2.5 Admins 271: Dead Internet

2.5 Admins 271: Dead Internet

Author: The Late Night Linux Family October 30, 2025 Duration: 27:54

Why you should keep your Baseboard Management Controller off the network, ZFS is hard to defeat with a zip bomb, how bad the Internet bot problem probably is, and building a small home server cluster.

 

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Discussion

Supermicro server motherboards can be infected with unremovable malware

When a decompression ZIP bomb meets ZFS: 19 PB written on a 15 TB disk

 

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We were asked about building a small home server cluster.

 

 

 

 

 

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Ever wondered what happens when two seasoned system administrators and a producer who knows just enough to be dangerous get together for a weekly chat? That’s the premise behind 2.5 Admins, a refreshingly honest tech podcast from The Late Night Linux Family. Hosts Allan Jude and Jim Salter bring their deep, real-world expertise to the table, while Joe Ressington-the “0.5” who can configure a Samba share on a good day-keeps the conversation grounded and relatable. Each episode feels like eavesdropping on a lively breakroom discussion, where the latest headlines in technology are dissected not with sterile analysis, but with the practical, sometimes weary perspective of people who keep the digital lights on. You’ll hear them tackle listener-submitted admin questions, offering solutions that are tried and tested rather than purely theoretical. This isn’t about hype or buzzwords; it’s about the tools, headaches, and occasional triumphs that define life in IT. The chemistry between the hosts makes complex topics accessible, and the blend of professional insight with Joe’s every-user viewpoint creates a uniquely balanced listen. If you’re looking for a tech podcast that feels like talking shop with knowledgeable friends, this is it.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

2.5 Admins
Podcast Episodes
2.5 Admins 221: Two Firewalls [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:58
Jim and Allan discover modern charging tech and marvel at what’s possible in the USB-C era, more on IPv6 firewalls, using ZFS like Git, and running your own authoritative DNS server. Automox Check out the brand new Auton…
2.5 Admins 220: Get a Job [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:08
How using a copy-on-write filesystem like ZFS can get systems back online within seconds after ransomeware encrypts all your data, and even warn you more quickly that it’s happening. Plus Jim and Allan’s advice on gettin…
2.5 Admins 219: Spooky Stories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:37
It’s Halloween so Jim and Allan share horrific and spooky stories from their sysadmin careers. Plus picking a UPS for a homelab. Plugs Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes Klara…
2.5 Admins 218: TLS TTL [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:20
SSL certificates are likely going to last less time, the latest Windows 11 update leaves a huge chunk of data behind and doesn’t play nicely with some SSDs, picking a modern dhcp server on a homebrew router, and storing…
2.5 Admins 217: Drive Scavenging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:19
The difference between monitoring and metrics analysis, the security pros and cons of cloud vs on-prem, why Jim and Allan don’t use Unraid, and cloud storage and email for a small company. Feedback Netdata Nagios ZFS and…
2.5 Admins 216: Pa55w0rd% [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:01
NIST has finally proposed some sensible password standards, why server CPUs with high core counts make sense in a lot of deployments, the .io TLD is probably sticking around, and the best options for a Linux-based router…
2.5 Admins 215: Still no VLANs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:03
Why cold storage is never as good as keeping your data warm and regularly tested, how the American air traffic control system became so outdated, and isolating your devices from a roommate’s shenanigans. Plug Support us…
2.5 Admins 214: No VLANs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:27
A proposed solution to the WHOIS TLS verification problem gets a surprising amount of pushback. Plus isolating IoT devices, our thoughts on Ubiquiti gear, setting up WiFi in a new house, remote access with WireGuard, and…
2.5 Admins 213: Photo Philosophy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:04
The Malaysian government’s misguided plan to control its citizens’ DNS, the wrong way to deploy underwater servers, a philosophical question about how long a person’s photos will exist, and how we manage our SSH keys. Pl…
2.5 Admins 212: WHODIS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:04
A surprising way to exploit the WHOIS system, Microsoft will force old versions of Windows 11 to update, and the simple way to set up TP-Link Omada gear. Plug Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early…