How To: Self Host a Generative AI

Generative AI is the new hot stuff. And its more easy than you presume. No need to spend billions on the hyperscalers profits. For the sake of ease as a first approach I will start here with a Linux based nevertheless Windows constellation.

This is a fundamental good approach because this relieves you from data privacy issues and helps with much more control over your private data. Predominantly without loss of quality because some of the included models come from large organizations with substantial funds. And there is not even a lack of performance or service integrity:

You may integrate large language models, image generation (never write an article or give an talk on AI without kittens – these up there are NOT real) and even integrate this as chatbots in your personal tools.

But to start:

Install a general available Linux platform – focus here on Debian (Ubuntu should work just as well) and install it in your local WSL – Windows Subsytem on Linux Environment. Most of this would apply to server installations, but I would spend some more effort to make this nice and shiny – and this should be an easy to use quick approach.

WSL Installation

Ensure Windows Terminal app is installed on your Windows PC – This is not CMD !.

Beyond that the installation of an local LLM is encouraged because it is easy to interact with windows desktop tools, which then may provide an network independent and customized chatbot.

Enter Terminal on Power Shell and enter

wsl --install -d Debian

Additional distributions might be available and may be retrieved likewise. An overview you get is with :

PS C:\Users\f.benke> wsl --list --online 

I prefer then to set the default version of the started WSL container to the application specific one. Continue reading

Traveling Iceland in Winter

Iceland has evolved to be a premium travel destination. And being located close on the arctic circle, a rather exotic one on top. It triggers desires an phantasies … and so did it to me. But what when you ramp up the stakes? Not only exploring the Atlantic north but doing so in winter? And then go around the whole Island, mor or less around the ring road?

Starting by rather quickly leaving the Reykjavik and head east to the highway #1 counterclockwise – Here some impressions from last February.

Skogafoss
Skogafoss

First stop at Skogafoss that offers besides a first camp spot that’s open in winter. It’s a protected place to sit out an winter storm and besides that its reachable in about a two hour drive from Kevlavik.

Skogafoss

We really sat out a storm, just doing groceries in Vik – which gave us the opportunity to see how quickly things change in Iceland. Heading west, turning a bit inlands you may find your first glacier.

Soellheimajoekull

Ten minute drive up an inlet you find the glacier lagoon of SöllheimaJökull and a small hike leading closer to the actual ice fields. evertheless keep in mind its dangerous. Little further down highway one you get off towards the black sand beaches of Reynisfjara.

Reynisfjara Beach

Always keep in mind that this is probably one of the most dangerous places in Iceland, killing tourists each year. Its probably the closest you get to the Atlantik abyss and the waves can change quickly and Continue reading

Disable Aruba Call Home Defaults

If you run current versions of Aruba OS on the according switch families, meaning the ProCurve legacy switches by Aruba aka Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, you may notice some strange behavior on you firewall. Although I can not state “since when” that is the case, our next generation firewall noticed exactly that.

Annoyingly this feature is enabled by default and as always with defaults with Aruba OS this activated silently some time ago with an update and is not shown in the running configuration. I presume this is there since the ProCurve based systems had been integrated into Aruba’s zero touch provisioning universe.

Continue reading

How-To Bärlauch Pesto

Auch wenn mich die Italiener vielleicht gerne in Olivenöl ertränken wollen, ich mache mit wachsender Begeisterung Pesto aus heimischen Zutaten selbst. Ganz oben auf der Liste steht Bärlauch Pesto.

Gerade jedes Jahr im Frühjahr wieder, wenn der Bärlauch nach langjährigen erfolglosen Anzucht- Versuchen im eigenen Garten jetzt endlich Wurzel gefasst hat und nun üppig gedeiht. Auch Walnüsse gibt es mit wechselndem Erfolg -der Kenner weiß, es gibt Continue reading