Servers
How to Retire a Home Lab Server Without Losing Data
Move workloads, remove dependencies, sanitize every storage device, and verify the result before a home lab server leaves your control.
Latest from the lab
Servers
What Size Server Rack Does a Home Lab Need?
Calculate rack units, mounting depth, rail compatibility, load capacity, service clearance, and expansion room for a home lab.
Servers
Home Lab Server Won’t Boot After a Power Outage
Trace a home lab server boot failure from power and firmware through storage, the bootloader, Debian, Proxmox services, and safe recovery checks.
How-To
How to Update Proxmox VE Without Guessing
Use a careful Proxmox VE update checklist for package scope, backups, repositories, maintenance, reboot planning, and post-update verification.
Networking
Do You Need a Managed Switch for a Home Lab?
Choose a home-lab switch by VLAN control, port speed, PoE budget, management lifecycle, and actual network requirements.
Storage
What to Check When Proxmox Storage Is Full
Identify which Proxmox storage layer is full, check directory, LVM-thin, ZFS, and backup usage, then recover space without guessing.
How-To
How to Measure a Mini PC Home Lab’s Power Use
Measure a mini PC at the wall, separate idle from workload power, and turn accumulated kilowatt-hours into a useful monthly estimate.
Storage
NAS, USB Drive, or Proxmox Backup Server?
Compare a NAS share, external USB drive, and Proxmox Backup Server by failure separation, maintenance, scale, and recovery workflow.
How-To
How to Install Proxmox VE on a Mini PC: A Careful First-Node Setup
A cautious, documentation-led path to turn a compatible mini PC into a first Proxmox VE node without losing track of storage, networking, or recovery.
How-To
Mini PC Storage Upgrades: M.2 and NVMe Checks Before You Buy
A mini-PC storage checklist for slot count, drive length, interface, cooling, boot support, and backup planning before you buy an NVMe SSD.
How-To
How to Choose RAM for a Mini PC Home Lab
Choose mini-PC memory by workload, platform limits, slots, and upgrade path—not the largest kit in a product listing.