I run a Lenovo ThinkServer as an ESXi Hypervisor. This allows me to run various Virtual Machines to power the home network in one consolidated little box. The main storage for the Virtual Machines is based on a Synology DS1813+ via an iSCSI connector.
I used to run various VMs of different sizes on the home network, but now run a number of plain Ubuntu images with the docker engine installed, connected to a swarm. From here everything is in a container:
- DataLogger (for power monitoring)
- DNS Server
- Firewall
- VPN Server
- LogStash
- HA Proxy – load balanced/routed web traffic
- A number of LAMP installs for websites
- Unifi Controller – for access point/networking control
- Home Assistant – many home automations
- LibreNMS (for Server/Service monitoring)
- Plex Media Server
- Printer Server
- And lots of test instances to play around with