Pillar
Storage & Homelab
OSS storage, ZFS, Proxmox, TrueNAS, Unraid, homelab networking, drive selection, backup strategy.
ZFS pool design for a 4-bay homelab: the decisions that actually matter
A practical guide to designing a ZFS pool for a 4-bay homelab in 2026. Mirror vs RAIDZ, drives, ashift, recordsize, special vdevs, and the boring ops that decide if the pool survives.
Building a quiet homelab server in 2025: the parts list and the silence trade-offs
Quiet homelab is now achievable without spending FAANG-money. The hardware is here, the trade-offs are tractable. Here is the working parts list and the noise-vs-capability math.
Proxmox VE in 2025: the default homelab hypervisor, reviewed honestly
Proxmox VE 8.4 ships in April 2025 and remains the homelab hypervisor everyone defaults to. After running it for years across multiple builds, here is what it gets right and the rough edges.
TrueNAS Scale vs Core in 2025: which to pick (and whether the question still matters)
iXsystems has signalled Scale is the future and Core is on a long maintenance tail. The reality is more nuanced. Here is the migration / new-build calculus for a 2025 homelab.