01
Drives
The array is the single largest running cost. Disks wear out, and a degraded pool is not something to leave sitting.
Where it goes
Hardware fails on camera because it fails in real life.
This is a working lab, not a loaner rack that goes back after filming. When something in it dies, it gets replaced out of pocket.
02
Network gear
Switches, optics and cabling. Half the failures worth filming only show up on real hardware at real speed.
03
Power
The rack runs around the clock. That is a line on a real electricity bill every month, not a rounding error.
04
Breaking things
Some episodes need a spare to destroy. A test you have never watched fail is not a test, and that costs hardware.
Tiers
Three, and none of them is a deadline.
No calls to schedule, no monthly obligation, nothing that stops being true if a week goes badly.
Tier 01
$3/mo
Camp
- Your name in the supporter list
- You help keep the videos free for everyone else
- Nothing is locked. You are tipping.
Tier 02
$8/mo
Rack
- Everything in Camp
- The compose files, alert rules, healthcheck configs and scripts that appear on screen
- Posted when that video goes up
Tier 03
$20/mo
Den
- Everything in Rack
- Your name on the end card
- A vote on what breaks next, from a shortlist I post
- No calls. No meetings. No monthly anything.
Supporters0 so far
Nobody yet. The list starts with the first one.
Names go here as people back the channel, newest last. No ranking, no badges, no sorting by amount — a name is a name.
Before you do
Straight answers.
Will any video be paywalled?
No. Not one, not ever, not for a day. If that changes it would be a different channel, and this line would come off the page first.
What do backers get that I do not?
The working files from each episode, so you do not have to pause and retype a config off the screen. The information is all in the free video either way.
Are there sponsors?
No sponsors. No sponsor reads, no paid placements, no gifted hardware, and nothing gets filmed because a brand asked. Open-source tools get named on screen. The gear page does carry affiliate links, disclosed at the top of that page — they cost you nothing extra and they do not decide what goes in a video.
Can I give once instead of monthly?
Yes. Cancel whenever you like — a single month is a perfectly good way to say thanks, and nothing switches off when you do.
Should I back this at all?
Only if the videos already helped you and the money is genuinely spare. Subscribing and watching costs you nothing and helps more than you would think.
House rules: no real addresses, no real hostnames, no topology — every screen is generic, scale figures only. No sponsors. Open-source tools get named; anything for-profit stays generic. Every failure shown happened in this rack.