I have been monitoring 100GbE port switches on eBay for more than a year. Shopping on eBay is like surfing and trying to catch the big waves, looking for the right moments and being prepared. On eBay, sometimes it is possible to get a good price because data centers or companies start to replace their…
Category: Home Lab
Home Lab 100Gbe Topology – Phase 1
Before setting up anything, I planned everything out on paper. Every single port was pre-planned before purchase. Many people have asked what software I used to make this topology and requested an editable copy of the topology picture. I use PowerPoint, Excel, and Word very often for simple design and brainstorming tools. I feel MS…
100GbE Network Upgrade for My Home Lab (Home Micro Datacenter): Upgrade – Phase 1
When I built a TrueNAS storage device and started copying files over at 1GbE speed, I realized how slow it was. I started understanding what the 1GbE means and began looking for ways to increase the connection speed and consider other possible bottlenecks. To get a maximum speed, you have to consider everything: What is…
Important lessons I learned by silencing and cooling my small server
I was looking for a small, low power and silent server for my home lab. I found Supermicro A2SDV-16C-TLN5 with 16 cores, and it fit perfectly in the Supermicro chassis CSE-E300.
The chassis included one fan. I thought this was the perfect home lab server; I could have 256GB RAM as max.
I thought the server didn’t need extra cooling, but I was very wrong.
Virtualization environment is your Shaolin Temple, where you train your IT skills
Are you wondering how to become a master or expert on something in IT?
It is actually very simple. You have to practice and practice until you master it.
When we look at dancers, singers, athletes, or even chess players, they practice every day. When we look at pro gamers, they practice, record their games, and watch other players’ games to learn and develop their skills. Sadly, we don’t see the same thing in the IT field.The common path for people is going to a training workshop or school and doing it at once by following the curriculum of the the day, getting certified, and suddenly an expert has been born .
Imagine if we started providing certification for dancers, singers, athletes, or even pro gamers because they danced one dance, sang a song once, ran 100 meters, or once played a game. After that, we start calling them professionals. You see how silly it is.
For those people who are serious and want to become experts, home labbing is a must.
vSphere/Workstation Pro is like a Lego suitable for all ages
I think everyone knows what Lego is and doesn’t need an explanation. Still, I’m sure you are very confused why I’m saying vSphere/Workstation Pro is like a Lego suitable for everyone.
We have all seen or even experienced how fun and engaging it is playing with Lego bricks. It’s an exciting opportunity to tinker and be creative. Only your imagination limits what you can build and how you play. It’s so engaging that time flies, and every day, you can create something fun without worrying about doing something wrong or even breaking what you made. It’s not a big deal. At any moment, you can build something newer and even better. Each time you build and break, build and break, you get better and better. Your skills develop rapidly. Hands-on learning opens the door to becoming a successful person.
My Story: How I Became a Home Labber
When I was a university student, I had a MacBook Air with 8 GB RAM. I used it for my 1st semester, and I ran a few VMs. Still, I felt I needed something more powerful and mobile because I needed a powerful computer in my classroom to enjoy my studies.
I bought a second-hand Dell Precision M4600 with 32GB RAM to run many VMs using VMware Workstation Pro. It was excellent, and I could do all my university assignments with that laptop. I ran many VMs and did all kinds of tests. But still, something was missing, and I was looking at different ways to speed up my IT learning and get a practical experience.
My Home Lab
I don’t have many servers or a massive equipment lab. So, my goal is to build a small, fast, powerful, quiet home lab that doesn’t take much power. My dream goal is to completely power my home lab with solar and/or wind power and find practical uses for the heat produced by the servers. Later, for example, I will design my own house as a data center in which the generated heat from equipment is used for keeping the house warm.