4 reasons Windows might be perfect for your home lab setup

When it comes to running your own home lab, there is a laundry list of operating systems to choose from. Many users will choose Linux for their lab setups, and they’re absolutely justified in doing so. Linux-based options provide a robust hosting experience that places ultimate control of the environment completely on the user.

This is a blessing or a curse, depending on your ability behind the keyboard of a Linux command line. Many solutions do provide a comprehensive graphical interface, but like with any Linux endeavor, a trip or two to the command line is almost guaranteed. It may not always be the best option, but Windows provides a shocking amount of usability in a home lab environment. Here are 4 reasons why Windows might be the perfect OS for your home lab.

4 Compatibility

Most things just work well with Windows

If you’re not Linux inclined, working out the small bugs that lie within can be a big barrier to getting up and running with your home lab. That’s before we even get into distro-specific quirks that can crop up during every part of the process. If you want to avoid the potential headache of scouring the web for solutions to a very specific problem, you might want to consider Windows for your lab OS.

Of course, there are exceptions, but I’d be hard-pressed to find something that excludes Windows from its compatibility list. If you’re planning on running any kind of game server from your home lab, this is also worth considering as well. Some games cannot run dedicated servers on Linux. Out of the box, Windows supports some decent type-2 hypervisors, like VMware Workstation Pro and VirtualBox. If you’re a beginner, starting your virtualization journey here is advisable.

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3 Hyper-V

An incredibly robust virtualization platform

If you’re planning on spinning up a lot of virtual machines on your home lab, Hyper-V makes a serious case for running Windows on it. The only downside is that it’s only available for Pro and Enterprise versions of the OS, but there are ways around this with an evaluation license. Being able to quickly and easily deploy VMs is great for anyone who’s looking to tinker with virtual networks or test software in a disposable environment.

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2 Ease of use

There’s no place like home (if you like Windows)

Source: Mockup Photos

If you’re already familiar with the Windows operating environment, it might be best to use it on your home lab, at least if you’re just getting your feet wet. If you’re familiar with the usual suspects on Windows Server (AD, Hyper-V, DNS/DHCP deployment) it’s worth using it as a springboard. If you work with it often in your professional endeavors, having it on your home lab can be a great way to keep your skills sharp as well.

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1 Remote Desktop

Great remote capabilities built into the OS

Another thing Windows has going for it is its Remote Desktop capabilities. Being able to securely remote into your environment with a native application can be a lifesaver. No additional software is required, meaning you can get up and running remotely very quickly. You can obviously access your Linux lab using SSH or another third-party solution, but if you would rather not learn the command line or go through an installation process, your options are pretty limited.

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Sometimes, Windows is good enough

It may not always be the best solution, but there are compelling reasons to use Windows in your home lab environment. The compatibility, feature set, and ease of use are enough to run Windows in at least part of my home lab environment. If you aren’t convinced, here’s a list of home lab operating systems that all bring unique functionality to the table.