is my netbook, an Acer Aspire One 9 inch version with the flash drive, not the hdd model and 1.5gb of ram. I think all geeks should have one of these. After some experimentation on my part with various Linux distributions, I finally settled on Linux Mint 7. It works really well this way and it’s size and weight makes it quite handy to haul around with me on my travels.
Linc’s Laptop:
Ahh, my new laptop (hence the need of a better name), a NEW Apple 13 inch Macbook. 2ghz dual core with 2gb of ram running OS X 10.5. This laptop is so beautiful I am almost scared to use it. Well, that and I am paying $1000 for it. This thing is not only gorgeous but also runs fantastically well with 1 exception. It does NOT like running Linux (yet). Apparently there is some issue with ACPI support right now but I am hoping that this gets cleared up real soon!
Mothman:
This virtual machine is my first foray into the world of nagios. Sure, I had to do some upkeep on a nagios server at work, but I never actually set one up, not to mention an actual recent version. This is some pretty neat stuff, so much so that I believe I will keep this around and let it do its thing. This is running CentOS 5.5 and Nagios 3.x.
Nessie:
This is my wife’s laptop and from where she dominates the universe. This Compaq Presario F730US has an AMD64 X2 @ 1.8ghz with 1gb ram, 120gb hdd and the current Linux Mint. No problems getting Linux on this beastie as long as you add “noapic” to the kernel line.
Neuros:
Joe Born set me up with a Neuros Link and, let me tell you, this thing is fantastic! Right from their webpage, “The Neuros LINK is a TVPC that connects your TV to the Internet.” This sweet little computer provides me with hours of video entertainment and will let me surf around at the same time. If you are looking for a set-top box, there is none better. Go get one now.
Pukwudgie:
This virtual machine is my ntpd, imap mail, webmail, samba, nfs, webdav, home ssh access, music (kplaylist), mysql, nameserver (bind) and various web based application server. This vm is running CentOS 5.5 with a gb of ram.
Wendigo:
This is my old laptop, which I still use ALL the time. It is a 1.7 ghz with 1.5gb of ram and runs Linux Mint 9, quite well I might add. Even though the battery is shot in this thing I have it plugged in next to my easy chair and resting on my lapdesk. Therefor, it tends to get a lot of action. Chances are good that if I am typing something from home, it’s coming off this computers keyboard.
Dell Inspiron 15
Yeti:
This is the new Yeti, the old one being a Mac Mini. It’s a Dell Inspiron 15 with a dual core 2.2Ghz cpu and 4gb ram that I use for a desktop workstation. I use it with a Logitech wireless kb/mouse combo and Linux Mint 8. It’s a super fast (compared to my old workstation) and a beautiful machine.
ThinkPad X31
Bunyip:
This is is my test machine, an IBM Thinkpad X31. Along with carrying this thing around with me because it’s a beater, I do a lot of distribution testing on this machine. I currently have the latest CentOS, Mint, Fedora, Slackware and Ubuntu on this laptop.
Grassman:
This is is my new netbook. An HP 110 1125NR, 10″ netbook with 160gb hdd, 1gb ram and all the bells and whistles. Right now running Mint 9 beautifully!
Honorable Mentions:
- Bluehost.com – I use Bluehost as my external web hosting provider for all my goodies like LincGeek.org, TLLTS.org, LinuxForChristians.org, LinuxPlanet.org, FreeLinuxBox.org and so on. These guys provide fantastic service for a price you really can’t beat!
- Apple G3 500 Blue and White – Upgraded to g4, used mostly as a nightstand and occasionally to reload operating systems on ppc macs.
- Apple eMac G4 1ghz 1gb ram – Identical to Charlottes computer but broken motherboard. I have the replacement but not the ambition – yet.
