WAL Encrypted Networking
✅ ZeroTier on GMKtec K8 Plus with Proxmox VE
The GMKtec K8 Plus, running Proxmox VE (based on Debian Linux), fully supports ZeroTier — both on the host and within guest VMs.
🧩 ZeroTier on Proxmox — Overview
| ZeroTier on Host (Proxmox) |
✅ Yes |
Install via CLI on the Proxmox host (Debian-based) |
| ZeroTier in Guest VMs |
✅ Yes |
Install separately inside each Windows/Linux VM if needed |
| Bridging to VM network |
✅ Yes |
You can bridge ZeroTier to the VM virtual bridge (vmbr0) if desired |
| Remote RDP / Web UI access |
✅ Yes |
Access the Proxmox web UI (:8006) or RDP into VMs securely via ZeroTier |
🛠️ Installing ZeroTier on the Proxmox Host
```bash
Run this directly on the Proxmox host via SSH or console
curl -s https://install.zerotier.com | bash sudo zerotier-cli join
May 20, 2025
WAL Linux VM
Proxmox includes Debian (and is a Linux system) — and that’s actually a huge win:
⸻
✅ Why Proxmox Includes Debian Linux
| Proxmox is a management layer |
It’s not a hypervisor like VMware ESXi that runs underneath a minimal OS — it’s built on top of Linux. |
| KVM (the hypervisor) |
KVM is part of the Linux kernel — it’s a built-in virtualization engine in Linux. |
| Debian = stable, open, maintainable |
Proxmox is based on Debian Linux because it’s fast, secure, and enterprise-grade. |
| ZFS support |
Native ZFS on Linux is fully integrated via Debian-based kernels — perfect for snapshots and data integrity. |
| No GUI login needed |
Even though it’s Linux, you manage it almost entirely via a web browser (https://your-ip:8006) — no Linux command-line experience required. |
🧠 So
Proxmox is not “Linux with a virtualisation tool”, but rather:
A full virtualisation platform built on top of Linux, using Linux-native tech (KVM, LXC, ZFS), with a great UI and API.
So it’s Debian under the hood — but Proxmox wraps it all up so you can use it like an appliance.
✅ Summary • Yes: Proxmox is Debian Linux underneath • But: You never need to interact with it unless you want to • Result: You get industrial-grade virtualization with open-source power and a commercial-grade GUI — without paying for VMware
May 20, 2025
WAL Deployment Playbook
Sage 50 Multi-User Deployment Playbook
Target: Windows Server 2019 Standard VM on Proxmox VE
Users: Up to 5 concurrent Sage 50 users + admin access
Support: Fully Microsoft-supported + legally licensed
1. Hardware Setup
Core Components
| CPU |
AMD Ryzen 5/7 or Intel i5/i7 (6–8 cores) |
| RAM |
32 GB DDR4 |
| Storage |
1 TB NVMe SSD (for VM) |
| Host Boot Disk |
128 GB SATA SSD (for Proxmox OS) |
| Network |
Intel Gigabit Ethernet NIC |
| Case/Power |
Quiet Mini PC or micro-ATX case + 80+ Bronze PSU |
| UPS |
APC Back-UPS 700VA or similar |
| Backup Drive |
1 TB external USB SSD for VM backups |
Optional
| ZFS Filesystem |
Built-in redundancy and snapshotting |
| Quiet Cooling |
Ideal for shared or office environments |
Cost around £500 or so
2. Hypervisor: Proxmox VE
- Install latest Proxmox VE on boot SSD
- Create a VM:
- 16–24 GB RAM
- 4+ vCPUs
- 150–250 GB NVMe virtual disk
- Enable UEFI and QEMU guest agent
- Enable snapshot & backup options
3. Windows Server 2019 VM Setup
Licensing
| Server 2019 Std |
Currys Business |
£425.53 |
16-core OEM |
| 5 User CALs |
Ebuyer |
£139.99 |
For shared file/app access |
| 5 RDS User CALs |
Trusted Tech Team UK |
£510.99 |
For concurrent RDP sessions |
**Cost around £1,000 or so
**Total costs around £1,500 and under £2,000
Installation Steps
- Install Windows Server 2019
- Join workgroup or domain if applicable
- Activate all licences
- Configure static IP and hostname
- Install Sage 50 software centrally
4. User Access Configuration
RDS Setup
- Install Remote Desktop Services role
- Configure 5 RDS User CALs
- Create 5 user accounts with strong passwords
- Use Group Policy to lock down environment if needed
Admin Access
- Use
mstsc /admin for console session (Session ID 0)
- Alternatively use Proxmox web console for out-of-band access
5. Backup & Restore
- Set up scheduled Proxmox VM backups (ZFS or directory)
- Export regular Sage backups to external USB SSD
- Test snapshot and restore procedures monthly
6. Maintenance & Best Practices
- Use Windows Update and enable reboots during low-use periods
- Apply Proxmox updates via web UI monthly
- Use
Console access to avoid burning RDS CALs for admin
- Keep one local admin user reserved for recovery
7. Optional: Secure Remote Access
- Use Cloudflare Tunnel or VPN to avoid open ports
- Allow only RDP via secure tunnel
- Disable direct internet exposure to RDP port
Appendix: Console Access
What Is It?
- The local screen/session of the server (Session 0)
How to Use It
```bash mstsc /admin
May 18, 2025
Talk draft 2
We met when he was ten and I was twelve, and we were friends for the next fifty-six years.
I think I’ve done many things only because Tim dragged me off the sofa.
From the start, we were inseparable—racing around on our bikes, legs going like mad, convinced we were invincible.
We were explorers, competitors, troublemakers, and each other’s shadow.
We spent so much time together in those early years that we were practically resident in each other’s homes.
His mum was my second mum, and my mum was his. That’s just how it was.
His dad, Geoff, was really the only father figure I ever knew, and I was lucky to have him in my life.
That closeness shaped us. We didn’t just grow up as friends—we grew up as family.
He introduced me to my first cigarette—on the beach at Abersoch, three in the morning, the tide was out and the sky full of stars.
That probably says a lot about the nature of our friendship: strange hours, long conversations, fierce competition, and loyalty without needing to say it out loud.
As teenagers, we raced dinghies in fleets of forty, always pushing each other, always trying to outdo one another.
We never quite won, but we were always in the fight and loved it.
Later, in our forties, we raced small yachts—GK 24s.
It was my turn to win everything by then, but he was never far behind.
As I used to say to him, he could polish my transom, but if I so much as blinked, he’d overtake.
Maybe he pushed me to win in those days; I only bought the boat because he bought one.
We always missed those boats in later years.
He skied like an angel—smooth, fearless, and graceful.
He gave me the best ski tips I’ve ever had, which still echo when I’m on the slopes.
He had that way about him when he was doing something he loved: absorbed, fully alive—and my goodness, when he crashed, he did a proper job.
I have in mind one fall coming down Gornergrat in Zermatt, spectacular.
He came to live with me in Switzerland for two or three years.
That’s when I saw the booze battle up close.
I tried to distract him from it, and sometimes it worked.
We had good times. He enjoyed them, and so did I.
I remember the centre line of one of the roads here in Prestbury disappearing under my passenger door in JGK 205, his mum’s Triumph Herald—as we drifted sideways.
Maybe we were lucky to survive those days.
Later, in Geneva, he landed a job that paid a fortune, and he earned it.
He was sharp, capable, and successful.
Then he returned to England.
He could go two or three months without a drink—and then the cycle would come back.
In the end, it’s what took him.
But that’s not the whole of who he was.
When he called and he was drunk, we’d just put the phone on the side and let him talk.
He wouldn’t remember later.
But we answered.
Because when he was sober, we talked like we always had.
Because even then, he was still him.
He had this uncanny ability to read people.
While I’ve never had a clue, he always saw straight to the heart of someone.
And he was a socialite through and through.
I’ve never known anyone with as many names in their address book—and he knew every single one.
He didn’t just know names—he knew people.
I was there when he met Irene, all those decades ago.
I still have a clear image of her, standing with her friend at the side of the dance floor at Bredbury Hall.
I imagine a few of us here remember that place back in the day. It was the spot.
And she was there in her little black dress.
That picture has never left me.
Whatever else might have been going on in his life—wherever he was, whatever state he was in, he never varied in his loyalty to her.
As the decades passed, sometimes they were officially together, sometimes not.
But she was always there somewhere, and he never let go.
In these later years, they were together again.
She was a thread that ran through his story.
He was complicated, like most of us.
Brilliant, frustrating, generous, chaotic, funny, lost (tormented?) and always my friend.
You don’t share a friendship that lasts fifty-six years without going through the whole range—laughter, silence, heartache, joy, forgiveness, and things you can never quite explain.
I miss him.
I’ll keep missing him, so many memories.
And I’m deeply grateful for the sailing, the skiing, the laughter, the long life-planning calls, the boats, the banter, and the quiet loyalty because it was ours.
April 26, 2025
IHT Home Allowance(s) Date: 2024-04-18
IHT Home Allowance(s)
In the UK, the inheritance tax (IHT) allowance regarding the matrimonial home is primarily covered under two main allowances:
⸻
- Nil-Rate Band (NRB) — Standard Allowance • Every individual has a £325,000 inheritance tax-free threshold. • This is called the nil-rate band. • Assets up to this amount can be passed on tax-free upon death.
⸻
- Residence Nil-Rate Band (RNRB) — Additional Allowance for the Home
If you leave your main residence to a direct descendant (e.g., children, stepchildren, grandchildren), an additional allowance applies: • Up to £175,000 per person (on top of the standard £325,000). • Applies only to one home and only if it was a residence at some point. • Must go to a direct descendant to qualify. • If the estate exceeds £2 million, the RNRB tapers off by £1 for every £2 over the threshold.
⸻
- Combined Threshold for Married Couples or Civil Partners • Spouses and civil partners can inherit from each other tax-free (no IHT between them). • Unused NRB and RNRB from the first partner’s estate can be transferred to the surviving spouse. • This means the combined total allowance could be: • £325,000 + £175,000 = £500,000 per person • Up to £1 million per couple if both allowances are fully available and used
⸻
Example
A couple leaves their family home (valued at £800,000) to their children: • First death: no IHT due (assets pass to spouse). • Second death: if full allowances are available, £1 million threshold applies, and the entire value may pass tax-free.
⸻
Let me know if you want details about trusts, taper relief, or downsising protections under the RNRB.
April 18, 2025
IHT Home value increases Date: 2024-04-18
IHT Home value increases
Based on current forecasts and market trends, rural property values in Cheshire, UK, are expected to experience steady growth over the next decade.
📈 Forecasted Annual Growth Rates • Short-Term (2025): Analysts predict modest growth in UK house prices, with estimates ranging from 2.5% to 4%.  • Medium-Term (2025–2029): Cumulative growth over this five-year period is anticipated to be around 19.3%, averaging approximately 3.6% annually.  • Long-Term (2025–2035): Assuming consistent economic conditions, a conservative estimate would be an average annual growth rate of 3.5% to 4% over the next ten years.
🏡 Implications for a Property Valued at £850,000
Applying a 3.5% annual growth rate: • After 5 Years (2030): Approximately £1,008,000 • After 10 Years (2035): Approximately £1,200,000
🔍 Factors Influencing Growth • Regional Demand: Cheshire’s appeal, due to its countryside charm and proximity to urban centres, supports property demand.  • Economic Conditions: Interest rates, inflation, and employment rates will continue to impact property values.  • Housing Supply: Limited new developments in rural areas can constrain supply, potentially driving up prices.
Consulting local estate agents or property experts familiar with Cheshire’s rural market would provide additional insights for a more tailored forecast.
April 18, 2025