Homelab – Proxmox

Alright. So finally got a 2nd hard drive to my homelab server. This economy really sucks. But now my system is setup in mirror mode for data redundancy.

Proxmox

As the title suggests, I swapped over to Proxmox. While I was watching videos and reading about homelabs, Proxmox came up a lot. So, I decided to do more research on it. Initially, I could not wrap my head around how the LXCs (Linux Container) worked. After using docker containers, my initial thought was that LXCs are the same. But I was wrong. The concept is very similar but it differs in how they function.

Similarities

So, LXCs and Docker are both containers in that they create an isolated environment. They can be passed resources from the host to the container. They both share the host kernel which helps reduce overhead compared to VMs (Virtual Machines). This similarity is what tripped me up. I thought they behaved the same way. I was wrong.

Differences

Where they differ is at the level they operate. Docker containers function at the application level. Each container is one application with all the dependencies it requires. This allows it to run on any machine that has Docker installed. On the other hand, LXCs function at the system level. What they create is a Linux environment similar to VMs but with reduced overhead due to sharing the kernel with the host. So, no duplicating CPU, GPU, etc. This allows you to run multiple applications in one LXC.

So, when I initially setup Proxmox I was trying to find LXC images with the apps I needed but couldn’t find it. After going through multiple videos of people setting up applications, it finally clicked. I had to stop thinking on an application level and more on a system level. I know, silly me.

Takeaway

Now, that I have Proxmox running with multiple LXCs each with their own applications in them. I am finally starting to get the hang of it. However, LXCs do come with their own challenges. Because, they are Linux environments, you have to keep them updated to avoid possible security issues. Can’t just download a new image and keep going. And I have to get very comfortable with the Linux command line. No clicking button to download something and up we go. Now, would I go back to TrueNAS. Yes and No. I would love to create a separate NAS for all the file storage as TrueNAS was very simple to use for that. But, I find that using LXCs for the apps a lot more useful and easier to use compared to TrueNAS app system. A lot of the TrueNAS apps are behind in terms of release. And trying to get a compose file to properly work on TrueNAS was a pain. Now before you go and tell me to use something like Arcane, I did. Another issue with TrueNAS is permissions. Permissions are a pain. Certain apps want certain permissions to do something and I have to figure out what to give and what not to give. Yeah too much pain. Overall though, I would definitely want to get a 2nd system and run TrueNAS on it. File sharing was a breeze on it compared to Proxmox.

Anyways, that’s it folks. See you in the next one.

God Bless.