Home Lab Idea

Embarking on the journey of constructing my home lab, I meticulously assessed the learning goals I aspired to achieve, considering the balance between financial investment and effort expended.

My primary focus revolves around gaining comprehensive insights into server management, containers, virtual machines, server hardware, and networking. To maintain fiscal prudence, I opted for retired enterprise hardware—although aging, it still efficiently serves its purpose.

In terms of effort, my abundant spare time fuels my enthusiasm for hands-on projects, allowing me the flexibility to delve deeply into each endeavor. While time constraints are loose, budget considerations guide the timing of my hardware acquisitions.

Hardware

Outlined below are the components currently in my possession or slated for acquisition in the upcoming weeks:

Machine name	Hardware	CPU	RAM	Graphic Card	Storage
VMs	Dell Precision 5810	Intel Xeon E5-1650 v4	2x16GB	Nvidia Quadro M4000 8GB	4TB HDD + 2x256GB SSD
Storage	HP Proliant DL360p G8	2xE5-2650L V2	8x8GB	none	4x6TB HDD
3D Printer	Raspberry pi 3B	ARM Cortex-A53	1GB	none	64GB SD
HomeHub	Fodenn F10	N95	16GB	none	512GB M.2 SSD
Switch	PLANET WGSW-28040

Configuration and Utilities

Let’s delve into the planned configurations and utilities for each component:

VMs

In the Dell Precision 5810, I will set up VMs using Proxmox to leverage the processing power from my laptop and maybe also for some cloud gaming.
Additionally, I plan to run a VM containing a Docker instance to host gaming servers.
To optimize power usage, I will only run this machine when necessary configuring some remote power on.

Storage

The HP Proliant DL360p G8 will serve as my high-performance storage machine.
I will run a media manager and backup services on separate VMs with Docker inside.

Media Manager

• Jellyfin
• Jellyseer
• Sonarr
• Radarr
• qBitTorrent

Backup

• Nextcloud
• Synchthing
• Photonix

3D Printer

Utilizing the Raspberry Pi 3B, I’ll enhance my 3D printer experience by implementing Klipper and Mainsail, potentially using Printd for configuring and controlling everything.

HomeHub

The Fodemm F10 MiniPC is set up for constant operation, providing a platform for various monitoring tools, smart home applications, and utility services (like VPN and AP).

Monitoring

• UptimeKuma
• Graphana
• Prometheus
• OpenSpeedTest

Smart Home

• Home Assistant
• Firefly-III
• Grocy

Utility

• Access Point
• dashboard
• piHole
• VaultWarden
• Nginx Proxy Manager
• WireGuard
• Cloudflared

Conclusion

This represents my current blueprint for the home lab. Over the next few weeks, I’ll delve into the configurations, foreseeing possible adjustments and enhancements.

Stay tuned for updates on my evolving ideas, configurations, and experiments within my home lab.