Homelab Journal #25: Rebalancing storage took much longer than expected
Week twenty-five of the SmallGrid homelab: adding a used 4TB hard drive, moving data from the drive it replaced, and discovering how long a safe storage rebalance really takes.
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Homelab Journal #24: The setup finally feels boring, which is the point
Week twenty-four of the SmallGrid homelab: reaching a useful, stable baseline and choosing small improvements over constant rebuilding.
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Homelab Journal #23: Turning notes into SmallGrid guides
Week twenty-three of the SmallGrid homelab: turning beginner mistakes, fixes, and repeated checks into useful guides for the site.
Read entry →Realistic progress, not perfect progress.
The journal follows a beginner-friendly home lab build over time: choosing hardware, installing Jellyfin, fixing permissions, measuring power, testing backups, and slowly making the setup less ridiculous to explain.
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Browse guides → Homelab Journal #25: Rebalancing storage took much longer than expected
Week twenty-five of the SmallGrid homelab: adding a used 4TB hard drive, moving data from the drive it replaced, and discovering how long a safe storage rebalance really takes.
Homelab Journal #24: The setup finally feels boring, which is the point
Week twenty-four of the SmallGrid homelab: reaching a useful, stable baseline and choosing small improvements over constant rebuilding.
Homelab Journal #23: Turning notes into SmallGrid guides
Week twenty-three of the SmallGrid homelab: turning beginner mistakes, fixes, and repeated checks into useful guides for the site.
Homelab Journal #22: Making the setup less embarrassing to explain
Week twenty-two of the SmallGrid homelab: simplifying the mental model so the setup can be explained without a whiteboard and a nervous laugh.
Homelab Journal #21: The first tidy rebuild plan
Week twenty-one of the SmallGrid homelab: planning how I would rebuild the server if I had to, without pretending memory counts as a disaster recovery plan.
Homelab Journal #20: Documentation, because future me is unreliable
Week twenty of the SmallGrid homelab: writing down server paths, service ports, backup steps, and the things I keep pretending I will remember.
Homelab Journal #19: Quiet storage and the anti-jet-engine policy
Week nineteen of the SmallGrid homelab: making storage quieter, tidier, and less likely to become the loudest thing in the room.
Homelab Journal #18: Monitoring without building mission control
Week eighteen of the SmallGrid homelab: adding simple checks for uptime, disk space, and temperature without creating a dashboard addiction.
Homelab Journal #17: Starter services and the menu problem
Week seventeen of the SmallGrid homelab: choosing a small self-hosted starter stack instead of installing every useful-looking service at once.
Homelab Journal #16: Docker looked useful, so I made rules
Week sixteen of the SmallGrid homelab: trying Docker carefully, keeping folders predictable, and avoiding a container-shaped mess.
Homelab Journal #15: The first proper test restore
Week fifteen of the SmallGrid homelab: restoring files on purpose instead of waiting for disaster to provide the learning opportunity.
Homelab Journal #14: DNS, where confidence goes to be corrected
Week fourteen of the SmallGrid homelab: testing a small DNS change on one device instead of accidentally annoying the whole house.
Homelab Journal #13: Snapshots are not backups, unfortunately
Week thirteen of the SmallGrid homelab: learning where snapshots help, where they do not, and why recovery still needs boring backup work.
Homelab Journal #12: Proxmox entered the chat, quietly
Week twelve of the SmallGrid homelab: testing Proxmox carefully without rebuilding the whole setup just because virtualisation sounded shiny.
Homelab Journal #11: Update day, also known as mild suspense
Week eleven of the SmallGrid homelab: creating a safe update routine instead of pressing upgrade and hoping the vibes were good.
Homelab Journal #10: The storage tidy-up I kept avoiding
Week ten of the SmallGrid homelab: sorting storage paths, mounts, and folders before they became a future troubleshooting gift.
Homelab Journal #9: Remote access without opening the front door
Week nine of the SmallGrid homelab: setting up private remote access and avoiding the temptation to expose services too early.
Homelab Journal #8: Backups, because confidence is not a strategy
Week eight of the SmallGrid homelab: setting up a basic backup routine and admitting that 'it will probably be fine' is not recovery planning.
Homelab Journal #7: Measuring power instead of pretending
Week seven of the SmallGrid homelab: using real power readings instead of vibes, optimism, and suspicious mental maths.
Homelab Journal #6: Learning how Jellyfin plays files
Week six of the SmallGrid homelab: checking Jellyfin playback mode before buying more hardware.
Homelab Journal #5: Naming files like an adult
Week five of the SmallGrid homelab: organising Jellyfin media folders properly and learning that metadata matching is not magic.
Homelab Journal #4: Jellyfin appeared, then permissions humbled me
Week four of the SmallGrid homelab: installing Jellyfin, creating media folders, and meeting Linux permissions in the traditional way — confusion first.
Homelab Journal #3: Installing the OS and immediately overthinking it
Week three of the SmallGrid homelab: choosing a simple OS, installing it cleanly, and resisting the urge to rebuild before anything works.
Homelab Journal #2: Inventory, denial, and one sensible cable
Week two of the SmallGrid homelab: taking stock of hardware, admitting the mess, and choosing one boring network path.
Homelab Journal #1: Starting small on purpose
Week one of building my own SmallGrid homelab — decisions, trade-offs, and what I deliberately didn’t do.