tl;dr Impulse-purchased an IBM x3650 M4 7915 to serve as the keystone of my homelab build; I’m either a mad genius or simply insane
I should preface this by saying I’m of a certain age, and with that comes a weird combination of nostalgia and reverence for x86-based IBM hardware. The first computer I could call my own was an IBM PC-XT I got second hand in the mid-90s. Not long after, I graduated to a PS/2 Model 80 that was in amazing shape and kitted out with an original VGA monitor, model M keyboard, and second-gen PS/2 mouse—if only my teenage self understood the treasure that setup would become.
Anyway, last night, in addition to some other odds and ends, I impulse-purchased an IBM x3650 M4 7915 primarily because I really appreciate System x hardware, but also mostly because it was like $110 USD with free shipping.
Planning to use this as the basis of a scratch homelab build primarily for use as a learning platform. I know there’s a lot of trial and error, pain and frustration, but also the acquisition of knowledge, and that valuable kind of growth that only comes in the wake of tremendous failure and defeat, sprouting like fireweed on an expanse of charred wasteland after a cleansing wildfire.
Either I’m a mad genius, or I’m simply insane
I have 3 of those make sure they’re fully updated otherwise a chip is slowly killed at every reboot
For more information https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zl4iDxGD7cQ
If you don’t already know about Morten Hjorth, he has an absolute priapism when it comes to IBM and Lenovo server gear.
He has made a YouTube channel with a huge amount of videos about his obsession over them.
The best part of those machines was the warranty service, which I used regularly when I was supporting these machines in production.
That’s a nice heater! And a very good door stop. Nice catch.
Hah, my old company that I left a year ago still runs those as their primary ESXi cluster.
I’m glad I left that place. I remember paying more than that for the annual hardware-only support on it lol.
