Nick Howell
Still learning.
Still building.
Still calling out the hype.
30 years of enterprise infrastructure. Storage, networking, virtualization, cloud, AI inference, home lab, and whatever else is worth writing about this week.

Recent Writing
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I Was Busy Arguing with Reality
After years buried in cloud, alliances, and AI infrastructure, I’m bringing DatacenterDude back online. Saltier, sharper, and with a lot more to say.
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Mastering Massive Data Migrations with NetApp XCP
Today’s topic is especially thrilling for me as we delve into the world of massive data migrations with a focus on NetApp’s XCP tool. I’m excited to share that DatacenterDude’s Data Center is fully operational, and it’s time to consolidate and migrate my diverse data sprawled across various consumer NAS systems onto the new C250.…
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Installing and Configuring pfSense: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you’ve been following my journey since moving to Las Vegas in November 2021, you know I’ve been eager to enhance my home’s network security. Today, I’m excited to walk you through the process of installing and configuring a pfSense firewall solution, marking a significant upgrade from the basic setups most homes operate with. Let’s…
The DatacenterDude Dispatch
Longer takes on Substack. Goes out when there is something worth saying.
