this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2023
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Does anyone else use old equipment for homelab use? If so, what are you running? (i.imgur.com)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by L3s to c/sysadmin
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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.
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[–] DesertCreosote 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I run a few older things.

In my rack, I have:

  • 1x 48-port POE Juniper EX220 used as a core switch with a fiber backbone to my upstairs switch; wish it was 10gig, but it was cheap and I needed ports.
  • 1x Dell R720 with 2x Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2 @ 2.70GHz, 256GB RAM, and 80TB of raw storage in a RAID-5 array (64TB usable).
    • Runs ESXi with VMs for everything from vSphere to Plex to some websites I host myself.
  • 1x Dell R710 with 2x Intel X5650 @ 2.67GHz, 40GB RAM, and 24 TB of raw storage.
    • Currently unconfigured since I recently migrated off of this server to the R720.
  • 1x Dell R610 with 2x Intel 5550s, 96GB RAM, and no drives.
    • Got this on a whim, planned to use it for a project, never got to it, now it sits on the bottom of my rack and reminds me of my folly.

Upstairs I have another 48-port Juniper EX220, and I plan to fill most of the ports with 4+ Ethernet drops to every room in my house, plus extras for WAPs, cameras, and remote sensors.
I also use Ruckus R710s for wireless connectivity; I have two right now, and plan to eventually get one of the outdoor-rated Ruckus WAPs to mount on my chimney since WiFi coverage gets a little sparse when you get halfway across my yard.

I was remarking to a friend the other day that I've managed to build myself a pretty stellar setup for the early 2010s, at a fraction of the cost it would have taken back then. Though it definitely eats lots of power!

[–] L3s 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Very nice setup! My work environment was only VMware ESXi's, it's a solid solution but gets expensive!

[–] DesertCreosote 3 points 2 years ago

It certainly can. The VMUG subscription helps out there a little, but it's definitely a little pricey.