Homelabbing - Self-inflicted Resilience Training

Breaking things is a great way to learn.

Actually, fixing them is the part where you learn. Breaking them is easy.

Critical point: ensure fix/break ratio is greater than 1.

More formally, the F/B ratio:

F = quantity of fixed things
B = quantity of things you've touched

This is critical math, you must understand it.

If you are a clever goblin like Urg, you’ve probably noted the best way to keep this ratio high is to keep “B” as low as possible.

Now we face new problem: How can you un-touch things?

Urg doesn’t know this yet, so we must increase “Fixed” things. Which means increasing “Broken” things (also known as “Touched” things.) This math is hard, but important.

Warning for young internet shamans:

If you have a WFH partner, you have production network! Tread carefully!

You should probably make a router or strongly segment between:

blood-ritual knowledge extraction site (lab)
and
land of greater than 40% uptime (production) where partner can WFH safely.

Do not become “A Problem” layered atop “ISP problems”. Very confusing and trust damaging. Not good.

A wise network shaman will monitor and be aware, and inform proactively.

Not to deflect blame. But to ensure stability of their realm, and to not catch eyebrow raise of doom when purchasing a 20 amp breaker when on what started as a gardening trip to home depot. (look 10 amps is just not enough)

You don’t need to know what I have in my lab, but it’s ancient crap - I list this just to say you don’t need to blow thousands:

~~a space heater~~ Dell R610 with VMware (f u broadcom try and take my 6.7 esxi away)
an ancient supermicro running proxmox (you’ll get there little buddy)
Intel NUCs, a few of em… I don’t remember what they’re doing. I think that one’s important.
Mikrotiks, lots of em, they’re cheap! and can run bgp how cool is that?

Why?

I don’t know, to be honest. I learn stuff. It can be satisfying to spend a little too long making an LED blink. I don’t know why. More realistically, the answer is more along chasing the lows and highs of:

“I know nothing, none of this makes sense.”

(followed by)

“I am the smartest person alive!”

(followed by)

“I am dumber than pond scum.”

This is what makes soft, failure-fearing goblins into tough shamans that can stare down the uncertainty beast and laugh. You’ve broken worse, and fixed worse. Most importantly:

you’ve figured out that you know how to figure it out.

It doesn’t need to be expensive. Oh- and when it’s time: yes, you do need the rack with wheels.

You don't need a certification, you don't need a degree, you don't need to "be smart". Just be stubborn and keep trying. Watch the patterns. It's ok to not know. You'll figure it out- or if you don't, you know what it *isn't*, and that's just as good. Just get up and do something.