How-To 

To create a home lab it is simple. You just need the following

1. A Computer 

   • To be used as a server.

   • An old PC (desktop or laptop or both) will work.

   • A new PC can be customized but any pc made with in the last 10 years will work.

2. A flash drive

   • This is to save the operating systems setup files to install on the pc.

   • The size will need to be bigger than 4 gigs.

3. A Network

   • Most Internet Service Providers supply a gateway device that has multiple wireless access points and extra hardwire ports. If not you will need a switch.

4. A Switch

   • This is used to connect multiple devices

5. A Network Attached Storage aka NAS

   • I have two but you can get a cheap single hard drive network storage from Amazon.

   • Makes it easier to store information and mess with network storage setup

6. A whole lot of patience :-)

   • You will make mistakes and will learn a whole lot during

   • Drink some coffee or put on a tv show because sometimes you will need a break

There are two types or labs you can do. I personally use both

1. One type is Docker (Link) <- this is what I use

   • Docker is pretty easy and you can download and install this on Windows and Linux but I only use this with Linux.

   • There are some web user interfaces you can run within docker to administer it

     • Portainer (Link) <- this is what I use

       • This is simple and I have used this for many year.

2. The other type is a Virtual Machine Server

   • Hosting Virtual Machines can be done on Windows and Linux machines also but there are some operating systems designed for this. Below are some of the software I have used and recommend.

     • VirtualBox (Link)

       • Can be installed on Windows or Linux operating systems.

     • Fedora (Link) <- this is what I use ***

       • Is very light weight.

       • Is based on RedHat for its security.

       • Has a web console to be ran headless by cockpit. This is installed by default but it can be installed on most linux flavors.

I have run both and used a simple pc to do it. Here is the hardware I have used in the past.

Network Attached Storage

• You can use a variety of network-attached storage. You could even make your own. Here are some links to a couple I use: Buffalo LinkStation (Link) and Terramaster (Link).

A Computer

• I have two machines and both I have Fedora installed with Cockpit (the headless web ui)

  1. Laptop or a Small Form Factor old PC or a mid-tower. Be resourceful. 

     • I currently use a decommissioned 6-core 48 gig tower for virtual machines, but you could use whatever.

A Purpose

• Make a mission.

  • To do anything without purpose will just give you a slow start. 

Notes

*** You need to do more than installing the os. You need to install the "libvirt" package by "yum install libvirt". Then you will need to reboot and test.

My step by step guide to use Fedora as a virtual machine server through Copilot

Click Here