{"id":382,"date":"2026-04-11T14:55:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T04:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/?p=382"},"modified":"2026-05-08T12:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T02:16:10","slug":"this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"This Old Dog Is Still Learning Old Tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/#Ive-been-working-with-UNIXLinux-for-30%E2%80%9340-years\" >I\u2019ve been working with UNIX\/Linux for 30\u201340 years.<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/#The-Setup\" >The Setup<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/#The-Moment\" >The Moment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/#The-Fix-Old-Trick-Still-Gold\" >The Fix (Old Trick, Still Gold)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/#The-Lesson-This-Is-the-Important-Bit\" >The Lesson (This Is the Important Bit)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/#One-Line-That-Changes-Everything\" >One Line That Changes Everything<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/#Why-It-Matters\" >Why It Matters<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/#Still-Learning\" >Still Learning<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ive-been-working-with-UNIXLinux-for-30%E2%80%9340-years\"><\/span>I\u2019ve been working with UNIX\/Linux for 30\u201340 years.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019d think by now I\u2019d have seen every trap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turns out \u2014 some of the oldest ones are still the sharpest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The-Setup\"><\/span>The Setup<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve got a simple media pipeline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>\/export\/media<\/code> \u2192 working path<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>backed by a 4TB disk mounted underneath<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>feeding into a broader pipeline (sync, publish, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Except\u2026 the disk wasn\u2019t mounted when I first built it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Linux didn\u2019t complain.<br>It just quietly wrote everything to the root filesystem instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No warnings. No errors. Just:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cSure, that path exists \u2014 I\u2019ll use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The-Moment\"><\/span>The Moment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You spot it when something feels off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disk usage doesn\u2019t make sense.<br>Paths look right\u2026 but something\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then it clicks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThat wasn\u2019t mounted when I started\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah. That one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The-Fix-Old-Trick-Still-Gold\"><\/span>The Fix (Old Trick, Still Gold)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Copy it properly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>cd \/export\/media &amp;&amp; \\\ntar cf - . | (cd \/disk\/EXT_4TB_A\/MEDIA\/media &amp;&amp; tar xpf -)\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Clean. Streaming. No temp files. Muscle memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The-Lesson-This-Is-the-Important-Bit\"><\/span>The Lesson (This Is the Important Bit)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This wasn\u2019t really a mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a missing <strong>guardrail<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Linux does exactly what you tell it \u2014 even when that\u2019s not what you <em>meant<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the real fix isn\u2019t the copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s making sure this can\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"One-Line-That-Changes-Everything\"><\/span>One Line That Changes Everything<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>chmod 000 \/export\/media\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Now:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If the disk is mounted \u2192 everything works normally<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If it\u2019s not \u2192 writes fail immediately<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>No silent fallback. No guessing. No surprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why-It-Matters\"><\/span>Why It Matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t about old hardware.<br>It\u2019s not about flaky USB drives or repurposed machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A brand-new NAS would behave the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference isn\u2019t the gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s whether your system:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>fails silently<br>or<br>fails loudly and correctly<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Still-Learning\"><\/span>Still Learning<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After decades in this space, you don\u2019t stop learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You just stop learning <em>new<\/em> tricks \u2014<br>and start rediscovering the old ones that still matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This old dog is still learning old tricks.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve been working with UNIX\/Linux for 30\u201340 years. You\u2019d think by now I\u2019d have seen every trap. Turns out \u2014 some of the oldest ones are still the sharpest. The Setup I\u2019ve got a simple media pipeline: Except\u2026 the disk wasn\u2019t mounted when I first built it. Linux didn\u2019t complain.It just quietly wrote everything to &#8230; <a title=\"This Old Dog Is Still Learning Old Tricks\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/this-old-dog-is-still-learning-old-tricks\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about This Old Dog Is Still Learning Old Tricks\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[49,48,50,37],"class_list":["post-382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-notebooks","tag-learning","tag-personal-growth","tag-reflection","tag-resilience"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":383,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382\/revisions\/383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-bach.kiwi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}