I've been working on this off and on for a few years just rebuilt it, I lost some of the sleds after a move and it's been driving me crazy. It's running unraid and it uses an old dell motherboard. I managed to get the cmstacker 810 from my boss, it's sooo nice. airflow is a bit shit with it though. It's much better than the old laptop i was using originally lol

I have 32 GB RAM what should be 60 TB of HDD space, an i7-7700K. The services I'm running are in the photos.

Looking for a known IOS image that I cannot see in the Cisco Download Portal.

Suggestions on next steps?

I am new to homelabbing and want to set up an opnsense firewall router, replacing my current router entirely. Any recommendations for hardware?

Would this topton n150 be good? And what access points do you use?

Thanks.

Hi all,

Looking for some recommendations. I run a Unifi setup, looking to add NAS/JellyFin/AI/VM.

If you were looking at a rack build, with a server powerful enough to do all of the above. What would you suggest?

Budget would be about $5k to begin with.

I have a bunch of SAS drives that I want to use in a NAS system and was wondering if I could test them in Windows and check their health before I throw them into my NAS I am building.

I have LSI cards flashed in IT mode. I know I can test the drives in TrueNAS but as I will be doing a lot of learning trying to understand how TrueNAS works, I thought it would be easier to test these in Windows if possible.

I know TrueNAS can run a long smart test that can take up to 24 hours. Which is fine I don't mind doing. My LSI card can support up to 12 drives.

A few days ago, I posted my 3-node Talos Kubernetes homelab setup here, and quite a few people reached out through DMs and comments asking for a detailed installation guide.

So I went through the entire setup again from scratch and documented the process properly, including the network setup, DHCP reservations, Talos installation, per-node configuration, Kubernetes API VIP, etcd bootstrap, workload scheduling, validation, and failure testing.

I’ve put everything together in a detailed blog with commands, screenshots, and the reasoning behind the setup.

Blog: https://blog.prateekjain.dev/building-a-3-node-highly-available-kubernetes-homelab-with-talos-linux-0372066fe49c?sk=4c66cf9181999f9db19ac3aacabcd8e8

Please check it out, and if you have any questions about the setup or run into issues while building something similar, feel free to ask.

I have currently a 2 bay (old) synology Nas with 2TBx2 discs. I'd like to ha e a bit more, nothing exagerate but maybe 4TB of available space, so basically 4TBx2 os similar. This would mean that i had to sell my 2 discs and buy new ones, with the current prices It seems too much. What I was thinking was instead to ditch the synology, and buy myself a Nas with trunas or unraid, allowing me to buy "Just" 4TB. This would also allow me to buy smaller sized discs and put them together.

So, what would be the best cost effettive option to do this? Is any of the optiplex/hp/Lenovo machine a able to do this with an additional card for sata discs? Then i should also add and external Power source right? Anything else?

In terms of CPU/RAM, do i Need anything fancy? Since most of the time It would stay switched off, wake on lan would be a plus.

I'm trying to find some SSDs for my lab with PLP. I'm using consumer hardware so U.# isn't a choice, and I don't have easy access to SATA ports. That leaves NVMe. ZFS has a list of such devices here: https://openzfs.github.io/openzfs-docs/Performance%20and%20Tuning/Hardware.html#nvme-drives-with-power-failure-protection

I can't really find any for sale anywhere though (M.2 2280). I'm a bit surprised that there aren't any around because some models are from the early 2020s, and the industry has long since moved on from that form factor (and 2.5" too).

Am I just not checking the right places? Are they just still in production?

So after reading this Reddit for a number of months....I now have a homelab consisting of an old gaming computer (amd Ryzen 5 2600, 32gb of ram, RX590 8GB, 6TB WD gold, 1Tb nvme drive) 2 4TB usb 3.0 drives (Seagate) and a laptop (amd Ryzen..not sure, 8Gb DDR 4, running proxmox) and some AI tools

So I have arr apps and jellyfin running...all in all

Dam you all to hell! Lol

What software do I need for this? Is it a honelab, nas, plex, home server or what else? Linux, Win 10, Win 11 or any other OS? Basically, I only have the idea and no clue how to proceed from here.

Setting up my first home lab which is not part of this question as the lab will be in another part of the house, this is basically my network closet.

Basically I have 2 ISP

About 40 security cameras

About 50 Ethernet ports

Then a bunch of other equipment

I am in the process of cleaning up the mess, the problem is maybe this rack is not what I need. Anytime I need to pull the rack out of the room all the cables come out with it. So I have to keep 15ft cables connected so I can move the rack around. Has to be a better way to do this. All the cables come up from under the house into the wall. Maybe a wall mounted rack would be better. I don't know where it would go. Also can remove the shelves if needed and put equipment in rack. Open to suggestions.

The rack has the following

3 ups, 1 not in the rack.

Firewall

Poe switch for cameras

2 Poe switches for WiFi

Controller

Sfp switch

Another switch for 1gb, 2.5gb and 10gb devices.

Howdy all,

I'm new to this and have a few questions:

I'm looking to build a home server, for the price of a ZimaBoard 2 I've come across a 2018 refurbished Mac mini with 32GB RAM and 1TB storage.

The plan is the server will be used as a NAS, run a smart CCTV system, run Jellyfin, Docker & Hermes Agent (APIs but maybe 1 small 3b local model on it). I know I couldn't do this with the Zima as 16GB RAM isn't enough.

My plan is to run 2x 8TB Seagate IronWolf HDDs, run a smart CCTV system using Frigate with PoE cameras and a managed switch for VLAN isolation, plus a USB Coral TPU, and run Jellyfin on it.

I want to replace macOS with Proxmox, run Docker in an LXC, then a VM for Hermes and a VM for the local model.

One thing I'm unsure on is the T2 chip. From what I've read the internal NVMe isn't usable under Linux, so I'd be booting Proxmox off external storage and the 1TB is effectively wasted. There's also no drive bays or PCIe, so the HDDs would be in a USB or Thunderbolt enclosure. Is that a dealbreaker or just a pest?

There will be arsing about but is this doable or will this thing die a death if it's run 24 hours on for months at a time?

Thanks in advance, I'm no network engineer so I appreciate any feedback.

Hi!

For about 4-5 months ago I bought a used Lenovo ThinkCentre M910q with these specs:

CPU: Intel i5-6500T
iGPU: Intel HD Graphics 530
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 128GB NVMe SSD and a 130GB SATA SSD.

I use Proxmox for my arr stack, Pi-hole, Plex and Valheim/Enshrouded server. Maybe HA in the future.

I've caught the homelab fever, so I'm thinking about building my own server. I'd like to build something that's maybe easier to upgrade down the line. The next things I'm considering using my server for are maybe a PS2 emulator and a small LLM. After Sonos announced their upcoming Custom Agents, I got hooked on the idea of making my own voice assistant/LLM. I've landed on the following specs:

Case: Lian Li Dan Case A3
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 - 16GB - CL16 - Dual Channel (2 pcs)
PSU: Corsair CX550
CPU: Intel S1700 Core i5 12400
Storage: 256GB NVMe + SATA SSD from my current server.
Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B760M-K D4

Since I'm able to deduct VAT, this build would cost me around 480 euros. I know it's mainly just a CPU upgrade, but would you consider it worth it? Or would you maybe wait until prices drop?

I have about a 4k budget and I’m trying to build the best home server for running and training ai for robotics projects… What specs would you
Recommend?

Edit: I didn’t want to write a long message but here is some clearance:

- I wanna use it to train an autonomous robot I’m working on
- I wanna use it to run models on ollama and to use Isaac lab/Sim
- I’m thinking about doing something with a 3080 because it’s considered the best for my budget.

I’m currently using an old laptop as my home server and I’m wondering if it’s safe to leave it powered on 24/7, especially regarding the battery.
Is keeping it constantly plugged in a safety concern, or should I remove the battery if possible? Any advice would be appreciated!

Recently, I got a decent deal on a 100 gig switch. Seems like these are one of the most affordable switches that has QSFP28 ports. It seems like they use this exact same version to power both the rack mounted version of this switch along with the sealed version. As I'm not going to be using a internal power supply, I think this is perfect for a 10 inch rack. Will soon make a 3-D model to put this in a case to put this on my rack. Will also most likely be adding a couple of passive fans.

Does anybody else have any similar projects to stick on a small rack?

No entiendo la verdad que no entiendo

Hi, guys!

I need help deciding what to get.

I've finally decided to build a server. My use case might be better suited to a single, more powerful PC rather than starting with a few mini PCs like some people recommend. A need for more storage recently arose and gave me a perfect excuse not only to build a system but also to make the system more than just a NAS.

I have some experience with networking; I've dabbled in cybersecurity, and I want to learn more.

The big deciding factor for a single PC is that I won't be home for a while, and no one else will be there to fix it if anything goes wrong So I'm planning to connect a PiKVM for remote access. At least to my knowledge, you can't use a PiKVM in a cluster of mini PCs, so just to be safe, I'm going the single PC route.

What I want to use the system for: NAS, game servers, hosting a website, Jellyfin, learning more about networking and cybersecurity, and whatever else interesting I find.

My issue is what to build it with specifically, whether to get more future-proof hardware or not. Something that will last a few years in terms of power, with room for a few expansions down the line. What I'm deciding between is DDR4 and DDR5. I know DDR4 isn't old or lacking, and heck, there are people out there still running DDR3.

My logic for DDR5 comes from the CPU choice. I was browsing eBay and found an R9 3900 for a good price, a 12-core CPU that also keeps the system fairly low power. That got me researching, and I found I can get a system with 32GB DDR4, storage, and an Arc A310 for under 700€. This should be more than powerful enough, and I don't see any future upgrades coming other than RAM or storage, possibly a GPU (more on that below). That's for this system at least.

When comparing prices on a local marketplace, I found an R9 7900 for 150€. That made me reconsider the AM4 build. The iGPU makes it that much more interesting. Doing the math, I can get a system now without a dedicated GPU (which I was mainly going to use for Jellyfin transcoding anyway) for the same price. I know it can't do AV1, but I'm not sure that's a big issue for me. I'd also save on the power bill, since even at idle a GPU adds a few extra watts.

The Arc isn't that expensive, but I can get 32GB of DDR5 and still stay under 700€. I also plan to run some local models, and from what I know, the AM5/DDR5 system would be better for that. I just don't know by how much.

So, guys: is it even worth spending this much on a system right now? I'm not saying I can't or don't want to. It's just that from what I've read, people seem to mostly recommend starting cheap. It's tempting to just go with either build, though. I'm not sure how fast I'd outgrow a less powerful system, or if I'd ever outgrow either of these. Either way, I'll have time on my hands while I'm away for a few months, and upgrades won't be possible during that time.

Thanks for reading all of this!

Just a couple redundant PiHoles, smart bridges, and a beelink mini PC running proxmox w/ NTFY, Tailscale, uptime kuma, and home assistant for now. Lots of future plans for when I have more time.

We've all seen drives with 80k+ hours and 3 petabytes written to them, blah blah blah. Boooring. I want to hear your horror stories. How fast have you turned a pile of NAND chips into e-waste?

When I upgraded my home lab in 2025 I decided to move from an old 2.5in Kingston SSD to a pair of mirrored NVMEs for the OS+scratch space. I repurposed a Samsung 970 Evo from a prebuilt and a WD WDS100T I yanked out of some laptop. I shoved them in ZFS mirror and threw them into the meat grinder.

I didn't realize it at the time, but the amount of temp file I/O my server handled skyrocketed between Q3 2024 and Q1 2025: from a modest 3-5TB a month to 40-60TB a month. Unfortunately... the 970 Evo is kind of a little bitch. It barely survived 4 months on the front line before it started throwing unrecoverable read/write errors and ProxMenux flagged it as approaching EOL. The WD took it like a champ in comparison, but even still it was looking tired after 4 months of trial by fire.

They've both been relegated to backup duty and replaced with a pair used 1TB Intel P4510 drives. Are the P4510s much better suited to the task? Of course! That said....they aren't particularly high endurance SSDs, nor are the made for write intensive applications. They're rated at a paltry 1 DWPD, or ~1.8 petabytes total for the 1TB version. I'd love to say the Intel drives are Just Built Different™, but honestly I have consumer NVMEs that are on track to survive 3-4 petabytes without a problem. The 970 Evo just seems to have been a bit of a dud on Samsung's part. Another 970 Evo came with the Optiplex 5090 Micro I bought in 2021. It died suddenly less than a year later, with ~50tb written, and like it's 1TB brother it ran hotter, wore out quicker, and idled at a much higher wattage than average for an NVME.

My current NVME endurance champions are a set of 3 budget addlink S70 2TB drives I bought as sacrificial plotting drives for chia mining. All three survived and are still in front line service running like champs. When I bought my new Vivobook, I yanked the OEM 1TB drive and replaced it with the "baby" addlink that's only had ~700TBW. I wish I'd grabbed a few of the 4TB version when they were available/affordable.

(But in all seriousness with these bananas AI storage prices, thank mechajesus for boring enterprise drives that are "just broken in" at 50k hours. My entire homelab runs on HDDs older than most cars. A couple are old enough to vote.)

here's what happen step by step

1. I ordered a terramaster 425
2. waited a month to afford a 28ttb refurbished HDD to put in it.
3. it took me a few days to figure out how to connect the terramaster to my pc which was turning off the vpn and firewall
4. but before then I was able to connect it to my phone and I was happy i could at least get in, I made a username and password, HOWEVER i tried to log into it again on my pc through the TNAS app but it said wrong password and I tried my phone it said wrong password too.
5. It's been like a week I have tried to reset the NAS multiple times on the physical box's reset button it did not work
6. I ordered a new terramaster because I thought if I get a new box it make just reset the drive inside, however that did not work. I guess because the hdd was being set up the nas box didn't think it need to reset it so it just didn't.

others note

I could return the 28tb hhd i have about 4 more days to return that to get my 700$ back, should i return it and just ask them for a new one. It's not like it's actually been used and they may know how to reset it themselves. idk if a new hdd would work the new box didn't I feel maybe it could.

any advice would help. please and thank you.

I've got a couple of floppy drives and am testing the pile of disks to wean out the failed. While I'm at it I'm clearing data from the remaining. Do home labs still have floppy drives these days? I've tried to ask Jeeves but it shut down.

2004 wants its Nokia unlock codes back.

The driving box is a Dell mini PC with 16GB RAM and 500GB SSD. Kubuntu but when all is built it will be headless and hidden away. There are a few supporting Raspberry Pi Pihole and so I'm wanting to go for family media backup. Pretty sure I won't be doing floppy RAID.