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You Should Have a HomeLab…ESPECIALLY if You Don’t Know What You’re Doing!

How’s it going everyone? Baba here! And today I’m going to be going over HomeLabs with you. What they are, what they do, and why you should DEFINITELY have one. I will not be going over HOW to set up a HomeLab, simply because that can depend on what you have available as far as equipment. However, this will show you what you can do, and some of the things you can learn by having one. This read will assume you have some base level understanding of the general IT workforce. As always, if you have any questions regarding anything, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know. I’m more than happy to help others understand and learn as much as possible.

With that being said, let’s get right into it!

What even IS a HomeLab?

A HomeLab is a computer/server/VM(s) set up in your home environment to achieve a certain networking goal. And there are many, MANY things you can achieve with it. Here are just a few of the projects you could start up right now with just a PC, some hard drives, and virtual machines:

    • Virtual Machines (VMs) – This just in itself is SUPER useful to learn and develop. It also helps you segment your network and have specific tools on specific Virtual Machines.
    • Storage/File Server – Having a file server can make it very easy for you and other devices on your network to access important files and documents. You can also create your own home Domain to manage access to files!
    • Network Management – There are a multitude of self-hosting solutions for managing your home network, such as:
      • Firewalls
      • Routing
      • Network Monitoring
    • And SO much more!

Why should I do all of that, if my home network already works?

This is a fair point, but you might be missing the forest for the trees. Truth be told, your home network in an “out of the box” state, probably is just fine for most people. But what a HomeLab does is give you infinitely more CONTROL over your network. And more importantly, it teaches you SO MUCH. Let’s break down each of the use cases above, and go over why this makes you a more well-rounded IT professional.

Virtual Machines (VMs)

A LOT of the professional world thrives off of virtualization. Learning the differences between different types of hypervisors, and how to use them, is invaluable knowledge.

      • Hypervisors are what drive virtual machines, and learning how to use different ones can help you in your professional journey.
      • VMWare ESXI is a heavily used Hypervisor in the industry, and does have a free tier where you can get a foundational understanding of the product.
      • Knowing how to create and manage virtual networks, storage, and operating systems is a skill that can be transferred just about anywhere.

Storage/File Server

This can go hand in hand with home Domains. You can learn several things that will translate to real world professional knowledge.

      • Handling file/folder permissions and granting access to users and groups.
      • If you want remote access to files, you might learn how to set up a VPN tunnel to your home network.
      • To help secure your files, you could also learn to use a backup management solution like Veeam.

Network Management

Networking, routing, hardening, and analysis is a bit more obvious, but it is a key bit of know-how that can really separate you from the pack.

Firewalls – This can be vital to an organization. Protecting data and limiting access based on need.

        • Knowing how to block traffic based on ports.
        • Modifying Access Control Lists.
        • Restricting access to devices so it’s only available internally.

Routing – Managing traffic to its destination can help improve reliability in a network.

        • Load Balancers are tools that can be used to keep experiences consistent and resources available. Knowing how they work and how to configure one will definitely be of use.
        • Managing your own router/switch can teach you things like:
          • Creating Routing Tables.
          • Configuring Next Hops.
          • Forwarding Ports.
          • And much more!

Network Monitoring – Once the above tools are configured, you need a way to watch resources to make sure they are performing normally.

        • Organizations typically have a desired state that they want their network to work in. With network monitoring tools you can:
          • Create metrics to measure system status.
          • Alerts to advise when something is performing outside of metrics.
          • Create automated actions that help bring performance to expected standards.
          • Review historical logs to see trends in use and performance.

Wrap-up/Final Thoughts

As you can see, a Home Lab can allow you to learn a TON of awesome and useful things that can be immediately used in a professional environment. And this is just scratching the surface! There are so many other things you can do with one, I couldn’t possibly manage to fit it all in one blog post.

I want to make my own Home Lab, where do I start?

There are so many great resources out there to help you in this journey, but here are a few of my own suggestions.

Just to note, I am not sponsored or affiliated with any of these creators/communities; they are just resources I found on my journey and wanted to share:

Hopefully this was helpful for you if you are curious about HomeLabs and what you can achieve with them. It is an absolutely FANTASTIC way of learning how to run and manage a network, while messing around with lots of neat tools and software! As always, if you enjoyed reading this, please feel free to share with your friends! Comment below with any questions you might have, and make sure to sign up and join the Baba Labs community! You’ll be a part of something really great where professionals and enthusiasts can share their knowledge and help each other grow.

Stay Curious! Baba Out!

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