Documentation is Important

That's basically the whole reason that I started this blog. However, since doing so I've also been using other tools to help me document the changes to my network, servers, and services.

While I explored a few options like DokuWiki, which seems like a great option for larger teams, it didn't seem like the best option for just myself. I ended up going with BookStack. It has a very easy interface to use and one that is pleasant to look at. Everything is organized into Shelves, books, pages, and chapters. So you have have a shelf that is titled "Homelab" with a bunch of books that relate to different aspects of your homelab. It's a very nice way to organize things.

You can use it for anything really. I have a shelf for "recipes" and various books containing different types of cuisines.

My instance of Bookstack also has an account setup so that I can expose it to the world and still keep my information locked up for when I need to access it. I reference my books quite often whenever I need to make changes and then I update the information to reflect whatever new thing I've done. For example, what ports all my services are running on, the machines those services run on and the IP's and MAC addresses of those machines. All very handy information.

While I started this blog to be the "Damage Control" for when something broke, Bookstack has really taken over that role instead. Not to say that they both don't have their uses. But recording the exact details of my setup isn't something I'd write here, but it's still something more describing. Besides, writing about and explaining your thought process and reasoning behind what you do is a good way to organize your thoughts, remember what you did better, and it's always good to have proof of what you did, and the reasons why you did what you did in case it's ever called into question. Ya never know.