# `strong` — Proxmox host

Second node in the `Homelab` cluster, alongside [hubris](hubris.md). Formerly
a Linux dev workstation nicknamed "ludo" (or "ludo-mini") — reformatted to
Proxmox VE on 2026-07-01. No LXCs/VMs deployed on it yet.

## At a glance

- **Role:** Proxmox VE 9.2.3 cluster member (kernel `7.0.12-1-pve`)
- **Naming:** the OS/cluster hostname is `strong` (leftover from install,
  kept as-is). This wiki page and `inventory.yaml` also use `strong` as of
  2026-07-01 — earlier the same day the inventory entry was briefly named
  `ludo-mini`, but that was renamed so the hostname bootstrap needs
  (`hosts/$(hostname).yaml`) would just resolve. "Ludo"/"ludo-mini" remains
  the machine's everyday nickname; some older docs (investigations, the
  library-SSD migration plan) still refer to it that way — that's fine,
  those are historical.
- **Hardware:** AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U, 16 threads, 28 GiB RAM.
  - `nvme0n1` — MasonSemi MC3100 1TB (boot/OS): `pve-root` 96G, `pve-data`
    (thinpool) 815G, 8G swap.
  - `nvme1n1` — WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB, added 2026-07-01. Arrived with an
    existing APFS partition (previously used in a Mac) — wiped via
    `pvesh set nodes/strong/disks/wipedisk --disk /dev/nvme1n1`, then turned
    into its own LVM-thin pool via `pvesh create nodes/strong/disks/lvmthin`
    (handles pvcreate/vgcreate/lvcreate + storage.cfg registration in one
    step). Registered as Proxmox storage `ludo-lvm` (VG `ludo-lvm`, thinpool
    `ludo-lvm`, ~1.8 TiB usable — kept the `ludo-lvm` name since that's what
    was actually created live; not worth renaming), restricted `nodes strong`
    in `/etc/pve/storage.cfg` — same pattern as hubris's `library` pool.
    Empty so far; this is separate from the [library-SSD migration
    plan](../.hermes/plans/2026-06-03_110000-library-ssd-migration-to-ludo-mini.md)'s
    planned drive move from hubris (that hasn't happened) — this is
    general-purpose VM/CT capacity.
- **Network:** `vmbr0` is bridged straight onto the household LAN —
  `192.168.178.181/24`, gateway `192.168.178.1`. Unlike hubris, there is no
  internal/uplink bridge split yet — `vmbr0` here plays the role hubris's
  `vmbr1` plays there. Reachable from the homelab subnet (`192.168.8.0/24`)
  via the existing Fritz!Box static route through hubris; no new cabling
  or routing was needed to join the cluster.
- **Storage:** `local` + `local-lvm` (cluster-wide default names, shared
  with hubris by convention, actually separate per-node volumes). Hubris's
  `library` lvmthin pool is restricted to `nodes hubris` in
  `/etc/pve/storage.cfg` and does not exist here.
- **Mesh:** Netbird not installed — fresh OS wiped whatever the old
  workstation had. Reachable today only via LAN routing (confirmed DNS for
  `*.hubris.network` already resolves correctly here via `192.168.8.2`).
  Add to Netbird if off-LAN access to this host itself (distinct from any
  future guests) is needed.
- **Homelab-context client enrollment:** done 2026-07-01 via
  `bootstrap.sh --no-secrets` (reused the operator's existing Gitea PAT for
  the initial clone). `/opt/homelab-context`, the `homelab` CLI, and the
  5-min sync timer are live; `homelab whoami` resolves correctly. See
  [agent-enrollment.md](../operations/agent-enrollment.md).
- **Age key / secrets:** issued the same day over plain LAN (no Netbird
  needed — see the `--no-mesh` bootstrap.sh fix below). Key lives at
  `/etc/age/key.txt`; pubkey `age1rtwvdct6avjkr3cyxv3vue3vqx4d524fjfr3vk7xrnvyrylnry5sm54sn4`
  recorded in `inventory.yaml`. Not yet a recipient on any actual secret
  (`hello.yaml`, `gitea-pat.yaml`, etc.) — that's a separate grant, see
  ["Granting a secret to a new client"](../operations/agent-enrollment.md#granting-a-secret-to-a-new-client).

## Cluster membership

Joined hubris's single-node cluster (`Homelab`) via `pvecm add` on
2026-07-01. See [hosts/hubris.md#cluster](hubris.md#cluster) for the full
cluster picture, node IDs, and the quorum tradeoff (2 nodes, no QDevice —
either node going down freezes management on the survivor).

## SSH

Root login via the same key set trusted on hubris (`root@hubris`,
`d.toro.v@pm.me`) — installed 2026-07-01 by appending to
`/root/.ssh/authorized_keys` (now symlinked to `/etc/pve/priv/authorized_keys`
post cluster-join, so it's cluster-synced same as hubris). No password auth
needed going forward.

## Related

- [hubris — Proxmox host](hubris.md)
- [Library SSD migration plan](../.hermes/plans/2026-06-03_110000-library-ssd-migration-to-ludo-mini.md) — the larger project this is Phase 1 of (filename kept as-is, historical)
- [Network](../infrastructure/network.md)
- [SSH access](../infrastructure/ssh-access.md)
- [Agent enrollment](../operations/agent-enrollment.md)

## Changelog

### 2026-07-01 — age key issued over LAN; 3 bugs found/fixed in bootstrap.sh
Re-ran bootstrap without `--no-secrets` to get a real age key. Hit three real bugs live, fixed all three in `bootstrap.sh` and re-ran clean:
1. The `mcp`-CLI pipx-install step and the (unused, `--with-hermes`-only) Goose installer both called `sudo -u <user>` unconditionally — fails with "sudo: command not found" on a minimal root-only image with no `sudo` binary at all. Added a `run_as()` helper that only shells out to `sudo` when there's a real distinct invoking user.
2. `sops` isn't an apt/dnf package (matches what `agent-enrollment.md`'s manual-install recipe already does) — the auto-installer tried `apt-get install sops` and failed outright. Added `install_sops_binary()`, fetching the GitHub release binary directly on both dnf and apt paths.
3. Bigger one: running without `--no-secrets` unconditionally tries to install + interactively connect Netbird (device-code SSO), even though the very next check already knows how to accept plain LAN reachability instead. Over SSH with nobody watching, this hangs forever — had to manually kill a stuck `netbird up` process. Added `--no-mesh`, which skips the Netbird install/connect step but keeps the LAN-fallback path for secrets issuance. This run used `bootstrap.sh --no-mesh` and completed cleanly: `mesh: lan`, age key installed, `mcp` CLI installed via pipx (proving fix #1 too).

Result: age key at `/etc/age/key.txt`, pubkey recorded in `inventory.yaml`. Not yet granted access to any actual secret file — see the note above.

### 2026-07-01 — enrolled as a homelab-context client
Ran `bootstrap.sh --no-secrets` (reused the operator's existing personal Gitea PAT for the initial clone rather than minting a fresh read-only one). Installed git, cloned `/opt/homelab-context`, installed the 5-min systemd sync timer, symlinked `homelab` CLI and `AGENTS.md`. Skipped age-key/secrets issuance and Netbird per operator choice — but bootstrap's own connectivity check reported `mesh: lan`, i.e. the secrets-issuance endpoint is already reachable over plain LAN, so re-running without `--no-secrets` later wouldn't require a Netbird join. Known gap: the `mcp` pipx CLI install step silently failed (`sudo: command not found` — bootstrap.sh's pipx step assumes a `sudo` binary even when already root; harmless, only affects the `homelab mcp <tool>` shell subcommand).

### 2026-07-01 — inventory identity renamed ludo-mini → strong
Discovered while starting client enrollment: `bootstrap.sh` looks up
`hosts/$(hostname).yaml`, and the OS hostname here is `strong`, not
`ludo-mini`. Renaming the OS hostname was ruled out (already a cluster
member — Proxmox doesn't support in-place node rename, only leave+rejoin).
Renamed the wiki/inventory side instead: `inventory.yaml` key, this page
(`hosts/ludo-mini.md` → `hosts/strong.md`), README, ssh-access.md all now
say `strong`. "Ludo"/"ludo-mini" is still fine as a spoken nickname.

### 2026-07-01 — 2nd NVMe added; new LVM-thin pool `ludo-lvm`
User added a WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB (`nvme1n1`), previously used in a Mac
(arrived with an EFI + APFS partition table — confirmed disposable, wiped).
Used Proxmox's own disk-management API rather than raw LVM commands:
`pvesh set nodes/strong/disks/wipedisk --disk /dev/nvme1n1` to clear the old
partition table/signatures, then `pvesh create nodes/strong/disks/lvmthin
--name ludo-lvm --device /dev/disk/by-id/nvme-WD_BLACK_SN7100_2TB_251663803202
--add_storage 1` to create the PV/VG/thinpool and register it as Proxmox
storage in one step. Result: storage ID `ludo-lvm`, ~1.8 TiB, `content
rootdir,images`, `nodes strong` (mirrors hubris's `library` node-restriction
pattern — this pool only physically exists here). Empty — no VM/CT disks
placed on it yet.

### 2026-07-01 — Proxmox install; joined Homelab cluster
Reformatted from Linux workstation to Proxmox VE 9.2.3. SSH keys seeded from
hubris's trusted set (root password used once, then discarded). Joined the
existing `Homelab` cluster via `pvecm add 192.168.8.77 --use_ssh 1` from
this node's side, using key-based SSH pre-authorized in both directions —
no interactive password prompt needed for the join itself. Cluster now 2
nodes (`hubris`, `strong`), quorate, no QDevice. Decided to leave hostname
as `strong` and skip a QDevice for now — both revisitable later.