Gear Room / Build 01

A little hardware.
A lot to learn.

Use this as a learning plan. Start with what you own, fill the roles you need, and choose one compute tier. Explore the guides for current retailer selections and exact-configuration checks.

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Your planning checklist

Six steps before the first cable.

01 · Define one workloadList the services, architecture, storage and recovery needs before choosing a host.02 · Plan the network edgeMatch the firewall, switch, ports, speeds and cables. Plan safe recovery access.03 · Choose one compute tierN100, SER5 Pro and UM890 Pro are alternatives. Confirm the complete configuration.04 · Decide whether a Pi adds valueOptional DNS or utility separation; check power, cooling and Arm64 software support.05 · Plan separate backupsChoose capacity, retention and a protected copy. Restore a file and a service configuration.06 · Verify before orderingConfirm exact models, current official requirements, seller and warranty. Check the corresponding guide for the current retailer selection.

These checkboxes are a temporary planning aid in this page. There is no cart, order, saved account or live price total.

Connect the network

Network foundation

Protectli-style firewall appliance

Give the lab a clear boundary. A dedicated x86 appliance runs the routing and firewall policy.

Open planning guide →

Network foundation

TP-Link TL-SG108E

Connect the physical devices and learn how tagged networks travel between them.

Open planning guide →

Choose one compute host.
Tier	Candidate	Workload to investigate	Main check
Budget	Intel N100 mini PC	A focused Linux learning host	Brand, complete model and installed configuration have not been selected.
Balanced	Beelink SER5 PRO Mini PC	Linux service experiments	Existing catalog match; CPU/RAM/storage/NIC variant and merchant destination need verification.
Advanced	MINISFORUM UM890 Pro	A larger planned VM environment	Barebone/prebuilt variant, installed components and retailer listing remain to be selected.

Tier labels describe a planning comparison, not tested capacity, benchmark results or a required three-computer bundle.

Budget · choose one

Intel N100 mini PC

A focused entry point for a small Linux service or a few carefully sized containers.

Open planning guide →

Balanced · choose one

Beelink SER5 PRO Mini PC

An intermediate option to investigate for Linux services, containers and a carefully planned VM setup.

Open buying guide →

Advanced · choose one

MINISFORUM UM890 Pro

A more capable platform to evaluate when a defined workload needs extra resources and expansion.

Open planning guide →

Add utility and recovery

Optional utility node

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Kit / 8GB

An optional little node for DNS, automation or an Arm-compatible service.

Open buying guide →

Recommended separate backup

WD Elements-style USB backup drive

A separate place for recoverable copies of configurations and service data.

Open planning guide →

Software is a separate decision.

OPNsense, Proxmox, Docker and Pi-hole are software examples. They are not Amazon products. Match architecture, hardware support, OS, licensing and current requirements before installation. There is no compatibility promise for an unselected hardware variant.

Retailer links appear on the corresponding current catalog entries. Other roles remain planning guides until a specific listing is selected.