A home lab is a personal setup where I experiment with and learn about different IT systems and technologies. It acts as a sandbox environment where I can test configurations, deploy applications, and troubleshoot issues without the risks associated with a live production environment.
Building my home lab has been crucial to my growth as a sys admin. Additionally, I use it as a personal server, which allows me to manage and host various services and applications. This hands-on experience enhances my skills and keeps me updated with the latest trends and technologies in the field.
I like putting lights and toys in my PCs.
Welcome to Sik-Lab! In this video, I’m taking you on a full tour of my Home Lab IT sandbox. I’ll be walking you through my entire home lab setup, covering both the hardware infrastructure and the software stack that powers it all. From virtualization with Proxmox to storage with TrueNAS and networking with Netgate-PFsense+, this is where I experiment, learn, and host my services. Whether you're here for the hardware specs or the software configuration, thanks for joining me in the lab!
This is my main PC, which I built with new components in 2020. It functions as my primary workstation for both professional tasks and gaming.
Windows
Ryzen 7 5700x 8-core, 16-thread
RTX5070
32gb ram 3200mhz
Parts
This is SIKserver, which I built using used parts in 2024. It's where I host all my services, store my data, and use as a test environment to learn and grow my sys admin skills.
This setup provides a practical and cost-effective way to expand my expertise in server management and various IT&AI tools.
Proxmox
i7-11700KF 8-core, 16-thread
RTX3060 12gb + RTX3060 12gb
64gb ram 3200mhz
Parts
This is SIKserver2, which I built using used parts in 2025. It's where I host backup services services, store my backup data, and use as a test environment to learn and grow my sys admin skills.
This setup provides a practical and cost-effective way to expand my expertise in server management and various IT&AI tools.
I added 3 8TB drives and will run them in RaidZ1
Proxmox
i7-10700K 8-core, 16-thread
GeForce GTX 1080TI
64gb ram 3200mhz
Parts
This Raspberry Pi 4 with 8 GB of RAM serves my websites, including this one, and functions as a remote backup. Additionally, it acts as a VPN server, ensuring secure and reliable access to my remote network.
Its compact and efficient design makes it perfect for hosting and maintaining web services while providing robust data storage and VPN solutions.
Raspberry Pi OS
Raspberry Pi 4 8 GB
Setup in 2023*
This is the foundation of my lab, managing all network routing and power redundancy. It ensures high-speed connectivity for my servers and maintains uptime for my critical services.
Gateway: Netgate 2100 running pfSense.
WAN Source: AT&T Fiber/Broadband.
A dedicated 2.5G Switch serves as the primary uplink for the Proxmox cluster.
A dedicated PoE (Power over Ethernet) Switch manages the network edge, providing power and data to the wireless Access Points and the security camera ecosystem.
A Reolink Hub manages the security camera array
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS): to provide battery backup and surge protection, ensuring the Proxmox nodes and core networking remain stable during power fluctuations or outages.
My Proxmox server hosts a TrueNAS VM configured with a pool running in RAID-Z1, using three 2TB HDDs. This setup provides 3.51 TiB of usable storage, with one HDD designated as a hot spare for automatic replacement in case of drive failure.Additionally, I synchronize a section of this pool with my 100GB Google Drive for cloud backup. Moreover, the entire pool is synced to my Raspberry Pi using Syncthing, ensuring redundancy and accessibility across multiple devices.
Three copies of data: I maintain multiple copies of my data. The original resides on the TrueNAS pool, while a synchronized copy exists on TrueNAS server2. Another synchronized copy is stored on my Raspberry Pi and selected backups to google drive.
Two different types of media: Data is stored on HDDs within the TrueNAS pool (one type of media) and also on cloud storage (Google Drive), which serves as a different type of media.
Two off-site copy: Google Drive and the PI Server the acts as the off-site location for my data, protecting against local disasters or hardware failures at my home location.
To Create This Website, I Employed The LEMP Software Stack, Which Stands For Linux Operating System, Nginx Web Server, MySQL Database For Backend Data Storage, And PHP For Dynamic Processing. This Combination Ensures A Robust And Efficient Setup For Hosting And Managing The Website.
I host Plex Media Server on my home lab, allowing me to manage and stream my media collection seamlessly to various devices. The server handles all my movies, TV shows, music, and photos, providing easy access and smooth playback anywhere, anytime. This setup ensures that my media is always available and organized, enhancing my entertainment experience.
I host Nextcloud on my home lab to manage and sync files, calendars, contacts, and more across all my devices. This private cloud solution provides secure, reliable access to my data from anywhere, ensuring that I have complete control over my information while benefiting from seamless collaboration and synchronization.
I host Passbolt on my home lab to securely manage and share passwords and other sensitive information. This self-hosted password manager offers robust encryption and easy team collaboration, ensuring that my credentials are safe and accessible only to authorized users.
I host Ollama and Invoke in my home lab, providing local large‑language‑model inference and Stable Diffusion image generation on two RTX 3060 12 GB GPUs. This lets me experiment with AI‑driven creative workflows without cloud dependency.
Home Assistant automates smart lights, switches, and sensors, turning my house into a fully‑connected smart home.
Running on the backup server (1080 TI GPU),Frigate is a local NVR that uses AI object detection to identify people, cars, and animals for 24/7 recording and event capture. It integrates tightly with Home Assistant via MQTT for real‑time alerts and automated media handling.
I built an 80TB (52.73TB usable) server for GemsOnVHS, a YouTube channel with over 200,000 subscribers. They needed a backup server, so I utilized four 20TB Seagate IronWolf Pro drives and consumer-grade computer parts.
This server runs Proxmox as the base host. It supports multiple services, including TrueNAS for storage, Ubuntu for services like Plex and Nextcloud, and Windows for a familiar OS interface. Additionally, I use Tailscale to connect this server to the user's main Synology server in the office from their home.
-2024