Assuming your ISP only gives you a single public IP, are you doing it on a port-by-port basis (ie. home.lab:80, home.lab:8080)? Specific domain path (ie. home.lab/service)? Some other way?

Not doing a lot with external connections at the moment, but would like to eventually. Overseer, game sever, maybe web hosting.

Getting gig symmetrical fiber installed this week and a rep had told me that for $10 I could get a static IP. I already have DDNS running smoothly via cloudflare API. Just wondering if there's anything worth considering that would make a static IP better than a DDNS url?

Hello guys,

I have 4x pair of HP Thin Client T520 and I can't seem to make DisplayPort work. VGA works, and DisplayPort works too only after removing the VGA after has been booted to a OS distribution, if I restart it then it does not work at again and I need to repeat the process.

Any idea?

Thank you.

I realize that there have been a million individual reviews for each of these products by different YouTubers in this space, but as the year draws to a close and the JetKVM finally reaches general launch (once the Kickstarter concludes), which of the following are best?

• SiPeed NanoKVM https://sipeed.com/nanokvm
• JetKVM https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jetkvm/jetkvm
• BliKVM https://www.blicube.com/blikvm-v4-allwinner

I have the BliKVM v4 and NanoKVM for remote access to my Proxmox VE and PBS servers and have the JetKVM on pre-order via the Kickstarter, but I think they each fill a different niche.

The BliKVM was my 1st acquisition and it has a very slick polished feel to it and I'd say its major advantages are the rack mount capability, the integrated HDMI pass through and between the BliKVM and NanoKVM, I like the PCI slot adapter using ethernet cabling to carry the signal for the frontpanel control. The most recent additions to the firmware with the BliKVM Matrix v15.x software is much slicker than the original software that came with it.

The NanoKVM is clearly the winner from a value proposition with it doing everything the BliKVM does functionally minus the HDMI pass through and also adds integrated Tailscale support and can pass USB storage as well as network through to the host. The front panel daughterboard is probably the weakest part of the package with it using USB to carry the signal and just takes away asthetically because you just have to leave an open card panel for the USB cable to snake out from. Functionally though, for a homelab user, I think the NanoKVM is slightly better in its feature set and comes in at a much cheaper price overall.

With all of that being said though, where I am struggling a bit is the JetKVM. It definitely has the asthetic charm with that screen and case, but I am troubled by the lack of information on these daughtercards that are connected via RJ11 (of all things). They theoretically allow for external power (which both the BliKVM and NanoKVM have integrated), the ability to do serial connections or lastly the front header daughtercard. The issue I see or don't understand with the JetKVM is if I want the front header support does it come with the external power via USB ability? Or is it that I have to pick one or the other?

I am just struggling to better understand if the JetKVM is truly the best of the bunch or falls short and is more or less a pretty, but gimped NanoKVM in form and function?

Not to sound like a NanoKVM shill, but I am really interested in their PCIe version where the whole KVM is part of a card that sits inside the case, even with a small screen.

https://sipeed.com/nanokvm/pcie

Clearly everyone has their own specific use case for what they are trying to achieve with their 3rd party KVM solution. I am looking for the most DRAC/iLO like remote management solution possible so I could remotely troubleshoot and manage my systems, so I need the whole kit with video, hid and front panel support. I know a lot of people just need video and KVM, but I am just looking for the best of breed and I feel like I am just collecting one of each, not certain which to standardize on.

Does anyone have any thoughts or additional insights into the JetKVM daughterboards? Otherwise, I think I am probably leaning more towards the NanoKVM PCIE or the cube just best value and feature set for the money.

TL;DR - Lots of new KVM options entered the market in 2024, all seem the scratch the itch, but which is best of breed for a DRAC/iLO like experience with video/kvm/front panel controls?

Hello folks,

I'm planning my first home server. It will have to fit in a 35cm wide space next to a sofa (the same space will have to fit all other hardware as well - switches, APs, a gaming PC) so I am going small. Just wanted to make sure that my plan makes sense.

The idea is:

• single server running Proxmox with (at least) 4 VMs:
  
  • 1 VM running OPNSense
  • 3 K3s nodes VMs for running a bunch of services (Nextcloud, Jellyfin, Audiobookshelf, AdGuard Home, Paperless, and pretty much whatever else I fancy running). I have used K8s at work for years so not worried about the learning curve, but I currently run everything on a Hetzner dedicated server via Docker Compose and it all seems a bit flimsy (it's working well enough, but yeah)
• spinny disks in a ZFS pool (probably RAIDZ-1) managed via proxmox to use as network storage

Some requirements:

• will not be wiring the rest of the house via ethernet, I will be using mesh WiFi APs (I'm in a old victorian house that I'm renting, can't do anything fancy and if I try running exposed cables the missus won't be too happy)
• between me and partner we have <1TB of data we really care about, so won't need a lot of storage. I'm happy to delete stuff from the media library to keep usage down
• Space is limited so I'm keen on limiting everything to a single machine

The hardware I am looking at is:

Case: Fractal Design Node 304
MoBo: Gigabyte H610I DDR4
CPU: Intel i3-12100
Memory: 2x32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 CL16
NIC (for the OPNSense VM): Intel E1G42ETBLK
Storage: 1x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250GB for the OS, 3x WD Red Pro 4TB for storage
PSU: Gigabyte P750GM

Does the hardware I selected make sense for a home server build? Anything I should keep an eye out as I start building this out? Anything you'd wish you'd known when you built your first home lab? What other additional hardware would you recommend for the networking? (thinking switches, APs, etc)

My main worry is getting the networking right and secure. I'm a Software Engineer by trade but have had very little to do with sysadmin and networking. Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated, please poke holes at my plan!

Hello everyone,

I recently started homelabbing with an old ThinkCentre that runs a few services via Docker containers. One feature I would really like to implement is a self-hosted password manager, such as Vaultwarden.

For that purpose, I wanted to buy a NAS, but I am not sure which option would fit me best. I don't need a big one: I never stored a lot of files even in my main computer, and I don't plan on self hosting media servers. So for now, I would say 1Tb capacity would be more than enough.

My constraints are 1) a very low power consumption, ideally no more than 10W at idle, 2) RAID support and 3) maximum freedom to play with it and test new setups (such as choosing my OS).

My initial plan was to go for a synology/qnap/terramaster NAS, but I don't like that they come with pre-installed software and are too expensive for the hardware you get. Other possibilities might include single board computers such as zima blade for which the reviews are rather mixed, or old computers (thinkcentre, HP...) which might consume more power than I'm looking for.

What are your suggestions ?