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WHAT WAS DONE: Added complete RTO (Rent-to-Own) case study and financial analysis to infrastructure manifest, documenting Michael's ownership philosophy and actual infrastructure costs ACTUAL INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS DOCUMENTED: - TX1 Dallas: $80/month (colocation, owned hardware) - NC1 Charlotte: $80/month (colocation, owned hardware) - VPS tier: $37/month (Command Center, Ghost, Billing, Panel) - Other: $20/month (IPs, domain) - **Total current: $217/month** - **After Dev VPS: $227/month** OWNERSHIP STATUS: - TX1 & NC1: RTO completed June 2024 - Owned outright for 22 months (as of March 2026) - Hardware value: $3,300-4,550 (realistic $3,800-4,000) ROI ANALYSIS DOCUMENTED: - Monthly savings: $298/month (rental equivalent $458 - actual cost $160) - 22 months savings: $6,556 - Hardware value: $4,000 - **Total equity position: $10,556** - Break-even: Month 14 (already profitable) LONG-TERM PROJECTION: - Year 3: $14,056 equity - Year 5: $16,804 equity - Annual savings: $3,576/year ongoing RENTAL COMPARISON: - If renting for 22 months: $10,076 spent, $0 owned - Actual position: $3,520 spent, $4,000 owned, $6,556 saved - **Net advantage: $10,556** RTO PHILOSOPHY DOCUMENTED: "Always keeping an eye out for RTO deals with Breeze" - Michael's strategy WHY RTO IS PREFERRED: ✅ Build equity while paying ✅ Massive savings after ownership ✅ Hardware asset remains ✅ Insulation from price increases ✅ Can resell, repurpose, or continue using DECISION MATRIX ADDED: - When to choose RTO (long-term, known workload) - When to choose Rental (short-term, flexibility) - When to choose Purchase (cash flow allows) FUTURE RTO MONITORING CRITERIA: - Breezehost promotions/special offers - End-of-generation hardware deals - Used/refurbished servers (lower payments) - Bundle deals (multiple servers) EVALUATION CRITERIA DOCUMENTED: 1. Monthly payment vs rental equivalent 2. Ownership timeline (24 months preferred max) 3. Hardware specs vs needs 4. Post-ownership colocation cost 5. Total cost of ownership vs 3-year rental WHY THIS MATTERS: This case study proves the financial wisdom of infrastructure ownership. $10,556 better off after 22 months vs renting. Provides framework for future expansion decisions and demonstrates "for children not yet born" philosophy - building assets, not paying expenses. Future Chroniclers now have complete financial analysis when evaluating RTO opportunities or expansion decisions. FILE: docs/core/infrastructure-manifest.md SECTION: 2.6 RTO Philosophy & Financial Analysis Signed-off-by: The Versionist (Chronicler #49) <claude@firefrostgaming.com>
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Firefrost Gaming: Infrastructure Manifest
Phase 0.5+: Management Services Complete
Current Version: v2.0
Last Updated: 2026-02-17
1. Management Services (VPS Tier)
| Service | Location | IP | Domain | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gitea | Command Center | 63.143.34.217 | git.firefrostgaming.com | ✅ OPERATIONAL |
| Uptime Kuma | Command Center | 63.143.34.217 | status.firefrostgaming.com | ✅ OPERATIONAL |
| Automation | Command Center | 63.143.34.217 | N/A | ✅ OPERATIONAL |
| MkDocs | Ghost VPS | 64.50.188.14 | docs.firefrostgaming.com | ✅ OPERATIONAL |
| Code-Server | Command Center | 63.143.34.217 | code.firefrostgaming.com | ✅ OPERATIONAL |
| Wiki.js (Sub) | Ghost VPS | 64.50.188.14 | subscribers.firefrostgaming.com | ✅ OPERATIONAL |
| Wiki.js (Staff) | Ghost VPS | 64.50.188.14 | staff.firefrostgaming.com | ✅ OPERATIONAL |
| NextCloud | Ghost VPS | 64.50.188.14 | downloads.firefrostgaming.com | ✅ OPERATIONAL |
| Vaultwarden | Command Center | 63.143.34.217 | vault.firefrostgaming.com | ✅ DEPLOYED - Needs Config |
| Whitelist Manager | Billing VPS | 38.68.14.188 | whitelist.firefrostgaming.com | 🚀 READY TO DEPLOY |
| Netdata | Multi-server | Various | N/A (port 19999) | 📋 PLANNED |
| FoundryVTT | TX1 Dallas | 38.68.14.26 | foundry.firefrostgaming.com | ✅ OPERATIONAL |
1.5 Automation Systems
Deployed on Command Center (63.143.34.217):
| System | Status | Schedule | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staggered Server Restart | 🚀 READY | Daily 4:00 AM | Automated server restarts with player warnings |
| World Backup Automation | 🚀 READY | Daily 3:30 AM | Automated world backups to NextCloud |
| Frostwall Monitor | 📋 PLANNED | Every 5 min | GRE tunnel health monitoring |
Notes:
- Restart system runs AFTER backups (3:30 AM backup, 4:00 AM restart)
- Both systems use Discord webhooks for notifications
- Python scripts with systemd/cron scheduling
2. Core Services Hierarchy (VPS Tier)
| Friendly Name | Service | Primary IP | Status | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panel | Pterodactyl Panel | 45.94.168.138 | Verified | Control Plane (Charlotte, NC) |
| Command Center | Management Hub | 63.143.34.217 | Operational | Primary Gateway + Tools |
| Billing | Paymenter/Portal | 38.68.14.188 | Verified | Financials (Chicago, IL) |
| Ghost | Documentation Cluster | 64.50.188.14 | Verified | Documentation Cluster (Chicago, IL) |
| Dev | Development/Testing | TBD | 🚀 PENDING | Flexible Development Server |
Command Center Details
- Primary IP: 63.143.34.217
- Services: Gitea, Uptime Kuma, Code-Server, Automation daemon
- Node.js: 20.20.0
- Nginx: Reverse proxy for all services
Panel Details
- Primary IP: 45.94.168.138
- Location: Charlotte, NC
- Service: Pterodactyl Panel (Control Plane)
- Blueprint Framework: Installed
- Blueprint Extensions Installed:
- Modpack Installer for Blueprint (https://builtbybit.com/resources/modpack-installer-for-blueprint.40083/)
- Install modpacks from CurseForge, FTB, Modrinth, Technic, VoidsWrath
- One-click installation interface
- Note: Complements IDEA-006 (future update monitor extension)
- Subdomain Manager for Pterodactyl (https://builtbybit.com/resources/subdomain-manager-for-pterodactyl.42401/)
- Manage subdomains directly from the panel
- Automated DNS configuration for game servers
- PteroStats - Advanced Statistics (https://builtbybit.com/resources/pterostats-advanced-statistics.90618/)
- Advanced panel analytics and statistics
- Server performance monitoring and insights
- Modpack Installer for Blueprint (https://builtbybit.com/resources/modpack-installer-for-blueprint.40083/)
Dev VPS Details
- Primary IP: TBD (to be assigned April 2, 2026)
- Provider: Breezehost
- Specs: AMD Epyc Cloud-2 (2 CPU, 4GB RAM, 80GB NVMe)
- OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- Cost: $10/month
Breezehost Locked-In Pricing (Reference for Future Expansion):
- AMD Epyc Cloud-1: $7/month (1 CPU, 2GB RAM, 40GB NVMe, 2 IPv4)
- AMD Epyc Cloud-2: $10/month (2 CPU, 4GB RAM, 80GB NVMe, 4 IPv4) ← Current Dev VPS
- AMD Epyc Cloud-4: $17/month (4 CPU, 8GB RAM, 160GB NVMe, 8 IPv4)
- AMD Epyc Cloud-12: $33/month (8 CPU, 12GB RAM, 240GB NVMe, 16 IPv4)
- AMD Epyc Cloud-16: $49/month (12 CPU, 16GB RAM, 320GB NVMe, 24 IPv4)
- AMD Epyc Cloud-24: $59/month (16 CPU, 24GB RAM, 480GB NVMe, 32 IPv4)
- AMD Epyc Cloud-32: $89/month (24 CPU, 32GB RAM, 640GB NVMe, 32 IPv4)
- Cloud GPU RTX4090: $250/month (Maximum CPU, 128GB RAM, 250GB NVMe, GPU)
Note: These are Michael's locked-in rates with Breezehost. Use this pricing when evaluating infrastructure expansion, additional VPS needs, or capacity upgrades. Current market rates may be higher for new customers.
Service: Pterodactyl Panel (Development/Testing - NOT production)
Primary Purpose:
- Blueprint extension development and testing
- Panel update validation before production deployment
- Safe experimentation environment for new configurations
- Training ground for Trinity members
Flexible Conversion Options: Development infrastructure that adapts to evolving needs. This server can be repurposed as mission requirements change:
- Alternative Use #1: Additional Wings node (game server capacity expansion)
- Alternative Use #2: Staging environment for Ghost CMS/service updates
- Alternative Use #3: CI/CD pipeline server (automated testing)
- Alternative Use #4: Backup Panel server (failover redundancy)
- Alternative Use #5: Dedicated hosting for commercial products
- Alternative Use #6: Additional application server (Wiki.js, etc.)
Key Characteristic: Not locked to single purpose - can be converted based on operational needs without affecting production infrastructure.
Why Not Test on Production Panel:
- One bad database query = panel lockup
- Risk to 11 production game servers
- Potential data corruption in production MySQL
- Blueprint extensions require isolated testing environment
Current Projects:
- Modpack Version Checker (commercial Blueprint extension, $1k-6.7k/year projected revenue)
- Panel v1.13.x upgrade testing (before production deployment)
Setup Standards:
- SSH access for Trinity (architect user)
- Cockpit monitoring installed
- UFW firewall configured
- Pterodactyl Panel + Blueprint Framework
- Standard security hardening per FFG infrastructure standards
- Regular backups (lower priority than production servers)
2.5 Breezehost Dedicated Server Pricing (Locked-In Rates)
Current Dedicated Servers in Production:
- TX1 Dallas: Dual Silver 4116 (24 cores/48 threads, 128GB RAM, 3.4TB NVMe) - $199/month
- NC1 Charlotte: AMD 9950x 128GB RAM (16 cores/32 threads, 128GB RAM, 3.6TB NVMe) - $259/month
Available Dedicated Server Options (Reference for Future Expansion):
| Server Model | Price/Month | CPU | RAM | Storage | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Mystery Box | $99 | AMD (varies) | Varies | Varies | Premium |
| Intel Mystery Box | $99 | Intel (varies) | Varies | Varies | Premium |
| AMD 7950x - 128GB RAM | $199 | 16c/32t (7950x) | 128GB | Varies | Premium |
| Dual Silver 4116 | $199 | 24c/48t (Dual 4116) | 128GB | 7.4TB NVMe | Premium |
| AMD 9950x - 128GB RAM | $259 | 16c/32t (9950x) | 128GB | 3.6TB NVMe | Premium |
| Dual Gold 6142 | $289 | 32c/64t (Dual 6142) | 256GB | 7.4TB NVMe | Premium |
| RTX 4090 Dedicated Server | $300 | 32c/64t | 128GB | 4TB NVMe | GPU |
| AMD 9950x - 192GB RAM | $329 | 16c/32t (9950x) | 192GB | 3.6TB NVMe | Premium |
| 8x 5000 Bare Metal | $3,600 | 32c/64t | 256GB | 100TB NVMe | Bare Metal |
Mystery Box Details:
- Random hardware assignment (AMD or Intel)
- Significant discount vs specified hardware
- Good for development/testing workloads
- Performance varies by assignment
Note: These are Michael's locked-in rates with Breezehost. Use this pricing when evaluating:
- Additional game server capacity (3rd dedicated node?)
- GPU workloads (AI generation, rendering)
- High-performance computing needs
- Bare metal requirements
- Cost comparisons with other providers
Current Utilization:
- TX1 Dallas: 6 game servers + FoundryVTT
- NC1 Charlotte: 7 game servers
- Total: 13 game servers across 2 dedicated nodes
Future Expansion Scenarios:
- Add TX2 or NC2 for geographic load balancing ($199-259/month)
- GPU node for AI/rendering workloads ($300/month vs $250 VPS GPU)
- Mystery Box for additional dev/staging capacity ($99/month)
IMPORTANT: The pricing above reflects RENTAL rates. See Section 2.6 for RTO (Rent-to-Own) analysis and why ownership is preferred for dedicated infrastructure.
2.6 RTO (Rent-to-Own) Philosophy & Financial Analysis
Current Owned Hardware Status
TX1 Dallas:
- Hardware: Dual Intel Xeon Silver 4116 (24c/48t, 128GB RAM, 3.4TB NVMe)
- Acquisition: RTO completed June 2024
- Current cost: $80/month (colocation only)
- Rental equivalent: $199/month
- Monthly savings: $119/month
- Estimated current value: $1,500 (conservative)
NC1 Charlotte:
- Hardware: AMD Ryzen 9 9950x (16c/32t, 128GB RAM, 3.6TB NVMe)
- Acquisition: RTO completed June 2024
- Current cost: $80/month (colocation only)
- Rental equivalent: $259/month
- Monthly savings: $179/month
- Estimated current value: $1,800 (conservative)
Combined Owned Assets:
- Hardware value: ~$3,300 (conservative) to $4,550 (optimistic)
- Realistic estimate: $3,800-4,000
- Monthly colocation: $160/month
- Rental equivalent: $458/month
- Monthly savings: $298/month
ROI Analysis (22 Months of Ownership)
Since June 2024 (RTO completion):
- Months owned: 22 (as of March 2026)
- Cumulative savings: $6,556 (22 × $298)
- Hardware asset value: $4,000
- Total equity position: $10,556
If renting instead (same 22 months):
- Money spent: $10,076 (22 × $458)
- Assets owned: $0
- Equity: $0
Net advantage of ownership: $10,556
Long-Term Projection
Year 3 (next 12 months):
- Additional savings: $3,576
- Hardware depreciation: ~$500
- Equity position: $14,056
Year 5 (48 months owned):
- Cumulative savings: $14,304
- Hardware value: ~$2,500
- Total equity: $16,804
Break-even achieved: Month 14 (savings exceeded hardware depreciation)
Why RTO is Preferred for Dedicated Infrastructure
Rental model:
- ❌ Monthly expense forever
- ❌ No equity building
- ❌ Subject to price increases
- ❌ Nothing to show after 5 years
RTO model:
- ✅ Build equity while paying
- ✅ Massive savings after ownership
- ✅ Hardware asset remains
- ✅ Insulation from price increases
- ✅ Can resell, repurpose, or continue using
Michael's Strategy: "Always keeping an eye out for RTO deals with Breeze" - prioritize ownership over rental for long-term infrastructure.
RTO vs Purchase vs Rental Decision Matrix
When to choose RTO:
- Long-term capacity need (2+ years)
- Known workload requirements
- Dedicated hardware specifications needed
- Budget allows for slightly higher initial payments
- Building permanent infrastructure
When to choose Rental:
- Short-term need (<12 months)
- Uncertain workload requirements
- Testing new services/markets
- Flexibility more important than cost
- VPS-tier capacity sufficient
When to choose Outright Purchase:
- Cash flow allows
- Immediate ownership desired
- Maximum long-term savings
- Used hardware market opportunity
Future RTO Opportunities to Monitor
Potential expansion via RTO:
- 3rd dedicated node (TX2/NC2) for geographic load balancing
- GPU server for AI workloads (if RTO available)
- High-core-count server for future scaling
- Backup/failover dedicated node
Target RTO scenarios:
- Breezehost promotions/special offers
- End-of-generation hardware (new gen released, previous gen RTO deals)
- Used/refurbished dedicated servers (lower RTO payments)
- Bundle deals (multiple servers, lower per-unit cost)
RTO Deal Evaluation Criteria:
- Monthly payment vs rental equivalent
- Ownership timeline (24 months preferred max)
- Hardware specs vs current/future needs
- Post-ownership colocation cost
- Total cost of ownership vs 3-year rental
Current Infrastructure Costs (Actual)
Owned Hardware (Colocation):
- TX1 Dallas: $80/month
- NC1 Charlotte: $80/month
- Subtotal: $160/month
Rented VPS:
- Command Center: $10/month
- Ghost Machine: $10/month
- Billing Panel: $7/month
- Panel Machine: $10/month
- Subtotal: $37/month
Other:
- Additional IPs: $10/month
- thenerdsmiths.com domain: $10/month
- Subtotal: $20/month
Total Current Infrastructure: $217/month
After Dev VPS added (Wednesday): $227/month
Rental equivalent cost (if not owned): $495+/month
Current savings from ownership: $268+/month
3. NC1 - Charlotte Node Mapping
- Friendly Name: NC1
- Primary Node IP: 216.239.104.130
- Gateway: 216.239.104.129
- Subnet: 216.239.104.128/29 (Mask: 255.255.255.248)
- Routing: ✅ Reachable from Command Center (resolved Feb 2026)
| Server Name | IP Address | Port | UUID |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ember Project | 216.239.104.130 | 25565 | 124f9060-58a7-457a-b2cf-b4024fce2951 |
| Minecolonies: Create and Conquer | 216.239.104.130 | 25566 | a14201d2-83b2-44e6-ae48-e6c4cbc56f24 |
| All The Mods 10 | 216.239.104.130 | 25569 | 82e63949-8fbf-4a44-b32a-53324e8492bf |
| EMC Subterra Tech | 216.239.104.130 | 25571 | 09a95f38-9f8c-404a-9557-3a7c44258223 |
| Homestead | 216.239.104.130 | 25572 | 2f85d4ef-aa49-4dd6-b448-beb3fca1db12 |
| Hytale | 216.239.104.130 | 5520 | 13c80cb8-f6f8-4bfe-9cdb-823d7e951584 |
| Mayview | 216.239.104.130 | 25567 | 29e6d709-771b-43f1-aa89-be5dda0d4c22 |
Total NC1 Servers: 7
4. TX1 - Dallas Node Mapping
- Friendly Name: TX1
- Primary Node IP: 38.68.14.26
- Gateway: 38.68.14.25
- Subnet: 38.68.14.24/29 (Mask: 255.255.255.248)
- Status: Game servers ONLY (management services on VPS tier)
| Server Name | IP Address | Port | UUID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stoneblock 4 | 38.68.14.26 | 25565 | a0efbfe8-4b97-4a90-869d-ffe6d3072bd5 |
| Reclamation | 38.68.14.27 | 25565 | 1eb33479-a6bc-4e8f-b64d-d1e4bfa0a8b4 |
| Society: Sunlit Valley | 38.68.14.28 | 25565 | 9310d0a6-62a6-4fe6-82c4-eb483dc68876 |
| Vanilla 1.21.11 | 38.68.14.29 | 25565 | 3bed1bda-f648-4630-801a-fe9f2e3d3f27 |
| All The Mons | 38.68.14.30 | 25565 | 668a5220-7e72-4379-9165-bdbb84bc9806 |
| Roguelike Adventures and Dungeons 2 | 38.68.14.26 | 25566 | 5083309f-c76c-4752-a66f-46a81b6cd8aa |
| FoundryVTT | 38.68.14.26 | 30000 | 7d8f15a0-4ee7-4dd6-85dc-ab42966f733d |
Total TX1 Servers: 7
Note: FoundryVTT domain configured: foundry.firefrostgaming.com (fixed Feb 11/12, 2026 - Holly's ~50% access issue resolved)
5. Global Port Reservations
- Minecraft: 25565 - 25580
- Hytale: 5520 - 5521
- FoundryVTT: 30000
- Gitea: 3000 (internal, proxied via Nginx)
- Uptime Kuma: 3001 (internal, proxied via Nginx)
- Code-Server: 8080 (internal, proxied via Nginx)
6. Infrastructure Architecture
Management Services Strategy (Implemented Feb 9, 2026)
Philosophy: "Backend on Command Center, Frontend on Ghost, Money on Billing, Games on Dedis, Control on Panel"
VPS Tier (Management):
- Command Center: Gitea, Uptime Kuma, Code-Server, Automation (backend tools)
- Ghost VPS: MkDocs, Wiki.js, NextCloud (public-facing docs)
- Billing VPS: Paymenter only (financial isolation)
- Panel VPS: Pterodactyl Panel only (control plane)
Dedicated Tier (Performance):
- TX1 Dallas: Game servers ONLY (6 servers)
- NC1 Charlotte: Game servers ONLY (6 servers)
Rationale:
- VPS = plug-and-play networking, easy SSL, low maintenance
- Dedicated = performance for game servers, massive RAM/CPU
- Clear separation of concerns
- Optimal use of existing infrastructure ($0 additional cost)
Key Architecture Note (NC1)
All NC1 game servers share a single IP (216.239.104.130) with unique ports. This differs from TX1 where each server has its own IP on the /29 block.
7. Monitoring Status
Uptime Kuma: status.firefrostgaming.com
Infrastructure Monitors:
- ✅ Pterodactyl Panel (100% uptime)
- ✅ Command Center (100% uptime)
- ✅ Ghost CMS (100% uptime)
- ✅ Gitea (98%+ uptime)
- ✅ Paymenter Billing (100% uptime)
Game Server Monitors (Added Feb 11, 2026):
TX1 Dallas:
- ✅ Stoneblock 4 (38.68.14.26:25565)
- ✅ Reclamation (38.68.14.27:25565)
- ✅ Society: Sunlit Valley (38.68.14.28:25565)
- ✅ Vanilla 1.21.11 (38.68.14.29:25565)
- ✅ All The Mons (38.68.14.30:25565)
- ✅ FoundryVTT (38.68.14.26:30000)
NC1 Charlotte:
- ✅ The Ember Project (216.239.104.130:25565)
- ✅ Minecolonies: Create and Conquer (216.239.104.130:25566)
- ✅ All The Mods 10 (216.239.104.130:25569)
- ✅ EMC Subterra Tech (216.239.104.130:25571)
- ✅ Homestead (216.239.104.130:25572)
- ✅ Hytale (216.239.104.130:5520)
Total Monitors: 17 (5 infrastructure + 12 game servers)
Revision History
| Revision | Date | Author | Description of Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| v1.0 | 2026-02-07 | Michael | Initial Phase 0 Audit; Infrastructure mapping for NC1 and TX1. |
| v1.1 | 2026-02-07 | Michael | Added verified Friendly Names for core services and hardware. |
| v1.2 | 2026-02-07 | Michael | Finalized Command Center networking with /29 block (74.63.218.201). |
| v1.3 | 2026-02-07 | Michael | Synced profile for Michael (57) and updated accessibility context. |
| v1.4 | 2026-02-09 | Michael | Management services migrated to VPS tier. Command Center now operational with Gitea + Uptime Kuma. TX1 optimized for game servers only. Added infrastructure architecture section. |
| v1.5 | 2026-02-11 | Michael + Claude | Corrected NC1/TX1 server lists from Panel (actual). NC1 all on single IP wi |
| v1.6 | 2026-02-12 | The Chronicler | Correction |
| v1.7 | 2026-02-13 | Chronicler the Fourth | Update |
| v1.8 | 2026-02-13 | Chronicler the Fourth | Update |
| v1.9 | 2026-02-13 | Chronicler the Fourth | Update |
| v2.0 | 2026-03-30 | The Versionist (#49) | Addition |
End of Document