Real IPs for k3s: MetalLB, VLANs, and Why I Had to Buy a Switch

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

I wanted two things:

a k3s cluster on my Proxmox mini-PCs with three nodes and
a Service type=LoadBalancer which actually gets a real, reachable IP — the way it would in the cloud.

The former was just getting three cheap mini PCs for my Frankencluster (Morefine M8, Minisforum UM700 and GMKtec NucBox M5).

The latter took me buying a managed switch, a VLAN redesign, a firewall VM, and a zero-trust overlay to get there. This post is the story of how a “just install MetalLB” afternoon turned into rebuilding the network underneath it — and why it was actually necessary.

Homelab IaC: Terraform + Ansible for Proxmox LXC

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

I have been tinkering with the best way to manage my homelab for a while now — specifically how to handle LXC containers on Proxmox in a way that doesn’t feel like organized chaos. This post is about how I got from “just run the community script” to a proper Terraform + Ansible setup that I can actually maintain.

The Community Scripts Phase

If you’ve spent any time in the Proxmox world, you’ve probably come across the Proxmox community scripts. They are genuinely great for getting something running quickly or just trying out a new service. Spin up a container, run a script, done. Fast. Easy. Zero thinking required.

Ansible on René Welches

Real IPs for k3s: MetalLB, VLANs, and Why I Had to Buy a Switch

Homelab IaC: Terraform + Ansible for Proxmox LXC

The Community Scripts Phase