A few years ago I had a couple old and slow Optiplex’s running Hyper-V, with Windows/Linux VM’s, doing things like NPS, AD, etc.
Had some old equipment collecting dust, so I’ve built out a decent homelab and am curious if anyone else has done the same, and if so what are they running on them for fun?
In my new “rack”:
- PowerEdge R430
- Running ProxMox, with a Windows VM (DC), and a Linux VM with Docker for Plex
- EqualLogic PS4100
- VM storage for both PowerEdge servers (10TB)
- Ubiquiti EdgeSwitch 24 250w
- PowerEdge R720
- Running ProxMox, with some Linux VM’s, most utilizing Docker for Plex “assistance/automations” (ahem), NextCloud for phone photo backup and wife’s photography, and another DC as a failover of R430’s DC.
VMware esxi 7, win10 sandbox. Debian hosts for docker. I also run some a couple of i7 Mac mini’s. I try to host on a balance of cheap, power efficient devices that I have spares of in case they blow up because I hate dealing with hardware compatibility issues. Since I decided this and shelved spares I haven’t had any failure’s.
Does anyone NOT use old equipment for a homelab?
I’ve got 4 x Dell R620 servers, though I’ve recently shut down 2 of them because they are running in an unconditioned garage closet and it’s been absolutely hot this summer.
Also have 4 old 16-disk trays from a Nimble SAN, but again only running one of them (16 x 3TB SAS) for heat reasons.
I also have the Nimble controller but the firmware is borked and I can’t get a copy without a service contract and you can’t get a service contract on this old hardware. I briefly had it working running Linux on the two controllers, which works but is a bit tricky since shutting down one side causes the other side to shut down unexpectedly. So I’m leaving it unused until I can either sell it or find a copy of the proper firmware.
