Top 5 Mistakes HomeLabs Make (watch before you start)

This video goes over the top 5 mistakes that new HomeLab users make when they startup their homelabs!

#HomeLab #Networking #virtualization

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[jonathantan]

0:22 Scrutinize hardware’s power draw and noise levels prior to purchasing
2:28 Avoid using a common subnet to prevent confusing your vpn
4:10 Don’t virtualize your firewall
6:33 Setup your own DNS server with redundancy
7:59 Setup backups and monitoring for the important stuff

[PeterHonig.]

May I suggest that in addition to recording the IP address of devices in your spreadsheet, that you also record the MAC addresses. Though not so important for devices that have static IP addresses (i.e., switches, APs, servers, etc.), I find this to be very useful for hosts that use DHCP. At any one time I have anywhere from 10 to 15 hosts on my network that Cisco's FindIT network management system displays merely as an IP address. Upon clicking the host icon, I can see the MAC address and look up who that host belongs to. Also, I make use of VLANs to segregate our business traffic, from friends visiting us (they join our network via a guest portal).

[mrGamespump]

Absolutely spot on with all points. Painfully suffered through all these as a hobbyist and experiment afficionado married to a networking aversed spouse and mom!

Great tips.

[FaceMeNw]

When you make "top 5 mistakes" etc videos. It is always good to have them timestamped with the inbuild YouTube feature. So viewers can hover over the 5 different segments.

This video was too chaotic for me. Even though I usually like your videos. Just my 5 cents. Have a great day.

[thecrimsonraven]

Another tip is before purchasing new equipment, measure and verify that it will fit in the rack.

I spent quite some time researching my first server to purchase. I looked at every spec and finally took the plunge. When it arrived, my wife said "That's a huge. Are you sure it will fit?" I replied "That's what she said. And, of course it will". I measured the server and then measured the rack. Well, crap.

The server extended past the enclosed rack by at least 8 inches. I had to order another rack and now have a spare rack.

[whiskerjones]

Great baseline things to consider! It's crucial not to blur the lines between your lab and home networks. It is very important to properly segregate your home and lab networks both logically and physically. The end result will lead to a more realistic enterprise design and limit your blast radius WHEN you screw something up in your lab 😀

[ShaferHart]

If you want to run a home server simply because you outgrew your NAS but don't want to go overboard with all of the hassle consider this instead of going overboard with a server: have a box dedicated exclusively for storage and another one for applications. You don't need anything too powerful to run a storage server (will help with cost, noise, power draw), any old ARM base NAS would do. Then consider a low power mini PC or similar as your application server (will also help with cost, noise and electricity). Like he said in the video you really don't need that much power, if you need the ocasional Plex stream make sure the CPU supports Intel quick sync and you're done.

[bitterrotten]

Your first tip is crucial but also hinges on if you have a basement. Having moved from a region of the US with winter to a region of the US with exclusive slab-on-grade construction, all of my homelab equipment attitudes and philosophies were completely turned upside down. I miss having a basement dearly. They are heat and noise sponges.

[stevmoon]

I had to virtuallize my firewall (OPNsense) because The BSD kerrnel didn't support my 10G nic. It's still its own box, but its running on a Proxmox VM

[alphabanks]

Great video I'm all about nested virtualization zero need to have a server rack at home anymore.

[namesname]

i will counter argument about "not virtualizing router". i have router VM for two very specific reasons: 1. uniformity and backup. in case of hw failure can install hypervisor on any hardware, put in my backup of router OS and be running in 15 minutes with all settings and services "as it was" without any compatibility/configuration issues and hiccups. this is why backups exists for. 2. i can interlink different OSs inside one physical host and make universal setup for advanced border security with "blackbox-type" connection to network. i have 2 nics (will be 3, for wan, for trunk lan and will be for dmz physical separation when needed, which only vlan now) and wifi card inside of host. router OS is opnsense, but its notoriously bad for wifi, so, for it i have openwrt_x86 interlinked internally with virtual 10gbe and no hw latency involved.

[reactionpoolxrx]

Took a shot at NetworkChuck around the 3 min mark...

[MikeG]

I really like most of these rules. Not sure about the no virtual router rule, though. ​I have been running pfsense as a proxmox VM on a NUC for a few years now with no issues to speak of. As long as you set the router VM to boot first, everything should work just fine. TBH, if configured correctly and you have multiple VM hosts, it can be MORE reliable than a standalone router, because you can just boot the router on a different host in the event of a hardware failure.

[fishtailfred]

@9:50 Cause a problem with your home internet just once and your family will automatically blame you for every internet issue (real or percieved) untill the end of time.

[jasonistheking]

Is it bad that for everything so nice and neat, my eyes keep drawing to the cable from your tv? I just want to run that behind the wall lol.

[bobbyLovesTech]

So So Much value here with so much sense. Thank you!

[ambassadorsoftheflameofmer]

I have a company with a local network that has multiple routers. The NAS is behind one router, but a department that would like access is behind another. Have you made a video that discusses how to access the NAS across this configuration?

[ICgasm]

#1 Mistake in making a video. Not timestamping your video for viewers to skip to.

[DavidM]

Two questions Will : A) How would you define a "home lab" ? B) Do you recommend setting up a firewall for most home users and, if so, where would you set it up - stand alone, router, NAS, or ?

[evileyevirtue]

Senior network administrator here. That bit about not virtualizing a firewall is hot garbage. It can be done safely, effectively, and efficiently.

Would I suggest someone with little to no networkin expirience virtualizing a firewall as their primary firewall for their house? No.

But along the road or to have a tinker toy, absolutely. The point about "what if your host fails" is asinine. What happens if your standalone router fails?

You usually get a router from your isp. Configure that and then unplug it. Your host goes down, you plug that sucker in and you're fixed in a matter minutes.

If you really want to get into the weeds, a HA cluster with your firewall of choice is going to be vastly superior in every way to a standalone router and is a staple in growing IT infrastructure. And isnt that what a homelab is for?

I dunno what kind of clients services you provide, but if want to do anything more than mom and pop shops and helping grandma get internet, you better learn to virtualize a firewall at some point.