Finally put some work towards finishing my home network.I decided to expand my existing home server project and build my first complete network rack environment. The goal of this upgrade was to improve network organization.
In this project, I handled the cabling, set up the rack equipment, and got the network infrastructure up and running.
Hardware
HP Microserver G7 N54L (existing server from the 2018 project)
Cisco ASA 5510 Firewall
Linksys SR216
Linksys WRT54GS
Hikvision NVR-104-A-4P
Cat5e Patch Panel
Power Distribution Unit
6U 19” Network Cabinet
Network and Infrastructure
The Cisco ASA 5510 was configured as the main edge firewall and router for the home network. It handled:
DHCP and DNS services
NAT/PAT
Basic ACL firewall rules
The Linksys WRT54GS running OpenWRT was used as a wireless access point, while the Hikvision NVR provided CCTV monitoring and recording.
This project was one of the first major steps in building my home lab environment. The goal was to recreate a small business server infrastructure based on my real professional experience as an IT Technician.
At work, I previously deployed a Debian Linux server as an additional Active Directory Domain Controller for an existing Windows SBS 2008 R2 environment. In this project, I decided to go one step further and build a complete small business infrastructure based entirely on Linux Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS and Samba4.
Hardware:
HP Microserver G7 N54L
120GB Kingston SSD (Operating System)
2x 320GB WD SATA drives (RAID1 data storage)
2x 8GB Kingston DDR3 ECC RAM
Software and Services:
Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS
Samba4 Active Directory Domain Controller
DNS and NTP services
Group Policy Management (GPO)
Roaming Profiles
RAID1 storage
Backup services
NextCloud private cloud
CUPS print server
Active Directory Users and Computers
DNS Management
Group Policy Management
The server was configured as the main Active Directory Domain Controller using Samba4. I created domain users, shared folders, roaming profile paths, and centralized authentication for Windows clients.
Windows clients were joined to the domain, and I used RSAT tools from Windows workstations to manage services such as:
From time to time, I also used the samba-tool command-line utility directly on the Ubuntu server for administration tasks.
After the domain environment was working correctly, I deployed NextCloud on the same server and integrated it with Samba4 and Active Directory authentication. This allowed domain users to access their files both through standard network shares and through the NextCloud web interface.
The final step was deploying a CUPS print server and sharing a network printer for domain users.
This project helped me better understand Linux administration, Active Directory concepts, Samba4 integration, centralized management, and self-hosted infrastructure.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in the CCNA (ITN) Module 1 training. Below is a draft version of the LAN's project (click on the image below to open the PDF).
Nextcloud is a open source project that makes a private cloud platform. Access, share and protect your files, calendars, contacts, communication and more at home and in your enterprise.
1. Software Raid1 (mirror) configuration during installation process.
2. Nextcloud installation on Debian 9 Stretch.
3. Complete the Nextcloud installation via browser.
