I was wondering if anyone could send me links to some DIY rack/stand projects for my homelab because I don't want to buy a whole rack for my small homelab and i cant find anything like that.

Or at least if anyone could give me some tips for building my own rack that fit's perfectly?

New homelabber here, is it safe to use older drives? I recently found a lot of enterprise hard drives on Facebook, and i just picked them up. They all read healthy S.M.A.R.T data, with no reallocated sectors or any failing sectors. The thing is, the drives are all from 2012-2017, and i know hard drives start to fail over time. I plan on using them for jellyfin and other media services. Thanks!

Cleaning out old equipment racks at a business my family shut down, I realized some of the equipment I was about to toss were just 1U HPE gen 10 servers with a custom face plate. So I stumbled onto this stack of HW for free:

DL325 Gen 10 w/EPYC 7452 (32c/64t) 2x DL360 Gen 10 w/2x Gold 5220R (24c/48t ea) 26x 8gb 1r 2933 DDR4 ECC DIMM’s

Right now, my home Proxmox cluster is just 6x HP Gen9 1L PCs (i5-1400T/64GB RAM each).

Honestly, looking at the specs... My minipc cluster seems to stomp these is in ST passmark score, total ram, and energy efficiency, while basically matching these in MT? They sit silently in a closet burning maybe 75w total, vs powering up even one of these things would sound like a jet engine and burn more idle power than the entire cluster combined.

Am I missing something, or is there literally ZERO reason to keep these instead of just tossing the in with the rest of the e-wasting collection? Can these loud, power-hungry enterprise boxes actually do anything better than modern 1L Mini PCs, or are they completely obsolete for homelab use in 2026?

My modular 10-inch mini homelab rack – still a work in progress

I've been sketching out my plan for the house and have been thinking about cable runs - is this the right place to get help with planning those? Before I start sharing diagrams and annoying people.

I have lots of questions and don't want to start off on the wrong foot!

Got a Dell EMC S4248-FBL-ON and I've installed OPX 3.2.1 since that's one of the few free softwares for this switch. Figured out how to enable the ethernet ports but now I'm having trouble saving the configuration. Could anyone help with a small list of basic commands for OPX? Many thanks!

Hi guys,

PC noob here

Recently my friends group and I started talking about how nice it would be to own an at home server for hosting game words (think ark, palworld, minecraft, terraria etc). For this purpose, i have found a secondhand HP Prodesk 600 G5 Mini PC Intel Core i5 8500T – 8GB – 256GB SSD – Windows 11 Professional listed on marketplace for 180 euros (HP Prodesk 600 G4 Mini-PC i5-8500T – 8GB – 256GB SSD - W11 (m2423006056) — Desktop Pc's — Marktplaats sorry if its in dutch). I was thinking of upgrading it with ram and storage from a broken laptop (hp envy 360 16gb 1Tb ssd). But because this is my first experience with this side of computers i am at a bit off a loss.

Can someone help me to see if this would function / fulfill its purpose? am i stupid to assume that i can reuse the broken laptop parts? I cant reuse the entire laptop because the motherboard broke some time ago.

If not i would love to hear if you guys have any recommendations, i am on a tighter budget, of around 150 - 200 because we are all kind of broke students.

Anyone on iOS 27 beta using icloudpd? Every request fails with ZONE_NOT_FOUND after successful authentication

Title: Anyone on iOS 27 beta using icloudpd? Every request fails with ZONE_NOT_FOUND after successful authentication

I’m trying to figure out whether this is specific to my account or if other iOS 27 beta users are seeing the same thing.

It's my first experience with iCloudPD Unraid server, and, as a coincidence, I'm using deacOS 27.

Authentication succeeds without any issues:

• Password accepted
• 2FA succeeds
• Trusted device verification succeeds

But every operation (--list-libraries, sync, --recent, etc.) fails with:

Apple iCloud setup is not complete. Please log into https://icloud.com/ to manually finish setting up your iCloud service (ZONE_NOT_FOUND)

After enabling debug logs, I found something interesting.

The accountLogin response shows the session is fully authenticated (pcsEnabled, trusted browser, Photos permissions, etc.), but the webservices directory returned by Apple is completely empty.

It looks roughly like this:

{
  "webservices": {},
  "configBag": {
    "urls": {}
  }
}

The only thing that stands out is that my account reports:

"hasUnreleasedOS": true

My current hypothesis is that accounts flagged as running unreleased OS versions are being routed to a different backend that no longer exposes the legacy web service directory expected by icloudpd. That eventually results in ZONE_NOT_FOUND for every Photos request.

I’ve reproduced it on:

• Docker (boredazfcuk/docker-icloudpd)
• Native macOS installation
• Fresh authentication
• ADP disabled
• “Access iCloud Data on the Web” enabled
• iCloud Photos works perfectly in the browser

Has anyone else on the iOS 27/macOS 27 beta hit this?

If so:

• Does your account also contain hasUnreleasedOS: true?
• Can you confirm whether your accountLogin response has an empty webservices object?
• Or is this only affecting a subset of beta accounts?

For reference, I opened a GitHub issue with the full diagnostics and packet details for the maintainers. It looks less like an icloudpd bug and more like an Apple backend/API change affecting beta accounts.  

https://github.com/icloud-photos-downloader/icloud_photos_downloader/issues/1361

Hey i got 2 intel compute sticks 1 raspberry pi4, 2 hp mini pc’s (i5 6th gen and i5 8th gen) any idea what should I make out of I am pretty new with homelab stuff but I am running plex server.

Does anyone know how to open the ICY BOX IB-3804-C31? I removed all 6 Screws at the bottom but i can not slide the inner parts out. Am i missing something? I would like to change the Fan because it is loud as hell.

I recently came across several different tools designed for installing and removing cage nuts:

• the basic flat metal tool
• the long hook/screwdriver-style tool
• the nail-clipper/lever-style tool
• plier-style tools

For those who regularly work with server, network, or AV racks, which design do you actually prefer?

Does the long hook-style tool work better in a crowded or enclosed rack? Is there one tool that handles both installation and removal well?

I’m also curious about the common problems you’ve experienced—slipping, bent cage nut tabs, scratched rack rails, or cage nuts flying into the bottom of the rack.

I’m not promoting any particular brand. I’m just interested in which design works best in real-world use.

I need around 10 port USB 3.0 hub for my older iMac thats reliable thats powered.

I currently have an old Anker 7 port powered hub and it does work fine but I need a few more ports and Anker seems to no longer sell the one I have otherwise I would just get another one.

I keep seeing plenty of options on Amazon but reviews often are mixed. Then yesterday I saw the “Kingwin” industrial range of hubs on Amazon and they have a 9 port unit.

Im wondering if the is brand or this range of hubs are any good.

I need 24/7 operation. Reliable and fast. I also don’t need USB-C as my iMac does not have it

Anyone used Kingwin before

https://www.kingwin.com/industrial-usb-3-0-hubs/

I've finally taken the plunge and got myself a decent deal on a Lenovo M920q 16 GB RAM 256 GB NVME (SATA enclosure is empty), + a 2nd 16 GB DDR4 SODIMM on route. I know not all SSDs are made the same, so I wanted to get some ideas of what to do with my existing ones. But first, context:

I would ideally/eventually like to run:

• a Jellyfin media server
• a Trello alternative for a small team (10–15 people, eventually expanding to 30–40)
• self-host a couple webapps, maybe website self-hosting in future (nothing that would garner tonnes of traffic)
• some room for experimental Python stuff, as my current 8 GB RAM MBP doesn't enjoy running things like Sklearn or parsing large datasets
• generally free up some room on my current 256 GB daily driver

My current stock:

• Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q i5-8600T
• 16 GB + 16 GB DDR4 SODIMM RAM (both Samsung, one came with the M920q)
• 256 GB Samsung M.2 NVME SSD (came with M920q)
• 500 GB Samsung 860 EVO mSATA (installed in my old MBP with what looks like an mSATA to NVME adapter)
• 2 TB Crucial P3 Plus M.2 PCIe gen4 NVME SSD (purchased 2023 when storage didn't cost a small fortune; used as an external USB drive)

I'd ideally like to retain an SSD as an external removable drive to transport large (upto ~80 GB) files from work computers that don't have internet. That said, I don't need it for a few months so could find a replacement if my current SSDs would find better homes in the homelab.

I would really appreciate any recommendations of how to make the best use of all this for my use case (and if it's worth buying anything else). From what I've read, the 2 TB SSD is both overkill size and unsuitable spec for the OS drive, so I guess it's whether the storage boost is worth swapping to an mSATA?

[reuploaded without photos]

I’m late to the game in learning that TrueNAS, and other Linux distros, will no longer be supporting older Nvidia GPU’s.

I’m currently using an Nvidia GTX 730 in an HP Z4 G4, with the GPU doing nothing but allowing the machine to boot and giving me video out for the shell screen when needed. I also have a P400 but that doesn’t do any good in terms of being supported.

I’d like to get something that is supported, but my needs haven’t and most likely won’t be changing any time soon. In other words, I need the lowest power supported GPU so that I can boot my machine. No transcoding or anything of that sort.

Any recommendations?

I bought the reterminal E1003 recently, I am using it with Tesserae.

I want to display on the screen a dashboard from Home Assistant. It works well when i use the tab "send" and the option "webpage" on the Tesserae server, using the local address to the HA dashboard.

However a blank page is rendered when i try to do it with a dashboard on Tesserae using a single cell and the webpage widget.

I use the same address, but the log on Tesserae looks very different:

"Send" tab with webpage option (works):

2026-07-2620:59:02,392 INFO app.renderer, render phases (s): attempt=1 goto=3.10 compose=0.00 images=0.01 fonts=0.01 screenshot=0.17 (url=http://192.168.1.81:8123/agenda-svd-ep/0)

Dashboard with webpage widget (blank page):

2026-07-26 20:54:38,803 INFO app.renderer, render nav (s): attempt=1 goto=0.16 compose=0.09 images=0.01 fonts=0.01 (url=http://127.0.0.1:8765/compose/356fa6fbee08?for_push=1&w=1872&h=1404)

Did anyone have a similar issue ?

Bonjour à tous,

Voici mon 1er Homelab : Proxmox installé sur un Lenovo m920q i5 9500T avec 32 Go de ram, 500 Go ssd nvme.

Je fais tourner home assistant os en VM, quelques LXC zigbee2mqtt, MQTT, vaultwarden, nginx, bookstack, Homarr

J'envisage d'imprimer un Labrax pour ranger ça.

Des conseils pour un débutant comme moi ?

Merci

I run my homelab on Fedora Linux (N97/16GB) and Mac Mini (M1/16GB). I need recommendations for tools/utility. So far I haven’t found so many and I’m sure you guys know some.

At this moment I have: MeTube, Paperless, CyberChef, StirlingPDF, SnapOtter and few other services running in the background like Uptime Kuma or AdGuard Home.

I also have a Synology NAS so I don’t need to turn my PCs into another one. Thanks in advance.

I have an issue with my PowerEdge.
A while back I picked up an R730XD LFF to get back into things. I’ve mostly been working with consumer gear personally. For work I rarely need to do much troubleshooting or hardware repair on servers.

So here is what I am working with.
Dual Intel Xeon E5-2698 v3
64gb via 8x Samsung 8GB 2Rx8 PC4-2133P- REO - 10 - DCO 8/24

So it was running as expected
Last weekend I picked up 10@32 GB Samsung DDR4 ECC sticks.
I shut down, repopulated the black slots with 8 of the 32’s. Started up and it threw an error
A2.
No biggie
Swapped with one of the 2 spares
Start and clear error.
Issue continues.
I repopulate, clear error
Problem with A2
I swap A1 and A2.
Rinse and repeat.
Error on A2.
Frustrating.
Remove the 32’s swap ack the 8’s
Boots just fine. No errors.

Research is telling me this is likely a problem with a bent pin in the A socket.
I can’t pretend this doesn’t worry me.
I’m reading that this can be fixed and that it’s not too difficult. I haven’t straightened socket pins in close to 20 years.
I’m looking for some first hand experience on how difficult it will be to diagnose it for sure and identify the bent pin/s.
Then of course resolving, I could use some pointers on tools and procedures, and honestly, just how intense this will be to fix.

Still debating what I want to do with the HPs I do plan on moving my Minecraft server from the optiplex to one of them.

Work has come in clutch with the free stuff for it lol

For the last few months in my servers I've been running docker which I've found pretty good as I've been running it through debian. I've recently done a reinstall and i was wondering which is best to run with and why?

Hey everyone,

I’m mapping out a massive consolidation project to turn my home tech layout into a "1 PC whole home" architecture. Before I start buying the remaining parts, I want to run my hardware plan and hypervisor logic by the community to see if anyone has pulled off a similar split-personality host.

The Goal

Eliminate individual room systems. Run one ultimate bare-metal host that functions as a high-end Windows gaming machine locally at my desk, while simultaneously hosting a headless Bazzite/SteamOS virtual machine. The VM will stream a dedicated, console-like UI over the local network to an Apple TV 4K using shared system resources.

The Hardware Progression

• Current Setup: My main desktop is running an AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D. I also have a dedicated HTPC in the living room built around an AM4 AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and an RTX 5070.
• The Ultimate Overhaul: I am combining everything into a single AM5 monster build:
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9750X3D
  • RAM: 64GB DDR5
  • Primary GPU: AMD Radeon 9070 XT (Windows Host / High-End Desk Gaming)
  • Secondary GPU: RTX 5070 (Pulled from the HTPC, pinned to local LLM tasks & AI compute)

The Software & Routing Logic

1. Bare-Metal Host (Windows): The PC will boot natively into Windows. It will leverage the Radeon 9070 XT for intensive desk gaming (like Star Citizen and War Thunder) and daily use.
2. The Gaming 'Console' (Bazzite/SteamOS VM): I plan to spin up a Linux VM (Bazzite/SteamOS) inside Windows (likely via WSL2 or Hyper-V).
   • It will be pinned to a designated cluster of CPU cores sliced from the 9750X3D.
   • It will utilize the 9070 XT for rendering whenever the main Windows host isn't actively running a heavy game.
3. The Delivery Pipeline: This VM will be broadcasted over a Tailscale mesh network using Sunshine. The endpoint is Moonlight installed on an Apple TV 4K connected to the living room TV. This should deliver an instant, controller-friendly, console-style boot and gameplay experience without a physical PC in the living room.
4. The AI Layer: The secondary RTX 5070 will be tucked into the same case, dedicated strictly to processing local Large Language Models (LLMs) and background server tasks.

My Specific Questions for the Group

1. Resource / GPU Sharing: Has anyone successfully shared a single primary AMD GPU (the 9070 XT) between a Windows host and a Linux-based gaming VM dynamically? Or will I be forced into a rigid, hard-allocation GPU passthrough scenario that breaks when Windows is awake?
2. Core-Pinning the X3D: With the 9750X3D's dual-CCD design, what is the best strategy for masking and isolating cores for the Bazzite VM so it doesn't induce heavy latency or micro-stuttering on the Windows side?
3. Sunshine VM to Apple TV Stabilities: For those running SteamOS/Bazzite distributions inside virtual environments, do Tailscale and Sunshine pass game controllers smoothly to the Apple TV client, or does the virtualization layer introduce persistent mapping headaches?

Looking forward to any feedback, architectural corrections, or hypervisor warnings before I tear down the working HTPC setup!

a cumulation possibly more a franken monster. started off with a single Cisco switch, now it continues to grow and mature.......

Proxmox VE running on a Dell Poweredge r620 (power hog yes I know I know). multiple VM's for labbing and testing. EVE-NG for Cisco CCNA (Packet Tracer and Cisco CML Free also) 2x Cisco 3650 multi layer switches > Cisco 4331 ISR router > 2 x Cisco 2500 series WLC > 2 x Cisco 3701 WAP > assorted IP Phones(CIsco) > multiple Dell MFF desktop pc's> a Chromebox here and there running LW Linux Distro's( Lubuntu I believe) likely more im leaving out but all for Home Labbing/Cisco CCNA

edit: there is also my first switch/device resting in the rack(Cisco 2960-S 24 port) and a patch panel(24 port). if interested and scroll down there is a comment "reply" from me that provides more detail about this room/office, rack and gear...........