Blog | Max Doubin

Technical writing on enterprise networking, cybersecurity, homelab infrastructure, and systems engineering.

• Building Hyperscale: A 3D Datacenter Simulator — How I built an immersive 3D datacenter simulation with procedural generation, real-time thermal modeling, and React Three Fiber.
• Why Homelabs Matter for Learning Networking — How running real enterprise hardware at home changed the way I learn about networking, systems, and troubleshooting.
• Lessons from Competing in the National Cyber League — What I learned from reaching the top 1 percent in competitive cybersecurity, and why the process matters more than the ranking.
• Running a Rack-Mount Mac Pro in a Homelab — Why I added a rack-mount Mac Pro to my server infrastructure and what it actually brings to the table alongside Dell PowerEdge systems.
• Dell PowerEdge R740: The Backbone of My Homelab — A deep dive into the PowerEdge R740 and why it is still one of the best platforms for a serious home lab environment.
• Could Apple Silicon Replace x86 in the Server Room? — Apple Silicon changed the laptop game. Here is why it probably will not replace x86 in datacenters any time soon, and what would need to change.
• Running ZFS on Dell Enterprise Hardware — How I set up ZFS on my Dell PowerEdge servers and why it changed my approach to storage management.
• Upgrading to 10GbE Networking in a Homelab — How I moved from gigabit to 10 gigabit Ethernet across my lab and what actually changed in practice.
• IPMI and Out-of-Band Management Explained — Why out-of-band management is essential for running servers, and how IPMI and iDRAC actually work under the hood.
• Cable Management in a Server Rack — Good cable management is not about aesthetics. It is about airflow, troubleshooting speed, and not hating yourself six months from now.
• Proxmox vs ESXi: Which Hypervisor for a Homelab — I have run both Proxmox and VMware ESXi in my lab. Here is how they compare for real workloads.
• ECC RAM: What It Is and Why Servers Use It — A practical explanation of ECC memory, why it matters for servers, and when you actually need it.
• Mac Pro vs Dell PowerEdge: An Honest Comparison — Two very different approaches to rack-mount hardware. Here is how the Mac Pro and PowerEdge compare for real workloads.
• How to Size a UPS for a Home Server Rack — A practical guide to choosing the right UPS for your servers, including how to calculate your actual power needs.
• Network Segmentation with VLANs: A Practical Guide — How I use VLANs to segment my home network into isolated zones for security, performance, and sanity.
• Running a FortiGate Firewall in a Homelab — Why I chose Fortinet for my home network firewall and how I configured it for a segmented lab environment.
• Choosing the Right Server CPU: Xeon, EPYC, and Apple — A guide to picking the right processor for your server workload, covering Intel Xeon, AMD EPYC, and Apple's approach.
• Hot and Cold Aisle Containment: Why Airflow Matters — The principles behind datacenter cooling and how I apply hot/cold aisle concepts even in a homelab environment.
• Choosing a PDU for Your Server Rack — A guide to power distribution units for server racks, from basic power strips to intelligent metered PDUs.
• Practical Packet Analysis with Wireshark — How I use Wireshark for real troubleshooting and competitive cybersecurity, not just looking at pretty packets.
• Nmap Scanning Techniques for Network Discovery — How I use Nmap for network discovery and security assessment, with practical examples from my lab environment.
• Inside the 2019 Mac Pro: Engineering Analysis — A look at what makes the 2019 Mac Pro's internal design unique compared to traditional server hardware.
• Linux Server Hardening: The Basics That Matter — The fundamental security configurations I apply to every Linux server in my lab, and why each one matters.
• Setting Up Active Directory in a Homelab — How I set up a full Active Directory domain in my lab to practice enterprise identity management.
• SFP, SFP+, and QSFP: Transceivers Explained — A practical guide to network transceivers, DAC cables, and fiber optics for server networking.
• The 3-2-1 Backup Rule and How I Implement It — A practical guide to implementing a real backup strategy using the 3-2-1 rule with enterprise hardware.
• Network Monitoring Tools I Actually Use — A practical look at the monitoring tools running in my homelab and what each one tells me about my network.
• Thunderbolt Networking: Apple's Approach to High-Speed Connectivity — How Thunderbolt networking works, where it fits, and why it is both brilliant and frustrating for mixed environments.
• Cisco Switching Fundamentals Every Network Engineer Needs — The core switching concepts I learned on Cisco hardware and use every day in my lab environment.
• Dell iDRAC Tips and Tricks for Power Users — Advanced iDRAC features that most people overlook, from virtual console to automated alerts and firmware management.
• Expanding Storage on the Mac Pro — The options for adding storage to a Mac Pro, from internal NVMe to Thunderbolt expansion and network-attached storage.
• Subnetting Made Practical: A Real-World Guide — How I think about subnetting in practice, with real examples from my network instead of textbook exercises.
• Server BIOS Settings That Actually Matter — The BIOS settings I configure on every server and why each one makes a difference for performance and reliability.
• DNS: The Infrastructure Most People Ignore — Why DNS is the most critical piece of network infrastructure and how I run it in my lab.
• The Apple Xserve: A Look at Apple's Server Legacy — Apple used to make rack-mount servers. Here is why the Xserve mattered, why Apple killed it, and what it means for the Mac Pro.
• RAID Levels Explained: When to Use Each One — A practical comparison of RAID levels with real performance and reliability tradeoffs from my lab experience.
• Automating Network Tasks with Python — How I use Python to automate repetitive network configuration and monitoring tasks in my lab.
• Planning a Server Rack: Layout, Power, and Cooling — How I planned and organized my server rack, from choosing the right size to power distribution and cooling.
• Troubleshooting Spanning Tree Protocol Issues — Real STP problems I have encountered and how I diagnosed them using show commands and packet captures.
• The Apple Afterburner Card: Hardware Video Acceleration — What Apple's Afterburner accelerator card does, how it works, and why hardware-accelerated ProRes decoding matters.
• Designing Firewall Policies That Actually Work — How I approach firewall policy design, with practical examples from my FortiGate configuration.
• Networking Inside Virtual Environments — How virtual switches, port groups, and VLAN tagging work inside hypervisors, and how they connect to physical networks.
• How I Approach Log Analysis for Troubleshooting — My methodology for analyzing logs to find problems, with examples from real troubleshooting sessions.
• Apple's T2 Security Chip in the Mac Pro — What the T2 chip does in the Mac Pro, how it affects server use, and the tradeoffs between security and flexibility.
• Network Documentation That Actually Gets Used — How I document my network infrastructure in a way that is useful during outages, not just for show.
• Monitoring and Reducing Server Power Consumption — How I monitor power usage in my rack and the settings that made the biggest difference in my electricity bill.
• Incident Response: What to Do When Things Break — My approach to handling infrastructure incidents, from detection through resolution and documentation.
• GPU Compute on the Mac Pro: Metal and Beyond — How the Mac Pro's dual Vega II GPUs handle compute workloads and where they fit in the GPU computing landscape.
• SSL/TLS Certificates: What They Are and How They Work — A practical explanation of TLS certificates, certificate authorities, and how to manage certificates on your own infrastructure.
• APFS: Apple's Modern Filesystem and Its Server Implications — How APFS works, what it does well, and why it is not a replacement for ZFS in server environments.
• How My Home Network Evolved Over Three Years — From a consumer router to a full enterprise network. The stages, mistakes, and lessons from building my infrastructure.
• Container Orchestration: Docker and LXC in a Homelab — How I use containers alongside virtual machines in my lab, and when each approach makes sense.
• BGP for Network Engineers: A Practical Introduction — BGP is the protocol that holds the internet together. Here is what you actually need to know to start working with it in real environments.
• FortiGate CLI: Commands You Will Use Every Day — The FortiGate GUI is useful, but the CLI is where real control happens. Here are the commands that matter most in production environments.
• KVM vs Proxmox vs ESXi: Choosing a Hypervisor — Three serious hypervisors, three different trade-offs. Here is how to think about choosing between KVM, Proxmox, and VMware ESXi for your environment.
• NVMe vs SATA in Enterprise Storage — The performance gap between NVMe and SATA is real and significant. Here is when it matters and when it does not.
• Building a Network Monitoring System from Scratch — A step-by-step look at building a monitoring system that gives you real visibility into your network's health, traffic, and events.
• Redundant Power Supplies: How and Why They Work — Redundant PSUs are a fundamental part of enterprise server design. Here is how they actually work and when they matter.
• Spanning Tree Protocol: What It Does and Why It Breaks Things — STP prevents broadcast storms but introduces its own complexity. Understanding it deeply is essential for anyone working with switched networks.
• SSH Hardening: Locking Down Remote Access — Default SSH configuration is functional but not secure. Here is how to harden it against the most common attack vectors.
• IPv6 in the Real World: What Actually Changes — IPv6 has been 'the future' for decades. Here is how it actually works in practice and what you need to know when you encounter it.
• Cisco IOS Fundamentals Every Network Engineer Should Know — IOS is the language of enterprise networking. These are the foundational commands and concepts that every network engineer needs in their toolkit.
• Storage Area Networks Explained — SANs power the storage backends of most enterprise datacenters. Here is how they work and why they are architected the way they are.
• Proxmox Clustering and High Availability Setup — Proxmox clustering lets multiple hosts share workloads and survive individual node failures. Here is how to set it up and what to watch out for.
• FortiGate SD-WAN: Intelligent WAN Link Selection — SD-WAN on FortiGate allows you to use multiple WAN links intelligently, routing traffic based on performance metrics rather than static routing tables.
• Network Security Zones and DMZ Design — A well-designed zone architecture is the foundation of network security. Here is how to think about segmenting your network into security zones.
• Power over Ethernet: How PoE Works in Enterprise Networks — PoE eliminates the need for separate power supplies for IP phones, cameras, and wireless APs. Here is how the standard works and how to plan for it.
• Server Memory Architecture: DIMM Slots, Channels, and ECC — Server memory is more complex than desktop memory. Understanding channels, DIMM placement, and ECC is essential for getting the performance and reliability you expect.
• Building a SOC Home Lab for Cybersecurity Practice — A SOC home lab gives you a realistic environment to practice threat detection, log analysis, and incident response without touching production systems.
• iSCSI Storage: How to Configure and Use It — iSCSI delivers block storage over standard Ethernet, making enterprise-grade shared storage accessible without specialized hardware.
• DNS Security: DNSSEC, DoH, and Protecting Name Resolution — DNS is foundational to every network connection, which makes it a prime target for attacks. Here is how DNSSEC and encrypted DNS protect the resolution process.
• High Availability Clustering with Pacemaker and Corosync — Pacemaker and Corosync provide Linux HA clustering that can automatically restart services and VMs after node failures.
• Network Access Control with 802.1X — 802.1X port authentication ensures that only authorized devices can connect to your network. Here is how to implement it with a RADIUS server.
• VXLAN and Network Virtualization Explained — VXLAN extends Layer 2 networks over Layer 3 infrastructure, enabling flexible network virtualization in modern datacenters and cloud environments.
• Troubleshooting Network Issues with Packet Captures — Packet captures are the most powerful diagnostic tool in networking. Here is a systematic approach to using them effectively for real troubleshooting.
• Writing Runbooks That Actually Get Used — A runbook that no one reads is just a box-checking exercise. Here is how to write documentation that engineers actually reach for during incidents.
• OSPF: The Interior Routing Protocol That Powers Enterprise Networks — OSPF is the most common interior gateway protocol in enterprise environments. Here is how it works and how to configure it correctly.
• Dell iDRAC Advanced Features You Should Be Using — Most people use iDRAC for basic console access and power control. Here are the features that make it genuinely powerful for server management.
• Centralized Logging with Syslog: A Practical Guide — Centralized logging gives you visibility across your infrastructure and is foundational to both operations and security. Here is how to set it up properly.
• Container Networking Fundamentals: How Pods and Containers Communicate — Container networking is built on familiar IP routing concepts, but with layers of abstraction that can make it hard to understand. Here is the foundation.
• SSH Key-Based Authentication: Setup and Best Practices — Key-based SSH authentication is more secure than passwords and more convenient with proper setup. Here is how to do it right.
• NFS vs SMB: Choosing the Right Network Filesystem — NFS and SMB both share files over a network, but they are designed for different environments. Here is how to choose between them.
• NTP: Why Time Synchronization Matters in Enterprise Networks — Accurate time is foundational to authentication, logging, and troubleshooting. Here is how NTP works and how to deploy it properly.
• Setting Up Nginx as a Reverse Proxy for Lab Services — Nginx as a reverse proxy centralizes access to multiple backend services, handles TLS termination, and simplifies the architecture of a homelab or small production environment.
• LACP and Link Aggregation: Combining Links for More Bandwidth — Link aggregation combines multiple physical links into a single logical link. Here is how LACP works and how to configure it correctly.
• Enterprise WiFi vs Consumer Grade: What Actually Differs — Enterprise access points cost significantly more than consumer routers. Here is what you actually get for that investment.
• DHCP Snooping and Dynamic ARP Inspection: Layer 2 Security — DHCP snooping and DAI are essential Layer 2 security features that prevent common attacks on switched networks. Here is how to configure them.
• Monitoring Infrastructure with Prometheus and Grafana — Prometheus and Grafana together provide powerful, flexible infrastructure monitoring. Here is how to get a production-quality monitoring setup running.
• BGP Route Filtering and Security Best Practices — BGP without proper filtering is dangerous. Here is how to implement route filtering to protect your network and the internet.
• Secure Network Design: Principles That Actually Matter — Security is most effective when it is built into network architecture from the start, not added on top afterward. Here are the foundational principles.
• Scaling a Homelab: Lessons from Growing a Lab Environment — A homelab that grows without a plan becomes chaos. Here are the lessons I learned growing from one server to a multi-rack lab environment.
• Firewall Log Analysis: Finding What Matters — Firewall logs contain enormous volumes of data. Here is how to analyze them effectively to find real security events without drowning in noise.
• Quality of Service in Enterprise Networks — QoS ensures that critical traffic gets priority when bandwidth is constrained. Here is how to design and implement a QoS policy that actually works.
• Automating Network Configuration with Ansible — Ansible's network modules allow you to configure routers, switches, and firewalls programmatically. Here is how to get started with network automation.
• The Network Engineer Role in 2026: What Has Changed — Networking has changed significantly in the last few years. Here is what the role looks like now and what skills matter most going forward.
• Penetration Testing Basics: A Defensive Perspective — Understanding how penetration testing works helps defenders build better controls. Here is what pen testers actually do and what it means for defense.
• TLS 1.3 and Modern Encryption: What Changed and Why It Matters — TLS 1.3 significantly improved on TLS 1.2 in both security and performance. Here is what changed and what you need to do about it.
• Server Consolidation with Virtualization: A Practical Guide — Server consolidation using virtualization reduces hardware costs, power consumption, and management complexity. Here is how to plan and execute it.
• Building a Personal Brand in Tech: What Actually Works — A genuine personal brand opens doors that credentials alone do not. Here is how to build one that reflects real expertise rather than manufactured content.
• What I've Learned Teaching Youth to Code — Running coding camps for youth in the Las Vegas Valley has taught me as much as it has taught the students. Here is what actually works when introducing young people to technology.