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Licensing changes in the VMware world pushed a lot of home labbers to look at alternatives. I'm curious what people actually use: Proxmox, Hyper-V, ESXi, something else? Tell us your platform, what hardware it runs on, and one thing you'd do differently if you started over.

If you're studying for the CCNA, this is a great first lab. One router interface, one trunk, two VLANs. interface GigabitEthernet0/0.10 encapsulation dot1Q 10 ip address 192.168.10.1 255.255.255.0 Set the switch port facing the router as a trunk, put hosts in VLANs 10 and 20, and they...

When a box feels sluggish, I don't guess. I check these in order" uptime top or htop free -h df -h journalctl -p err -b Most problems show up in the first two or three. What's your go-to first command?

Most home networks use whatever DNS server the router or internet provider assigns. That works well enough, but running your own DNS server gives you more control—and lets you see what devices on your network are actually doing. AdGuard Home is a simple way to set that up. What Does It Do? DNS...

The connector most people call RJ45 has roots in telephone technology from the 1970s. The familiar Ethernet plug is technically an 8P8C modular connector—eight positions and eight contacts. The name “RJ45” originally referred to a specific Registered Jack telephone wiring standard, not simply...

Kali Linux is a Linux distribution designed primarily for cybersecurity, penetration testing, digital forensics, security research, and network analysis. Unlike a typical desktop Linux distribution, Kali comes with a large collection of security tools and is designed to make those tools readily...

The Human Fallback: Artificial Intelligence Automation and the Cost of Not Thinking

The FCC has continued expanding restrictions on communications and surveillance equipment tied to Chinese manufacturers that it considers national-security risks. A recent FCC Covered List includes equipment from companies such as Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua. The FCC says this...

Could be better racks

Welcome to SnM Labs. This forum is here for networking, cybersecurity, servers, home labs, hardware, programming, mobile tech, school labs, and related discussion. A few simple rules: Don’t be an asshole. Keep posts in the most relevant section. No spam, scams, or obvious self-promotion...

I came across a Reddit post recently where someone handed their unlocked phone to a street photographer. The photographer connected a USB device to the phone, supposedly to transfer photos, and had it connected for about a minute before leaving. The problem is simple: once an unknown device...

A lot of people hear “Windows Server” and assume they need expensive enterprise hardware and a paid license just to learn it. You really don’t. For a home lab, Windows Server 2025 is actually pretty easy to get running. A normal desktop tower with enough RAM and storage is more than enough for...

One thing that gets overlooked with home labs is that you do not need to buy an actual enterprise server to run server workloads. A basic desktop tower can do a lot. An older Dell, HP, Lenovo, or even a custom-built PC with enough RAM and storage can run: Windows Server Linux Active...

You can build a useful lab pretty cheaply with older enterprise equipment. Examples: Cisco ISR 2901 / 2911 routers — often inexpensive and good for routing, NAT, ACLs, VPN concepts, and IOS practice. Cisco Catalyst 2960 / 2960X switches — great for VLANs, trunks, STP, port security, and...

One of the biggest advantages students have now is how easy it is to build a real lab with actual hardware. You don’t need to buy brand-new enterprise gear. Used equipment from eBay, local sellers, surplus auctions, and refurbishers makes it possible to build a pretty serious lab for a...