39c5fdca69
Companion commit to 6bfcc76 (vllm permanent residency cutover). Now that
llama-swap is stopped+disabled and vLLM is the permanent serving layer:
- HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_BASE_URL: llama-swap :8001 -> vLLM :8000
- HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_MODEL: Qwen3.8-27B-Q4_K_M -> Qwen2.5-32B-Instruct-AWQ
- Added HINDSIGHT_API_RETAIN_MAX_COMPLETION_TOKENS=4096 (vLLM's
max_model_len=8192 is far below the 64000 Hindsight retain default;
uncapped this 400s on long retains -- found in t_e6facb19's validation)
- ExternalSecret HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_API_KEY source: 1Password 'nous' item
(unused fallback) -> 1Password 'vllm' item's api-key (vLLM validates
its bearer token, unlike llama-swap which accepted anything)
Embeddings intentionally UNCHANGED -- Hindsight stays on its bundled
local 384-dim embedder (HINDSIGHT_API_EMBEDDINGS_PROVIDER still unset).
Switching to vLLM's nomic-embed (768-dim) is a separate, destructive,
explicitly-approved-only migration (~1300 rows across ~20 banks) --
out of scope here, not part of the dashboard's 'stop llama-swap /
start vLLM' instruction.
mk-labs
Automated infrastructure provisioning and configuration for a personal homelab, built on GitOps practices with clear tool responsibility boundaries.
Architecture
A single operator action — setting a VM record's status to Staged in NetBox — triggers a fully automated provisioning pipeline:
NetBox (webhook) → n8n (validate & orchestrate) → Terraform (create VM + DHCP)
→ Ansible (OS config + DNS + status update)
| Tool | Host | IP | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| NetBox | fire-station | 10.1.71.102 | Source of truth — VM records, IP allocation, VLAN data |
| n8n | tiki-room | 10.1.71.23 | Event orchestration, validation, pipeline sequencing |
| Terraform | city-hall | 10.1.71.35 | Proxmox VM lifecycle, Unifi DHCP reservations |
| Ansible / Semaphore | imagineering | 10.1.71.22 | OS configuration, DNS records, NetBox status updates |
| Proxmox | fantasyland | 10.1.71.13 | Target hypervisor |
All systems on the Server Trusted VLAN (10.1.71.0/24).
Repository Structure
homelab/
├── ansible/
│ ├── inventory/ # NetBox dynamic inventory + static
│ ├── playbooks/ # Runnable playbooks (vm-provision, DNS, OS updates)
│ ├── roles/ # vm-baseline, dns-manager, common, haproxy, n8n, observer, etc.
│ ├── tasks/ # Shared includable task files
│ ├── group_vars/ # Group variable definitions
│ ├── host_vars/ # Per-host variable definitions
│ ├── templates/ # Jinja2 templates
│ └── ansible.cfg
│
├── terraform/
│ ├── proxmox/vm/ # bpg/proxmox provider — VM creation from templates
│ ├── unifi/dhcp/ # Unifi provider — DHCP static reservations on UDM Pro
│ └── dns/ # DNS record management
│
├── packer/
│ ├── ubuntu-24.04/ # Ubuntu 24.04 VM template (small → xlarge-plus sizes)
│ └── fedora-42/ # Fedora 42 VM template
│
├── n8n/
│ └── workflows/ # Exported n8n workflow JSON (vm-provisioning)
│
├── netbox/
│ └── initializers/ # Custom fields, VLANs, IP prefixes as code
│
└── docs/
└── decisions/ # Architecture decision records
Pipeline Flow
| # | System | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NetBox | Operator sets VM status to Staged → webhook fires |
| 2 | n8n | Validates payload (hostname, IP, VLAN, template, proxmox_node) |
| 3 | n8n → city-hall | SSH + terraform apply — creates VM on Proxmox |
| 4 | n8n | Queries Proxmox API for MAC address |
| 5 | n8n → NetBox | Writes MAC to VM interface record |
| 6 | n8n → city-hall | SSH + terraform apply — creates DHCP reservation on UDM Pro |
| 7 | n8n → imagineering | Triggers Ansible via Semaphore API |
| 8 | Ansible | OS baseline, SSH hardening, Technitium DNS A record |
| 9 | Ansible → NetBox | Sets VM status to Active |
On any failure, NetBox status is set to Failed. No auto-retry — operator investigates.
Hardware
- 7× Dell 7050 SFF
- 3× Minisforum TH60
- 2× Minisforum MS01
- Synology DS1621+
- Ubiquiti UDM Pro
Software Stack
- Virtualization: Proxmox
- Automation: Terraform, Ansible, n8n, Semaphore
- DNS: Technitium (authoritative), Unbound (recursive)
- IPAM/DCIM: NetBox
- Networking: Ubiquiti UDM Pro
- Templates: Packer (Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 42)
Getting Started
See docs/decisions/vm-provisioning-flow.md for the full architecture decision record.
Previous OpenShift/ACM/Fastpass content is preserved in the archive/pre-mk-labs branch.
Security
No sensitive data is stored in this repository. Secrets are managed via Ansible Vault and environment variables on pipeline hosts.
Status: 🚧 Active Development — VM Provisioning Pipeline
Last Updated: February 2026