Debug and Rebug: The Records of a Developing Developer

Tech Log Entry — LAN File Sharing (or, SMB Between Windows 11 Desktop and Linux Mint Laptop) Background and Context With the three-machine automated backup infrastructure complete, the next practical need was interactive file sharing — a way to move files between the Windows 11 desktop and the Linux Mint laptop #1 without USB drives (cumbersome) or email (insecure). The two machines are connected via a dedicated gigabit LAN switch on an isolated local subnet (192.168.2.x), separate from the home Wi-Fi network. Goal: a shared folder accessible from both machines, with one-click access from each side, backed by proper credentials and restricted to the private LAN only. Security note: The Linux laptop #2 was deliberately excluded from this setup per its isolation policy — it hosts Claude Code and is kept off persistent shared network folders by design.  File transfers from/to it will be done manually via USB, for now. Software and Protocol SMB (Server Message Block) — the Windows-nati...

Tech Log Entry — Homelab Infrastructure Validation (or, Automated Backups Confirmed, WHEA Hardware Issue Resolved, & Log Rotation Configured) Background and Context This entry documents the validation phase following implementation of a three-machine automated backup infrastructure (documented in the previous entry) for my homelab LAN. It also covers the investigation and resolution of a hardware error pattern on the Windows desktop, a discussion of Linux full-disk encryption, and the setup of log rotation on both Linux laptops. All three machines — one Windows 11 desktop ([desktop]) and two Linux Mint laptops ([laptop #1] and [laptop #2]) — are connected via a dedicated gigabit LAN switch on an isolated local subnet, separate from the home Wi-Fi network. Part 1: First Automated Backup Runs — Confirmed Successful FreeFileSync on [desktop] (Windows 11): Task ran at 2:33 AM as scheduled FreeFileSync log showed: Completed successfully, 1 minute 31 seconds, 3.05 MB/sec 1 warning: datab...