Ok so here it is I ordered 1 12U open server rack from Amazon a couple weeks ago. First package never showed up so Amazon said it probably got lost in shipping and they'd send me another one. Second one was supposed to be delivered yesterday but got a notice saying it couldn't be delivered (don't blame em) and I'd have to go pick it up from the local Post Office.

Show up this morning and the guy says I hope you have a truck and tells me to drive around to the loading dock. I was confused but went along with it thinking it was just heavy (40-50lbs rack). I go back and he is sitting there with a pallet. I realize what happened at that moment. After we load em up he asks when I'm coming back for the other pallet? Apparently the 1st order was there also. Told him to return the other pallet to sender.

Checked my Amazon order and confirmed the quantity was 1 and I was also only charged for 1 (about $210). Should I contact Amazon about this or just keep quiet and see what happens? We're talking about $2300 worth of server racks here.

edit: Don't bother asking for one at this point, I've got a long list of people messaging me for a chance to get one. First come first serve. There's not enough to go around any more. Merry Christmas.

edit edit: UPDATE! So I reached out to Amazon's customer support, they said I could keep the extras and assured me I wouldn't be charged. I made it very clear that I wanted to do the right thing and would return them, if it could be arranged, since I didn't pay for all these but they said don't worry about it. Took screenshots as proof. I'll probably get my Amazon account removed.... I'm still going to wait a month or so before distributing any to friends, family, and my fellow lucky redditors.

You may be able to close the door if you got these Tripp lite right angle patch cables like i did for my hidden living room rack TRIPP LITE Cat6 Gigabit Patch Cable Snagless Right-Angle Utp Slim, 1', Black (N201-SR1-BK) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5LK973/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_9JKP0ZRMT0T4EAP66YR5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

If you plan to host different services/sub domains on the same ports (such as 80 and 443) take a look at NGINX reverse proxy, I followed this DigitalOcean guide and got my reverse proxy and Lets Encrypt certs done real quick.

Also a PSA: Recently discovered a good source of block lists, and discovered you can load them into pihole in bulk. List here - use the ones with tick marks.

https://firebog.net/

And here is a sample command to load it

docker exec -it pihole sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db "INSERT INTO adlist (address, enabled, comment) VALUES ('https://adaway.org/hosts.txt', 1, ' ');" docker exec -it pihole pihole -g

Assumes it is in a docker, if you're straight on the machine/vm the pihole is on start the command with sqlite3 onwards

Excel's concat should help you build commands for the rest of the list fast enough & then use bash / ansible to load them all

That was the ticket. With 50 nuts all for under $20. Easy to slip into a purchase order if you need more nuts https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BTYGRTW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glc_fabc_BXAAKM62QSH1J1SBFHYB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Some ideas (highly contingent upon the angles you’re shooting and level of detail required):

Low detail: Build a rack-sized box, paint black, glue on some front panels such as https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Front-Bezel-PowerEdge-Server/dp/B00VRW998Y and throw some blinky LEDs behind.

More detail: pick up some empty server chassis, again blinky LEDs.

Grab some patch panels e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Mount-24-Port-Keystone/dp/B0072JVT02/ and put a bunch of short Ethernet cords between random ports.

Thanks! I'm assuming you mean the Pi rack enclosure? You can get a 4 or 6 stack rack. Putting it together was a little cumbersome but it worked great at the end. I've linked it below: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N9645NI/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

The 3b+ is POE ready. Which means it requires a POE hat. That’s the one I use on 3 of my Pi’s. Though I got them when the 3b+ was released and they were a lot cheaper at the time.

The peripherals and external wires are temporary until I finish the electrical/cooling in the closet it's going to live in.

Hardware (Top to Bottom) * SmartThings Hub * Ubiquiti USG * UniFi CloudKey * Ubiquity SW16 * Dell PowerEdge r810 (2.4GHz x 40, 256GB RAM, 250GB local storage SSD, XenServer) * Synology rs1219+ (40TB NAS, 20TB iSCSI) * CyberPower UPS

EDIT: * Rack: 12U 35" deep rack

Services (Mostly TBD) * PiHole * PfSense * ELK stack * Hass IO * Vanilla WoW Server * Segregated virtual network for pen testing * Sandbox for malware RE

Roadmap * Upgrade to USG Pro (complete waste but I want that rackmount) * Ditch the CloudKey for a VM instance * Duplicate the r810 for HA VMs * Upgrade to rs2418+ (If I ever need more bays) * Ditch the smart things hub once I can hit the devices directly with Home Assistant * Migrate to a bigger rack if I ever pull the trigger on HA UPS (separate circuits)

Right now, the midwest is being ravished by a polar vortex. My server is in my shed, and it's very cold. I know full well that this could damage my hardware. I've decided to keep it running as a bit of an experiment, and because the hardware is old and expendable. AND TEH PERFORMANCE!!111 /s

The CPUs are idling at around 12-16° C. When I run a torture test on all 32 threads for hours in a row, temps don't go above 40° C. Condensation is unlikely because the humidity is very low. My HDDs will be kept spinning. A study (PDF) published by the University of Helsinki ran servers in sub-zero (down to -20° C) and encountered no issues, concluding "current computer equip- ment is able to withstand very wide-ranging temperatures and humidities for extended periods of time".

Its free and works on a lot of Asus routers.

Also there is a compatible Asus router on sale right now for $48

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-AC1900-Dual-Band-AiProtection-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B075GYWPCJ

EDIT: clarified the software works on only Asus routers.

We’re in the process of getting DHCP failover configured. Just setup NTP for accurate time. Trying to figure out some of the options in the dhcpd.conf file.

We’re using instructions from the following sites. 1. DHCP Failover Example 2. NTP Server on Ubuntu

Looks great, I am just scared for your servers falling... may I recommend these: 2U angle bracket My office has used something similar. I have a few in the basement on the ceiling.

The Organizationally Unique Identifier. Every network port has a MAC address. The first half of which is assigned to the manufacturer of the unit. If you punch the MAC address into an OUI Lookup Tool it'll be able to tell you who made it (theoretically).

You don't have to get anything too fancy, unless you want to. I use this 8-port TP-Link managed switch and its great for VLANs and QOS.

Minecraft, CS:GO, Ark, Factorio and L4D2 is what I remember off the top of my head. No special optimizations, most were installed using LinuxGSM and Ansible. Everything was running locally, so ping times weren't a real problem.

Just posting one I used as a broke high school student:

https://freedns.afraid.org/

You don't even need a domain name. You can piggy back off some free ones they offer.

Costs exactly 0 dollars, and I would still use it if not for namecheap offering it with my domain name.

Thank you so much!

Yes, I considered MGMT separate from my main. I'll keep thinking about that one.

I almost pushed Authelia on this build. It should be in v.2 :D

I didn't mention it on the diagram, but my sensitive dockers are running through NordVPN.

Ya, I considered Jumpcloud LDAP (mostly for OS MFA), but it glitched on Monterey and locked us out, so I scrapped it. I may go back.

For power I'm using a AmazonBasics 60W 6-Port Multi USB Wall Charger plus 5-Pack 1Foot USB A 2.0 to USB-C Fast Charger Cord

yeah, i wish more companies made cases like this, where the power switch sends a script to wake/sleep the raspberry.

https://libreelec.tv/2019/06/libreelec-9-2-alpha1-rpi4b/

Looks like they're on it, and that's running Linux not Android, so the privacy concerns are taken care of.

I'm using OpenVPN to pfsense and then Microsoft Remote Desktop Link to android store app. Its still a well thought out and robust client.

Not quite as cheap per u but you can get 10 packs of the APC 1u panels for about $50 on Amazon and probably cheaper on eBay. We buy these things by the case (of 400) at work, they are okay so long as you aren't constantly pulling them out.

If you want amazing blanking panels find the IBM panels with the rubber gaskets and metal spring clips on eBay, we have a number of those floating around that have to be over 20 and they still clip in cleanly every time.

APC rack blanking panel kit - 1 U - 10 PACK (AR8136BLK) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007RBWSU/

IBM blanking panel example https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-3-Space-3U-Server-IT-Rack-Mount-Server-Panel-Blank-Filler-Spacer-375739/192710670805

Here it goes

From the top down

Behind the rack blanks at the top I have a 16 Channel Hikvision NVR. (Not pictured)

The monitor I found on amazon, here’s a link if anyone is interested. Monitor

The triplite power supplies are pretty much standard. I was hoping they would show energy usage but unfortunately non of them pull enough power to register on their displays. They can be found here

The networking gear is all Ubiquiti. We have a 1gb symmetrical fiber uplink to the house. Cloud key controls the network. There is about a dozen unifi AP’s scattered all over the house. Didn’t really need a 48 port poe switch here but I really like the look of them between 2 patch panels.

I have a UDM-Pro on order to replace the unifi security gateway. I absolutely despise of the USG-Pro, the performance is terrible, they run hot and the fans are pinned at max rpm. If you go with a cloud key and Ubiquiti switches you minus well use their gateway so it all ties in to their unifi controller.

The Contour box is from Cox. Att uverse is shit and I did want at least 1 cable box so when my parents visit I won’t have to explain how to use a chrome cast to them lol

Last but not least the Sonos amps. Fantastic amps, airplay 2 enabled and work with Spotify connect. Love them to death. They are a little pricy and $500 each. Sonos is definitely proud of their stuff. All of the tv’s have playbars under them too. It’s so nice to be able to group all my speakers together at the touch of a button and play music around the house.

Sorry for the formatting, I am on mobile right now. Honestly didn’t expect this post to get this much attention!

Any other questions fire away!

You might want to think about a Rackmount PDU Power Strip and put the UPS on the floor. Batteries are heavy.

If it doesn't need to be self-hosted: I would recommend using Google Photos - it is intuitive for all to use, have a great web app (photos.google.com) and mobile apps as well. You can create albums and let other people collaborate.

Gotcha buddy.

https://www.amazon.com/Console-Essential-Accesory-Ubiquity-Switches/dp/B01AFNBC3K/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=usb+serial+rj45&qid=1565091778&s=gateway&sr=8-3

This what I use. Imagine you are using Windows. Double check to make sure your serial port is showing up in hardware manager. If you can see the port in the program but it’s not connecting make sure the baud rates match.

Or you made need a USB to serial adapter if the array doesn’t have an rj45 comms port and has a db9 comms port.

https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Converter-Prolific-Chipset-CB-DB9P/dp/B00IDSM6BW/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=usb+to+serial&qid=1565092473&s=gateway&sr=8-3

I can't tell for sure but those switches look OOOOoooooollllld. A few of the desktops are probably good enough to toss on a workshop bench to browse the web or potentially host Plex with basic hardware transcoding. I'd suggest checking the ram configuration on the HPs (what models are they?) because they can be picky with what DIMMs go into what slots in what sizes. Once you know what works I'd just fill the nicest server up to max with the best drives you have on hand and sell all the rest. If you can get one working server and two working desktops out of the whole haul I'd say you are doing well.

​

Before you sell anything you should do the right thing and WIPE THE DRIVES. I think DBAN is a popular and easy to use option: https://dban.org

StarTech.com 4U Hinged Blanking Panel - Vented Server Rack Panel - Tool-less Installation - TAA Compliant Filler Rack Panel (RKPNLHV4U) Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0109IXW70/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_8JVB5KQJ7RF0ZR8S56NC

This was my first proper foray into Grafana/Telegraf and InfluxDB. I used this dashboard but changed it up to match requirements.

My next dashboard will incorporate Plex and Pfsense stats also.

I was using low temp thermoplastic beads to repair or replace pieces for years before I got a 3D printer. They soften in near-boiling water and can be shaped by hand before cooling hard.

They're getting pretty cheap -- I picked mine up brand new for $230.

Same here! They have these POE micro USB splitters that split off 5v and Ethernet for like $10 bucks. I was thinking about integrating the adapter into the sled and have keyhole jacks in the back that the sled connects to. Power and Ethernet in one connection!

Link for PoE adapter:UCTRONICS IEEE 802.3af Micro USB Active PoE Splitter Power Over Ethernet 48V to 5V 2.4A for Tablets, Dropcam or Raspberry Pi (48V to 5V 2.4A) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MDLUSE7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nD4RCb22AX9KB

It's a standard C13 plug, similar to what you'd use for a computer PSU, just inverted. It would usually be used to plug into a server grade PDU. You can use a standard computer power cable for this.

Got a dozen domains at Gandi. They're inexpensive, they respond to support requests very quickly, and in ten years they've never fucked me over. I'm a fan.

(Plus, they support DNSSEC and if you're using Cloudflare for authoritative DNS, turning DNSSEC on takes all of five seconds.)

I have that same amp. I find that upgrading the power supply to a nicer 3 prong model, like the one linked below, will eliminate all noise and static at higher volumes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TUMDWG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Seconded. Getting an adapter and just plugging it in could be a fire hazard. A 20A plug could overdraw the wiring on a standard 15A home outlet.

I assume the UPS is this one (or similar power rating)? https://www.amazon.com/APC-Smart-UPS-2200VA-Battery-SMT2200/dp/B0036RDRXG

15A outlets can't really handle 2kW of power. If you don't have that much equipment plugged in to it, you might not have any issues, but I'm not sure I'd want to risk it.

I have 2 Anker 6 port USB power supplies:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-6-Port-Charger-PowerPort-iPhone/dp/B00P936188?th=1

They also make a more cost-effective 10 port: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-10-Port-Charger-PowerPort-iPhone/dp/B00YRYS4T4/ref=dp_ob_title_wld

For everyone else -- Whoogle anonymizes google searches as much as possible while still leaving the interface mostly intact. The author has put a lot of work into making it as seamless as possible. It even has search suggestion autocomplete working for all browsers. I use it as my default search engine now.

It's a problem because it can be discovered, non standard port or not (better port scanners will send various common protocol challenges on all public ip ports, it'll get picked up sooner or later).

At that stage, if you've ever had an account compromised that shares that password, you're gonezo. It doesn't have to be something you did, there's plenty of sites that have had their entire password database hacked and shared.

The second problem is that RDP has no sort of rate limiting (IE: fail2ban) or two factor authentication, or anything.

If you want universal access from any computer, set up apache guacamole. Once it's in place it's invaluable, and it's such a pain in the ass to set up that it's a good learning experience. And stop sharing your RDP over the internet. "You've never faced an issue" just means "You've never noticed an issue". Doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

Using a StarTech 12U enclosed cabinet: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ZLV5HA

Bought it since it's enclosed, deep, mobile, locking, didn't need a huge amount of capacity, and best of all could be flat-packed for shipping. Most enclosed racks require lift gate services if you don't have a loading dock, so usually the cost of shipping adds another few hundred USD in expense.

Assembly was fun. Made a few mistakes along the way, but it's nice assembled. Main downside for me is things can run hot given the glass front door. Second thing, but doesn't bother me much - doesn't really have 0U capabilities; not a lot of clearance around the sides.

IIRC, could buy a fan kit for the top too - has standard square rack nut holes in two grids, so I imagine DIY is possible as well. There's three sections for the bottom and one for the top, all set in place with hex screws. Too and bottom each have brush cable passthroughs. Sides and front/back have their own respective sets of keys.

Looks great though; I don't run much 24/7, but I have only 4Uleft with 2U planned to be filled. Two 2U disk enclosures, two 2U servers, one 1U server, a switch and PSU sharing 1U, 2U of free space in top and bottom keeping for fans or other equipment.

Next time, try to figure out what the bit is before you strip the shit out of it.

And get yourself a cheap security bit set like this. $13, keep it with your tools, solves all problems like this.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0744BTGJ8/

Ya exactly. I just picked up a pretty sweet rack as well, so definitely want to get a legit rack mount machine

Edit: got this rack https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Knock-Down-Cabinet-Telecommunications-Equipment/dp/B000IZ95CQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=Startech+durarak+22u&qid=1576447350&sr=8-1-fkmr0 for $50

Look into generator interlock instead (for now). If you can swing it will allow you to power the house AND not have it connected to the grid at the same time.

This is how the generator was wired up at our house. I still have to go outside, fire up the generator, then flip the main breaker off which then allows the interlock to move which allows the circuit that feeds the house to be closed. There is no way I can connect generator power and grid power at the same time.

Not all panel setups will allow the use of the interlock but it was something we could afford to get installed and works well for us.

edit: In case anyone cares, this is the generator we use. https://www.amazon.com/Champion-7500-Watt-Portable-Generator-Electric/dp/B01A0TLE5U although I paid < $700 at Costco. It's dual fuel but we only ever run it on propane. We get 5-8 hours per 20 lbs (5 gallon) propane tank. We are in the boonies and also have a 500 gallon tank that it will be connected to soon (we already use propane in the house).

Yeah, for something like that, it'll be perfectly fine where it is :D As far as power and overlap goes, the general rule of thumb with ubiquiti APs is to set both the 2.4 and 5Ghz radios to "medium" power in the Unifi controller. "Auto" is poorly labeled—it just sets the radios on high.

The easiest way to check out your RF environment is IMO to grab a laptop and something like NetSpot and do a site survey—walk around and take measurements. That'll show you exactly what your signal looks like (along with interference and noise) all throughout your home. Then you can fine-tune channel selection as needed!

may want to check clearance between your case and the CPU.

i bought this guy https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XVPH79R/ and was disappointed by how hot the RP4 was running... did some careful inspection and saw there was about 1/32" clearance between the contact pad on the case and the CPU.... too much for thermal paste to effectively work with.

cut a fin off a spare heat sink i had, and used it as a shim, with thermal paste on either side, and the CPU dropped about 20% in temp under load test. while the case itself is now noticeably more warm to the touch.

Top to Bottom: Logico 24 port PatchPanel

HP ProCurve 1800 24G Switch

Fortigate 100D Firewall

HP EliteDesk Mini: ESXi 7.0 / Server 2019 DC DHCP Print

QNAP NAS: 12TB PLEX Server

Black Box Surge Protector

Rack: NavePoint 9U https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6JPLYE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1

I know this isn't the most traditional/professional-looking homelab that's usually posted on here but I wanted to share this project my dad and I recently completed. First of all, thanks to everyone on r/HL (and other subreddits) for all the inspiration and help! I'll try to include costs for everything in case someone is just starting out with HL/home automation (like I was last year) and isn't sure what to expect.

Physical modifications to the stereo cabinet bought for $20 (craigslist):

• added wheels (Home Depot $20)

• drilled large holes on back plate and on the shelves for running wires and better airflow

• installed fan on back plate for cooling: AC Infinity AIRPLATE S5 (Amazon $30)

• general repairs to strengthen the structural integrity/fixed glass door

Homelab tech:

• Dell Optiplex 9020 (SFF, i5-4590, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro-- Ebay $120)

PC is running Sighthound Video software for our 4 POE IP cameras (Amazon ~$35 each), and VirtualBox (Hassio VM Home Assistant with Wireguard VPN add-on; ubuntu server VM for Pi-hole and Unifi controller).

• Synology DS418 (Ebay $300) with 2 4TB Seagate IronWolf drives (Amazon $100 each)

• Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X (Amazon $60)

• Ubiquiti UniFi AP-AC-LR (Microcenter $75)

• Arris SURFboard SB6190 modem (Amazon, $100)

• Raspberry Pi 3 B+ (Amazon $35)

Rpi is running DietPi OS as a backup Pi-hole and Wireguard VPN server in case the Optiplex goes down

• Netgear 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS308) (Amazon $25)

• CyberPower SX650U UPS (Home Depot $50) for the Synology NAS

The transceivers I'm using are these. I assume they're LED and not laser, as they're spec'd for up to 550m. The fibers are 0.2 meters in length, OM1 rated.

If you have Amazon prime, they have a 42U for $300.

StarTech.com 42U Adjustable Depth Open Frame 4 Post Server Rack Cabinet - Flat Pack w/ Casters, Levelers and Cable Management Hooks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVKOPBW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_MmVICb9EJN3K7

Free shipping no less.

It looks like the pile includes an APC AP7921 networked, monitored PDU. If so, you should definitely take it. It's worth about $200. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AAAV0

The Sun Fire V20z was released back in 2004, so it's far too old to be of practical use.

The IBM xSeries 336 is a couple years newer, but it's still far too old.

The big APC UPS on the floor may potentially be revived with new batteries, but may require installation by a registered electrician due to the large current required. You're better off with a smaller unit, in the 1500-2000 VA range.

That's about all I can recognise from these pics.

I use easy2boot and it works wonders for me. Nice menu system and easy to setup, just drop ISOs inside folders which create the menu system. I found a link to it either on this sub or on the /r/sysadmin sub from someone who uses it for imaging systems.

If you don’t need it to be portable, you could always just get something like the below.

NavePoint 2U 19" Vertical Wall Mount Rack Wall Mountable Server Rack w/Hardware Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M05Y5KR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_J408Cb74X8WBG

That would be AAEON EMB-B75A-A10-AAE motherboard.

Datasheet

B75 chipset, so Sandy/Ivy CPU, up to 16 gigs of RAM. I think OP has 8 gigs only, a bog-standard Pico PSU, this HDD caddy and unfortunately, I don't recognise the HBA.

Oh, you need some rack studs...

https://www.amazon.com/Rackstuds-40-Pack-Combo-Sizes-Colors/dp/B07W1KZXFL/ref=sxin_17_pa_sp_phone_search_thematic_sspa?cv_ct_cx=rack+studs&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=rackstuds&amp;pd_rd_i=B07W1KZXFL&amp;pd_rd_r=c285b099-576c-4e83-8296-aa7f40e31855&...

Use them for most gear in my racks at home and at work. They are awesome.

That's exactly why I have one of these laying around in my closet:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E9Z2D60/

Throw it in for the first boot or if I run into any issues and then pull it back out after I set up headless.

cable like this one

https://www.amazon.com/CableCreation-2-Pack-Internal-Mini-SFF-8643/dp/B07CL2STVS/

motherboard manual should say (somewhere) SFF-8643

Little things like having to use different IPs to reach depending on what device I was using and dealing with multiple vNICs on each guest. Most things there was a fix, just felt like I had to work harder.

You're talking about this guy, right?

Those are SFF-8087 connectors. These connectors use an SFF-8087 to individual SAS/SATA connectors like THIS or you can use it to connect to a SFF8087 connector on the backplane of your chassis/hot swap cage.

Awesome Idea, now I just need a wall mount.

&#x200B;

Edit: Found one on Amazon

Hi guys,

Hope this is the right place for this post.

My setup is the following: NAS server: Dell T30 computer transplanted into a Fractal Define R6 case

RAM = X2 Sticks 16GB ECC unbuffered memory (2400MHz) X2 sticks of 8GB ECC unbuffered memory (2400MHz) for a total of 48GB

Storage = WD black NVMe 500GB installed on motherboard

ADATA SX8200 NVMe 960GB installed on a dual NVMe and SATA interface PCIe card

Samsung Evo 860 1TB SSD

The following storage is for Plex and Emby media libraries: Volume 1: WD Reds X8 8TB for a total of 64TB in Raid 6 Volume 2: WD Reds X3 10TB for a total of 30TB in raid 0

For my HBA raid card I am using LSI 9211-8i 6Gbps SAS 8 port HBA flashed in IT mode.

Using an intel RES2SV240 24 port raid expander card to connect all drives. My HBA only supported 8 ports. So I needed this to expand.

Networking: X540-T2 HBA network adapter 10Gbit

Software : ESXi latest running in a 32GB flash drive. This is the VM host.

Using FreeNAS software for my media NAS running in the ESXi host

Running two Ubuntu VMs 18.04 to run PLEX and EMBY respectively

Running Ubuntu 16.04 VM to run Apache Guacamole (remote access software)

Running Windows 10 virtual machine for torrents.

Running Windows 10 VM for remote access all my VMs

It’s been ruining beautifully for four months, never had an issue. The system is fast and powerful to transcode 4K.

*** one important note: you will need a 24 pin to 8 pin ATX PSU power adapter to use a different power supply. I used this COMeap brand adapter found on Amazon: COMeap 24 Pin to 8 Pin ATX PSU Power Adapter Cable Compatible with DELL Optiplex 3020 7020 9020 Precision T1700 12-inch(30cm) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XGWRTHC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3.MiCb7QVQY7X ***

Merry Christmas!!!

Previously wired a townhouse with vaulted ceilings, actually had a small angled space between the interior ceiling and roof (roof slope was steeper then ceiling slope) - so double check that.

I'd preface things with wait a few weeks/months before wiring, I waited almost 2 years (got by with wireless bridge and power-line) and did things totally different then I would have on day 1 due to better understanding of the layout of things. Some stuff to look for:

• Identify dead space
• areas around return/supply ducts
• areas around plumbing

I also went from a townhouse where I wired every room with at least 2x cat6 and 2x coax. In my current home I only did my office since I could count on 1 hand the number of times most of the connections where used in my last place - and that includes testing.

Some random pieces of advice:

• Cut small opening at top and bottom of wall, drill holes, fish wire, patch, paint
• Your vaulted ceilings probably have fire blocks on the high walls
• You can get a lot done through a 6" by 4" opening if you have a right angled drill (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004M8R9W8/).
• You can get short length bits too.
• Buy a fish tape
• Easier to drill down from inside a wall space, but cleaner to drill up from below (no drywall to patch), just measure 10x
• Leave pull ropes behind where possible/practical
• Don't be afraid to do things in increments or scale back - is that guest room really worth wiring when your guests are never actually going to plug anything in.

&#x200B;

My entire rack runs off of 1 Kill-A-Watt, so I can see exactly how much draw I get.

3 Physical machines:

• Ryzen 2700X/32GB Desktop
• Whitebox i7 3770k/32GB
• r720 (2xE5645/128GB)

Storage:

• SA120 with 12x8TB drives
• SA120 with 6x8TB & 6x4TB drives

networking:

• Unfi AC Pro AP
• Edgerouter X-lite
• Cisco 24 port switch
• Arris TM1602AP2 Modem

Backup Power:

• 2x Tripp Lite 1500VA

Accessories:

• Google Home Mini
• Hue Hub
• 34 Inch Ultrawide monitor (on desk)
• Rack mounted 20 Inch monitor

My entire rack uses 9.2 to 11 kwh a day depending on load, and costs about $50/month to run. However, its not as noticeable because I have an electric car, which eats way, way more. According to my Power supplier, I use about 1MW of power every month.

If I were to charge at home rather than free supercharging when I get the chance, I bet I would be over 1600MW, so I don't really feel the hit from running the homelab, instead I just consider it money I would have spent on gas or something equally illogical in order to justify it.

This! Keep all your gear, but stash most of it into a closet somewhere and use only 1-2 servers for physical hardware testing/development. Then, use AWS instances to build up a steady revenue stream. Once you can afford a colo (know that some smaller places will be much cheaper than high-profile datacenters), then ditch AWS and go to physical hardware only. Also check out https://aws.amazon.com/activate/

Great find!

I've found that using IFTTT to scour Craigslist for me is the best solution for this.

Just setup keyword based searches and it'll email you within ~30 minutes of posting on Craigslist.

Snagged an enclosed server rack using this method for $130.

Pi-Hole is capable of blocking ads for your entire network across your devices (with some exceptions), however Pi-Hole isn't a AdBlock Plus or uBlock origins replacement. But you are able to prevent things like Windows 10 telemetry from being sent, websites that gather analytics about its users, and capable of blocking domains that serve malware.

Take a look at the Pi-Hole github page for more info or of course the Pi-Hole website itself.

I use iRedMail, which essentially pulls packages from the repository you use and brings them together for you. It uses Postfix, Dovecot, Apache, an SQL DB, OpenLDAP, Cluebringer, Amavisd, SpamAssassin, ClamAV, Roundcube, Awstats, and Fail2ban.

StarTech.com 12U Open Frame Server Rack - Adjustable Depth - 4-Post Data Rack - w/ Casters/Levelers/Cable Management Hooks (4POSTRACK12U) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1RJ9LS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_DoMTCb9DXNQTC

That PoE splitter is the same thing as the PoE hat.. it breaks out power and ethernet.

edit: and the hat you linked is different than the one Ive seen in the past. The one I saw had its own ethernet port and you had to use a small jumper from that hat to the pi. Essentially it was just a PCB that had the pi hat form factor. The one you linked is much cooler :).

edit 2: https://www.amazon.com/Pi-PoE-Switch-HAT-Raspberry/dp/B01E6LV9SK/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=raspberry+pi+poe+hat&amp;qid=1556537124&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-13 was the one I was thinking of and I was wrong, it wasnt just a pcb that mounted, as this has pins to power the pi via gpio.

I run all Ubuntu VMs at the moment because it is what I am most comfortable with. I used to run GNS3 and other network based items off there when I was a network engineer but don't anymore. All server versions are either 18.04.1 or 16.04.5

As for my current setup:

• Ubuntu Server 64bit - Plex Server

• Ubuntu Server 64bit - Minecraft Server for me and my daughter to play together

• Ubuntu Lubuntu 32bit - Private Internet Access VPN Box

• Ubuntu Server 64bit - PiHole / Ubiquiti controller software

• Ubuntu 32 bit - Metasploit 2 server to practice against

• Ubuntu 64 bit - Runs as a WebGoat server to practice against

that is a 2 channel relay module for rasp pi. I use python and the board to control my led lights.

here’s a link for the one i got, but you can get ones with many more channels :)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01H2D2RI0/ref=asc_df_B01H2D2RI057722537/?tag=googshopuk-21&amp;creative=22146&amp;creativeASIN=B01H2D2RI0&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=309841464204&amp;hvpos=1o1&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=9697890627013029506&amp;hvpone=&a...

I'd like to chime in with a few things (mistakes!) I have made over the years (Some personal :( and some others have made)

Raid controllers. If there is no reason to use hardware raid, don't use it. It will save you headaches if you lose a mobo/raid controller. Also, most controllers on consumer gear aren't even proper raid. (http://serverfault.com/questions/9244/how-do-i-differentiate-fake-raid-from-real-raid)

Disks bought at the same time are more likely to fail around the same time as one another. I'm not kidding! On 2 occasions I've had identical drives fail < 2 days of one another! It sucks even more when it fails at the same time as syncing to the new disk!

Most OS's can monitor the S.M.A.R.T. status of the disk. In Linux, you can use smartmontools to keep tabs on your disk and shoot you an email when something goes astray. For example, if the temp of my disk goes above a certain threshold, I'll get an email.

Check your backups! Make sure they're actually working. Just because one day it is working, doesn't mean it will be a week later.

Last, but not least, on the topic of backups, keep them somewhere separate. You have a fire in the room where all of your gear is, at least it will (hopefully!) be safe.

Workstation:

• Powered by a Windows laptop (top left screen), Macbook Pro (top right screen), desktop (under the desk), and lab equipment (in garage).
• The laptops in the back are mounted on a dual monitor stand. Instead of monitors, they are laptops. I put them up to give me more desk space and still be able to use them and see their screen. Then I made a L shaped pipe to fit right into the top of the monitor stand which acts as the mic boom.
• Single keyboard/mouse controls all 3 systems and lab equipment using Symless Synergy software.
• Two Dell IPS 27" monitors at 2560x1440.
• Keyboard is Corsair Vengeance K60 (Cherry keys). I love that it has audio controls on it.
• Mouse is Logitech M705. I love that it has 8 buttons and infinite scroll. Best mouse in the world.
• Blue Snowball mic, on a boom arm which can swing in or out of operation.
• On the wall is a Cisco 2940 switch, which is delivering that sweet ethernet to everything.
• Desk is made by Steelcase. I love that desk!
• On the window sill are 6 potted plants. Important feature!

Lab (from top to bottom):

• KVM switch
• Cisco ASA 5506
• Cisco 1811
• Juniper SRX 210
• The red thing to the right of the SRX is a Raspberry Pi acting as a honey pot
• Synology NAS
• Modem
• Pull out monitor/keyboard
• Dell R710 - Running about 15 VMs. Kali, Web Development, Security Onion, ELK stack, that kind of stuff.
• Not pictured in there is a power injector switch giving POE to some cameras and a Cisco 1140 AP.
• No UPS, that's next on my list.

For someone not in law enforcement or government agency, IP is kinda useless. All they know is you're in a certain city and subscribe to an ISP like other ten thousand customers, they can't just go hackerman and retrieve the ISP log to get your identity. Sure, if you're living in a repressive country butthurt citizens might report you to the police, but your Reddit history doesn't indicate such a thing.

NordVPN, aside from hiding your real IP which isn't that big deal, also blocks some malicious and ads domains. This is nice, but you can get the same feature by using malware blocking DNS or just uBlock Origin. That feature also reduces the reliability of cookies-based trackers, where websites serve you shared cookies readable by other sites to track you as you went across sites, regardless of your IP.

Even if you block various trackers and stuff, if you allow a site to get your actual location, VPN won't help at all, it would ignore the IP and just get the answer directly from the browser, which in turn get it from the OS GPS/wifi/cell tower triangulation. Obviously, you don't do this on any random website, on the browser setting you can see what sites are allowed to request for your location.

So, no, a VPN isn't enough to fully hide your location because there are various methods it can't fully cover, but that's rarely that big deal unless you're pissing off copyright owner (most VPNs are enough) or your local law enforcement for crimes they won't ignore.

Keep your subscription if you find a feature you like (usually, it can get around local network/ISP blocking, maybe access geo-blocked content depending on the sites) but don't assume it's a privacy panacea

How's this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087F4QCTR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_3JPFK7Z8M1R8NYM4HQ2Q

I don't think just USB C out exists, but the micro USB ones I have don't actually require the network one plugged in, so perhaps you could just chop it off if you really don't want it there. Not sure about any ones with more than 5v though.

StarTech.com 12U Open Frame Server Rack - 4 Post Adjustable Depth (22" to 40") Network Equipment Rack w/ Casters/ Levelers/ Cable Management (4POSTRACK12U) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1RJ9LS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DspaEb3EXDRHR

>DSLRKIT Gigabit Ethernet Active PoE Splitter 5V Micro USB

https://www.amazon.com/DSLRKIT-Ethernet-Splitter-Development-Raspberry/dp/B074Y6M67F

Looks like a great deal. Sweet find!

You guys... You can do this all on one drive, and it's as easy as getting a 2.5"drive and copying some ISO's onto it.

Iodd Iodd2531 Black - Usb3.0 - HDD -Ssd - Virtual Cd-ROM - Enclosures - Made in Korea https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TDJ4BJU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2fGnCbT77EKJ8

There are purpose built brackets for exactly this purpose.

I have a client that has little floor space available, but plenty of wall space, so I'm picking these up to hang his servers. Just gotta make sure to hit a stud and use a good sized bolt.

It's a rosewill. Same case I have. It is great. Rosewill 4U Server Chassis / Server Case / Rackmount Case, Metal Rack Mount Computer Case with 8 Bays & 4 Fans Pre-Installed (RSV-R4000) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055EV30W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_dt2MAb4MA2JP1

Well the PFsense sizing guide on their website recommends multiple cores at more than 2GHz each when working with over 500Mb/s speeds.

I think you've done well to get the performance that you have out of that poor little atom ;-)

I personally think you will be fine with a quad core xeon at 1.6GHz or so (or two dual cores) as for 100-500Mb/s they recommend one core at 2GHz.

Just make sure you get good Intel network adapters - I've had decent experiences with getting Realtek ones up to 1Gb/s but it seems I'm in a minority.

It's a really cool device, but I'm not sure it's worth it given how much they're possibly sending back.

I think after I move out of this apartment I'll replace my Echo with Mycroft + Home Assistant.

I currently have 3 Amcrest 4k POE turret camera similar to this one outside.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RHQGS8V/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_43ZG99N0JB0Z8HWY5RJS.

I'm running BlueIris in a VM.

So, in theory, could you pick up one of those Asus mining boards that had the 3 x 24pin psu connectors with 18 x pcie 1x slots and run 18 &quot;raid&quot; 4xSAS cards and have a super stupid unraid setup?

Cause I would love to do something that stupid for funsies

They are Noctua 5v fans. They come with the USB plug and extensions. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DXP4251/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1

The cable modem is a 140mm and router is a 92mm (look close it's hiding underneath the router.)

As someone who works for a major cable ISP, thats the same thing I thought of when I saw that splitter. I like to use those made by PCT or Antronix. I recently got one of these from Amazon and its been great.

Not gonna poop on your parade since this sounds like a learning opportunity.

But.

You could've gone with something like this https://www.amazon.com/Firewall-Micro-Appliance-Gigabit-AES-NI/dp/B0742P83HY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=pfsense&amp;qid=1565650952&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-3 and it's cheaper, fanless, draws less power and has aes-ni support.

• Buy UPS
• Plug things into UPS
• If it starts beeping loudly after a few years while being plugged in, it's probably time to change the batteries

I got an earlier model of this for two computers, one of which is a NAS, and it's never gone above 20% load; note, however, that these devices generally give only 3-5 minutes to shut things down at 100% load, so you usually want to be overprovisioned anyway.

You can definitely find something cheaper used, but be aware that the batteries are a significant part of the cost, and you have no idea how much life is left in used batteries.

They're SFP+. If you're doing 10gbase-t (which it sounds like you are), you'll need transceivers. The 10Gtek stuff is nice (and cheap).

If whatever this PSU fits into is going to be drawing a lot of current and you've got matching wall outlets, you can get this 5-20P cable instead which has thicker wire (12 vs 14ga). Adds a bit of safety/paranoia margin.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012ELTK8/

OpenVPN Access Server might be up your alley. DigitalOcean and Linode both have easy to read articles on how to set it up. It takes all of a couple minutes to set up.

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-openvpn-access-server-on-ubuntu-12-04

(The steps haven't changed too much since that article was written. I can't get to the Linode one right now, but their article was the one I followed.)

OpenWrt can be loaded on many off the shelf routers (i wouldn't touch DD-WRT with a shitty stick).

I favour TP-Link devices as they're reasonably priced and decent quality. I currently run OpenWrt on a WDR4900 (main router) and WDR3600 (for increased wifi range).

I've got no real complaints with OpenWrt, it can do pretty much all the same things as pfSense (although not always through a GUI).

You could Rosetta them using BOINC. software. Protein folding is good science.
If you don't like that, you can search for primes, pulsars or asteroid light-curves.

If none of the BOINC projects look good to you, you could GIMPS them. This one gives out monetary prizes.
If your boxes don't run Windows, Prime95 can be run under WINE or a VM or something. BOINC can also run under Mac OSX natively and Androids using NativeBoinc software.

Anybody looking at this as a chance to evaluate other options for routing/firewalling should consider vyos. It's linux based and CLI-only, but very straightforward, extremely fast, highly configurable, and lightweight. https://vyos.io/

Another option to consider if you want a GUI and less of the "industrialness" of vyos is openwrt. It's geared more towards firmware replacement of home routers, but there's an X86 build available and it works just fine. Also linux based. https://openwrt.org/

OPNsense I have no idea about. The GUI looks decent but I've heard people have a beef with them for allegedly "stealing" code from PfSense. (no idea if it's true and they're in violation of some code license or if it's the usual opensource "distro fanboyism", and frankly, I'd rather not get into that discussion).

Personally, I use openwrt on my "consumer" routers (and APs), and have recently switched my main router to a vyos VM (because my Internet connection got upgraded to beyond what my reflashed consumer routers could handle.)

Good suggestion. The fans are actually configured as exhausts, not intakes. What I have been planning on doing is installing these in the front of the cabinets. I just didn't get around to doing it. You are absolutely right about the presence of dust being an annoyance to manage.

Yep! Most NUCs unoffically support 2x32 SODIMMS. They are cheap too! I think it's because not many know the NUC supports them! https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2666MHz-Memory-Computers-M471A4G43MB1/dp/B07N124XDS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2ZXUGUZDPK8D1&amp;keywords=sodimm+32gb&amp;qid=1565024369&amp;s=electronics&amp;sprefix=so+dimm+32%2Celectronics%2C171&amp;sr=1-3

sure https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01H37XQP8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1

The free AWS instance is useful for smaller stuff. I think Google compute engine has like one free month.

If it is something that will be on 24/7 though, I would rather pay the $5 a month to digital ocean.

Use ninite. It's made exactly for this. You check what you want, download the custom installer, run it and it'll do everything properly.

If you always use the same installer (i.e. the same set of program), keep it on a USB key and re run it to reinstall or upgrade all the software.

It's like magic.

I've always used hyper-v because I didn't want to shell out the money for Workstation Pro. Now I have money, and I'm looking for a reason to make the switch, but I'm not finding significant advantages of going with VMware.

Could you provide me with some insight as to how Workstation Pro > Hyper-V?

EDIT: After further researching, it looks like Hyper-V is a Type 1 hypervisor no matter what.

Another link that discusses it, "When you install Hyper-V you think it's being installed on top of a host OS but it is not. The setup converts the original OS in something like a VM and puts the hypervisor below. This is what is called the root or parent partition of Hyper-V. That's why you experience the same speed in what you see as the "real machine" and the virtual machines."