The Proxmox home lab
I am turning older computers into a small server environment where I can test virtualization and networking through direct use.
Why reuse old computers
The project started because I wanted practical experience with virtualization and already had older hardware available. Reusing it gives each machine a purpose and gives me room to experiment without treating every mistake as a disaster.
What I am building
The goal is a small environment for virtual machines, separated services, networking tests, and resource monitoring. I am learning the setup by operating it, documenting problems, and rebuilding parts when the first approach does not work.
- Create and manage virtual machines
- Separate services and test network boundaries
- Monitor storage, memory, and processor use
- Find useful jobs for hardware that would otherwise sit unused
Why it is useful
The home lab turns networking and systems concepts into something concrete. Instead of only reading about a configuration, I can deploy it, break it, observe the result, and repair it.