The desktop I wasn't using now runs storage, container services, a deployment manager and a Windows environment. Proxmox gives those jobs separate virtual machines on the same physical computer. My MacBook had already taken over everyday use, leaving the desktop available to become a more capable server.
That is the useful change for me: more compute to run things, while the laptop remains the computer I sit down with. Getting there was annoying, and the separate VMs still share some important dependencies.
Separate guests, shared hardware
The primary machine is an i7-9700K. Around 40 TB is available through OpenMediaVault, and October's usable-memory reading is consistent with the 64 GB specification recorded in July. Those checks describe the current machine, not exactly what was attached during the move.
OpenMediaVault has its own VM. A Docker guest runs services including Plex and Home Assistant, while Komodo runs in a separate guest to manage container deployments. Windows has another VM. A second Proxmox host runs a Docker guest with the alternate Pi-hole.
Current layout, checked on 6 October 2026. The boxes are separate VMs; the four guests in the upper group still share one physical host.
The grouping matters. Four guests on the primary host still depend on that physical machine. The media services also depend on the storage OpenMediaVault supplies. Splitting the jobs into VMs does not remove those shared dependencies.
The move still broke things
My earlier server was an old i5 running OpenMediaVault, and I used it all the time. Transferring its role to the spare desktop took a day or two. Services went down, DNS broke, and I had to move things across slowly.
There was a configuration I hadn't saved properly before wiping a drive. I cannot remember which one, so I can't give that mistake a more useful name now. I had to recreate it manually. “Ah damn it, lost that.” It was a huge pain, but it wasn't the end of the world and it ended up fine.
A Windows VM alongside the server
I spun up a Windows VM at one point to do something, which was nice. It gave me a Windows environment without turning the whole physical computer into my Windows desktop.
The primary host’s actual Proxmox resource tree, captured on 6 October 2026. This shows the setup now, not during the migration.
The extra compute has been nice, and things feel quicker in use. My everyday setup is still the two MacBooks: one for work and one personal. Upstairs I have two monitors; downstairs I have one. At either desk, a couple of cables handle charging, the displays and the peripherals I need.
I don't miss having a dedicated Linux machine either. I've moved away from the terminal and use AI heavily now, including Codex for server operations. A MacBook, AI and an AI desktop app is my ideal workflow.
Occasionally I think it would be nice to play a game and no longer have that desktop available. It isn't enough to make me go back or buy a dedicated gaming computer for such little use. The machine is useful to me as a server, and the laptop arrangement suits me.
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This article was adapted with AI assistance from an original article on billiem.uk. The original article was reviewed before publication.
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