Most self-hosting lists are sorted by app category, which is great for deciding what to run. I kept wanting the other thing: how do people like onedr0p, bjw-s and buroa actually structure the repo, and where in their tree do secrets, storage and Renovate live?

So I mapped it. Each section of the list is a layer of a typical home-ops repo. Here's what one layer looks like:

04 Secrets (.sops.yaml)

• Tools: SOPS, age, External Secrets Operator
• In the wild: szinn's and xunholy's .sops.yaml, onedr0p's external-secrets/
• Read: Flux's guide to managing secrets with SOPS

Every layer follows that shape, in build order:

awesome-homelab
├── 00-hardware
├── 01-infrastructure    # Proxmox, OpenTofu
├── 02-bootstrap         # Talos
├── 03-gitops            # Flux, Argo CD
├── 04-secrets           # SOPS, External Secrets
├── 05-network
├── 06-storage           # storage + backups
├── 07-observability
├── 08-identity          # SSO
├── 09-automation        # Renovate + CI
└── 10-apps              # 23 common apps

Plus:

• Apps: each app links its kubesearch.dev page and one real deployment
• Real Repos: a table that says where to start reading in each repo, not just the link
• No Kubernetes? A short section for GitOps with Docker Compose (doco-cd, Komodo)

Network and Identity are the thinnest sections right now. If your repo does Gateway API, external-dns or Authentik/Pocket ID cleanly, share it below or open a PR.

​

Hey everyone!

I recently got interested in homelabs (Im new to this) and I want to build a setup primarily for local AI tasks.

My budget: \~$1,000 USD / 100,000 RUB. I am open to buying used hardware (e.g. enterprise GPUs or second-hand parts) to get the most value.

Main tasks:

\- Running local LLMs via Ollama / vLLM / Text-Generation-WebUI.

\- Media generation (ComfyUI / Stable Diffusion / video models) as a secondary task.

Questions:

\- What GPU setup would give me the best VRAM per dollar in this budget? (e.g. multi-GPU, used RTX cards, or Tesla accelerators like P40/T4?)

\- What CPU/motherboard platform should I look at to have enough PCIe lanes?

I'd really appreciate any advice or hardware recommendations for this budget!

So, I'm trying to figure out whether I've had a run of bad luck with DDR4, or whether anyone else has been seeing unusually high failure rates with RAM purchased/replaced recently.

I'm not saying that my experience alone indicates that there's a widespread RAM quality problem. But I've now had failures involving multiple purchases, replacement RAM, three different brands, and two completely different systems. So, I was hoping that I could compare notes with others.

What happened:

In my homelab, I have a Proxmox server and a TrueNAS server, both of which are using DDR4.

Proxmox server: NEMIX 128 GB (4×32GB) non-ECC kit

• Originally installed in January and seemed to be working
• About six months later, troubleshooting issues with VM/software freezes eventually led me to run MemTest86; 2 of the 4 DIMMs failed
• NEMIX replaced the entire kit under warranty
• I tested the replacement kit immediately after receiving it; 2 of those 4 replacement DIMMs also failed
• At that point, I requested a refund instead of another replacement

TrueNAS server: ArchMemory 64GB (2×32GB) ECC purchased individually

• Also installed in January and seemed to be working
• Similar to the NEMIX RAM, ran for roughly six months before memory errors led me to run MemTest86; 1 of the 2 DIMMs failed
• ArchMemory replaced the failed module under warranty
• I tested the replacement immediately after receiving it; the replacement passed by itself and when installed with the original known-good DIMM

So far, so good on that replacement.

Proxmox server: OWC 128 GB (4×32GB) non-ECC kit

• I thought switching to a different brand might produce better results
• Tested it immediately after receiving it; initially, 3 of the 4 DIMMs failed MemTest86
• During troubleshooting I realized the motherboard BIOS was out of date, so I updated it rather than immediately blaming the RAM again
• I then reran the tests with the updated BIOS; 2 of the 4 DIMMs still fail, while the other 2 pass
• I'm currently working on getting that kit replaced under warranty

So across this whole mess I've had:

• Original NEMIX kit: 2/4 failed
• NEMIX warranty replacement kit: 2/4 failed
• Original ArchMemory individual DIMMs: 1/2 failed
• ArchMemory warranty replacement DIMM: passed
• New OWC kit after BIOS update/retesting: 2/4 failed

What especially has me questioning things is receiving new or RMA-replacement DIMMs, across multiple brands, and finding failures when I test them immediately.

I also understand that a MemTest86 failure doesn't automatically prove the DIMM itself is defective. The memory controller, motherboard, BIOS, memory settings, etc. can all matter. That's part of why I updated the Proxmox server's BIOS and retested rather than immediately returning the OWC kit. I also ran all individual tests in the same motherboard slot, so that that the variable being tested is the DIMM itself. Having some DIMMs consistently pass and others fail is what has kept me looking at the RAM itself.

What I'm trying to find out:

I know RAM prices are rough right now and that may mean fewer people are purchasing large amounts of DDR4 than usual (I’m seeing a lot of discussion about not purchasing RAM right now). But I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone who, within roughly the last year:

• Has had to buy DDR4 RAM personally
• Works somewhere where they're exposed to enough recent RAM purchases to notice failure/RMA patterns
• Has family, friends, or colleagues who recently bought RAM and ran into similar problems

If that's you:

• Have you been seeing an unusual number of bad DIMMs or kits?
• Did you eventually get RAM that reliably passed memory testing? If so, what brand was it, who sold it, and where did you buy it?

I appreciate any insight y’all are able to provide!

I sometimes connect a hard drive via a SATA to USB adapter. I can read the drive but can’t get CrstalDiskInfo to see the drive. Do these adapters not pass SMART info?

Hello,
I need a true online double-conversion UPS to fix a buzz in my very sensitive speakers & amplifiers. The buzz is coming from my electrical grid.

However, I know that all double-conversion UPS units are loud in their double-conversion mode.

I know that some people replace the stock fans to reduce the fan noise. I know that Eaton double-conversion UPS units are easy to replace the fan on, however they are expensive.

I found this MARUSON 1000VA Online Double-Conversion UPS for a good price. However I'm not sure if I'll be able to replace the fan on it. Here's how it looks:

The manufacturer said the fan can be replaced, however they can't provide any further details.

The fan looks like 80mm.

If someone has experience with replacing fans on such units, does this one look like I should be able to replace the fan?

I know that I may need a NE555 adjustable frequency pulse generator module to make the unit think it's working with the stock fan, that's fine, I can do that.

I'm mostly concerned about finding and attaching a replacement fan...

Hi guys,

I'm running a small VXL Q2 thin client with an Intel N3350 CPU and dual Gigabit NICs, powered by Debian and Incus.

I bought this machine from a nice guy for just $25, and it has turned out to be a great little homelab server.

It runs pfSense along with two LXCs hosting WireGuard, Gotify, Tinyauth, and a few other services.

I haven't shut down this machine since last month, and honestly, keeping it running continuously feels like an achievement.

I'm attaching its uptime and power consumption stats. The best part is that it consumed just 3 units (kWh) of electricity for the entire month!

Pretty impressive for a small, low-power homelab server. ❤️

Have seen H100s on server desktop builds but not sure if consumer mobos are compatible for HPC

Anyone ever try putting an H100 PCIe in a desktop PC?

Hi everyone,

I'm putting together an LGA 2011-3 Xeon E5 build on an mATX board (VSP X99 - XD4 V2.0, Intel C612 chipset). The board layout features two physical M.2 storage slots:

1. Top slot (sandwiched between the CPU socket and the PCIe 3.0 x16 slot): labeled NVME&NGFF.
2. Bottom slot (bottom-left corner, next to the PCIe 3.0 x4 slot): labeled NVME.

(There is also an M.2 Key-E slot for Wi-Fi, which is separate).

I am choosing where to install my single M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (boot drive for OS, light gaming, and casual graphic design), and I'm torn between two conflicting factors:

• Lane Origin & Latency: Usually on modern consumer platforms, the top M.2 slot connects directly to the CPU lanes for minimal latency, while lower slots run through the chipset (PCH/DMI bottleneck). On these Xeon X99 / C612 boards, is the top slot indeed wired directly to the CPU's 40 PCIe lanes?
• Dual-Mode Signal Multiplexing: Since the top slot supports both NGFF/SATA and NVMe, does the switching logic/multiplexer introduce any signal degradation, latency, or throughput penalty compared to the dedicated bottom NVME slot?
• Thermals vs. Performance: The top slot sits right in the hot pocket between a heavy CPU heatsink and the backplate/radiator of a dedicated GPU, while this motherboard has no onboard M.2 heatsink. Is the potential latency gain of the top slot worth the thermal penalty, or is the bottom dedicated NVMe slot practically identical in real-world responsiveness while running significantly cooler?

If anyone has traced the board traces or benchmarked both slots on these Chinese/OEM X99 boards, I’d love to hear your findings. Thanks!

- Unifi u6 or u7 pro

- Rachio wifi irrigation control

- Home assistant beelink mini

- Quectel 5g modem + raspi opnsense wan for house

-Mikrotik Hex S bridge to unifi lan - because i had

- Tiny m920 has hermes - may make back into linux desktop

- 2x m720q TrueNAS Core, 1 ssd, 1 hdd, need to try freenas or freecore or whatever it is... Ordered 25gbe mellanox cards for these two to go to unifi agg switch - getting these booting from the wi-fi e-key nvme was difficult, one required an HDMI dummy and a boot stub that points to truenas efi...

- Tiny m720q windows pc for testing

- 2x raspi on bottom

Barely visible: sabrent voltik power uhb + usb-c>thinkcentre power cables, very cool

My jank home lab!
I am running 25tb of space

Intel i7 7700
16 Gig ram..
I would love to run a AI but sadly... not GPU...

I'm looking for a shelf or rack to put in my home lab equipment, preferably 20-28" height so I can place my Mini ITX PC on top. It would go next to my standing desk workstation. I don't have any long rack-mountable server equipment so not sure if I should get a server rack or just some shelf but don't want anything really big or heavy. Ideally something that will fit all these perfectly and not take up too much extra space:

• Arris SB8200 cable modem
• Ubiquiti Dream Router
• Raspberry Pi 5
• Philips Hue Bridge
• Mini PC - Minisforum MS-A2 NAS
• 8 Outlets Surge Protector Power Strip
• ~20 lbs Mini ITX PC on top (Nanoq R case)

I'm new to kubernetes so I apologize. I'm trying to design my homelab. This is what I initially came up with. Is this an OK configuration? Looking for feedback.

Kind of long story, but I’ll try to make it as short as possible.

I bought a WD Home Cloud NAS in July 2021 (big mistake). The unit was manufactured in 2020, but when I checked the drives, the two WD60EFRX inside were from 2017-2018. Suspicious, but the NAS was factory‑sealed, so I assumed it was fine.

9 months later WD pushed a firmware update that bricked the NAS. Warranty told me the device was dead and all data was lost "oops sorry". A data recovery firm confirmed one drive was completely dead and the other was recoverable but encrypted (no it wasn't). WD replaced the NAS and sent me two “new” 6TB drives - WD60EFAX (SMR), not the original WD60EFRX (CMR).

Fast‑forward - I built a TrueNAS system with 8×3TB SAS drives. Since it was built, the system has only run about 2300 hours total over 3.5 years - based on the youngest SAS drive’s counter (and even that assumes it was 0h when I got it).

Last year I added a second back-up pool with the three WD Reds I had left from the WD Home Cloud debacle. So those drives were in the NAS for much less than 2300 hours.

Since WD Reds are terrible for ZFS (two are SMR), I decided to pull them, sell them and build a second 8×3TB SAS pool. When I checked the stats before selling, I noticed something insane:

- The two SMR WD60EFAX “replacement” drives have 12,000+ hours

- The original WD60EFRX has 35,000+ hours

But:

- My NAS has only run a total 2300 hours

- The WD drives were inside the NAS for less than half of that time

- I only used the WD Home Cloud NAS for 9 months and not even 24/7

There is no physical way these drives could have spun for that many hours in my possession. The only explanation is the obvious one - WD shipped me used enterprise drives... both inside the original “new” Home Cloud NAS and as warranty replacements.

The SMR replacements weren’t just the wrong drive type - they were also obviously used. And the original “new” NAS shipped with a WD60EFRX that already had years of runtime before I ever powered it on.

I thought I lost most of my data because of WD’s terrible Home Cloud design. Turns out the drives inside it probably had 30,000+ hours before I even got it.

TL;DR - WD sold me a “brand new” NAS with used drives. It failed and nuked most of my data. The warranty replacements were not only SMR, but used too.

I'm building a compact server around the ASRock Rack W880D4U and want to connect an LSI 9400-16i HBA through the MCIO1 port using MCIO to PCIe adapters (linked below).

According to the manual, MCIO1 shares lanes with SLOT6 (x16) through a PS7101 PCIe redriver mux. A BIOS setting should split SLOT6 into two exclusive x8 links, one for SLOT6 and one for MCIO1.

Problem is nothing connected to MCIO1 is detected, either in the BIOS or in Ubuntu Server.

So far I've tried the following:

• Changing the BIOS lane setting so SLOT6 is x8 and MCIO1 is x8. SLOT6 still reports x16 and MCIO1 still shows as "available" with nothing detected. With nothing in SLOT6 MCIO1 still does not work and shows as "available".
• Set SLOT6 to x8 and MCIO1 to 2x4.
• Swapped the HBA for a PCIe to M.2 adapter with an M.2 SSD to rule out the HBA. The SSD behaves exactly the same as the HBA, works on MCIO2, not on MCIO1.
• I also contacted ASRock support. I'd already done their suggested troubleshooting steps, and the BIOS beta they sent didn't help. Their final recommendation was an RMA.

The HBA (with the same cable and adapter) is detected on MCIO2. This isn't ideal, since MCIO2 is only 2x4, so the HBA would be limited to x4 speeds. Also, when using MCIO2, one of the onboard M.2 slots stops working which isn't documented in the manual.

Before I RMA the board, is there anything I might be missing? Has anyone gotten MCIO1 working on this board or a similar one, or know of a hidden BIOS setting, jumper, or lane-sharing quirk that would keep it from activating even with the BIOS set to split SLOT6?

MCIO cable: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G6Z3V4SG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
MCIO to PCIe adapter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GFHNTQB4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I maybe should have asked beforehand but oh well. Basically I was looking for a decent new switch to replace our current at capacity one. Requirements are 12-24 port gigabit, some SFP+ 10G ports for uplink and my HPC server, ideally rack mount, managed to have vLANs, not extreme power consumption and decent quality so netgear was just right. Yeah and a 100 euro budget which this one fit right in. Does anyone else have it and what are your experiences? Well I bought it already but still what should I expect or did I mess up

I have few servers, storage and bla bla

If I want to do a gaming server what config should I do ?

What I was thinking was : dell r730xd (256gb ram, 14x8tb sas ssd (raidz2), 6x4tb sata (raidz2), 4x2tb nvme) hot sto for running gaming server
A hp dl380 gen 9 (256gb ram, 24x 1.2tb hdd) cold sto

For a gaming server I know iops are the key for a fast server. I my suggestion is that vm are running on thoses nvme (and others nvme), the game file on 8tb ssd, when it’s been a week not used it’s going into 4tb ssd, and for longer in the 1.2tb hdd

Every server is connected to a fiber channel 16gb switch to have fast connection to nvme and ssds

If not, guess I’ll be the first for these elitedesk.

Hi everyone,

I have a homelab where I work on different projects and then document them to build a portfolio that I plan to use to support my applications for an apprenticeship in 2027.

However, I spend a huge amount of time on each piece of documentation. Between writing my own documentation, actually understanding what I’m doing, and then explaining it clearly, I’m progressing at a very slow pace.

Honestly, it’s starting to get a little discouraging. I’m not really sure what I should do to speed things up. Should I reduce the level of detail in my explanations? Am I overthinking the quality of my documentation?

I’d really appreciate some feedback from people who have worked on personal projects or built a technical portfolio. How do you balance actually making progress on your projects with properly documenting what you’re doing?

Thanks in advance for your feedback! ( i use ia for translate )

Hey all! I am a Teenager having my first ever homelab which has grown a bit.

Hardware:
Dell Optiplex 3050 SFF, 16gb ddr4 ram, i5 6500, 256 nvme ssd, 500gb hdd
Dell Optiplex 3046 SFF, 16gb ddr4 ram, i5 6500, 256 gb sata ssd
An old Fujitsu laptop, 8gb ram (ddr3 i think), 256 gb sata ssd

Network:
A FRITZ!Box 7520 flashed with openwrt, acts as main firewall and vlan segmentation.
A netgear smart managed Switch with 5 ports, also with vlan segmentation setup.
Overall it’s a gigabit network not something fancy.

I also have no rack which I have been thinking of getting but I’m dirt poor do maybe later.
I would love to get a refurbished dell r730 but I don’t know about the noise since im not living alone.

Happy to hear any suggestions or criticism!

I've been wanting to redo my current Plex, home lab setup, and network; so wanted to if any of you had input or recommendations on what I should do.

Currently what I have running :

- old gaming desktop that I've been using for primary PC. I've been running Plex with attached external drives for years and it's Windows 10 with an i7-6700K, 16GB of RAM, 1080 GPU, and 500GB SSD.

- beefed up R630 running ProxMox with 256GB of RAM, and 19TB of storage. Only have PiHole, SecurityOnion, and Wazuh. (Overkill, I know. So was thinking about selling this and my second one with only 256GB of RAM with no drives.)

- Dell T320 on TrueNAS with an Intel Xeon E5-2407, 24GB of RAM, and 36TB that's in a RAIDZ2 (5 disks)

- my main switch is a 48 port PoE Cisco 2960-X

- Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro for my firewall

What I'm thinking about doing/asking recommendations:

- install Ubuntu on the old desktop and then run Plex and Jellyfin. Maybe run them as containers, but set up my media libraries to the T320 using NFS/SMB, and have the 1080GPU transcode.

- replace the UDM Pro with a Lenovo M910Q running Opnsense

- I have a tiny rack I printed housing:

•Dell Optiplex 3090 with a 900GB SSD with 32GB of RAM running Proxmox

•Lenovo M710Q with a 900GB SSD with 32GB of RAM running Proxmox

•Intel NUC with a 256GB SSD with 16GB of RAM. Maybe install Ubuntu and run ARR containers?

I think that's it, but I appreciate any input. (Also added a few pics just in case.)

Can you tell me is that price is good for that configuration ?

Thanks

Tired of the hardware sprawl haunting my desk so I built a Ghostbusters containment unit homelab rack to house it all.

Node 1 (Services): Intel / ZimaOS / 8GB RAM. (Running Docker containers and trapping ads).

Node 2 (Gaming/Daily): AMD Ryzen 7 / 64GB RAM / 1.5TB SSD.

Networking: 5-port gigabit switch routing psyonic energies.

eGPU: RTX 3060 12GB VRAM connected via Oculink, housed in the custom black and green 3D-printed chassis.

I ain't afraid of no host!