After trying to run a docker command on a new home server and hitting the “user is not in the sudoers file” error, I look up the incident report in the journalctl logs, then explain how to properly gain sudo access. Instead of hand-editing /etc/sudoers, I add my user to the sudo group with usermod, covering why visudo exists and why I prefer sudo over logging in as root...
I walk through the Proxmox web interface after a default install, explaining how nodes and datacenters fit together. I cover the two storage locations the installer creates: a local directory for ISO images, backups, and container templates, and an LVM-Thin volume used for VM disks. I end with an explanation of thin provisioning and what happens when VMs actually consume their allocated space...
After discovering that RAM is the main limitation on my small homelab server, I am tempted by eBay’s algorithm into a second, better-specified machine — 4 cores, double the RAM, bigger disk — complete with a 20% off code. The post covers the upgrade cost comparison and my increasingly creative rationalisations for buying it...
I compare a Raspberry Pi 4 with an HP Elitedesk 800 G1 mini PC as a home server option, noting the HP’s better specs and storage for the price, plus a few caveats like its DisplayPort connection. Wanting to build Docker, Linux, and devops experience, I install Proxmox as the hypervisor rather than VMware ESXi and share setup notes for the HP, including BIOS keys, keeping the default storage settings, and reserving the server’s IP address on the router...
My two Raspberry Pi 3Bs serve as an AllStar radio node and a small web server running Node.js, PHP, and MySQL, with Pi-hole recently added to block ads network-wide. I also weigh whether the Pi shortage makes a repurposed laptop or refurbished mini PC a better choice, considering setup effort and idle power draw...
