productivity

Most people build a gaming PC. I built a data center in my house.

The NemesisNet Homelab didn’t appear overnight. What started as a single switch and a few experimental VMs turned into a complete, multi-layered infrastructure stack.

This isn’t a “lab” anymore. It’s a platform.

The Mindset

Control

I control the networking, compute, and storage. When something breaks, I fix it.

Security

I own identity, access control, and uptime. No data leaks, no reliance on others.

Knowledge

This is the same environment big companies run, scaled down to one person.

The Rack: Core Infrastructure

Hardware

  • Enterprise-grade rack servers
  • Compact chassis for specialized loads
  • Managed L3 Switches

Capabilities

  • Multiple Hypervisors
  • Logical Network Separation
  • Public & Private Cloud

Power & Redundancy

UPS + Battery Backup

South Africa is not known for stable power. My system ensures graceful shutdowns and stable voltage.

Uptime Protocol:

  • Core Services: Keep running (DNS, Monitoring).
  • Non-Essential: Graceful power down.

Virtualization Layer

Node Type A

Lightweight / High Density

Designed for quick spin-ups, low overhead, and high VM density. Perfect for testing and fleeting labs.

Node Type B

Performance / Clustering

Heavy lifting. Optimized for large VM performance, database clustering, and long-term storage flexibility.

Containers: The Muscle

Containers provide predictability, version control, and clean rollbacks.

Websites
Databases
CI/CD
Analytics
Tunnels
Monitoring

Networking Topology

My network is structured like a mini-ISP, separated by VLANs and secured by internal routing.

[Image of VLAN network segmentation diagram]

Security: Every service runs behind clean subdomains. No IP addresses to remember. No unsafe exposure.

Cloudflare Shield Wall

I don’t expose anything directly to the internet. Everything passes through Cloudflare Tunnels.

Zero Trust

Bot Mitigation

Edge Routing

Storage Strategy

Tier Media Workload
HOT NVMe / SSD VM OS, Databases, Active Containers
WARM Spinning Rust (HDD) Media Archives, File Shares, ISOs
COLD Cloud / Encrypted Disaster Recovery (Off-site)

The Team of One

This ecosystem usually requires a full IT department. I am the:

  • Network Engineer
  • SysAdmin & Cloud Architect
  • Developer & DevOps

Roadmap

Where NemesisNet is going next:

  • Full hypervisor consolidation
  • Dedicated AI-compute hardware
  • Automated provisioning (IaC)
  • Multi-site replication