XCP-ng for Homelabs & Personal Cloud: Build, Automate, and Run Your Own Virtualization Platform with Xen Orchestra, GPU Passthrough, and VMware-Free I

By Hollis Denning

XCP-ng for Homelabs & Personal Cloud: Build, Automate, and Run Your Own Virtualization Platform with Xen Orchestra, GPU Passthrough, and VMware-Free Infrastructure

If you've ever dreamed of building your own private cloud-one that rivals enterprise virtualization platforms but without the cost, bloat, or vendor lock-in-this is the book that shows you exactly how to do it. XCP-ng is the modern, open-source hypervisor powering a new generation of homelabs, replacing expensive VMware setups with a fast, secure, and fully automated virtualization platform. This hands-on guide teaches you how to design, deploy, automate, and operate a complete personal cloud using XCP-ng and Xen Orchestra, with real-world workflows, full-stack labs, and production-ready templates.

Whether you want to host your apps, run AI workloads on GPUs, build a Kubernetes cluster, centralize storage with TrueNAS, or automate everything with Terraform and Ansible, this book walks you step-by-step through building the kind of virtualization environment usually seen only in professional datacenters-right in your homelab.

What You Will Learn

Install and optimize XCP-ng on modern homelab hardware (mini-PCs, servers, NICs, SSDs, GPUs)Deploy and manage VMs using Xen Orchestra, cloud-init, templates, and IaC workflowsBuild high-performance storage using TrueNAS, NFS, iSCSI, ZFS, Ceph, and S3-compatible backup targetsImplement VLAN segmentation, pfSense/OPNsense firewalls, WireGuard/Tailscale secure access, and zero-trust networkingRun GPU-accelerated VMs for AI workloads with NVIDIA/AMD passthrough, SR-IOV, and vGPU configurationsHost powerful self-hosted services like Nextcloud, Immich, Jellyfin, Home Assistant, Gitea, GitOps platforms, and K3s KubernetesAutomate deployments using Terraform, Ansible, and the XO APIBuild a complete multi-node cluster with HA, live migration, continuous replication, and disaster recoveryMonitor your entire cloud with Prometheus, Grafana, and alerting pipelinesTroubleshoot performance, fix storage and network issues, recover failed VMs, and harden your cloud for 24/7 reliability

Every chapter includes hands-on labs, and the book concludes with a full-stack end-to-end project that helps you deploy, automate, and secure a complete production-ready homelab cloud from scratch.

Who This Book Is For

This is the ideal guide for:

Homelab builders and self-hostersVirtualization and cloud beginners who want deep practical knowledgeDevOps engineers, sysadmins, and platform engineersAnyone migrating away from VMware to open-source hypervisorsStudents and professionals who want real-world experience with virtualization, automation, storage, and hybrid cloud architectureMakers, tinkerers, and hobbyists who want full control over their personal infrastructure

No prior virtualization experience is required-you will learn everything from the ground up using a step-by-step, lab-driven approach.

Build Your Own Cloud. Control Your Own Infrastructure. Upgrade Your Skills.

By the end of this book, you won't just understand virtualization-you'll run your own powerful, secure, automated personal cloud on XCP-ng, with the same durability and flexibility found in enterprise platforms.

Start building your VMware-free, future-proof homelab today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GCD31MDX
• ISBN13: 9798241143402
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.5" x 11.0"