Building a home lab for more hands
on experience
There is some debate about home labs, some say that they are
not relevant to the real world and others believe that they are an invaluable
learning tool. I believe that it is a great tool that allows you to not only
learn with hands on experience but also allows you to build business class
networks.
In building a home lab you have the ability to create a
complete network from scratch, both design and implementation. This also gives
you the ability to make the wiring nice and clean as well as functional.
Creating a home lab also give you the ability to create a small business style
environment that would make any small business jealous.
Router
Sophos is one of several companies that allow you, for home
use only, the ability to use their very powerful firewall software for free.
You do have to install it on your own hardware but the software is free and is
a true business grade Unified Threat Management (UTM) Firewall. Not all UTM’s
are set up the same, in reality though they are all based on the same general
principles and for the most part design structure.
Antivirus
With the Sophos UTM you also have access to their antivirus
software as well as the remote management console. This gives you the ability
to remotely install and control the antivirus software from a single console.
This gives you the ability to make custom controlled and deployed solutions.
Virtualization
In today’s business environments most systems are
virtualized. There are several different solutions that are available, some are
free and others are not. Hyper-V is a free solution that is a true hypervisor,
it is available free from Microsoft the only catch is that it is does not have
a GUI. It is all command based, but a great example of how to put your PowerShell
knowledge to use.
Backup solutions
As is the running theme here there are several different
solutions available for you to choose from. Altaro has a free solution for VMs,
this is another feature rich solution that is the same as their commercial
solution but is limited to only two VMs. This is very similar to many other
backup solutions that are used in that you can make incremental backups as well
as automatic schedules.
Veeam also has a very powerful and free solution. VeeamZip
is a backup software that is incredibly fast and incredible easy to use, it
also condenses the backups down by as much as 60%. It also allows you to
restore a VM in almost no time at all.
Help
desk and asset management
Spiceworks has a free solution for help desk software as
well as asset management, amongst other free things. They also run a very large
tech community that is an invaluable asset when you are both learning as well
as in the field. They also have a network monitoring solution that gives you a
great view and understanding of your network. Most companies use a ticketing
system and most use a form of asset management
PBX
A PBX unit is a staple in almost every business in the
world. The phones and the POE switch may not be free but having a fully
functioning PBX gives you the ability to have separate extension for phones as
well as a fully integrated voicemail system. FreePBX is great feature rich
software that is free for use; this has all of the features of any big name PBX
software.
Documentation
When you create your network you need to document your
network. In the real world documentation is a critical aspect of any IT
job. Documentation should be at the for
front of any design and change in the network, especially with a home lab. You
may walk away from your lab for a few months and go back and not remember what
the IP address is of some of your equipment, this should be in your
documentation just like any other business. It may sound like I am harping on
this a little and I will tell you, yes I am, this is because of the important
of proper documentation.
Equipment
The nice thing about a home lab is that you do not have to
have the most expensive equipment in it. Some people will build an elaborate
desktop computer to work as a virtual host for their lab, for me used servers
are the greatest value. Through secondary sellers, not manufactures, you are
able to get very nice used equipment at a very reasonable price. Hard drives
are generally the most expensive part of a home lab and this is something you
should buy new.
Wireless networking is a staple in most modern small
business environments. Wireless access points and repeaters are common place, especially
many access points to cover a very dense area. Once again this is where buying
used business equipment can come in handy, it may not be the newest units but
they have great throughput.
A network switch is part of the core of the network, many
have web based management consoles that make it easier to manage and
administer. Once again used business grade equipment is a cost effective and
safe solution. Remember when you are designing and implementing your network to
be sure and run your cables like a professional. There are many examples of
what not to do when running cable and some just make the person who ran the
cables look like they are inept at their jobs.
Your home lab network is just that, your design and your implementation.
A home lab can be a great learning tool when you are just getting your feet wet
in the field, but it is also a great tool when it comes to certifications.
Hands on experience with the software and hardware you will be using or testing
on allow for a better understanding of how it works and interacts with other
programs. Build design and enjoy.
Scott Gamet
MCTS Windows 7
CCENT
A+, Net+
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