3 more homelab projects to try this weekend (May 9 - 10)

This weekend's homelab project roundup is all about expanding your homelab's capabilities. From installing Proxmox to spin up virtual machines to setting up a wake-on-LAN server, here are three homelab projects you should try this weekend.

Convert an old mini PC into a homelab server with Proxmox

Why run one operating system when you can run a dozen?

Listen, I'm all for running Linux, but your homelab should run the right Linux—and that's Proxmox . Proxmox, if you've never heard of it, is a hypervisor . Essentially, it's Debian turned into a full virtualization platform. While most Linux distributions ship with a built-in KVM (kernel-based virtual machine), Proxmox takes that to the next level with a simple-to-use web interface, cluster support, and much more.

Proxmox installs the same way that every other operating system does. Just burn the ISO to a flash drive (or drop it onto a Ventoy drive ) and boot into the installer. It'll walk you through how you want to configure everything, and I normally keep the settings stock during setup and customize anything I need to after the fact.

After installing, you can begin to spin up virtual machines . Proxmox handles divvying out resources from your system as you spin up VMs. For instance, if you have a 4-core 8-thread processor, you could technically have 5 VMs that each have 2 cores allocated. This is because it's managing access to those cores. If all five VMs request 100% of the cores, performance will suffer. However, for lighter workloads (like most things you'd do in a homelab), being able to allocate more cores than you have in this way allows you to further divide your resources and get the most out of them.

RAM works in the same way. You can set up swap within the virtual machines, so if they're asking for more RAM than is available to the VM itself , it'll just flip over to swap. The host operating system (Proxmox itself), however, isn't quite that resilient. If you allocate 8GB of RAM to three VMs, and you only have 16GB total, then you will very likely run into OOM (out of memory) errors, server instability, or worse. So, don't overcommit your RAM (but feel free to overcommit your CPU).

I really like Proxmox because it allows me to spin up as many virtual machines as I want in my homelab and then spin them down just the same. When OpenClaw was all the rage , I spun up a virtual machine just for it. That let me test it out in a controlled environment instead of on my Mac. Now, I run Hermes in the same way. I also have dedicated development virtual machines, multiple Docker VMs, game server VMs, website hosting VMs, and so much more.

Being able to just spin up a VM for anything I want and then delete it when I'm done, all without reinstalling an operating system, is fantastic. Most things you'll do in a homelab can actually run on very limited resources. I'll often only spin up a VM with two CPU cores and 1024MB of RAM to start with, and grow it from there if necessary.

So, if you're still installing just one operating system on your computer, it's time to move to Proxmox and get the most out of the hardware you already own.

Keep track of your travels with AdventureLog

Know where you're going, but also where you've ben

My wife and I love going on trips. We typically try to take one big trip a year, and it's always fun noting down where we've been, what we did, and what we would like to do again if we went back. That's exactly what AdventureLog was designed for.

Designed as a self-hosted tracking platform, AdventureLog allows you to document your trips, visualize your journeys, and build a personal travel history. One of my favorite parts of the platform is that it's built to track past trips as well as future plans.

The developer recently made a lot of improvements to AdventureLog, including a new UI, full trip itineraries and collaboration features, better trip mapping, and he even simplified the deployment experience using Docker. AdventureLog is also built to work well behind a reverse proxy or a Cloudflare Tunnel if you want access to your plans on vacation.

I've only just found AdventureLog, but I already love the premise of it and will be deploying it for my wife and I to try out on our upcoming trips!

Make sure you can turn powered off machines back on with a Wake-on-LAN server

How else do you turn a computer on when you're not home?

I've always heard people talk about wake-on-LAN , but I've never actually looked into it until recently. Wake-on-LAN, or WOL, is something I'll definitely be deploying in my homelab soon, though. Essentially, what WOL does is send a "special packet" over Ethernet to a networked computer that tells it to turn on.

The computer you're waking up has to both support WOL and also have it enabled. Once that's set up, you can easily send the command from just about any Linux install. There are also Docker containers with web UIs to handle WOL, and it can even be done within Home Assistant if you want to automate it.

Why would you want WOL in your homelab? Well, for me, I have a gaming desktop that I don't use all that often. My main computer is my MacBook Pro, and my gaming rig is only used when I want to game. So, it stays powered off most of the time. I do have Sunshine installed on it so I can play remotely, but if I leave the house and the desktop is off, there's no way for me to remotely turn it on to play games—until I discovered WOL.

I know that WOL is an age-old technology, but I've just never used it before. Turning on a gaming PC remotely is only one way to use WOL. Another way would be to send a power-on command to a backup server for it to power on before a backup starts. Then, have it configured to shut down whenever the backup is complete. Or, you could schedule your Plex server to power down at night when nobody is using it to save electricity, and use WOL to turn it back on automatically in the morning.

WOL is an extremely useful tool to have in any homelab. You just need one system that is always on to send the command. A Raspberry Pi is a great tool for this since it's low-power, small, and can be left on 24/7 without much risk or worry.

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Don't be afraid to tinker in your homelab

One of my favorite things about my homelab is the fact that I can tinker in it. While it runs some mission-critical services for my household, it also allows me to mess around with things without worrying I'm going to break anything. For me, this is where Proxmox comes in. I can find a new operating system that I want to try out and simply spin up a virtual machine with that OS on it and play with it, all without having to fully reinstall a computer.

I can also spin up a virtual machine to try out a new piece of software that I'm not sure of the safety of. I can even set up a virtual machine with zero network connection and control it through the console of Proxmox as if I were plugged into its display output, all without dragging a monitor out of the closet and plugging up a ton of wires.

If you're scared of trying out new software or techniques, use a virtual machine in your homelab for it. There's little to no risk there, and it's a great way to learn more about Linux, operating systems, networking, and so much more.