Featured on Home Gadget Geeks Episode #674
Always fun to catch up with Jim! the Average Guy - News, reviews, product updates and conversation, all for the Average Guy! <iframe allow="autoplay ; fullscreen Featured on "Hangout" "Things we learned doing Google+ Hangouts today, testing potential for podcasting and/or training purposes" Apr 22 2012 Featured on "Home Tech" Episode #76 "Linkedin Disaster, LastPass, Hangout Lower Third, NASA, Flight Aware- Home Tech 76" Jun 13 2012 Featured on…
Featured on Home Gadget Geeks Episode #584
Thank you again Jim, for you being you, and for inviting me again! Including "The Home Tech Podcast" episodes, it's my 18th time on the air with you, with all of them listed below! It's always fun to catch up. I've got a few notes below, just in case you'd like to explore any of these items a little further. We discussed my recent solar experiences, and some of the benefits and challenges when going all-electric in our new-to-us 33-year-old home. We bought the house on Sep 15 2022,…
Earlier this summer, Synology reached out to me to discuss the possibly of turning in some long term evaluation NAS equipment in return for some hands-on time with the very new Synology 1522+ featuring AMD Ryzen and ECC memory capability. Naturally, I said yes, especially since they were offering this evaluation unit to arrive near it's June 29th product launch! Be sure to also have a look at this little 5 bay NAS's product page at Synology DiskStation DS1522+: Flexible data management for…
Featured on Home Gadget Geeks Episode – HGG533
Thank you again Jim, for you being you, and for inviting me again! Always fun to catch up, here's some ideas, just in case you'd like to explore any of these a little further. Jim’s Podcast episode and video announcement post: Paul Braren with an Insteon Departure, the EV Decider and Heat Pumps for the Win – HGG533 InsteOFF. Follow-up on Insteon, which was a "tech success" that I mentioned last time I was on Home Gadget Geeks in July of 2020 episode 451 called "Paul Braren with Tec…
This article is a natural follow-on to my previous, closely-related article about some hands-on time I had with this 2018 product: Synology DiskStation DS1618+ NAS First Look featuring 10GbE! Mar 11 2019 which generated many reader comments where it became evident that others felt much as I did. We wanted a version of this NAS where we didn't have to choose between 10G or M.2. Instead, we want to have both! See also at TinkerTry: Sep 10 2020 I now have a DS1621xs+ in the TinkerTry home lab to…
In my day job in IT, the move to all flash has been pretty much complete for all near big business and enterprise sales for a good 2-3 years now. The picture is different in the home lab. NASs are commonly still using 3.5" HDDs, and VMware hosts such as the Bundle have plenty of room for big HDDs formatted as VMFS datastores. In my home lab, my use of such HDDs has been largely relegated to archive and backup purposes, such as: Windows Server network shares NAKIVO backup repository Veeam…
Roughly two years ago, Ryan Shrout, Allyn Malventano, and Ken Addison headed from their massive accomplishments at PC Perspective to join Intel. I had the honor of meeting these guys in the PC Perspective studio, and Allyn was kind enough to even record an NVMe story swap with me in that very same studio. It was also a lot of fun to see a live podcast recording in those hallowed PC Perspective studios in Florence Kentucky, after I was finished teaching a bit about vSAN in nearby Cincinnati for…
Introduction This article is an update to my previous, closely-related article about some hands-on time I had with this 2018 product: Synology DiskStation DS1618+ NAS First Look featuring 10GbE! Mar 11 2019 which generated many reader comments where it became evident that others felt much as I did. We wanted a version of this NAS where we didn't have to choose between 10G or M.2. Instead, we want to have both. Now it appears Synology has now given owners exactly this powerful combination,…
I've been beating up my Samsung 960 PRO 2TB for a good 3 years now. It's in my daily driver, a Windows 10 VM in my Supermicro SuperServer SYS-5028D-TN4T system with Xeon D-1567 12 core, also known as Bundle 1. Shop Amazon - Sabrent 4TB Rocket NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 Internal SSD High Performance Solid State Drive [SB-ROCKET-4TB] Amazon - Sabrent M.2 2280 SSD Rocket Heatsink [SB-HTSK] B&H - Sabrent 4Tb Rocket Nvme Pcie M.2 2280 Internal Ssd Solid State Drive NewEgg - Sabrent 4TB ROCKET…
This new podcast episode 451 is available at the averageguy.tv at Paul Braren with Tech Challenges and Successes – HGG451 where you can also view, listen, and/or subscribe. Here's an excerpt: Paul Braren joins us this week as we get an update on several of home projects. From a discussion on Cox internet to Rheem Hybrid Water heaters, we cover a few. Paul also gives us an update on his Teslas and how he fixed his video storage issue. I think you will enjoy the show. SHOWNOTES The time codes l…
TinkerTry makes no claims to be a news site, but I do write a bit about topics that affect home lab enthusiasts including storage, with spinning drives for things like backups certainly a recurring theme here. So much of YouTube has a whole lot of flashy thumbnails these days intended to draw your eyeballs in, hoping you'll thumbs-up and subscribe, helping the algorithm to move the flashiest videos above the noise. Such clips tend to be an ephemeral, a long-form tweet of sorts, spreading…
White Canyon Software has been in the business of certified drive wipes for over 21 years! It's about time I had a look for myself, here's their WipeDrive 9 Product Page. Disclosure: Some hurried home lab enthusiasts who need to wipe a HDD or SSD may find themselves thinking about DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke), only to realize it hasn't been updated in many years, it doesn't do SSDs, and it provides no certificate. There are tools that I've talked about here at TinkerTry before such as Parted…
I just got home from a roadtrip to visit family in Boston, spending just $9.11 cents in electricity to move ourselves 208 miles total. What a nice treat to catch this tweet (pictured at right) by @awraynor, time to write up a post! I'm not great at article title SEO, but here's how I'd summarize the car portion of the episode: Nerd and his wife have been driving Honda Civics for 30 years, but the Tesla Model 3 convinced them dump their old gas cars forever to increase their safety, save money,…
Dear Home Lab Enthusiast with data to protect: Today's Veeam announcement was big. A way to run enterprise level software with all the features you need for a lab environment, with none of the guilt. That's right, up to 10 VMs, and physical systems too! Got your attention? Read on! I started using Veeam back in the FastSCP days in the mid 2000s, saving the enterprise customers I was paid to train huge chunks of consulting time. This simple product moved ISOs into new VMware vSphere VMFS…
Backstory I've used NASs occasionally since 2006, including the Infrant ReadyNAS (which eventually got bought by Netgear), FreeNAS, and OpenFiler, as I mentioned way back in 2011 here. Admittedly, I wasn't impressed by the speeds, so I tended to use them only for backups, not VMs. When I had them running and working, that is. The roll-your-own approach tended to require a bit too much care, so instead I stuck with Windows Home Server for my drive-pooling, network shares, and backup. From 2011…
This new podcast episode 385 is now available at the averageguy.tv here, where you can also view, listen, and/or subscribe. Here's an excerpt: Paul Braren from https://tinkertry.com and on Twitter at @paulbraren joins this week as we catch up with him and his job with VMware, some travel tech from his trip to Europe, his new Ring Stick Up Cams and his new Tesla 3. All this and more! You too can become a supporter at Jim's "the average guy" Patreon Page. Best watched on video below,…
There was a little-discussed and finally mature capability that arrived with VMware ESXi 6.5, back in November of 2016. With this years ESXi 6.7 release, and last month's release of ESXi 6.7 Update 1, it's only getting easier and easier to configure your ESXi server to allow you to pass a single NVMe storage device, such as an Intel Optane P4800X or the Intel Optane SSD 900P Series, right through to one of your VMs. Nice! This has big implications for those interested in performant NAS VMs, or…
Once in a long while, I get an opportunity to get my hands on some amazing hardware, packed with top-flight components. This is one of those times! With permission granted to publish, I'm now able to give you a glimpse into what a fully supported vSAN ReadyNode really looks like, up close and personal. While I'm not quite sure the world is ready to see me in 4K, I think you'll really appreciate all those extra pixels when it comes to the hardware close-ups. Hopefully you'll forgive my brief…
If you've been watching my article: Status of VMware vSphere 6.7 support by VM backup companies Apr 19 2018 Apr 17 2018 Veeam Availability Suite 9.5 Update 3a is now available! Platform support is a priority at Veeam. Whether that is the latest operating systems, new storage systems or updated hypervisors, we take platform support seriously. Since Veeam Backup & Replication 9.5 Update 3 has been released, a number of ecosystem changes have warranted an update ahead of the upcoming set…
Simple & free clone, for peace of mind before patching or upgrading
I created the video below that features a very detailed walk-through of an imaging process of the ESXi hypervisor installation that seems to work quite well for me. I tested this heavily when tinkering with various vSphere 6.5 and 6.7 versions in my home lab. While the use of such an tool isn't suited for production server use because it's completely unsupported by VMware, I have found it to be invaluable for lab testing purposes, giving me complete peace of mind that I can avoid long…
I may not have been VMware's first choice to cover this Other Veeam Vanguards from VMware's Technical Marketing team were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, so when VMware management went looking for who else might be able to swing booth duty, another Veeam Vanguard like me seemed to be a decent second choice. Awesome, I love Chicago, sign me up! I actually enjoy talking to people. I'm one of the newer folks around at VMware, starting as a vSAN Systems Engineer just 16 months ago,…
Table of Contents, in alphabetic order: Altaro VM Backup Commvault Micro Focus VM Explorer Virtual Machine Backup NAKIVO Backup & Replication Unitrends Backup Veeam Backup & Replication This short article is really just about one of the very first questions that pops up very soon after any major release of VMware vSphere. Experienced enthusiasts tend to look for ways to learn about and test the latest release of vSphere putting their VM backups at risk. You can see here that the…
Introduction This article takes a quick look at Intel's latest SSD specs, and their potential for use in a VMware virtualization home lab environment. I do not currently have a sample of the 760p for first-hand testing. The information here is based on a briefing I recently received from an Intel spokesperson. The new Intel SSD 760p Series far exceeds the specs of the first-generation M.2 NVMe SSD that Intel launched in Q3'16, the Intel SSD 600p Series, that maxed out at 1TB of capacity. The…
This new podcast episode 340 is now available at the averageguy.tv here, where you can also view, listen, and/or subscribe. Please show Jim your support by visiting, here's an excerpt: Paul Braren from TinkerTry.com joins Jim Collison @jcollison for show #340 of Home Gadget Geeks brought to you by the Average Guy Network For a limited time only, you can pick up the same Home Gadget Geeks shirt I'm styling during this podcast. At any time, you too can become a supporter at Jim's "the…
TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here. Full-time IT Professional, occasional consultant.
Paul Braren, MCSE in 1998, VCP #2681 in 2005, vExpert 2014 to 2025, Veeam Vanguard Emeritus, 2015 to 2019.
Project Manager of my All-Electric Home Retrofit
Easily update VMware ESXi at TinkerTry.com/easy-update-to-latest-esxi
Source - Below paragraphs generated by this comprehensive Perplexity Deep Research report that includes information from 43 sources including Wikipedia - Enshittification:
Why This Exemplifies Enshittification
- Initial Value: VMware initially built goodwill by offering reliable, feature-rich virtualization products and VMUG Advantage, which provided significant value to users.
- Business User Phase: Broadcom prioritized enterprise/hyperscaler customers, extracting more revenue from them while degrading the experience for smaller users (perpetual license elimination, steep subscription costs, discontinued free products).
- Shareholder Phase: The rapid transition to subscriptions and price increases align with maximizing short-term shareholder value, potentially at the long-term expense of the platform's broader ecosystem.
...
The VMware situation perfectly illustrates what one industry observer described as "the classic case of enshittification—where a platform degrades in value to the user to extract maximum value for the shareholder". Even if Broadcom were to reverse course, "the trust is gone" and "the threat of future audits and contract changes remains".
Mar 01, 2026 at 1:23 AM UTC
"Sorry this comment slipped by me as I was in the midst of implementing a way to post comments even for users that say no to cookies. I'm using Supermicro's built-in iKVM feature: https://t..."
Feb 02, 2026 at 6:44 PM UTC
"Thank you for the backup process. I followed the video and everything worked as expected. I was wondering if you could share some information on the tool you use to have a VNC-like connection to you..."
Jan 04, 2026 at 3:12 AM UTC
TinkerTry's 2025 Home Tech Refresh
"This is a simple test of TinkerTry.com new improved handling of Disqus, and it uses the new API and lazy and deferred loading wherever possible. Disqus comments have returned to the sidebar area of al..."
Nov 18, 2025 at 4:29 AM UTC
How to easily update your VMware ESXi Hypervisor to the latest version with one ESXCLI command
"so on an existing installation is not possible to update it? i couldnt even figure out how to create the tokens lol i dont have that option i think on the dashboard..."
Nov 18, 2025 at 4:24 AM UTC
Download all the VMware vSphere 5.5 pieces to get your home lab started
"I cannot do that. I run a legit site, and I have no special access to the code anyway since I don’t work for Broadcom."
Nov 18, 2025 at 4:23 AM UTC
How to easily update your VMware ESXi Hypervisor to the latest version with one ESXCLI command
"It is quite frustrating. While I managed to get the free ESXi 8U3e hypervisor installed (new install only) with a license that doesn’t expire, you still need a token to even patch it the easy way: h..."
Nov 16, 2025 at 8:44 PM UTC
How to easily update your VMware ESXi Hypervisor to the latest version with one ESXCLI command
"i m trying to find the way to generate the tokens etc but i m confused with broadcom....i think its about the time to start migrating to different platform...."
Jul 29, 2025 at 6:08 PM UTC
Download all the VMware vSphere 5.5 pieces to get your home lab started
"Hello, I need help with the vCenter installer. Could you make it available in some drive so I can download it? I have the license and need to activate it to work in an old environment."
Jul 29, 2025 at 6:07 PM UTC
Download all the VMware vSphere 5.5 pieces to get your home lab started
"Olá preciso de ajuda com o instalador do vCenter, poderiam me disponibiliar em algum drive para que eu possa fazer o download? Eu possuo a licença e preciso ativar para trabalhar em um antigo ambien..."
Jul 20, 2025 at 4:22 PM UTC
How to resolve “This virtual machine appears to be in use” error in VMware Workstation
"Still works, using VMware 17.6.3"
Jun 11, 2025 at 7:51 PM UTC
How to easily update your VMware ESXi Hypervisor to the latest version with one ESXCLI command
"I sourced the update zip from a third-party website and ran the following commands. The update seem to have gone fine. I suggest verifying the checksum of the file if you go down that route, as an ext..."
Jun 05, 2025 at 4:57 PM UTC
TinkerTry Supermicro SuperServer Bundles - powerful and efficient virtualization home labs
"I have not, as I moved homes and got rid of everything old, and I tend to avoid eBay stuff partly for support and energy use reasons. It’s amazing that I’m still running both of my SuperServers t..."
Jun 05, 2025 at 8:19 AM UTC
How to easily update your VMware ESXi Hypervisor to the latest version with one ESXCLI command
"Yes. It can be downloaded from the Broadcom site. It is under Free Downloads and comes with a Free license integrated in the ISO. https://support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/free-downloads"
Jun 05, 2025 at 2:56 AM UTC
How to easily update your VMware ESXi Hypervisor to the latest version with one ESXCLI command
"I admit I haven't looked into that, but I appreciate you dropping that idea my way here on TinkerTry! I'm doing much of the same soul searching and tech solution searching that many others are likely ..."
Jun 04, 2025 at 8:41 PM UTC
How to easily update your VMware ESXi Hypervisor to the latest version with one ESXCLI command
"Is there a way to upgrade with the full ISO without overwriting the currently installed license? It wouldn't be a total loss if we could somehow mount the ISO and use a command like below to upg..."
May 28, 2025 at 11:33 AM UTC
TinkerTry Supermicro SuperServer Bundles - powerful and efficient virtualization home labs
"This was such an insightful look back at the impressive legacy of these Supermicro Xeon D bundles! It's remarkable how these compact yet powerful systems served the homelab community so well for ..."
Allan Tygert
Mar 01, 2026 at 3:58 PM UTC
USB Image Tool for Windows easily backs up and restores your complete VMware ESXi hypervisor on USB or SD drives, a simp
"Thank you."