The Netyeti's Journal

SOP - Updating the Home Lab

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SOP: Updating the Home Lab

The Instructor's Perspective

In the Army, we had “maintenance schedules” for all our equipment. In your home lab, your software is that equipment. Updating your home lab isn’t just about getting the latest features; it’s about keeping your network secure and reliable. This SOP will ensure your lab stays in “mission-ready” condition.

1. Preparation (The Recon Phase)

  • Check for Updates: Review the update logs for your hypervisor, firewall, and core services.
  • Review Release Notes: Are there any breaking changes or critical security fixes?
  • Verify Backups: Ensure your Proxmox Backup Server and Vaultwarden backups are current.

2. Maintenance (The Action Phase)

  1. Update Hypervisor: Start with your Proxmox nodes. Use apt update && apt dist-upgrade.
  2. Update Firewall: Check for updates for your Firewall.
  3. Update Core Services: Update your DNS, DHCP, and Vaultwarden services.
  4. Update LXCs and VMs: Run apt update && apt upgrade on all your containers and virtual machines.
  5. Reboot if Necessary: Some updates (like kernels) require a reboot to take effect.

3. Verification (The After Action Phase)

  1. Verify Services: Ensure all your critical services are running and accessible.
  2. Check the Logs: Review the logs for any errors or warnings.
  3. Verify Backups: Ensure that your backups are still working after the updates.
  4. Conduct an AAR: Use the AAR template to document any issues or unexpected behaviors.

4. Lab Maintenance Reliability (The PACE Plan)

Operational Discipline

P (Primary): Regular, automated updates for all core services. A (Alternate): Manual updates for complex or critical services. C (Contingency): Roll back to the previous snapshot or backup if an update fails. E (Emergency): Re-install the service from scratch using an Ansible playbook.

Check for Understanding

  • Why should we update our hypervisor (Primary) before our virtual machines (Alternate)?
  • What happens if an update fails? (Hint: Check your Contingency plan).

Status: (Complete / In-Progress) Related Tasks:

  • Conduct AAR
  • Update documentation
  • Share with community

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