A home lab update is underway. A new virtualised environment, more storage and Active Directory will move to a Linux solution. The network will get intrusion detection and prevention along with a certificate solution is all part of the plan. 2024 is going to be a busy year.
Why all this change
My SBS Server 2003 reached its majority this year – turning 21. It’s been running on borrowed time for ages. I moved away from Exchange on the SBS server 8 years ago and took our email accounts into the cloud. SharePoint, despite my love and skills for it, I stopped using it 6 years ago. I’ve not found anything that I like to replace SharePoint, sadly. So all I am using the server for is authentication.
I’ve been learning with Linux, on Raspberry Pi, Odroids and spare hardware for 12 years and am reasonably comfortable with running them as my primary servers.
There are two options that I’ve settled on trying for AD Authentication:
- Zentyal Community (which so far as I can tell is free, but that may change so I’ve heard), and
- Turnkey Linux.
Turnkey Linux appears simple enough to set up a virtual machine for new AD infrastructure. And does not appear to be going commercial anytime soon.
Server infrastructure will be an:
HP ML10 v2 server – with 32 GB RAM, a 4 core 8 thread CPU, and four 2nd hand 2TB WD Enterprise hard drives (I got a lot of 6 for A$22 each from a local seller) for ZFS Raid storage. I’m intending to purchase a PCIE 2x M.2 NVME board and two WD Black NVME 2280 1TB SSDs for the OS (ProxMox). This last is yet to be purchased, but that is all that is holding up the server deployment.
I know it is old, but I’ve had it since new (as a prize from a competition) and only recently had the money and the luck to gather the parts needed to complete the build.
My longer-term plan is to follow along with Hardware Haven and Serve the Home and go to a low-power Proxmoxx cluster based on Tiny/Mini/Micro PCs. These are low-power options but will be on the cards in 2025.
I’ll be posting more as I get into the build and share my thoughts on my YT channel.
References
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