New technologies, original software products and practical challenges keep me engaged. Here I share what I am working on, milestones achieved and what remains in development.
Not everything needs to be major news. Sometimes a small technical breakthrough is worth sharing.
hddctl receives a redesigned English-language dashboard
hddctl has taken an important step forward. The software that automatically puts hard drives to sleep and wakes them now has a redesigned English-language dashboard, deployed on two in-house systems.
The redesigned hddctl dashboard with an automatically scaling activity chart, per-disk status and concise maintenance and alert information. Actual read and write activity is shown.
The dashboard brings together read and write activity, the state of each disk, maintenance and alerts. The chart and activity meters scale automatically, making both small operations and large transfers visible. Technical details remain accessible without overwhelming the overview.
The redesigned view has been assessed during large file transfers and an overnight Proxmox Backup Server backup. Disk control operates independently of the dashboard and continues when the browser is closed.
This milestone makes hddctl more accessible to a wider audience. Next come further tests under heavier workloads and preparations for use outside the in-house environment.
hddctl now automatically manages standby and parallel wake-up of hard drives on two Proxmox hosts. Storage remains available when needed while disks can save energy during idle periods.
The first complete scheduled overnight backup succeeded. All 29 selected guests were processed, after which the four hard drives automatically returned to standby.
The remote backup chain has also been tested, including a limited recovery test with checksum verification. SMART monitoring and fault notifications are active.
hddctl is operational on both hosts. Initial routine maintenance runs and some individual backup observations are still under review.
hddctl passes significant endurance and load tests
hddctl development has reached another milestone. A remote endurance test and a combined local/network test were successful. All data checks passed, and after the load the system returned automatically to standby.
Further validation focuses on maintenance integration and system startup. Production acceptance will follow only after these additional checks.
Solutions begin with understanding the real problem. Rules, experience and observations are translated into technology that can perform useful work independently. AI is used where it demonstrably adds value.
From expertise to application.
Alongside original software products, software development, automation and infrastructure remain part of my work. I welcome substantive conversations about technical challenges or possible collaboration.
