Open source infrastructure solutions

Seven products that fit together into a complete infrastructure. You can start with any one of them.

Hands plugging network cables into a switch in a server rack
Photo: Field Engineer / StockSnap, CC0 1.0

Each product on this page covers one layer. Together they form a platform you own and can run without per-core or per-socket licences.

The foundation is Proxmox VE, which runs your virtual machines and containers. With three or more nodes, Ceph adds distributed storage inside the same cluster, so you do not need a separate SAN. Data is replicated across nodes, and with high availability configured, a VM restarts on another node when its host fails.

Proxmox Backup Server protects that platform. It stores deduplicated backups on separate hardware and can sync them to a second location. Proxmox Mail Gateway sits in front of your mail server and filters spam and malware before messages reach it.

OPNsense guards the edge of the network and connects branch offices and remote staff over VPN. Checkmk watches every layer, from hardware and hypervisor through Ceph and backups to the firewall and the services inside your VMs. Ansible keeps server configuration consistent and rolls out updates in a planned order.

All seven are available as open source editions with no licence fees. Most vendors also sell subscriptions or commercial editions that include support. Your data stays on your hardware or in a data centre you choose.

There is no need to introduce everything at once. A project can start with a single component, such as a Proxmox VE cluster or a new firewall, and add the others when there is a need. The pages below describe each product, what inett does with it and who it suits.