How many PostgreSQL containers are you running in your Docker stacks right now?
I had 6. Now it’s 2.
If your answer is “uh… a lot,” you could consolidate into one VM and do less babysitting and have simpler backups.
Why consolidate PostgreSQL into one VM:
diymediaserver.com/post/2026/co...
Multiple Pi-holes.
One source of truth.
Nebula Sync keeps your Pi-hole v6 fleet in perfect sync… blocklists, local DNS, everything.
No more manual copying between instances.
Setup guide: diymediaserver.com/post/sync-mu...
Ever pct destroy the wrong container?
I have.
I nuked my entire Immich photo server and learned the hard way that “later” isn’t a backup strategy.
Here’s how a Proxmox Backup Server box now saves me from myself:
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/media-s...
If your apps/services, storage, and router all live in one Proxmox box, you basically have a single point of failure wrapped in duct tape and RGB LEDs.
Here is why a dedicated compute node actually matters:
diymediaserver.com/post/media-s...
I used to run my NAS in a Proxmox VM because it felt “cool and efficient.” In reality it was less reliable, had more downtime, and caused way more anxiety than it was worth. Here’s why I’m back to a dedicated box in 2025: diymediaserver.com/post/media-s...
Spent 15 years buying $150 routers every 2 years like a sucker. Then I learned you can just… not do that.
Built a real router for $250 that lasted 6 years and actually tells me when sketchy stuff hits my network.
Your ISP router is trash. Build one that isn’t:
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/media-s...
Thank you. Breaking up my server has given me back so much time to just enjoy the content on the server rather than constantly tinkering with it.
Your homelab shouldn't be a daycare.
Stop babysitting the AIO box.
My 2025 Hardware Guide shows the 4-box setup that just works: router, storage, compute, backup.
Better uptime, and no boot-order roulette.
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/media-s...
Stop chmod -R 777 roulette. 🖥️
Fix “nobody:users” in unpriv Proxmox LXCs with proper UID/GID mapping: why +100000 exists, the exact lxc.idmap lines, and clean NFS/SMB bind mounts.
No day drinking required.
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/masteri...
A complete guide on setting up Tdarr in an unprivileged LXC container with Intel QuickSync support.
✅ Automated H.265 conversion
✅ Reclaim TBs of storage
✅ Hardware acceleration
I have already saved over 700GBs in just two days.
diymediaserver.com/post/setup-t...
New Jellyfin Update!
Some exciting changes. The most exciting for me is the ability to now back up your Jellyfin settings and database from with in Jellyfin.
Check it out:
jellyfin.org/posts/jellyf...
Secure SSH? Think of it as putting pants on your server. Keys, no-root, firewall, Fail2ban.
The party’s invite-only now.
diymediaserver.com/post/complet...
POV: You decide to "quickly" upgrade your Debian LXC containers to Trixie, because Reddit said it was easy.
Turns out systemd 256+ said "nah" to unprivileged containers.
Good news: There's a 5-minute fix.
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/upgrade...
#Homelab #Proxmox
Reddit: “GPU passthrough in Docker is easy!”
Reality: 3AM, permission denied on /dev/dri, Jellyfin ignoring your GPU and beating your CPU like it has an unpaid gambling debt.
Here’s the guide that actually works:
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/install...
Want Jellyfin to transcode with Intel QuickSync without bricking your Proxmox host?
Here’s the step-by-step GPU passthrough guide I wish I had:
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/gpu-pas...
Just upgraded:
Proxmox 8.4.11 to 9.0.5
PBS: 3.46 to 4.0.14
Took about 20mins to do two servers and one backup server.
These guides are perfect:
pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade...
pbs.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade...
So far everything is running fine.
Running SMB without knowing the config options is like driving stick without knowing what a clutch is.
Fix that.
Here’s my guide on how to install and configure SMB.
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/smb-gui...
Running NFS without root_squash? Bold. Not so smart, but bold.
NFS Squash Decoder:
✅root_squash:
Remote root becomes nfsnobody.
❌no_root_squash:
Remote root stays root.
⚠️all_squash:
Every user maps to anonuid.
Here’s how to squash smart and stop the chaos:
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/nfs-gui...
I keep seeing comments like this: "You can't do GPU passthrough in unprivileged LXC!"
That is Complete Bull💩.
I set up Intel QuickSync transcoding in an *unprivileged* LXC on my Proxmox server. Here's the complete guide:
Yes you can access NFS shares too.
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/jellyfi...
Is your VM NAS a ticking time bomb?
Mine “mostly worked”… until Jellyfin in an unprivileged LXC lost half my library.
Mounts failed. Containers booted too early. Total chaos.
Why I Ditched My VM NAS and Went Bare-Metal
(and regained some of my sanity back):
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/why_i_d...
🪦 RIP my old Dell PERC H310. You had a good 10 year run. Now replaced with a new to me LSI 9300-8i. I hope it gives me another 10 years or more.
My wife has said the same. I see it as another life insurance policy. I'm working on simplifying and documenting my setup so she can just hand the documents to someone and they can fix it or tear it down.
Is it still a homelab if the whole family notices when it goes down?
Feels less like tinkering, more like running a business… with impossible-to-please clients.
Congrats! You’re now CIO, CTO, sysadmin, and helpdesk. All unpaid.
And yet somehow… it’s still fun.
I spent 2 years running the Arr suite in unprivileged LXC containers.
It was *fine* until NFS ghosts, stale handles, and permission errors drove me insane.
I rebuilt it all in Docker Compose. It finally works.
Here’s the setup I should’ve used from the start:
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/two-yea...
Yeah, I’ve been radio silent. Between upgrading the blog and dodging the flaming dumpster fire that is U.S. politics right now, social media just hasn’t been the vibe. But don’t worry, I’m still building, still planning on writing more, and still helping orhers anyway I can. Hang in there.
Moved my entire *arr suite from 7 LXCs to Docker in one VM.
Networking issues: gone.
Permission headaches: gone.
Update complexity: gone.
Why I feel Docker is better solution than separate LXCs for the *arr suite:
🔗 diymediaserver.com/post/docker-...
Some of you are asking why I brought my Arr stack back to Docker from LXCs. I'll have a post about my reasons soon.
Also others are asking for my complete Docker Compose and .env files. I will share these with everyone soon.
Right now I'm focusing on the blog to bring you a better user experience.
After months of juggling Sonarr, Radarr, SABnzbd, etc. across separate LXCs, I’ve moved the entire Arr stack back into a single Docker VM.
Less overhead, easier updates, and cleaner permissions.
Sometimes consolidation beats isolation.
#homelab #docker #selfhosted #arrstack
Testing out Debian 13 (Trixie) for my NAS. Feels a lot less bloated than Ubuntu 24.04. Once released, I'll be migrating all of my VMs and LXC containers back to Debian. I just feels more like home than Ubuntu ever did for me.
