Upgrading My Personal Cloud: A Week of Hardware, VMs, and Docker Magic

First up, I tackled my hardware. My old setup was starting to show its age, so I upgraded to some beefier components. I installed a new server with more RAM and faster storage to handle all my virtual machines and containers more efficiently. It's like going from driving a trusty old car to a brand-new sports car – everything is so much smoother and faster now.

Once the hardware was in place, I turned my attention to the virtual machines. I upgraded all my VMs to the latest versions, which was a bit of a marathon but totally worth it. One of the most exciting additions was the new Proxmox Mail Gateway. It’s a robust solution for filtering and securing emails, and it’s already proving to be a great addition to my setup. I also set up new SMTP hosts and webmail services, making my email infrastructure more resilient and user-friendly.

Next on the list was redeploying my Docker Swarm. This was a big project because I have quite a few containers running, each serving a different purpose. Here’s a quick rundown of what I’ve got going on:

• Ghost: This is my go-to for managing my personal website. It’s lightweight and easy to use, which is perfect for my needs.
• Organizr: This one is a real gem. It’s a dashboard that helps me keep track of all my services in one place. No more hunting around for different web interfaces – it’s all right there.
• Radarr: If you’re into movies, Radarr is a must-have. It automates the process of finding and downloading new movies, which is a huge time-saver.
• Sonarr: This is Radarr’s TV-centric cousin. It does the same thing but for TV shows. Keeping up with all my favorite series has never been easier.
• Lidarr: Completing the trio is Lidarr, which handles music. It’s fantastic for managing my music library and keeping it up to date with new releases.
• Jackett: This is the glue that holds Radarr, Sonarr, and Lidarr together. It’s a proxy server that enables these applications to search for content on various torrent sites.
• Transmission: Of course, I need a torrent client to download all this content, and Transmission fits the bill perfectly. It’s reliable and integrates seamlessly with the other apps.

Getting everything set up and running smoothly took a bit of time and effort, but it’s incredibly satisfying to see it all working together like a well-oiled machine. The new hardware has made a huge difference in performance, and the upgraded VMs and Docker containers are running like a dream.

Overall, I’m thrilled with how everything turned out. My personal cloud is now more powerful, efficient, and user-friendly than ever. It’s been a lot of work, but totally worth it. Now, I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of my labor – at least until the next upgrade bug bites!