Proxmox VE 8.1: Windows 11 vGPU (VT-d) Passthrough with Intel Alder Lake

Interested in sharing your Intel Alder Lake GPU between multiple Proxmox 8.x VMs? This post covers configuring Intel vGPU virtual functions on Proxmox 8.1/8.0 using an Intel 12th Generation CPU (Alder Lake) with Windows 11 Pro. I will walk you through the Proxmox 8.x kernel configuration, modifying GRUB, Installing Windows 11 Pro, and then setting up the Intel graphics inside Windows. I've completely updated the content from my Proxmox 8.0 vGPU post which appeared on my blog back in June. While...

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Configuring Netgear M4300 IGMP & MLD Multicast Snooping

When building a smart home based on Matter it is critical that you get networking gear with working IPv6 multicast support. This post covers how to configure both IGMP (IPv4) and MLD (IPv6) snooping for Netgear M4300 Pro AV fully managed switches. If you have TP-Link Jetstream switches, check out my sister post: Configuring TP-Link IGMP & MLD Multicast Snooping.Finding a switch with working IPv6 multicast support is easier said than done. For example, both QNAP and some Ubiquity Unifi gear...

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Configuring TP-Link IGMP & MLD Multicast Snooping

When building a smart home based on Matter it is critical that you get networking gear with working IPv6 multicast support. This post covers how to configure both IGMP (IPv4) and MLD (IPv6) snooping for TP-Link Jetstream (business class) managed switches. Finding a switch with working IPv6 multicast support is easier said than done. For example, both QNAP and some Ubiquity Unifi gear have a track record of broken IPv6 multicast support that can wreck havoc on your Matter smart home....

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Part 3: Smart Home Matter and Thread Deep Dive

In this final installment of my smart home deep dive on Matter and Thread, I cover a ton of practical advice on how to set yourself up for success with Matter. Even if you aren't using Home Assistant and are entirely into Apple Home, Google Home, etc. the last section on mDNS tips can be killer for solving your Matter issues. You can check out the other posts in this series:Part 1: Smart Home Matter and Thread Deep DiveWhat is Matter?What...

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Part 2: Smart Home Matter and Thread Deep Dive

This is the second installment of the Smart Home Matter and Thread deep dive series. In this post we deep dive into IPv6 routing, and how the Home Assistant Matter controller does failover at the network level between two Apple TVs. I'll also show you how this fails with HAOS 11.0 but has been fixed in HAOS 11.1. You can check out the other posts in this series:Part 1: Smart Home Matter and Thread Deep DiveWhat is Matter?What is Thread?What can...

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Home Assistant: Proxmox VE 8.1 Quick Start Guide

Hot off the press is Proxmox VE 8.0, which GA'd on June 22, 2023. It is based on Debian Bookworm, and has a number of new features like defaulting to Linux Kernel 6.2. This post is a completely refreshed version of my popular Home Assistant: Proxmox VE 7.4 Quick Start Guide, but all new for Proxmox VE 8.0 (and 8.1). Just like my 7.4 guide, this posts covers installing Home Assistant OS (HAOS). HAOS is, IMHO, the preferred method to run...

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Part 1: Smart Home Matter and Thread Deep Dive

The modern Smart Home has a host of new standards to enable what is supposed to be a seamless experience across multiple ecosystems. These new standards include Matter and Thread, both of which the likes of Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, and Home Assistant support to various degrees.There's A LOT of confusion and mystery around these two new standards, and troubleshooting any issues can be hard. In this series of posts I'll do a deep dive in parts of Matter, Thread,...

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Unraveling Apple Shortcuts: A Journey with the Apple Watch Ultra

I recently purchased the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Series 2 Ultra, both of which have "Action Buttons." Since I hadn't explored Apple shortcuts much before, I decided to dive deep into Apple automation. This post focuses on my Apple Watch Ultra action button shortcut. You don't need the Ultra; you can easily set up a complication on any watch series to launch the same shortcut.The interesting thing about this shortcut is that it has location and time-dependent...

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Top macOS App picks (mid-2023)

I've recently run across a few (new to me) great macOS apps that really enhanced my productivity. This post covers ALL of my top macOS apps, including new additions such as BetterDisplay, Warp, Raycast, Dropover, Rectangle, and more. Each of these apps are amazing in their own way.One aspect of the macOS ecosystem is the quality of the apps. Now there are certainly some crappy apps out there, but there's also a plethora of apps with beautiful UIs, great user...

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Stecker: Trigger macOS Shortcuts with USB Devices (FREE)

Do you want to trigger a macOS shortcut when you connect or disconnect a USB device? Look no further than the FREE app Stecker. There can be occasions when you would like to trigger a macOS Shortcut when you connect or disconnect a specific USB device. For example, maybe you have a KVM switch between two Macs and want to run a Shortcut when you switch between active devices. Or maybe you want to run a Shortcut when you connect or...

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