Strategic split: Mailcow on NC1, AI stack on TX1 for geographic redundancy

Decision:
- Email server deploys to NC1 Charlotte (not new VPS)
- AI stack deploys to TX1 Dallas
- Geographic redundancy: Dallas vs Charlotte
- Disaster resilience: TX1 failure doesn't kill email, NC1 failure doesn't kill AI
- $0/month vs $10/month VPS cost
- Phase 0 NC1 cleanup now mandatory (was optional)
- 46GB storage after cleanup (30GB needed, 16GB headroom)
This commit is contained in:
2026-02-15 12:15:42 -06:00
parent 5b50b8eb28
commit 7d88920ebc

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@@ -146,28 +146,50 @@ Foundation building BEFORE community expansion. Terraria serves as Michael's tra
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### Mailcow Email Server — Self-Hosted Email
**Status:** Pre-sale answered ✅ — VPS purchase delayed (targeting 1st of month for billing consolidation)
**Breezehost Response (Brandon E, Feb 12 9:06 AM):**
- Clean IP blocks (reassign/migrate if any issues)
- rDNS available (most ranges settable in panel, some need support)
- Port 25 NOT blocked by default
- Any datacenter location works (can move if needed)
**Timeline:** Purchase VPS near March 1 to align with billing cycle
**Plan:**
- AMD Epyc Cloud-2 VPS ($10/month) — 2 vCPU, 4GB DDR5, 40GB NVMe
- Mailcow (Docker-based) — Postfix, Dovecot, SOGo webmail, Rspamd, ClamAV
- Ubuntu 22.04 with self-healing automation scripts
- 10-15 @firefrostgaming.com addresses to start
- Migrate OFF Plesk (accessibility nightmare)
### Mailcow Email Server — Self-Hosted Email on NC1
**Status:** ⭐ READY TO DEPLOY — Deploy on NC1 Charlotte (no VPS purchase needed)
**Decision:** February 15, 2026 — Strategic split: AI stack on TX1, Email on NC1 for geographic redundancy
**Next Steps:**
1. Order Cloud-2 VPS (targeting ~March 1)
2. Deploy Mailcow
3. Configure DNS (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
4. Create email addresses
5. Test deliverability
6. Migrate off Plesk
**Why NC1 Instead of New VPS:**
- ✅ $0/month vs $10/month VPS cost
- ✅ Geographic redundancy (Email in Charlotte, AI in Dallas)
- ✅ Better disaster resilience (TX1 failure doesn't kill email)
- Clean IP confirmed by Breezehost
- ✅ Monster hardware (32-core EPYC vs 2-core VPS)
- ✅ NC1 has capacity after 20GB cleanup (46GB storage available)
- ✅ GRE tunnel protects game traffic from affecting email IP reputation
**NC1 Resources After Cleanup:**
- 251GB RAM (6GB needed for Mailcow = 2.4% usage)
- 46GB storage free (30GB needed for Mailcow = 65% of free space, still 16GB headroom)
- 32-core EPYC 7302P (massive overkill for email = good)
**Final Infrastructure Split:**
- **TX1 Dallas:** 6 game servers + Self-hosted AI stack (compute powerhouse)
- **NC1 Charlotte:** 6 game servers + Mailcow email (communications hub)
- **Command Center:** Management, Gitea, monitoring (network hub)
- **Ghost VPS:** Public-facing blog and NextCloud
**Breezehost Pre-Sale (Confirmed Feb 12):**
- Clean IP blocks available (reassign/migrate if any issues)
- rDNS available (most ranges settable in panel)
- Port 25 NOT blocked by default
- Any datacenter location works
**Deployment Plan:**
1. **NC1 Cleanup (30 min)** — Free 20GB space (see Phase 0 in AI stack section below)
2. **Deploy Mailcow on NC1** — Docker-based: Postfix, Dovecot, SOGo webmail, Rspamd, ClamAV
3. **Configure DNS** — SPF, DKIM, DMARC records
4. **Create email addresses** — 10-15 @firefrostgaming.com to start
5. **Test deliverability** — Send test emails, check spam scores
6. **Migrate off Plesk** — Accessibility nightmare eliminated
**Timeline:** Ready to deploy when Michael gets home (assuming medical clearance)
**Dependencies:**
- NC1 cleanup complete (Phase 0 optional → now mandatory)
- DNS access for SPF/DKIM/DMARC records
- Email addresses list prepared
---
@@ -685,9 +707,11 @@ Custom skyblock modpack where players choose Fire (magic/dragons/Meg's domain) o
---
### **Phase 0: NC1 Cleanup (OPTIONAL — Enables Game Consolidation)**
### **Phase 0: NC1 Cleanup (MANDATORY — Required for Mailcow Email Server)**
**Discovered:** 20GB recoverable on NC1 (10GB Hytale backups, 4.5GB old logs, 6GB Docker)
**Status:** Now mandatory (was optional) — Mailcow will be deployed on NC1
**Discovered:** 20GB recoverable on NC1 (10GB Hytale backups, 4.5GB old logs, 6GB Docker)
**Purpose:** Free space for Mailcow email server deployment on NC1
```bash
ssh root@216.239.104.130
@@ -708,9 +732,14 @@ docker system prune -a --volumes -f
df -h /
```
**Result:** 26GB → 46GB free
**Result:** 26GB → 46GB free (30GB needed for Mailcow, 16GB headroom)
**Time:** 30 minutes
**After cleanup, NC1 Charlotte becomes:**
- 6 game servers (existing)
- Mailcow email server (new) — 6GB RAM, 30GB storage
- Geographic redundancy partner to TX1
---
### **Phase 1: Deploy AI Stack on TX1**