The Beginning
I started this homelab because I wanted a place to experiment with technology and learn by actually building things.
The goal was simple:
Build useful infrastructure, break things, fix them, and document the process.
Timeline
Phase 1 — Hardware
- Acquired an HP Z2 G9 workstation
- Installed PCIe Gen 4 NVMe storage
- Prepared the system for virtualization
Phase 2 — Virtualization
- Installed Proxmox VE
- Created an Ubuntu Server virtual machine
- Began building the Docker environment
Phase 3 — Core Services
Deployed:
- Docker
- Portainer
- Nginx Proxy Manager
Created a structured storage layout:
/data/docker/
for easier management and backups.
Phase 4 — Networking
Built the network around TP-Link Omada hardware:
- ER707-M2 router
- SG2210XMP-M2 PoE switch
- EAP770 access point
- EAP720 access point
Configured the network to support future expansion.
Phase 5 — Self-Hosted Applications
Deployed:
- Immich photo server
- AFComp website
Added:
- Cloudflare DNS
- HTTPS
- Remote access
What's Next?
Future projects include:
- Monitoring dashboards
- Jellyfin media server
- Minecraft hosting
- More automation
- Local AI experimentation
- Improved backups
This homelab is not a finished project. It is something that will continue growing as I learn new skills.