René Welches

TECH NOTES TO MYSELF

Expanding My Proxmox Cluster: Minisforum UM700 for $69

Adding a refurbished mini PC to my homelab cluster

The Deal of the Year

Last year I picked up a refurbished Minisforum UM700 mini PC Christmas deal, and the price was too good to pass up. Here’s what I paid:

Minisforum UM700 Refurbished

  • AMD Ryzen™ 7 3750H
  • Barebone (no RAM/storage)
  • Original price: $99.00
  • Christmas discount: -$30.00
  • Total: $75.13 USD inclduing taxes and free shipping

For ~ $75, I got a quad-core Ryzen 7 3750H (with SMT, so 8 threads) that’s perfect for expanding my Proxmox homelab.

Posted by Rene Welches on Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Securing Proxmox API Tokens with Apple Keychain Access for Terraform

Store and retrieve Proxmox credentials securely using macOS Keychain instead of plain text files

Introduction

When working with Terraform to manage Proxmox infrastructure, you need to authenticate. Proxmox offers three options: API Token, Auth Ticket, and Username/Password.

In my setup, I use API Tokens for authentication with Proxmox. The approach described here should also work with username/password combinations.

Storing these credentials in plain text files or environment variables poses security risks, especially if you accidentally commit them to version control. macOS provides a secure solution: the Keychain Access, which encrypts and manages passwords system-wide.

Posted by Rene Welches on Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Last Modified on Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Starting My Homelab Journey

Building a Proxmox-based homelab with GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra and setting up SSL certificates

Introduction

In the beginning there were two 16 GB DDR4 RAM sticks and a 1 TB M.2 SSD that were gathering dust. After researching mini PCs, I decided to purchase the GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra as a bare-bones system. The AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor provides plenty of power for virtualization, and the compact form factor makes it perfect for a home lab setup. I got it on Black Friday sale for $255.89. Surprisingly, there were no import taxes added to the $255.89. The PC arrived from China after about two weeks.

Posted by Rene Welches on Monday, December 8, 2025
Last Modified on Tuesday, January 6, 2026