My Dream Homelab

1. Introduction

This document describes the design, current state, and planned expansion of my personal homelab. The primary objective of this project is to demonstrate how to build a powerful, functional, and visually appealing lab environment without an astronomical budget. By utilizing refurbished enterprise hardware, repurposed equipment from kind members of the community, and clever rack cabinet solutions, this project proves that homelabbing is accessible to everyone.
Furthermore, this project has been made possible thanks to supportive partners and generous individuals who have contributed hardware, advice, and assistance to help me build my dream setup.

2. Current Infrastructure (Primary Rack: 8U)

The primary rack serves as the central core for networking and storage. It is built around a compact and professional 10-inch standard, making it ideal for home environments where space and aesthetics are key priorities.
  • Cabinet: DeskPi RackMate T1-Black Rackmount (10-inch, 8U server cabinet). A sturdy and elegant enclosure that houses network equipment, servers, and power distribution.
  • Virtualization Server: HP ProDesk 600 G3 Mini
    • Software: Runs Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) as the hypervisor. This enables virtualization of multiple virtual machines (VMs) and Linux Containers (LXCs) hosting services (e.g., Home Assistant, Pi-hole, Plex, etc.).
  • Networking: Router/Firewall: Ubiquiti UniFi Security Gateway (USG). A stable and secure router of a slightly older vintage, but more than capable enough for my home network.
    • Network Segmentation: Designed with two separate networks: one dedicated to wired connections and another for wireless devices.
    • Wireless Network (Wi-Fi): Powered by an Asus Mesh system that exclusively manages wireless devices (such as mobile phones, smart plugs, smart bulbs, and other IoT devices).
    • Switch: HP ProCurve 1800-8G (J9029A). A reliable, silent, and managed 8-port gigabit switch.
    • Patching & Cabling: DeskPi Rackmate 12-port Patch Panel (10-inch, 0.5U CAT6). Connected using high-quality CAT6 patch cables for a tidy and professional finish.
  • Storage (NAS):
    • Current Solution: Western Digital My Cloud NAS (8TB). Acts as temporary storage for backups and media libraries while awaiting an upgrade.
  • Local Interface: DeskPi 9-inch Touch Screen (1280x720 TFT LCD). Integrated directly into the rack for quick local monitoring and troubleshooting without needing an external monitor.
  • Self-Developed Software & Monitoring:
    • Monitoring Dashboard: A custom monitoring dashboard has been developed in Python to track system health and performance in real time.
    • Future Software Development: Plans are in place to create more self-produced software tailored specifically to this homelab environment. I am passionate about developing custom solutions that work exactly the way I want them to, rather than being restricted by off-the-shelf options. The focus is on automation, optimization, and system integration.
    • Open Source Initiative: As these software projects mature and are thoroughly tested, the goal is to publish them as open-source repositories on GitHub to contribute back to the community and help other homelab enthusiasts.
  • Network Diagram: A visual network diagram has been created to show the overall topology (routers, switches, cabling, and wireless devices), providing a clear and structured overview of the network flow and topology.

3. Future Wishlist & Development: Building the Dream Homelab

To realize the vision of a fully optimized, clean, and professional homelab, a development wishlist has been established. The ultimate goal is to build a highly organized, visually stunning home network with increased computing capacity, clean cable routing, and robust remote management.
  • Cabinet: DeskPi RackMate T0 Rackmount (10-inch, 4U server cabinet). This will be stacked or placed adjacent to the primary 8U rack.
  • Compute Nodes: 3x Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Mini PCs.
    • These units will be configured as a multi-node cluster (e.g., a Proxmox VE Cluster or a Kubernetes/K3s cluster) to provide high availability (HA) and load balancing.
  • Inter-Rack Networking:
    • A dedicated patch panel will be installed in the 4U rack.
    • This patch panel will uplink directly to the HP ProCurve switch in the primary 8U rack, maintaining neat organization across both cabinets.
  • Out-of-Band Remote Management:
    • Device: GL-RM10 Comet Pro Remote KVM.
    • Specifications: Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6, 32GB eMMC, with native Tailscale support for secure remote access.
    • Capabilities: Full KVM-over-IP and ATX/fingerbot control. This enables remote power cycling, BIOS configuration, and operating system reinstallation from anywhere in the world.
  • Storage Upgrade (NAS):
    • Working towards acquiring a ZimaBoard NAS kit to be integrated directly into the rack. The goal is to reach a total capacity of approximately 40 TB for data redundancy, media distribution, and fast file sharing.
    • Self-Hosted Private Cloud: The objective of this storage upgrade is to build a solution that allows remote access to files and storage from outside the home network without relying on third-party cloud services. I will host my own cloud rather than being limited to local-only access.

4. Project Philosophy & Goals

This project has a strong focus on community outreach, aiming to inspire the Norwegian and global homelab communities:
  1. Democratizing Homelabs: Proving that a professional, organized, and capable homelab doesn't require spending thousands of dollars on brand-new gear. Refurbished enterprise hardware (like HP ProDesk and Lenovo ThinkCentre) offers exceptional performance-per-dollar and low power consumption.
  2. Circular Economy & Green IT: By reusing and repurposing hardware that companies or others have decommissioned, we extend the lifespan of fully functional electronics and reduce e-waste.
  3. Community & Collaboration: The homelab community is built on sharing and mutual support. This project is a testament to how collaboration can turn a dream setup into reality.

5. Acknowledgments

This project would not have been possible on this scale without the incredible support of partners and community contributors:
  • A Special Thanks to DeskPi: I want to express my deepest gratitude and a huge thank you to DeskPi for their amazing support and assistance in building my homelab. Their specialized 10-inch rack cabinets and accessories have served as the foundation of this setup. I truly appreciate their help and look forward to continued and exciting collaborations in the future!

6. Conclusion

This homelab project blends aesthetics, functionality, and cost-efficiency. With the transition to a 40 TB NAS and the addition of a secondary 4U rack for a Lenovo Mini-PC compute cluster, the lab will evolve into a resilient, high-availability, and fully remotely managed environment. I hope this project inspires others to start their own journey in networking, virtualization, and systems administration.

 

From: Lab Builder (Anonymous)

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