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Nonprofit Sponsorship Opportunity
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Nonprofit Sponsorship Opportunity

Hello all,

We are The Free Mirror Project, a nonprofit organization and startup registered in Canada.

We're looking for either an at-cost, or ideally, a generously donated, storage server that meets or exceeds the following requirements:

  • The understanding that this is to be used by a non-profit in pursuit of its goals. Contributing partners will be promoted in the usual ways, but must not interfere ethically.
  • Relatively low computing power is fine (ie: a single, budget cpu is perfect. Even ARM!)
  • Little RAM is acceptable, too (2GB of RAM is plenty but more is of course a nice-to-have)
  • 6TB usable storage minimum (however, up to 60TB is better)
  • 50mbit connection minimum.
  • The generous understanding that the server could fully utilize the provided connection on any given month. That is, if you generously allow us a 100mbit connection, we may indeed use 32TB per month, and so on.
  • The organization does run a tor relay. However, this server will not be used to run Tor.
  • The Project does seed open source torrents. This server, again, will not be used for that.
  • We can utilize similar systems with less storage (ie: 2TB is usable).
  • All sponsors considering helping are appreciated. We wish partner with a hosting company which is longstanding, stable, and in a place where they can partner for the long run.

Please feel free to inquire more about the project. Our goal is not rocket science, but it will take the contributions of many to work. You can read more about it on our website, free mirror dot org, where you will also find an e-mail address you can contact us at.

The Free Mirror Project

Comments

  • Do you mirror all kinds of porn or mainstream only?

    Thanked by 2ShihabSoft lifehome
  • Good luck with your project! :)

  • @doghouch said:
    Good luck with your project! :)

    Thank you!

  • @Yura said:
    Do you mirror all kinds of porn or mainstream only?

    Obviously all kinds... :wink:

  • From the website https://freemirror.org/about.html

    Looking Into the Future

    Provide a Wikipedia mirror.

    It appears this is for a Canadian Wikipedia mirror, yes?

  • do you need servers or somebody can just help mirror-ing the stuff without giving you servers?

  • edited October 2018

    @donli said:
    From the website https://freemirror.org/about.html

    Looking Into the Future

    Provide a Wikipedia mirror.

    It appears this is for a Canadian Wikipedia mirror, yes?

    RE: Wikipedia

    Yes, an additional Wikipedia mirror is high on our to-do list, and if we can secure a server donation meeting those specifications, it is absolutely what we will do with it.

    But no, not necessarily hosted in Canada. Though, Canada could certainly be home to one.

    There are only 5 Wikipedia archives in the world. So, there are many countries without one.

    The country it might be located in is less important than how diverse from the other locations it is.

    As an example, USA is a large country. A second mirror in the USA could be a good thing even though there's currently an American mirror for Wikipedia.

    Archive.org hosts one out of California, but another in Detroit/Chicago/New York/Providence/you-name-it is just as far geographically (or further) than some Canadian cities might be. Different climate, geology, etc.

    The goal is a robust system, and thus the end goal isn't just one more mirror. It's multiple mirrors across the world.

  • @creep said:
    do you need servers or somebody can just help mirror-ing the stuff without giving you servers?

    Creep, that's an excellent point and it's what originally drove me to create the organization: unused resources on privately owned servers.

    I am trying to find a way so that, down the road, individual sysadmins can contribute unused resources. The problem is the precariousness of such contributions. If we provide official mirrors to projects like LibreOffice (which we do currently), we can't have willy-nilly sysadmins of dubious ability/finances running a hodge-podge network.

    So, for now, we're looking for dedicated servers (or VPS) where the Project can ensure some level of quality control.

    However, that doesn't preclude you from starting your own mirror for a project that matters to you. In fact, I encourage it! Better yet, try and hunt down a project which has no mirroring presence where your sever is located and mirror that one.

  • I would suggest you to go with grant for non-profit/startup route by AWS, Softlayer, Azure, alibabacloud, DO , OVH and GCP. You will survive at least for 1-3 years then pricing by non-profit after the period.

    Please that is the better route.

  • edited October 2018

    @mrclown said:
    I would suggest you to go with grant for non-profit/startup route by AWS, Softlayer, Azure, alibabacloud, DO , OVH and GCP. You will survive at least for 1-3 years then pricing by non-profit after the period.

    Please that is the better route.

    Thank you for the suggestions!

    We're not interested in partnering with AWS, GCP, Azure, for ideological reasons. It's just not for us.

    We're hoping to partner with individuals and companies which align with the spirit of what we're doing.

    I believe OVH might be one of those organizations (based on its involvement with other such projects), and so I have reached out to OVH already and I'm hoping that they're able to help in some way.

    However, the project fundamentally still must not place all its eggs in one basket. The goal is as much network diversity as anything.

    Thanks again, though!

  • stefemanstefeman Member
    edited October 2018

    No way anyone is gonna provide that for free. It might be possible if you combine many small servers and make a cluster of them to host something bigger. The price for min. 6TB storage monthly with Bandwidth exceeds that of any profit gained from ads/refers you can provide.

    At cheapest were looking at Hetzner EX61 with 2x6TB RAID1. (or SYS ARM if theyre in stock)

    If you were asking for 1-2TB servers, many people would probly consider donating their kimsufi machines.

    You also exclude any providers that might have something to offer and are most willing to do so. (AWS, Softlayer, Azure).

  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith Member, Patron Provider

    Are you actually registered with a board of trustees etc, is this public information or is this just a personal hobby between a few people?

    No offence but I must see one of these sorts of requests p/week that lasts <6 months

    Thanked by 2netomx CleverHost
  • edited October 2018

    @AnthonySmith said:
    Are you actually registered with a board of trustees etc, is this public information or is this just a personal hobby between a few people?

    No offence but I must see one of these sorts of requests p/week that lasts <6 months

    Truly registered as a Non-Profit Organization with Industry Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency. "The Free Mirror Project" is its official and legal name. It is a legal entity separate from any other, directed by a Board of Directors.

    Not very different than a 501(c)(3) in the USA.

    Maximum number of directors on the board is 7: The idea was one per continent...(yes, recognizing that not all are permanently inhabited, that New Zealand might be its own continent, and that Asia and Europe might one continent)

    It will certainly take time to gain 7 directors. There is responsibility that comes with being a director of even a non-profit corporation. As the project grows, more people will gain interest and hopefully become involved.

    Certainly, the Creative Commons or Wikimedia(pedia) have linesups of people interested in being on the board. Same goes for Archive.org. But, at their inception, I'd bet the same wasn't true. I'm sure that holds true for many corporations--non-profit or otherwise. These things take time.

    Initial bylaws are being drafted. There are two membership groups: voting and non-voting.

    Thanked by 2AnthonySmith Yura
  • edited October 2018

    @stefeman said:

    Thank you for the feedback!

    You also exclude any providers that might have something to offer and are most willing to do so. (AWS, Softlayer, Azure).

    We think it is better to partner with like-minded people and groups than to compromise our core ethical principles.

    If you were asking for 1-2TB servers, many people would probly consider donating their kimsufi machines.

    Indeed, the second-last point states that smaller storage servers can also be of use and are welcome :)

    No way anyone is gonna provide that for free. It might be possible if you combine many small servers and make a cluster of them to host something bigger. The price for min. 6TB storage monthly with Bandwidth exceeds that of any profit gained from ads/refers you can provide.

    You could very well be right. But, that argument assumes that a corporate sponsor would contribute STRICTLY for profitable gain resulting from advertisement/referral.

    Constructive criticism is great, and I'm happy to discuss the project's merits, but I'd like to keep this thread as on-topic as possible.

    Certainly, this is not a project which will interest everybody. Thankfully it doesn't have to!

  • Chicken egg situation. Nobody will sponsor a server for exposure, because you don’t have any yet.

    Also: How is your project’s mission different from archive.org?

  • YuraYura Member
    edited October 2018

    @classy said:
    Also: How is your project’s mission different from archive.org?

    Archive.org doesn't mirror furry porn

    @TheFreeMirrorProject said:

    @Yura said:
    Do you mirror all kinds of porn or mainstream only?

    Obviously all kinds... :wink:

    Archive.org days are counted :wink:

  • edited October 2018

    @classy said:
    Chicken egg situation. Nobody will sponsor a server for exposure, because you don’t have any yet.

    Exactly. Which is why the initial contributors are hardest to find. Still, we must try.

    Also: How is your project’s mission different from archive.org?

    Good question. There are some similarities to be sure. We both aim to preserve information and increase accessibility to that information.

    However, in a large way that's where the similarities end. Many similarities, but a fundamentally different organization.

    • Archive.org is widely blocked by many regimes abroad (Jordan, China, India). This is true for many websites, in fact. The Free Mirror Project seeks to provide ways around this. Archive.org does not seem to partake in any deliberate action to increase availability to these regions (I may be wrong!)

    • The Free Mirror Project is "free" in the way GNU is free. We do not archive non-free materials. It's all open source.

    • While Archive.org archives some open source, but does not seek to provide current-day mirrors for use by the general public. It is a library, for posterity, more than a day-to-day use. They seek to answer the question, "what was Debian v5 like?"

    • In order to be "free" (as in freedom), The Free Mirror Project aims to actively increase accessibility to those normally unable to. One way we're doing this is by making our entire archive available as an onion service so that software and repositories can be reached by persons living in tyrannical conditions. To our knowledge, archive.org does not partake in such activities.

    • Free as in freedom also requires anonymity. We never keep logs of personally-identifiable information. We do not require registration/membership to use any portion of our services (this is one of the reasons we cannot partner with data-hungry partners). Privacy for our users is number one.

    • Air-gapping activities. We seek to be the "Svalbard seed vault analogue of open source software."

    • A focus on increasing accessibility to those who are underserved, rather than archiving and making them available to a demographic which is arguably well-served already.

    • Whereas archive.org does not take a political stance, The Free Mirror Project does. This is one reason we cannot be legally registered as a "charity." Although we are non-partisan, we do believe in basic human rights and fredoms, like free speech and access to information, and we openly enable and advocate it. We also enable users around the world to circumvent their local governments to that end (ie: reading wikipedia where it is illegal). That is considered a "political activity" and it makes us ineligible for charitable status in Canada, believe it or not. (This is currently under review by the Canadian government FYI)

    Thanked by 1Yura
  • Remember folks, non profit doesn't always mean staff not for profit. 20 believers at 20 bucks a month- there is your first entry level server and bandwidth and then grow from there. if you can't find 20 true believers- whats the point of giving you a server?

  • Very true! Which is how we're running our operations currently. We're each volunteering in the Project, but in "real life" we're also relatively gainfully employed.

    There's no way we could expand and fund the entire thing in perpetuity on our own, but for now we are running operations by seed-funding the project with our own means.

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