Intel NUC, Ubuntu and Docker - Gotta Love It!

markbajaj · March 15, 2019, 3:29pm

I run a HP micro server with Proxmox. Proxmox is basically a virtualisation framework that runs on Debian Linux.

On that I run 8 or 9 LXC (linux containers) and two VMs (ubuntu). On the Ubuntu guests I run docker - I have about 11 docker containers.

Rule of thumb (in my mind) Proxmox LXC is OS containerisation and Docker is Application containerisation.

I run my ProD HA in a LXC container and a Dev one in docker though.

Hope that makes sense.

mb

EDIT: to answer your question - yes I think so

123 · March 15, 2019, 3:32pm

I’m far from an expert in this subject but here’s my take. I currently run a Windows-based home automation software on its own (naturally) Windows-based computer. I run Home Assistant on a separate Linux-based computer. If I wanted to combine the two into one machine, I could run Proxmox with two VMs:

One VM runs Windows and the Windows-based home automation software.
The other VM runs Linux and Home Assistant.

The choice of whether Home Assistant runs as a virtualenv or under Docker, in the Linux-based VM, is a secondary issue.

markbajaj · March 15, 2019, 3:36pm

Yep I think you are spot on there - I have one instance in VirtualEnv (in a LXC) and one in Docker. Pros and cons for both, but not yet in my mind enough to do one or the other. My Dev is in Docker as so quick to update/downgrade and prod in virtualEnv.

I suppose you could say I used to be indecisive but now I’m not sure …

klogg · March 15, 2019, 3:43pm

Yeah, I know what you mean… Like I said…

But thanks to you all for the pointers… I suspect I’ll go with Proxmox. It seems more conceptually intuitive.
Now all I’ve got to do is choose my NUC.

markbajaj · March 15, 2019, 3:47pm

I love Proxmox - great gui too:

tboyce1 · March 15, 2019, 4:17pm

I will add that there doesn’t seem to be any major drawbacks with having Proxmox either way. Even if you end up deciding to just run Docker on Ubuntu and do everything that way, you can create a single VM for it. If you never need Proxmox again, oh well. It will mostly just sit there and you can pretty much ignore it.

The advantage is that if you ever do find yourself needing another VM or wanting to try something different, you can already do so without destroying your existing setup first.

denver · April 16, 2019, 4:20pm

Just read this thread as Im confused on how to install my NUC8i5 to get the most out of it.

Regarding the presence detection earlier in the thread, I use Life360 with my wife’s and my iPhone’s, works a treat. I did find my wife’s iPhone would keep losing wifi signal at quite times so I set the ‘Background App Refresh’ to On (the same as mine) and that seams to have done the trick.

Like your thinking @tboyce1, at the moment I’ve got Proxmox and hassio installed.

kitus · October 24, 2020, 7:50am

@MarVin just came across your writeup. Thanks for putting this together and initiating this thread. NUCs have caught my attention. I’m the poor sod experiencing some instability described here: HASS.IO -> transfer from SD card to SSD or USB

One question: any site that may help me size the NUC that suits my needs? I’m currently considering keeping an old 2-bay QNAP NAS for file storage and replacing the two RPIs that I run with a NUC. I have 3 network cameras and at some point I gave Motioneye a try, but rolled it back due to the huge load that it posed on my HA RPI.

Thank you!!

MarVin · October 24, 2020, 2:00pm

I personally don’t know of any sizing tools but I do know that for a simple setup my NUC running a Celeron CPU is ample as shown below.

Since my purchase prices have come down as well so depending on your budget you can get some power. Look at Amazon’s prices for a complete i3 with great spec’s ready to go… plenty of room for camera recordings as well. On sale @ $329… can’t go wrong.

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOXNUC8i3CYSM1-Home-Mini-Windows/dp/B07HHB2YLG/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=intel+nuc&qid=1603547858&sr=8-3

kitus · October 24, 2020, 2:51pm

Thanks! What services do you run on your NUC and how do they get delivered?

MarVin · October 24, 2020, 3:01pm

I’m actually still running the “now unsupported” install using Ubuntu with Portainer and about to tear it down and rebuild to conform.

I did find sizing recommendations in the doc’s just a minute ago.

Platform	Notes
Raspberry Pi Zero/Pi 2	Only use these for testing
Raspberry Pi 3/3+/4	This is a good starting point, and depending on the amount of devices you integrate this can be enough - use an A2 class SD card if possible.
NUC i3	This is if you need a little more power over a Pi
NUC i5	This will allow you to run multiple services without any issues, perfect for a homelab
NUC i7/i9	Pure power, you should not have any performance issues

kitus · October 24, 2020, 3:24pm

Interesting. Thanks!! Why is that not supported noW?

MarVin · October 24, 2020, 4:57pm

There was only 1 developer left supporting the installation type and he can’t keep up with that and everything else he’s working on. Kind of a long story how it got there but I think eventually everyone will need to get off the type install I have.

I’m going to the latest Ubuntu and will run VMWare. I was running PiHole and AdGuard outside of HA as separate workloads under docker but will now probably run them through HA I have not decided yet.

123 · October 24, 2020, 5:06pm

Home Assistant Supervised is officially supported on Debian.

github.com

home-assistant/architecture/blob/413e3cb248cf8dca766c0280997f3b516e23fb6d/adr/0014-home-assistant-supervised.md

# 0014. Installation method: Home Assistant Supervised

Date: 2020-06-03

## Status

Accepted

## Context

Define a supported installation method as per [ADR-0012](https://github.com/home-assistant/architecture/blob/master/adr/0012-define-supported-installation-method.md).

## Decision

This installation method provides the full Home Assistant experience on a regular operating system. This means, all components from the Home Assistant method are used, except for the Home Assistant Operating System. This system will run the Home Assistant Supervisor. The Supervisor is not just an application, it is a full appliance that manages the whole system. It will clean up, repair or reset settings to default if they no longer match expected values.

By not using the Home Assistant Operating System, the user is responsible for making sure that all required components are installed and maintained. Required components and their versions will change over time. Home Assistant Supervised is provided as-is as a foundation for community supported do-it-yourself solutions. We only accept bug reports for issues that have been reproduced on a freshly installed, fully updated Debian with no additional packages.

This method is considered advanced and should only be used if one is an expert in managing a Linux operating system, Docker and networking.

This file has been truncated. show original

If you choose to run Home Assistant Supervised on any other distro, like Ubuntu, it is community-supported (because many people chose Ubuntu).

If you are starting out with Home Assistant Supervised, use Debian. If you are already running it on Ubuntu, you can continue to use it until you encounter a problem that the community is unable to solve and switching to Debian becomes unavoidable. Or you can switch to Debian whenever it’s convenient in order to avoid any future headaches.

FredTheFrog · January 18, 2021, 4:06pm

Save a few bucks, and get the Pentium or Celeron version of the NUC:

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-NUC7CJYH-Desktop-Computer-Celeron/dp/B07BTD3H5X/

MarVin · January 18, 2021, 11:13pm

Can do even cheaper… https://www.amazon.com/Intel-NUC7CJYH-Desktop-Computer-Celeron/dp/B07BTD3H5X/ref=sr_1_20?dchild=1&keywords=NUC&qid=1611011476&s=electronics&sr=1-20

MilesAheadToo · November 6, 2021, 10:06pm

I think I am maxing out my RPi 4. See below.
I am wondering what mini to buy to replace it. My thought is to run Debian Supervised.
I am looking at lower spec machines because I will run it as a dedicated HA machine:

Much appreciate some guidance.

MarVin · November 7, 2021, 2:14pm

This is all you need… mine idles… if you scroll down under the picture with a 240 SSD and 8 gig memory it’s like $220… I just set one up for a friend with Ubuntu 20.04 and HA as a virtual machine with VirtualBox and it’s rock solid. I did that because we run OpenVPN Server and DuckDNS on it under Ubuntu as well. If you do want to run it headless and access with VNC get a HDMI Dummy Plug for 5 bucks or so.

MilesAheadToo · November 7, 2021, 7:31pm

Thanks

Am I unrealistic to have hoped/expected a response from the native x64 dev team? I’m really hoping to run HA native rather than supervised. I really like the RPi environment and would stay with it if I wasn’t running out of horse power.

MarVin · November 8, 2021, 3:01pm

I can’t speak for them… My two cent’s though… I started with a Pi 3 moved to a Pi 4 and then I ran HA Native on that model NUC for quite awhile and it was rock solid. I only configured it with Ubuntu and VirtualBox because I gave it to my nephew and he needed a VPN Server so it made more sense to use the NUC for multiple apps. I now run HA on a Synology DS920+ in a VM for my house. $230 bucks isn’t that bad when you consider a RPI 4 alone is about $100 by the time you get everything you need. You can always try an Odroid N2+ which has about twice the power but for the little difference in price the NUC will smoke it performance wise. I haven’t heard one bad thing about using a NUC actually all the comments I’ve seen people who have them love them. Depend on what you are looking for performance wise $230 isn’t that bad of a price knowing you will never need to replace it unless it fails.