Case Study | Linux Homelab Automation

Repository

Problem

Server builds were manual and inconsistent. Rebuilding nodes after hardware changes or OS updates required repeated steps, leading to drift and configuration errors.

Scope: 8 nodes, 3 environments

Timeline: 5 weeks

Stack: Bash, Ansible, Cron, Rsync

Role: DevOps Engineer

Architecture Diagram

New Node
  |
Bootstrap Script
  |
Ansible Playbooks
  |
Baseline Config + Services
  |
Backup Agent -> NAS / Remote Storage

Setup Steps

Run bootstrap script to install base packages and hardening.
Register node in Ansible inventory and assign roles.
Apply baseline playbooks for services and monitoring.
Enable scheduled backups and verification routines.

Screenshots

Dashboard Placeholder

Dashboards: Backup status and node health overview.

Alert Placeholder

Alerts: Backup failures and disk capacity warnings.

Infrastructure Placeholder

Infrastructure View: Inventory and configuration drift summary.

Metrics

New node provisioning reduced from ~2.5 hours to ~25 minutes (≈83% faster).
Configuration drift incidents reduced from ~6/month to ~1/month.
Backup success rate improved to ~98% with monthly restore drills.

Suggested validation sources: Ansible run logs, backup reports, restore drill notes.

Lessons Learned

Bootstrap scripts should remain small and focus on essentials.
Tagging playbooks improves reusability and speed.
Backups are only trusted after verified restores.