[TriLUG] recommendations for on-line Linux VM

[Mauricio Tavares via TriLUG]

On Wed, Feb 12, 2025 at 6:53 AM Joseph Mack NA3T via TriLUG
<trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
>
> On Tue, 11 Feb 2025, Joseph Mack NA3T wrote:
>
> > I want a Linux machine on-line, that I can logon at the command line, like I
> > do with my home machines, and pilot. I want it to run a lightly used a
> > website. I also want to be able to install and remove files at will had not
> > have any blocked ports.
>
> Thanks everyone for your suggestions.
>
> This is quite a morass. I just want a VM I can spin up and do what I want
> with, like I do at home. The VM will be running my azimuthal equidistant
> map generator, which has been making maps for 30 years now. It makes a
> couple of maps (maybe 5mins of CPU) a day. I don't need performance - eg
> nvmeSSDs and multiple CPUs. If I wanted performance, I would be hosting it
> myself.
>
> Many years ago, Linode just offered VMs. That's what they did. Now their
> webpage is a blizzard of bullshit (yes I can find their VMs, but you have
> to search, indicating that VMs aren't really their business any more).
> Others are offering Linux VMs, but don't tell you the distribution they're
> using. Other people offer things that aren't VMs, like droplets. If they
> were selling cars, what would they call them? When I have to contact them,
> they aren't going to be talking my language - no thanks. Other people
> (hertzner) are offering webservers with webFTP - I don't control that
> machine - accessing it will be like peering through a keyhole. Then
> there's paravirtualisation, which I'd never heard of, where the host and
> the VM talk to each other, which I would have thought is the opposite of
> what you want. Other providers hide their offerings and are only
> interested in telling you how great they are. Some won't tell you want
> they've got till you sign up. Clearly most customers aren't looking for
> just a VM anymore.
>
> I'm not planning on having my own e-mail server, although it would be nice
> to have one. It would seem that the big tech companies are making sure
> that only they can do e-mail, by squeezing out the small players by
> assigning reputation in blocks. I would have to take them on and deal with
> their requirements. I'm reassured to find that I have the same
> understanding of the problems of setting up e-mail as Scott Blaydes (an
> opinionated person, which is what I was hoping for) has.
>
> Linode had a break-in about a decade ago, that resulted in a crypto-heist,
> which involved poor security on their part (it seems a compromised admin
> machine was able to get into the customer's machines) and they never
> compensated (even partially) the people who were affected. This doesn't
> look good. However they are the people who are the nearest to talking my
> language.
>
> It would be nice to find a provider like Linode was 10 years ago, who had
> a webpage that said "here are our VMs" and just left it at that. I expect
> I'll have to wrestle what I want out of even Linode.
>
      As a FYI, netactuate, the people who host the trilug servers, do
offer rack space, baremetal, and vms. I reached out to them this
morning and they said they would like to see if they can help you out.
No clue of their price (I can see if they are willing to give a trilug
deal), but they are local -- Brian and others have been at their
location before -- so you can bring a steel pipe if you need to make
sure they will help you.


> Thanks
> Joe
>
> --
> Joseph Mack NA3T EME(B,D), FM05lw North Carolina
> Don't upgrade a working machine - it won't work any
> better - it could work worse; it may not work at all.
> Homepage http://www.austintek.com/ It's GNU/Linux!
>