Field notes

Short entries about small servers and keeping things simple.

Fewer moving parts

Every service added to a small box is one more thing to patch. Before installing anything new, it is worth asking whether a static page would do the same job.

Backups you have actually restored

A backup that was never restored is only a hope. Twice a year, pick one archive at random and bring it back on a spare machine.

Reading logs in the morning

Ten minutes with the logs and a cup of coffee finds most problems before anyone reports them. Boring logs are the goal.