Building a home lab is an exciting journey that allows you to create a versatile environment for learning, experimentation, and personal projects. Here’s a detailed look at my current home lab setup, which I use for gaming, productivity, media streaming, and various IT services.
Primary Workstations: Gaming and Productivity
- Gaming Setup: I use an ASUS laptop for gaming, equipped with high-end graphics and processing power to handle the latest games and VR applications.
- Productivity Setup: For productivity, I rely on a Mac PC, which is ideal for content creation, coding, and general office tasks.
To streamline my workflow, I’ve connected both machines using a KVM switch. This allows me to share a single set of peripherals (keyboard, mouse, and monitors) between the two computers, making it easy to switch between gaming and productivity tasks without clutter.
Core Server: HPE DL380 Gen8
The backbone of my home lab is the HPE DL380 Gen8 server, which hosts multiple virtual machines (VMs) using VMware ESXi. Here’s what it’s running:
- Docker Host: A VM dedicated to Docker containers, enabling quick deployment and management of various applications.
- Jellyfin Server: My go-to solution for media streaming, allowing me to stream movies, TV shows, and music to any device in my home.
- Veeam Backup Server: Critical for ensuring that all my data is backed up and can be restored in case of any failures.
- NAS Drive with TrueNAS Core: Configured as an NFS drive, this serves as the primary storage solution for my network, providing 10TB of SAS drives in RAID 6 for data redundancy and performance.
High Availability Cluster: Proxmox Servers
In addition to the primary server, I have a high-availability (HA) cluster comprised of two HP devices running Proxmox. This cluster is crucial for maintaining uptime and ensuring that my services are always available. Here’s what’s running on the Proxmox cluster:
- Backup NAS Drive: Acts as a repository for backups and serves as an NFS drive for easy access across the network.
- Ubuntu Servers: Running several key services including:
- Sonarr and Radarr: For automating TV show and movie downloads.
- Calibre: For managing my ebook library.
- Transmission: A lightweight torrent client.
- Uptime Kuma: For monitoring the uptime and performance of my services.
- Portainer: For managing Docker containers and other services.
All media and important files are stored on NFS drives, ensuring that they are easily accessible and can be shared across different devices and services.
Network Security and Management
- pfSense Firewall: Hosted in a VM, it is configured to manage both WAN and LAN traffic, providing robust security and network management capabilities.
- Cloudflare: Used as my DNS provider, ensuring fast and reliable DNS resolution.
- Pi-hole: Acts as a network-wide ad blocker, improving the browsing experience by blocking unwanted ads.
- Nginx: Used for SSL termination and reverse proxy, enhancing security and simplifying the management of web services.
- Cloudflare VPN: Provides secure access to my local services from anywhere outside my home.
Experimental Lab
To stay ahead of the curve and test new technologies, I’ve set up a small LAN lab. This environment allows me to experiment with new configurations and software before deploying them to my main network, minimizing the risk of disruptions.
Looking Ahead
Documenting my current setup helps me reflect on the progress I’ve made and plan for future improvements. Technology evolves rapidly, and I’m excited to see how my home lab will grow and adapt over time. Whether it’s upgrading hardware, exploring new software, or enhancing network security, the journey of maintaining and improving my home lab is both challenging and rewarding.
