DIY Mini Rack: Homelab/Personal Cloud

# ⛓️‍💥 My DIY Mini Rack


🔗 [https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab)

## 👀 Overview

As a web developer, I have always overlapped with the devops world a bit. As I have been digging into that side more, I have found a need for infrastructure of my own to experiment with and setup how I really want to. I have also been becoming less and less comfortable recently with relying on cloud providers to store my personal data.

When I discovered [@geerlingguy](https://github.com/geerlingguy) and the [mini rack project](https://github.com/geerlingguy/mini-rack), my homelab vision started to take shape.

I knew I didn't want to buy something off-the-shelf so while I researched and tracked down hardware, I started designing a rack that I could build myself. My design is based on inexpensive 6U rack rails found online. I designed and 3d printed templates to help make the rack sides themselves out of 1/2" birch plywood. The templates locate the bolt holes, and allowed me to shape the sides with a trim router.


💾 [The template](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/blob/main/3D/rack-sides-template-parts.stl) can be shortened to 4U by removing the spacers, or expanded to 8U+ by adding more spacers.

I then found and designed mounts for the hardware I wanted to house. I am working with a Bambu A1 Mini 3D printer, so everything had to be designed in multiple pieces that could be joined together after printing.


- 🔗 [The hard drive mount was adapted from this file on MakerWorld](https://makerworld.com/en/models/1430035-deep-version-1u-10-inch-rack-hard-drive-enclosure#profileId-1486854)
- 🔗 [My A1 Mini profile is here](https://makerworld.com/en/models/1430035-deep-version-1u-10-inch-rack-hard-drive-enclosure#profileId-2086448)

Printing it harlequin-style was just more fun.

## 📋 Rack Details


### 🖱️ Hardware
1. [Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway](https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/cloud-gateways-compact/collections/cloud-gateway-max)
2. [HDMI KVM](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWNDX4VL/)
3. [Ubiquiti Flex Mini 2.5Gb switch](https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/switching-utility/products/usw-flex-2-5g-5)
4. [GeeekPi/52Pi EP-0249 5v USB power supply module](https://wiki.52pi.com/index.php?title=EP-0249)
5. Dev Server: Dell OptiPlex 3070 w/2.5Gb (Ubuntu)
6. Media Server: Intel Mac Mini (Ubuntu)
7. Reserved for RaspberryPi
8. NAS: [Zima Blade](https://shop.zimaspace.com/products/zimablade-deskbuild-nas-kit) w/2.5Gb (Debian/OpenMediaVault)
9. [2x10TB drives](https://www.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-red-pro-sata-hdd) (mirrored)

### 🔩 Other Parts
- [6U Rack Rails](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RYR49RZ/)
- [GeeekPi 1U mini rack shelf](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5XGSPXD/)
- [Voltage regulator for HDs](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQNHMD74/)
- [GeeekPi CAT6 keystones](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F65YSP3C/)
- [40mm Fans](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZY7X4CR/)
- [Monoprice patch cables](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N52YY4O/)
- [SATA Connectors](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKXFKM5/)

### 🤖 Primary Tech Stack


- [Debian/OpenMediaVault](https://docs.openmediavault.org/en/8.x/index.html)
- [Ubuntu](https://ubuntu.com/)
- [UniFi](https://ui.com/)
- [Cloudflare](https://www.cloudflare.com/)
- [Mullvad](https://mullvad.net/en)
- [Backblaze B2](https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-storage)
- [Vault](https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault)
- [Docker](https://www.docker.com/)
- [Restic](https://restic.net/)
- [Roon](https://roon.app/en/core)
- [Jellyfin](https://jellyfin.org/)
- [Immich](https://immich.app/)
- [Paperless-ngx](https://docs.paperless-ngx.com/)
- [Baserow](https://baserow.io/)
- [AppFlowy Cloud](https://appflowy.com/docs/self-host-appflowy-deploy-appflowy-cloud)
- [TRMNL BYOD/S](https://docs.trmnl.com/go/diy/byod-s)
- [Trellis](https://roots.io/trellis/)

Everything in the rack is on a private VLAN managed via the gateway, and uses Restic and Backblaze B2 to implement a nightly 3-2-1 backup approach.

### 🔮 Future Plans
- UPS
- RaspberryPi/PiHole
- Remote KVM
- Move remaining network/cameras to Ubiquiti
- More GPU/compute for local AI

## 🗃️ Project Files

**📓 [Setup Handbook](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/SETUP.md)**
*Reference on setting up and securing core services and applications.*

**⚙️ [Config Files](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/configs/)**
*Semi-templated files referenced by setup steps in handbook.*

**🗄️ 3D Files**
*STLs for parts I designed.*
💾 [Badge](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/3D/badge.stl)
💾 [Dell Mount](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/3D/dell-mount.stl)
💾 [Mac Mini Mount](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/3D/mac-mini-mount.stl)
💾 [Pi/Zima Blade Mount](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/3D/pi-zima-blade-mount.stl)
💾 [Top 2U Front Panel](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/3D/top-2u-panel.stl)
💾 [Misc. Back Parts](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/3D/rack-back-parts.stl)
💾 [Rack Sides Template Parts](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/3D/rack-sides-template-parts.stl)
💾 [Rack Side Inserts](https://github.com/ianleckie/homelab/tree/main/3D/rack-side-inserts.stl)

## 📷 Images


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