I have now moved the Experiment Pod to my HomeLab rack

 I decided to drop my participation in the community sub-committee and focus on other things.  In so doing, I have moved the Experiment Pod to the HomeLab rack.  I decided to change out the rack and put the entire Experiment Pod panel into the rack as well as an Edgerouter-X to give the ExPod vlan a dhcp source and isolate it from the rest of the network.  The unmanaged 8 port switch is there as well to connect to each of the ExPod RPis.

In addition, I have added a managed switch (GS108Tv3) to offload the number of connections to the key managed switch outside of the HomeLab rack.

I have re-arranged the HomeLab rack to allow for four different systems

 I decided to change out the HomeLab rack and concentrate on four sub-systems: (1) Experiment Pod; (2) Proxmox; (3) Edgerouter-12/M4100-26g; and (4) Monitor sub-system.  Each one of these sub-systems can now be independently booted up and used.

I added a GS108Tv3 managed switch to the top of the rack so that I could change out the cables going from the HomeLab rack to only need one connection to the external GS108Tv2 switch behind the rack.  This frees up some of the ports on that switch to be used for experiments on the table.  The ExPod is now behind an Edgerouter-X connected to that top switch, with all components able to be turned off at the same time from a single switch on the power switch panel.  The Proxmox server is also connected to that top switch for all of its external ports and is powered through a single switch on the power switch panel.  The Edgerouter-12/M4100-26g combination is powered down from a single switch on the same power switch panel; external connections go through the top switch.  The monitor sub-system is also turned on and off through a single switch on the power switch panel and is behind an Edgerouter-X connected to the top switch.

I also added an RGB led lighting on the sides of the HomeLab rack.

Issue: the vlans for server admin and servers still require the Edgerouter-12 to be running since the DHCP servers are on that device.  This will need to be dealt with int the future.

Why would it be important to keep a HomeLab network after you retire?

Adapted from NoteAI.com on 2023-09-25

Summary: A HomeLab is a server setup that resides in your home and allows you to host applications and virtualized systems for testing, development, or personal use. It can be a simple tower PC, a Raspberry Pi, or a repurposed professional server. Having a HomeLab has several advantages, including providing a playground for learning and experimentation, allowing you to work on projects that you can't try on the job, and enabling you to create projects that would otherwise be costly. It can also be used for hosting media, testing websites, building a DVR system, and accessing remote systems.

Why it Matters:

• A HomeLab provides a safe and controlled environment for learning and experimenting with technology.
• It allows individuals to gain hands-on experience with enterprise equipment and software.
• It can be used for personal projects, professional development, and staying current in the industry.
• A HomeLab offers flexibility and customization options that may not be available in a production environment.
• It can be a cost-effective solution for hosting services and self-hosted options.

Significance and Potential Impact:

• Keeping a HomeLab network after retirement can provide a continued opportunity for learning and staying engaged with technology.
• It allows retirees to pursue personal projects, explore new technologies, and maintain their technical skills.
• A HomeLab can serve as a hobby and a way to stay connected with the tech community.
• It provides retirees with a platform to share their knowledge and experiences with others.
• Keeping a HomeLab network can contribute to personal growth, mental stimulation, and a sense of purpose in retirement.

Implications:

• Retirees who maintain a HomeLab network can continue to contribute to the tech industry and stay relevant in their field.
• It can be a fulfilling and enjoyable hobby that provides intellectual stimulation and a sense of accomplishment.
• Retirees with a HomeLab network can share their knowledge and experiences with others, mentoring and inspiring the next generation of tech enthusiasts.
• It can be a way to stay connected with the tech community and continue learning from others in the field.
• Keeping a HomeLab network can contribute to a fulfilling and meaningful retirement by providing a platform for personal growth and exploration.

Using pfSense as a Multi-WAN interface for Monitoring within the HomeLab

 I am back.  I started playing with pfSense in my Proxmox server in order to have a multi-headed connection into vlans within my network.  The purpose is to have an isolated vlan (isolated in the sense that the other vlans cannot get to it) to use as a monitoring point.  My thought is this: let pfSense become the DNS/DHCP source for a number of hardware and VM/LXC components to provide monitoring and automation activities.  I would eventually use Ansible to automate setups within the HomeLab and would use Observium/collectd to monitor the different HW components.  I could also use a component to provide CA capabilities.  The steps needed include:

1. download a tar.gzip of pfSense Community Edition from the pfSense website
2. create a VM of pfSense on the Proxmox server
3. setup the VM to link to an existing vlan in the HomeLab on the WAN side and to an isolated vlan on the LAN side
4. check the pfSense console to make sure that the ports are configured correctly
5. add a Raspberry Pi w/SSD to the isolated vlan and bring it up; helps if it is already setup to integrate with the tailscale network
6. check that the Raspberry Pi can communicate through pfSense to the WAN side and that it has an IP within the subnet of the LAN; this will become the seat of monitoring and automation for the HomeLab
7. add XRDP to the Raspberry Pi so that I can access the GUI
8. setup Putty on my Windows laptop as an SSH tunnel to the web interface to pfSense through the Raspberry Pi; repeat with other things that I wish to monitor

Seemed like a good idea at the time.  Not sure why this would be frowned upon security wise.  I just need to be sure that I am always aware of new and clever attacks that might be possible within the network.

I'm wondering if the same thing can be done with one of my spare Edgerouter-X routers.

Update: I was able to do the same thing with the Edgerouter-X router.  So in retrospect, I have spun down the Proxmox pfSense router for use later.  I don't think that I will be getting rid of it anytime soon.  It's nice to know that I now have the ability to change the different routers that I have to give a multi-head ability to my HomeLab.

Ran Another Test by Connecting to a Different Room Power Outlet

 I ran a different test with the AV2 Powerlines.  This time I purposefully plugged a different AV2000 into my small bedroom outlet to see what the increase in bandwidth would be from the living room to the small bedroom.  Unfortunately, the increase was only about doubling the speed.  I was getting around 93 Mbit/sec throughput instead of 35 Mbit/sec.

The test was composed of putting a new Powerline adapter into the small bedroom, connecting the new Powerline adapter to my HomeLab switch, and running some iperf tests.  The small bedroom circuit breaker is on the opposite side of the breaker box from my large bedroom circuit breaker; and on the same side as the circuit breaker for the living room.  Again this is 25 year old wiring.  I guess in the grand scheme of things I could have an electrician move the wires between the two breakers to get the large bedroom circuit breaker on the same side of the breaker box as the living room circuit breaker.  But, is the increase in speed worth it?  It will cost me money but in the end I will have more bandwidth.

Update: I am now trying to see if there is a different way of putting my Travel Routers and arranging my network in the back bedroom that will increase my throughput to the HomeLab.

Added a new 802.11ax Router to the Apartment

So I have purchased a new router, the Gl-iNet FLINT (GL-AX1800).  The reason that I did this was to optimize the connection between my HomeLab equipment and the apartment WiFi end point.  The FLINT is located 17 and a half feet from the end point and has 4 external antenna.  In addition, the FLINT is based on OpenWRT, which the SLATE was also based on.  Right now, being a new product, the software load is not quite up to the current edition of OpenWRT, but the beta test versions are promising.  I have downloaded the latest Beta and will be updating this router prior to the full software release.  The reason is to be able to setup vlans so that I can also plug in my TV and DVD player without interfering with the HomeLab connection.

After setting up the router in the space in the living room, I am measuring a speed of 400Mbps/400Mbps to the end point when setup as a repeater.  This is the kind of speed gain that I am hoping for.  The WiFi connection is continuing to reset itself and I need to know why.  I have noticed that the main indication of failure is that the DNS is no longer able to work through the connection and that the Weather Station is no longer pushing out information.

Update: so now the FLINT router has crapped out, possibly because I did some setting I shouldn’t have.  I have updated to the latest v4.1.0 beta without any custom values and now it works.  Go figure.

Update2: the problem with the WiFi connection stopping appears to be related to a DNS issue.  I can still ping IPs but just can't use DNS names.  Is this some setting somewhere?

There appears to be an issue with the WiFi in my apartment

I have discovered that the WiFi is now stopping on a regular basis in my apartment.  I have no control over it but I would like to set things up so that I don’t have as many issues in what is available.  I have moved the Tempest Weather Station to the Portal SSID so that it has the most connectivity that it can get without being connected to the equipment in my rack.  I am also going to take down the UniFi AP AC Pro so that it doesn’t add to the interference in the apartment.  Perhaps removing this source will help with the overall speed of the WiFi in my apartment.  The problem with this is that I am using the UniFi to connect to the Tasmota switches.  I need something to do this with.  It occurred to me that I might use one of the RPi Zero Ws that I have to make up an isolated network within the rack.  If I keep the power level low enough, I should not cause interference outside of the rack.  Note, I do not have control over what the WiFi does or does not do.

I am also setting up an active/passive WiFi checker within the apartment so that I can get some data with which to analyze what might the problem be.

Update:  I have found 25 APs for the complex included in 832 devices just in 45 minutes.  There is ample amount of WiFi packets that could potentially cause issues, especially if they are on the cusp of the signal.  Further research is warranted.