Hello,
I installed Pop OS on an intel nuc…to learn about linux and learn alternatives to Mac OS and windows. I had the idea to then install Start OS as a virtual machine on this Pop OS computer. Does this make any kind of sense or is it counter to the point of StartOS…should the Start OS be the main or only operating system on a server?
Has anyone made a case for the pros and cons of running start OS as a virtual machine on
a linux distro such as Pop OS, or windows etc….
This is what I did. I’m running Proxmox hypervisor on an intel nuc 13, with StartOS as a virtual machine. Works great! (I used the x86_nonfree image).
I also let it join my docker swarm so I could easily deploy some monitoring tools on it (like telegraf, glances and lndmon). Note that that setup is totally unsupported, but it works nicely in my homelab
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This is a great way to play with or learn about StartOS. If this is a desktop machine however, it would maybe make less sense to run a server VM on it. Servers are designed to be online 24/7/365, and anytime your desktop was down (restarting, hibernating, etc), then your server would be unavailable. Many folks will run on a dedicated server as a VM however, which can allow additional flexibility in storage, etc.
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This sounds cool, would you be willing to post a write-up in the DIY, Hacking, & How-To section for others?
The intel nuc is great for a homelab server with proxmox. I choose Proxmox over esxi or Hyper-V because (from what I could find) it is the only hypervisor supporting the P and E cores of the nuc13. It’s meant to be online 24/7, hence why I installed StartOS as a VM, so I could use the nuc also for other vm’s/lxc containers and play around with it, without affecting startos or rebooting the host.
I’ll try to write something up as soon as i’m done with the setup.
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Thanks remcoros, I was only yesterday looking at hypervisors type 1 and 2 and proxmox …
I’m still interested in the pros and cons in terms of self-sovereignty and security risks…but am IT relatively naive. I will see about running startOS as a VM on my Intel - RNUC12WSHI70000 with popOS….but would like another intel nuc and start with proxmox…does it have to be intel nuc 13…?
I don’t have much hands-on experience this is my first home server too, but from what i’ve read people have been using proxmox since the earlier nucs (11 was very popular), I guess any mini pc/server will do that can run Debian linux.
As far as security risks, managing your own server / home network always opens you up to your own “mistakes” or misconfigurations, versus using an out-of-the box appliance where you cannot (and should not) modify too much of the internals.
For my home lan, I don’t open any ports on my router from the outside. My router/modem supports a main Wifi and a Guest wifi network (separated from the main lan), so I disabled the main wifi and use the guest wifi for my phone and family/friends so they (or anyone cracking the wifi from outside the house) cannot access the lan. The only way to get in is to physically enter the house, which is fine for me.
Using VM’s may give you slightly more control over networking security, e.g. with proxmox you can enable the firewall on the datacenter/ node and vm level, on top of whatever the OS inside the vm uses. But that’s only about networking and ports.
If you plan on using a VM with for example docker and start using all kinds of 3rd party applications and services, you have to know what they are, what they do, etc. But that’s basically the same advice as using a personal/office computer and what you download/install on that.
If you like to learn and play around with different OS distributions, I would definitely install a hypervisor on the server and use VMs. It’s very easy to spin a new one up, play around, make clones/snapshots, remove them again, try something else, etc.
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Thanks Dave, no I am using an intel nuc 12 and mb 13…also your comment reinforces the reason for/importance of… ethernet connection
Remcoros, Thanks for your detailed response…it’ll all be a great help on the learning curve!!