FreeNAS vs. UnRAID: What are the Differences?
To the outside world, FreeNAS (TrueNAS) and UnRAID appear far more alike than different. In effect, they are. Both are operating systems that allow you to leverage your own hardware as a NAS (Network...
A Brief History of the Floppy Disk
Ah, the floppy disk. How I miss thee. How I don't. There was a certain tactile pleasure to inserting you into your drive, and in the early days, locking you in place. The audible...
What is ZFS? The File System other File Systems Aspire to
File systems are what make organized data storage possible, and quite a few have appeared over the years: FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, Btrfs, HFS, APFS, etc. However, there's one file system that outshines them...
Signal Messenger: Simple Security, Guaranteed Privacy, Great Functionality
In our hyper-connected, always-on world, privacy is in everyone’s thoughts. Instant messaging is the dominant tool for remote conversations. How can we use instant messaging and maintain our privacy? By using Signal.
Signal Messenger
Signal is...
What is JBOD? Quick and Dirty Maximum Capacity
RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) is the combining of multiple disks to mimic a single logical storage unit, i.e., a single drive. Depending on the type, or "level", RAID increases performance, capacity, and...
What is a Trojan Virus? A Master of Disguise
What is a Trojan virus? An impostor, a saboteur, and a master of disguise. But it isn’t actually a virus. Find out how this masquerading malware operates, and keep your systems safe.
What is...
What is RAID 1? Simple, Safe, and Easy
RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) is the combining of multiple disks to mimic a single physical storage device. Depending on the type, or "level", RAID increases performance, capacity, or fault tolerance, or in...
What is Thin Provisioning? Use Only What You Need
No, we're not talking SlimFast here, or a forced hike on limited rations (don't ask). We're talking about yet another computer term that doesn't completely clue you in on the concept it represents.
What is...
What is Cyber Security? Definition, Threats, and Defenses
As threats in the cyber world continue to grow, so does our need to protect ourselves from these threats. When discussing ways to virtually protect ourselves from these threats, the term cyber security often...
What is Btrfs? The Better (than most) File System
Btrfs may be a "better" file system next to everything except ZFS, but what Btr actually stands for is not "better", or "butter", but B-Tree, a data construct employed in the design. Now that...














