In progress
Homelab Kubernetes Cluster
A bare-metal, highly available Kubernetes cluster built on HP EliteDesk mini PCs with Talos Linux, documented from the first boot onwards.
- Talos Linux
- Kubernetes
- Flannel
- HP EliteDesk 800 G4
- 10-inch rack
Usman Khan
I keep systems up for a living, then go home and break my own.
I'm a DevOps and platform engineering leader in the UK. This is where I write up what I build — and what breaks.
Projects(1)
Latest writing
Homelab networking: the part everyone skips
An IP address plan for a bare-metal Kubernetes cluster on an ordinary home network: DHCP reservations, a floating API address, and room to grow.
- #homelab
- #networking
- #dhcp
- #kubernetes
Designing the lab: hardware, rack and power
Why five identical HP EliteDesk mini PCs, how I split the memory, and what it took to fit a Kubernetes cluster into a 10-inch rack on a corner shelf.
- #homelab
- #hardware
- #rack
- #bare-metal
Why I'm building a bare-metal Kubernetes homelab
Five second-hand mini PCs, a 10-inch rack and a plan: why I'm building Kubernetes from the metal up, and the decisions that shaped it.
- #homelab
- #kubernetes
- #talos
- #bare-metal
Coming up
Remote management: a rack with no monitorNext
How I power, watch and recover five nodes on a corner shelf without ever plugging in a screen.
My first Talos install
Every step from blank disk to a working control plane: what went smoothly, what didn't, and what I'd do differently.
The failover I didn't plan
I powered off a control-plane node by accident. Here's what the cluster did.
The nodes that wouldn't boot after a power cut
A firmware mystery that had nothing to do with Kubernetes.
MeshCentral slowed my nodes to 10 Mbps
Tracking down a network speed problem caused by a remote-management tool.
Why a sixth node?
The cluster started with five. Here's what changed.
New posts as the build progresses — follow on LinkedIn, Bluesky or RSS