Core Lab Tech's Self-Hosted Lab (My Digital Fortress, 2026)

As an IT professional, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of having a self-hosted digital environment. The thought of controlling my own data, experimenting with different technologies, and having a backup of everything was incredibly appealing. It began in 2011/2012, with a little known project called “XBMC”. Not long after, I discovered Plex Media Server... Things quickly got ah, out of hand!

This post is part of my Custom NAS/Server Series:

What is a Homelab?

Simply put, a homelab is a personal computing environment built within your home. It’s often used for experimentation & learning, hosting services, and, for some, a personal backup solution. My goal with this setup is to learn about server administration, networking, and various open-source technologies, all while having a fun and saving money!

I explain my setup in reverse chronological order so you can inspect my current production hardware first. If you are starting out or upgrading your homelab infrastructure, explore my budget homelab beginner-to-pro blueprint.

My Full Tech Stack

What powers my smart home & keeps it connected.

Logical diagram first. Some of the items are clickable! Apologies but you'll need full-screen to view this properly.

flowchart TD
%% EDGE
A[🌍 Internet]
B[☁️ Cloudflare Edge]
%% FIREWALL
C[🛡️ OPNsense Firewall]
%% SWITCHING
D[🔀 UniFi Core Switch]
%% SECURITY LAYER
E[🌐 SWAG Reverse Proxy]
F[🔐 Authelia SSO]
%% DOCKER HOST
G[🐳 Docker Host]
%% APPLICATIONS
H[📸 Immich]
I[📄 Paperless-NGX]
J[⚙️ n8n Automation]
K[🏠 Home Assistant]
%% MEDIA
L[🎬 Jellyfin]
M[🎞️ Plex]
%% INFRASTRUCTURE
N[🧠 AdGuard DNS]
O[⏱ Local NTP]
P[📷 Frigate NVR]
%% EDGE FLOW
A --> B --> C --> D
%% APP INGRESS
C -->|HTTPS| E
E --> F --> G
%% MEDIA BYPASS (still via proxy)
C -->|Direct Media Port| E
E --> L
%% DOCKER SERVICES
G --> H
G --> I
G --> J
G --> K
G --> P
G --> M
%% INFRA ENFORCEMENT
C -->|Forced DNS| N
C -->|Forced NTP| O
%% VLAN GROUPS
subgraph VLAN7["VLAN 10 — Home Infrastructure"]
N
O
end
subgraph VLAN8["VLAN 20 — Docker Services"]
G
H
I
J
K
P
end
subgraph VLAN42["VLAN 50 — Media"]
L
M
end
%% STYLING (Dark Mode Optimized - Frigate Theme)
  classDef edge fill:#2d3436,stroke:#0984e3,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
  classDef firewall fill:#2d3436,stroke:#d63031,stroke-width:3px,color:#fff
  classDef proxy fill:#2d3436,stroke:#00cec9,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
  classDef docker fill:#2d3436,stroke:#6c5ce7,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
  classDef infra fill:#2d3436,stroke:#fdcb6e,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9

  class A,B edge
  class C firewall
  class E,F proxy
  class G,H,I,J,K,L,M,P docker
  class N,O infra


%% CLICKABLE LINKS
click C "https://corelab.tech/opnsensept1/" "OPNsense Firewall Guides"
click E "https://corelab.tech/swag-reverse-proxy-guide/" "SWAG Reverse Proxy"
click F "https://corelab.tech/digital-castle-swag-crowdsec-authelia/#part-5-autheliacentralized-multi-factor-authentication-authorization" "Authelia Authentication"
click L "https://corelab.tech/jellyfin-guide-https/" "Jellyfin Securely"
click M "https://corelab.tech/best-plex-server-hardware/" "Plex Server Hardware Guide"
click N "https://corelab.tech/tag/dns/" "DNS Guides"
click P "https://corelab.tech/setupfrigate/" "Frigate NVR Setup"

• 1X Custom Server/NAS combo (Tower, not rack-mount, purely due to space)
  • 80TB usable
• 1X Synology NAS appliance (Used strictly as a NAS, no dockers/apps)
  • 112TB usable
• 1X Repurposed (Free, hand-me-down) Alienware XS1R3 Computer
  • Exclusively running OPNsense Firewall
  • New CPU cooler, more ram, new HDD, upgraded NICs
• 2X Ubiquiti Switches (USW-16-PoE gen2, USW-24-G2)
• 3X Unifi APs (U6 LR, U6 Pro, U6 Lite)
• Unifi Network Controller via Docker app
• 2X Reolink 822A 4k PoE cameras
• 1X Reolink Doorbell Cam, wifi version

Simpler, physical connectivity diagram.

flowchart TD
    %% Core flow
    subgraph Internet_FW["🌐 Internet & Firewall"]
        I["🌐 Internet"] --> C["🛡️ OPNsense Firewall (Alienware XS1R3)"]
    end

    subgraph Switching["🔀 Core Switching"]
        C --> B["🔀 Binardat 10G SFP+ Switch"]
        B --> D1["📡 UniFi PoE Switch"]
        B --> D2["📡 UniFi Switch (Non-PoE)"]
    end

    subgraph Servers["💾 Servers & Storage"]
        D2 --> A["💾 Custom Server/NAS (80TB, Docker Host)"]
        D2 --> B2["🗄️ Synology NAS (112TB)"]
        A --> E{"⚙️ UniFi Network Controller (Docker)"}
    end

    subgraph WirelessIoT["📶 Wireless & IoT"]
        D1 --> F["📶 UniFi APs (U6 LR, Pro, Lite)"]
        D1 --> G["📷 Reolink Cameras (PoE)"]
        F --> H["🚪 Reolink Doorbell Cam (WiFi)"]
    end

%% Styling (Dark Mode Optimized - Frigate Theme)
      style I fill:#2d3436,stroke:#0984e3,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
      style C fill:#2d3436,stroke:#d63031,stroke-width:3px,color:#fff
      style B fill:#2d3436,stroke:#b2bec3,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
      style D1 fill:#2d3436,stroke:#b2bec3,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
      style D2 fill:#2d3436,stroke:#b2bec3,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
      style A fill:#2d3436,stroke:#6c5ce7,stroke-width:3px,color:#fff
      style B2 fill:#2d3436,stroke:#00cec9,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
      style E fill:#2d3436,stroke:#fdcb6e,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
      style F fill:#2d3436,stroke:#00b894,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
      style G fill:#2d3436,stroke:#00b894,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9
      style H fill:#2d3436,stroke:#00b894,stroke-width:2px,color:#dfe6e9


    %% Subgraph styling (clean + dashed)
    style Internet_FW fill:transparent,stroke:#888,stroke-width:1px,stroke-dasharray: 4 4
    style Switching fill:transparent,stroke:#888,stroke-width:1px,stroke-dasharray: 4 4
    style Servers fill:transparent,stroke:#888,stroke-width:1px,stroke-dasharray: 4 4
    style WirelessIoT fill:transparent,stroke:#888,stroke-width:1px,stroke-dasharray: 4 4

All of this provides me with 192+TB of redundant storage, 60+ dockers, webhosting needs, Plex for my house and NGFW protection!

Where to Begin Starting your Own Homelab?

• 1. The Mini-PC / SFF Route: This path starts with small, efficient PCs like Intel NUCs or BeeLinks, or the cheaper Minisforum PCs.
  • Pros: Low power, quiet, small.
  • Cons: Limited storage and PCIe slots.
  • Recommendations: A GMKTek Mini-PC or a used Lenovo/Dell SFF PC is a perfect, low-cost way to start running Docker containers.
• 2. The Enterprise Rackmount Route: Used enterprise gear like Dell PowerEdge R720/R730s can be a perfect way to start, if you get them for the right price.
  • Pros: Insane power for the price, tons of RAM and PCIe slots, built-in remote management (IPMI).
  • Cons: Loud, power-hungry, heavy.
  • Recommendation: You can find amazing deals on used Dell servers on eBay more than Amazon generally. You'll also need a good network rack and probably some quiet Noctua fans to replace the stock ones.
    • You can also run a fairly quiet homelab!
• 3. The DIY NAS / All-in-One Tower:
• Pros: The "best of both worlds." Full control, high storage capacity, and quiet operation (if you build it right).
• This is the path I chose: It runs everything - NAS, containers, and Plex. I've written a complete step-by-step guide with my exact parts list to show you how to build one.

The Core Lab Monster: 80TB+ DIY NAS Build (2026)

A 17-drive, 80TB+ DIY NAS build log: enterprise SAS hardware, ZFS pool design, HBA cards, and the 3.3V pin gotcha that stops drives from spinning up.

Core LabCore Lab Joe

Operating system: Open Media Vault 8. OMV provides a slick and intuitive web-based GUI to manage your system primarily, as a NAS. However it has the capability to basically do anything you want in the computing world with omv-extras, their plugin environment. OS currently runs on a separate SATA SSD, not RAIDed...

I've got 60+ docker containers all running in a docker compose environment, beautifully humming along on this rig. Here's the list:

Core Lab Active Container Directory

A complete inventory of the microservices running on the Core Lab bare-metal OMV8 infrastructure.

Note: This table omits the 20+ dedicated database sidecars (Postgres, KeyDB, MySQL) that operate seamlessly in the background to support these core applications.

Key Details

Storage Tech: ZFS from omv-extras. 12X 6TB Enterprise SAS 3.5 disks setup as RAIDZ2 +5X8TB SATA 3.5" disks setup as RAIDZ1.

Don't want to buy matching drives? Check out my [OMV8 MergerFS & SnapRAID Guide] (COMING SOON-ish!) to build an expandable array instead.

Peripherals: LSI Megaraid 9400-16i HBA (upgraded May 2026 from a 9300-16i), RTX 3060 12GB GPU, Dual 10GB SFP+ NIC, PCIE riser, 9?X 120mm cooling fans, a lot of fans...

🤿Deep Dives of Fav Containers/Apps Running in my Lab

Take Control of Your Photos/Vids: A Deep Dive into Immich!

Introduction: What is Immich? Immich is a self-hosted photo management application designed for photographers, families, and prosumers who are serious about taking control of their digital memories. The biggest pain points Immich addresses are escalating storage costs with cloud services and the growing concern about data privacy. Unlike cloud-based services,

Core LabCore Lab Joe

Building the Ultimate Home Assistant Server (2026 Edition)

Stop building your smart home on a fragile SD card. Here is the professional guide to running Home Assistant on an N100 Mini PC with Docker - fully unlocked and “Add-on” free.

Core LabCore Lab Joe

Frigate 0.17 Setup Guide: Nvidia GPU & Docker Compose

Set up Frigate with Reolink cameras and an NVIDIA GPU using Docker, go2rtc, and TensorRT. This guide shows how to reduce CPU usage, stabilize RTSP streams, and get fast, accurate object detection.

Core LabCore Lab Joe

Decypharr Setup Guide: Instant Debrid Streaming (2026)

A complete Decypharr guide for existing Sonarr/Radarr users. Replace torrents with instant Debrid streaming using symlinks, rclone/DFS, and zero-download workflows.

Core LabCore Lab Joe

Decypharr Hybrid Setup: Real-Debrid + Usenet Backstop

Build the ultimate automated media pipeline by bridging Real-Debrid and Usenet. Learn how to use Sonarr delay profiles and a Block Account to create a 100% reliable backstop.

Core LabCore Lab Joe

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What operating system does Core Lab's homelab run?

The main server runs OpenMediaVault 8, built on Debian 12, chosen for its web-based NAS management GUI plus the flexibility of a full Debian base underneath via the omv-extras plugin ecosystem.

How much storage does the homelab have?

Roughly 192TB+ of redundant storage across two boxes: an 80TB usable custom NAS/server combo (12x6TB Enterprise SAS drives in RAIDZ2, plus 5x8TB SATA drives in RAIDZ1) and a 112TB Synology NAS used strictly for storage, no containers or apps.

What ZFS pool layout is used?

Two pools on the main server: 12x 6TB Enterprise SAS 3.5" disks in RAIDZ2, plus 5x 8TB SATA 3.5" disks in a separate RAIDZ1 pool, managed through OMV's ZFS plugin.

How many Docker containers run in this homelab?

60+ containers! I finally migrated away from a monolithic single compose file, into 9 separate compose "stacks" as well, which is much better overall, more organized and I am utilizing proper .env files and permissions. It's basically an Enterprise setup now.

What firewall and networking hardware powers the homelab?

OPNsense running on a repurposed, hand-me-down Alienware XS1R3 (upgraded with a new CPU cooler, more RAM, a new HDD, and upgraded NICs), behind two Ubiquiti switches and three UniFi access points, all managed through a self-hosted UniFi Network Controller in Docker.

Where should I start if I want to build my own homelab?

Three common paths: a Mini-PC/SFF route (low power, quiet, limited storage/PCIe), a used enterprise rackmount route (huge power-per-dollar, but loud and power-hungry), or a DIY NAS/all-in-one tower that runs NAS duties, containers, and a media server on one machine, the path this lab actually took.