Home Server Rack Setup: Compact & Low-Powered

Overview

In this post, I’m jotting down my ideas for my home server rack setup that’s designed to be decently performant, compact, and most importantly, low-powered. The goal is to create a small and efficient system for my home server needs, focusing on power efficiency.

Physical Rack Setup

Rack Dimensions & Structure

• 8U rack 10”: Custom 3D-printed panels with a white color scheme for improved visibility and a clean aesthetic.
• 3D-printed custom panels for each U, made from a smooth matte white finish to enhance legibility and contrast with labels and displays.

Components & Layout

• 8-port patch panel: Positioned at the top with white custom design and cable management.
• PoE-enabled switch: A cheap, managed 8-port 2.5GbE switch with VLAN support. May need room for a second switch
• E-paper screens (1.5”): Embedded into each U, showing device status and icons, benefiting from the white background for high contrast and easy visibility.
• Raspberry Pi nodes (3 units): Mounted in custom white 3D-printed enclosures with cable management. These will serve as nodes for my OpenHPC cluster.
• NAS (WayPonDEV CM3588 with 4TB NVMe in ZFS): Positioned at the bottom with 12Tb usable in RAIDZ1 running OMV
• 6-outlet PDU: Mounted at the rear vertically, providing power to the entire rack.

Power Considerations

• PoE Powering: The Raspberry Pi nodes are powered via PoE, reducing the need for additional power adapters and cables.
• Efficient Power Distribution: A 6-outlet PDU efficiently manages power, providing power-saving options.
• UPS: Possible to mount a small UPS on the bottom off the unit with DIN rails
• Low-Power Components: The PoE-powered Raspberry Pi units, WayPonDEV CM3588 NAS, and PoE switch are selected for their low-power characteristics, minimizing the overall energy consumption.
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Design & Aesthetic

• White 3D-Printed Panels: Clean, minimalist design with white 3D-printed panels, keeping everything visually organized.
• Efficient Cooling: Natural airflow with ventilation slots in the 3D-printed panels to keep components cool with options of active fans, which will be turned on when components become hot.

Overall Design Summary

This rack setup is built to be compact, low-powered, and performant. By focusing on PoE, low-power components, and a custom design, the system is both efficient and scalable for future upgrades.

Software Stack

Here’s the software stack that will run on this hardware setup:

1. OpenMediaVault (OMV) with ZFS

• OMV will serve as the base operating system for the home server, allowing for flexible storage management. I will use ZFS for the NAS, ensuring reliable data protection and performance with the WayPonDEV CM3588 and a 4TB NVMe drive.

2. Home Assistant

• Home Assistant will be used for home automation, integrating various smart devices in my home, and allowing for central control of z-wave devices, powered monitoring, and more.

3. WireGuard/Tailscale

• WireGuard or Tailscale will provide secure remote access to the server and other devices, ensuring encrypted communication while reducing the need for complex VPN setups. This can run on Home Assistant as a container

4. UniFi Controller

• The UniFi Controller will manage my network infrastructure, including Wi-Fi access points and network switches, allowing for easy network monitoring and management. This can run on Home Assistant as a container

5. Open HPC Cluster

• A Raspberry Pi 4 cluster running OpenHPC will handle distributed computing tasks. The cluster will include a control unit and 3 worker nodes, connected via a PoE-powered switch for efficient power usage.

6. Scrypted

• Scrypted will be used for video surveillance and camera integrations, particularly useful in monitoring my home, especially with devices like security cameras or smart doorbells.

7. Nextcloud

• Nextcloud will act as my cloud storage solution, allowing me to sync files, photos, and other data across devices and provide secure file sharing to external users.

8. Zabbix

• Zabbix will provide monitoring for all devices in the server rack, tracking performance, resource usage, and system health to ensure everything is running optimally. It will be used for alerting on issues like disk usage, memory usage, and network activity.

9. Ansible

• Ansible will be used for automated configuration management and deployment. It will simplify setting up new nodes in my OpenHPC cluster and help automate other administrative tasks across the server and network infrastructure.

10. Pi-hole

• Pi-hole will be installed to provide network-wide ad-blocking and improve network security. It will block unwanted content at the DNS level, reducing ads, tracking, and malicious websites across all devices connected to the network.

Final Thoughts

This setup is designed to meet the needs of my home server environment while being mindful of both space and power. By using low-power devices, PoE for easy cabling, and efficient components like the Raspberry Pi and ZFS, this home lab offers a performant, compact, and power-efficient solution for all my server needs.

The combination of hardware and software creates a scalable, secure, and easily manageable home server environment that can grow with my future needs.