Aug 30, 2024, 7:47 PMFriendly reminder that if you download software updates for Fedora or AlmaLinux from London, there's good odds that your software updates are coming from an HP thin client sitting in a road box in Surrey.
This is perfectly fine, and how free software / the Internet actually works.
Aug 30, 2024, 8:01 PMContext: @warthog9 and I run a managed appliance service called MicroMirror, where we take cash donations (https://en.liberapay.com/phirephly/) and use them to deploy free software download mirrors based on the cheapest hardware possible.
https://blog.thelifeofkenneth.com/2023/05/building-micro-mirror-free-software-cdn.html
The B4SH ISP in Surrey volunteered to host one of our appliances in their network, so they donate space, power, and transit capacity for the server we ship them to just plug in. For some reason, this was the best spot for them to plug this server is. 🤷
We are up to 35 of these Micro sized download mirrors worldwide. Because these sorts of things just tend to get out of hand for me.
Aug 30, 2024, 7:55 PM@kwf @tychotithonus 😂 I love this. Most scenic software repository ever? Perhaps!
@kwf who is hosting the one in the twin cities?
Aug 30, 2024, 9:44 PM
Aug 30, 2024, 10:11 PM
@kwf I guess that they tried to find the spot where they had space that they would likely never need, and this was what they found.
@CursedSilicon @kwf several entities, Ziply being one, there's a new one run by another entity within the past week too
@CursedSilicon @kwf it's one of the bigger faster ones. I'm not sad about my connectivity to it 😜
@CursedSilicon @kwf Gentoo fell into the FAQ: http://mirrors.fcix.net/faq/
Yeah Gentoo does...not pay a lot of attention to mirrors, which is unfortunate.
It took them 4 years to add one I ran on an OVH box. By the time traffic started hitting I'd already decommissioned the machine and moved the domain to a new IP
Best bet would be "mirror it and then ask on IRC to be added"
Sep 1, 2024, 1:34 PM@CursedSilicon @warthog9 if they don't care about responding to mirror requests, then why should we work so hard to support them?
Sep 1, 2024, 4:56 PM@CursedSilicon @warthog9 we're not going to try and save a community from its own dysfunction. Gentoos infrastructure team is part of the same community.
@kwf @CursedSilicon at the end of the day we are volunteering our time and energy. There's a threshold for what we can/want to fix, and what we can't.
Specific to Gentoo we reached out, tried, it didn't work as it's not a good fit for the model we are running and how they are/aren't working.
@CursedSilicon @kwf that would be on you, we won't get involved till they've got their house back in order and capable of dealing with what we need.
Sep 1, 2024, 9:36 PM@warthog9 @CursedSilicon aren't the LeaseWeb mirrors usually pretty fast? They have a San Francisco POP; what's wrong with their Gentoo mirror?
@kwf wow, that's a story 😀
Aug 30, 2024, 8:24 PM@kwf i only use free-range operating systems
@kwf gigupanddown dot net, but is it really?
Aug 30, 2024, 8:42 PM@hairyvisionary I see it pushing 1Gbps regularly, so... yes?
@kwf I love this so much. It's just chillin' out there, having a good time.
@kwf What a glorious place to put a server; I bet there aren't many servers with such a nice view.
Aug 30, 2024, 11:01 PM@kwf that's amazing Kenneth - keep up the good work! Is this uhh.... Guerilla mirroring?
@kwf it makes sense, but I wasn't expecting it to be THAT localized. That's funky
Aug 31, 2024, 1:11 AM@kwf Very sorry, but I have to ask....
Is that data center bigger on the inside?
Aug 31, 2024, 1:17 AM@kwf personally I love those #fanless #ThinClients as they make power-saving #MiniServers that are cheap to buy and keep online and since they have no moving parts, maintenance is minimal...
@kwf Wow, pasture raised servers!!
Aug 31, 2024, 6:04 AM@meganmariehart these bits are free range
@kwf These are LOCAL FILES for LOCAL PEOPLE!
@kwf hasn't Fedora moved to a private cdn yet?
Aug 31, 2024, 4:34 PM@Nux Nope. Fedora is absolutely one of the best projects for working with their community mirrors.
Aug 31, 2024, 4:38 PM@kwf
Bizarrely, before I read your next post I recognised the location of the picture, about a quarter of a mile from my house. I am a B4SH shareholder and customer, they are a great bunch of people.
Aug 31, 2024, 4:44 PM@g0fcu That's amazing. They are great people.
@kwf youre telling me that my software updates actually come from a thin client sitting in that there box?
wow im amazed it doesnt crash from load
Sep 2, 2024, 6:20 PM@CauseOfBSOD these thin clients can do 100% redline 1Gbps all day long no problem. Nginx is incredibly good at serving static files from disk.
Sep 3, 2024, 12:58 AM@kwf this is so cool!
Sep 3, 2024, 1:14 AM@alex thanks! It's been a good time
@kwf @stevelord this works *way* better than my internet cabinet that constantly loses connection each other hour. My ISP definitely should/could learn something from you and from the Surrey