Forensics Byte Homelab Build Log

Phase 2: First Power-On and Platform Validation

Status

The NAS host is alive. Phase 2 wraps up with a clean POST, both NVMe boot drives visible, the HBA detected and reporting correctly, and the BIOS configured for a TrueNAS SCALE install. The platform is ready. The next log entry is where the real storage work begins.

Where Phase 2 Started

Phase 1 left off with the hardware fully assembled: the MSI PRO B760M-P DDR4 seated in the case, the Intel i5-12500 in the socket, 64GB of DDR4 at 3200 MHz across the slots, two WD Blue SN5000 500GB NVMe drives in M2_1 and M2_2, and the LSI HBA tucked into a PCIe slot. Everything was physically in place. Phase 2 was supposed to be the easy part: flip the switch, confirm a POST, start poking around BIOS. That is mostly how it went, except for a detour that took longer than it should have and taught a lesson I already knew but apparently needed a refresher on.

Homelab Build Log, Phase 1: The NAS Takes Shape

This is the first entry in what I expect will be a multi-part build log. The full homelab is a dual-host setup, and I am splitting it deliberately into two machines with two very different jobs. This post covers the NAS, which is the first host to reach a meaningful assembly milestone. The second host, a Proxmox compute node, will get its own thread once the NAS is stable and running.

Overview

There is something satisfying about building infrastructure from scratch, not because the process is always smooth, but because every decision leaves a visible trace in the final result. This post documents the current state of my home lab, a two-host architecture that separates dedicated NAS duties from a virtualization platform. It covers the hardware inventory, how services are distributed across the two hosts, the decision forks I worked through during the build, and the real-world market pressures that shaped what I actually purchased versus what I originally planned.