My background is in aerospace and defense systems. In 2020, I started a homelab to get practical experience with networking, Linux, virtualization, and storage. I use it to test designs, deploy services, troubleshoot failures, and learn how infrastructure components fit together.
A segmented network supporting production services and a separate lab environment. The diagram is a logical overview; the repository documents the hardware changes and design decisions behind it.
Netgate 4100 running pfSense; UniFi managed switching and wireless; VLANs, firewall rules, and network segmentation.
Two AMD Ryzen 9 XCP-ng hosts with Xen Orchestra. Separate production and lab environments for testing and maintenance.
Two AMD Ryzen 3 storage systems running TrueNAS SCALE and ZFS.
NetBox, Uptime Kuma, UniFi Network Controller, Trilium, Docker, and Home Assistant.
Installed Cat6 cabling and PoE cameras; built an 11U rack around pfSense, managed switching, FreeNAS storage, and Linux test machines.
Moved to a Netgate 4100, UniFi switching and wireless, a larger rack, and a dedicated distribution switch.
Replaced earlier systems with Ryzen-based XCP-ng hosts and TrueNAS storage; organized production and lab workloads separately.
Deeper routing and switching experience, including OSPF, BGP, private autonomous systems, network automation, and cloud infrastructure. The lab gives me a place to work through these topics on equipment I operate myself.