Proxmox

Homelab backup strategy: 3-2-1 in practice, not just in theory

Most posts about backup explain the 3-2-1 rule and then show a setup that follows it. I can’t write that post yet. What I can do is go through the rule, hold my own homelab up against it, and show where it falls short today.

The 3-2-1 rule, briefly

Backblaze puts the rule in one sentence: “keep three copies of your data on two different media with one copy off-site” [1]. The three copies include the original, so it is the data you work on plus two more [1]. “Two different media” comes from the time of tape and CDs. Today Backblaze reads it as two different devices [1]. Off-site means a place that a fire, a burglary or a lightning strike at home doesn’t reach.

Proxmox from scratch · Part 1

Setting up a Proxmox Virtual Environment server

This is the first part of Proxmox from scratch. By the end of it you have a server running Proxmox Virtual Environment, reachable from a browser and up to date. The following parts build on it: virtual machines, containers, storage, networking and backups.

Everything here is done on Proxmox VE 9.2, which came out in May 2026 [7]. If you find an older guide for version 8, be aware that 8 stopped getting security updates on 31 August 2026 [7].

Homelab Handbook: Getting Started is now available

My first guide is out. Homelab Handbook: Getting Started is a practical, no-nonsense handbook for turning an affordable used PC into your first homelab, and it’s available now from the Kaddu Systems shop.

What it is and who it’s for

A homelab is simply a computer (or a few) that you run at home to host services you’d otherwise pay someone else for, or hand your data to.

It can also be a playground where you can experiment and learn new skills, without affecting your production systems and important data.