Why a Backup Is More Than Just Another Copy
Recovering my family photos taught me that a backup is only useful when it can be unlocked, restored and verified.
Practical technology, documented
Hi, I’m Tahir — a Senior Technical Support Engineer and homelab enthusiast based in the West Midlands, UK.
I write about troubleshooting, Linux, Docker, self-hosting, backups, privacy and the projects I build at home. Everything here is based on practical experience: what worked, what failed and what I would do differently next time.
About me · Explore my homelab · Read the blog
What you’ll find here
- Homelab and self-hosting — reliable services, networking and monitoring
- Backups and recovery — designs that are tested, not just configured
- Linux and automation — Fedora, Docker and useful workflows
- Troubleshooting notes — clear fixes for real technical problems
Latest notes
The blog contains step-by-step guides and lessons from maintaining a personal infrastructure at home.
Building a More Useful Homelab with Hermes Agent
How I have been using Hermes Agent to document, maintain and improve my Linux workstation and homelab.
How I Got My Old Photos Back After Wiping My NAS
I accidentally wiped my main TrueNAS server and thought years of family photos were gone. This is how I recovered them from a messy collection of replicas, cloud backups and an old Immich installation.
Hello World
The first note on Samirtech: a personal space for Linux, homelab projects and practical technology.