What is a HomeLab?
Think of a HomeLab as a personal playground for an IT professional. It’s like having a small-scale version of a big company’s computer system at home. Here, they can play around with different tech tools and software without worrying about causing any issues in a real business setting. It’s a space where they can learn new things, try out ideas, and get better at what they do. There is no 1 correct way to construct, configure or manage your Home Laboratory. Set-ups can range from professional grade server racks (which are loud, consume unholy amounts of electrcity, and will leave your wallet screaming) or a bunch of old, to-be-forgoten desktops that are strung together to form one cohesive system. William has opted for the use of a minmized yet powerful compolation of devices including; a mini pc, a firewall (both physical and virtual), and a couple of Rasberry Pis to reduce noise and energy consumtion. While this might not sound like much, he has the ability to simulate most (if not close to all) digital (scaled-down) corporate enviorments. View the "Laboratory Specs" for a more detailed list of what William is running.
Purpose and Use:
Components:
Laboratory Specs
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Proxmox VE (Community Edition) | Open-source server virtualization environment |
| Ubuntu Server (Latest LTS Version) | Free Linux distribution for servers |
| Nextcloud (Community Edition) | Self-hosted productivity platform |
| ONLYOFFICE (Community Edition) | Office suite for document editing |
| Jitsi Meet (Self-Hosted) | Open-source video conferencing |
| Pi-hole (Community Edition) | Network-wide ad blocking and DNS server |
| OpenVPN (Community Edition) | Open-source VPN solution |
| pfSense (Community Edition) | Open-source firewall and router |
| Wireshark (Community Edition) | Network protocol analyzer |
| Grafana (Open Source) | Analytics and monitoring solution |
| GitLab CE (Community Edition) | Web-based DevOps lifecycle tool |
| Jenkins (Open Source) | Automation server for software development |
| Selenium (Open Source) | Web browser automation |
| SonarQube (Community Edition) | Code quality and security platform |
| Docker (Community Edition) | Containerization platform |
Projects
Project 1: Home Office Virtualization and Collaboration Suite (Phase: Set-Up)
This project aims to create a virtualized home office environment with collaboration tools for file sharing, document editing, and video conferencing.
| Service | Description | Project Use |
|---|---|---|
| Proxmox VE (Community Edition) | Open-source server virtualization environment | Host multiple virtual machines for different services |
| Ubuntu Server (Latest LTS Version) | Free Linux distribution for servers | Run Docker containers for web services |
| Nextcloud (Community Edition) | Self-hosted productivity platform | File sharing, collaboration, and office suite functionalities |
| ONLYOFFICE (Community Edition) | Office suite for document editing | Integrated with Nextcloud for document management |
| Jitsi Meet (Self-Hosted) | Open-source video conferencing | Set up for team meetings and communication |
Project 2: Network Management and Security Operations (Phase: Not Yet Started)
This project focuses on setting up network management and security operations, including ad blocking, VPN, firewall, network analysis, and data visualization.
| Service | Description | Project Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pi-hole (Community Edition) | Network-wide ad blocking and DNS server | Manage network traffic and block unwanted ads |
| OpenVPN (Community Edition) | Open-source VPN solution | Secure remote access to the home lab network |
| pfSense (Community Edition) | Open-source firewall and router | Network perimeter security and routing |
| Wireshark (Community Edition) | Network protocol analyzer | Analyze and troubleshoot network traffic |
| Grafana (Open Source) | Analytics and monitoring solution | Visualize network data and metrics |
Project 3: Development and Testing Environment (Phase: Not Yet Started)
This project is designed to create a development and testing environment for software projects, with tools for source code management, continuous integration, automated testing, code quality analysis, and containerization.
| Service | Description | Project Use |
|---|---|---|
| GitLab CE (Community Edition) | Web-based DevOps lifecycle tool | Source code management and CI/CD |
| Jenkins (Open Source) | Automation server for software development | Automate builds, tests, and deployments |
| Selenium (Open Source) | Web browser automation | Automate web application testing |
| SonarQube (Community Edition) | Code quality and security platform | Analyze and improve code quality |
| Docker (Community Edition) | Containerization platform | Containerize applications for consistent deployment |
What I'm Learning
- Advanced Networking Techniques
- Internet of Things (IoT) Integration
- Server Management and Virtualization
- Self-Hosted Cloud Services Deployment
- Open-Source Collaboration Tools
- Network Security and Firewall Configuration
- Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) Pipelines
- Automated Testing and Quality Assurance
- Containerization with Docker
- Code Quality and Security Analysis
- Video Conferencing Solutions
- Ad Blocking and DNS Server Management
- VPN Setup and Management
- Data Visualization and Monitoring
- DevOps Practices and Tools
- Productivity and Task Management Applications