1. Introduction to Home Labs

A home lab is a personal network environment where you can test and learn new technologies. Using Proxmox VE, TrueNAS, and OPNsense, you can create a powerful and flexible home lab setup.

• Proxmox VE: An open-source virtualization platform that allows you to run multiple virtual machines (VMs) and containers.
• TrueNAS: An open-source storage operating system that provides network-attached storage (NAS) capabilities.
• OPNsense: An open-source firewall and routing platform.

2. Hardware Requirements

To set up your home lab, you’ll need the following hardware:

• A powerful server or desktop with a multi-core processor (Intel Xeon or AMD Ryzen recommended), at least 16 GB of RAM, and multiple hard drives or SSDs.
• Network Interface Cards (NICs): At least two NICs for separating management and network traffic.
• A reliable internet connection.
• A dedicated switch to connect your devices.

3. Installing Proxmox VE

Example Steps:

Download Proxmox VE:

• Visit the Proxmox VE download page and download the latest ISO.

Create a Bootable USB Drive:

• Use a tool like Rufus to create a bootable USB drive with the Proxmox VE ISO.
• Open Rufus, select your USB drive, choose the Proxmox VE ISO, and click “Start.”

Install Proxmox VE:

• Boot your server from the USB drive.
• Select “Install Proxmox VE” from the boot menu.
• Follow the on-screen instructions, including agreeing to the EULA, selecting the target hard drive, and configuring basic network settings.

Access the Proxmox Web Interface:

• After installation, access the web interface by navigating to https://<your-server-ip>:8006 in your web browser.
• Login using the default username root and the password you set during installation.

4. Configuring Proxmox VE

Example Steps:

Create a Cluster (Optional):

• If you have multiple Proxmox servers, go to Datacenter > Cluster > Create Cluster on the primary node.
• Note the join information, then on additional nodes, go to Datacenter > Cluster > Join Cluster and enter the join information.

Update Proxmox VE:

• Access the server via SSH or the Proxmox web shell and run:
  bash apt update apt upgrade -y
• Reboot the server if necessary.

Set Up Storage:

• Go to Datacenter > Storage and add local storage or configure additional storage options like NFS or iSCSI.

Networking Configuration:

• Go to Datacenter > Nodes > Your Node > Network.
• Configure bridges for VM networking by adding a Linux Bridge and assigning a network interface to it.

5. Installing TrueNAS as a Virtual Machine

Example Steps:

Download TrueNAS:

• Visit the TrueNAS download page and download the ISO.

Create a TrueNAS VM in Proxmox:

• In the Proxmox web interface, go to Datacenter > Node > Create VM.
• Enter the VM ID and Name.
• In the OS tab, select Do not use any media.
• In the CD/DVD tab, select the TrueNAS ISO.
• Allocate resources in the CPU, Memory, and Hard Disk tabs (e.g., 2 CPUs, 8 GB RAM, and a suitable disk size).

Install TrueNAS:

• Boot the VM and follow the installation wizard to install TrueNAS.
• Select Install/Upgrade, choose the target disk, and set the root password.

6. Configuring TrueNAS for Storage

Example Steps:

Initial Setup:

• Access the TrueNAS web interface at http://<truenas-ip>.
• Complete the initial setup wizard, including setting the admin password and configuring the network.

Configure Storage Pools:

• Go to Storage > Pools > Add to create a new storage pool.
• Select the available disks, configure the RAID level, and create the pool.

Set Up Shares:

• Go to Sharing and set up SMB, NFS, or iSCSI shares as needed.
• For SMB, go to Sharing > Windows (SMB) Shares > Add, select the dataset, and configure share settings.

Networking:

• Ensure TrueNAS is connected to the appropriate network bridges configured in Proxmox.

7. Installing OPNsense as a Virtual Machine

Example Steps:

Download OPNsense:

• Visit the OPNsense download page and download the ISO.

Create an OPNsense VM in Proxmox:

• In the Proxmox web interface, go to Datacenter > Node > Create VM.
• Enter the VM ID and Name.
• In the OS tab, select Do not use any media.
• In the CD/DVD tab, select the OPNsense ISO.
• Allocate resources in the CPU, Memory, and Hard Disk tabs (e.g., 2 CPUs, 2 GB RAM, and a suitable disk size).
• Add multiple network interfaces for WAN and LAN.

Install OPNsense:

• Boot the VM and follow the installation wizard to install OPNsense.
• Assign the interfaces and configure the network during installation.

8. Configuring OPNsense for Network Management

Example Steps:

Initial Setup:

• Access the OPNsense web interface at http://<opnsense-ip>.
• Complete the initial setup wizard, including setting the admin password.

Configure Interfaces:

• Go to Interfaces > Assignments to assign network interfaces to WAN and LAN.
• Configure the IP address, subnet, and gateway for each interface.

Set Up Firewall Rules:

• Go to Firewall > Rules > LAN and WAN to create rules for managing traffic.
• For example, create a rule to allow LAN to WAN traffic:
  • Action: Pass
  • Interface: LAN
  • Source: LAN net
  • Destination: Any

Additional Features:

• Set up VPN by going to VPN > OpenVPN > Wizards.
• Configure intrusion detection by going to Services > Intrusion Detection.

9. Integrating Proxmox VE, TrueNAS, and OPNsense

Example Steps:

Network Integration:

• Ensure all VMs and your Proxmox server are connected through the OPNsense VM for network management.
• Configure Proxmox VM network settings to use OPNsense as the gateway.

Storage Integration:

• In Proxmox, go to Datacenter > Storage > Add and choose NFS or iSCSI.
• Enter the TrueNAS server IP, export path, and configure other settings.

Backup and Snapshots:

• Configure backups for your VMs by going to Datacenter > Backup.
• Schedule regular snapshots of storage pools in TrueNAS by going to Tasks > Snapshots > Add.

10. Best Practices and Advanced Tips

Example Steps:

Regular Backups:

• Schedule regular backups of your VMs and data by setting up jobs in Proxmox and TrueNAS.

Security:

• Regularly update your systems by running apt update && apt upgrade in Proxmox and using the update features in TrueNAS and OPNsense.
• Configure strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication where possible.

Resource Allocation:

• Monitor resource usage using the Proxmox web interface and adjust VM allocations as needed.
• Ensure you do not over-commit memory and CPU resources to avoid performance issues.

Learning and Experimentation:

• Use your home lab to experiment with new technologies and configurations.
• Document your setups and configurations for future reference and to aid in troubleshooting.

By following these detailed steps, you’ll have a robust and flexible home lab environment using Proxmox VE, TrueNAS, and OPNsense.