proxmox-infra/docs/DECISIONS.md

# Architecture Decisions & Patterns

> **Purpose**: Record of important decisions, patterns, and "why we do it this way"
> **Update Frequency**: When making significant architectural choices

## Service Organization

### Authentication Strategy

**Decision**: Services use their own built-in authentication, not Authelia
**Reason**: Most *arr services and media tools have robust auth systems
**Exception**: Consider Authelia for future services that lack authentication

### LXC vs Docker

**Keep in Docker**:
- NZBGet (requires specific volume mapping, works well in Docker)
- Multi-container stacks
- Services requiring Docker-specific features

**Migrate to LXC**:
- Single-purpose services (Sonarr, Radarr, etc.)
- Services benefiting from isolation
- Stateless applications

## File Permissions

### Media Files

**Standard**: All media files and folders must be 777
**Reason**:
- NFS mounts between multiple systems with different UID mappings
- Jellyfin runs in LXC with UID namespace mapping (100107)
- Sonarr runs in LXC with different UID mapping
- NZBGet runs in Docker with UID 1000

**Implementation**:
- NZBGet: `UMask=0000` to create files with 777
- Sonarr: Media management → Set permissions → chmod 777
- Manual fixes: `chmod -R 777` on media directories as needed

## Network Architecture

### Reverse Proxy

**Decision**: Single Traefik instance handles all external access
**Location**: LXC 104 on pm2
**Benefits**:
- Single point for SSL/TLS management
- Automatic Let's Encrypt certificate renewal
- Centralized routing configuration
- DNS-01 challenge for wildcard certificates

### Service Domains

**Pattern**: `<service>.kavcorp.com`
**DNS**: All subdomains point to public IP (99.74.188.161)
**Routing**: Traefik inspects Host header and routes internally

## Storage Architecture

### Media Storage

**Decision**: NFS mount from elantris for all media
**Path**: `/mnt/pve/elantris-media` → elantris `/el-pool/media`
**Reason**:
- Centralized storage
- Accessible from all cluster nodes
- Large capacity (24TB ZFS pool)
- Easy to backup/snapshot

### LXC Root Filesystems

**Decision**: Store on KavNas NFS for most services
**Reason**:
- Easy backups
- Portable between nodes
- Network storage sufficient for most workloads

**Exception**: High I/O services use local-lvm

## Monitoring & Maintenance

### Configuration Management

**Decision**: Manual configuration with documentation
**Reason**: Small scale doesn't justify Ansible/Terraform complexity
**Trade-off**: Requires disciplined documentation updates

### Backup Strategy

**Decision**: Proxmox built-in backup to KavNas
**Frequency**: [To be determined]
**Retention**: [To be determined]

## Common Patterns

### Adding a New Service Behind Traefik

1. Deploy service with static IP in 10.4.2.0/24 range
2. Create Traefik config in `/etc/traefik/conf.d/<service>.yaml`
3. Use pattern:
   ```yaml
   http:
     routers:
       <service>:
         rule: "Host(`<service>.kavcorp.com`)"
         entryPoints: [websecure]
         service: <service>
         tls:
           certResolver: letsencrypt
     services:
       <service>:
         loadBalancer:
           servers:
             - url: "http://<ip>:<port>"
   ```
4. Traefik auto-reloads (no restart needed)
5. Update `docs/INFRASTRUCTURE.md` with service details

### Troubleshooting Permission Issues

1. Check file ownership: `ls -la /path/to/file`
2. Check if 777: `stat /path/to/file`
3. Fix permissions: `chmod -R 777 /path/to/directory`
4. For NZBGet: Verify `UMask=0000` in nzbget.conf
5. For Sonarr/Radarr: Check Settings → Media Management → Set Permissions

### Node SSH Access

**From local machine**:
- User: `kavren`
- Key: `~/.ssh/id_ed25519`

**Between cluster nodes**:
- User: `root`
- Each node has other nodes' keys in `/root/.ssh/authorized_keys`
- Proxmox web UI uses node SSH for shell access

## Known Issues & Workarounds

### Jellyfin Not Seeing Media After Import

**Symptom**: Files imported to `/media/tv` but Jellyfin shows empty
**Cause**: Jellyfin LXC mount not active or permissions wrong
**Fix**:
1. Restart Jellyfin LXC: `pct stop 121 && pct start 121`
2. Verify mount inside LXC: `pct exec 121 -- ls -la /media/tv/`
3. Fix permissions if needed: `chmod -R 777 /mnt/pve/elantris-media/tv/`

### Sonarr/Radarr Import Failures

**Symptom**: "Access denied" errors in logs
**Cause**: Permission mismatch between download client and *arr service
**Fix**: Ensure download folder has 777 permissions

## Future Considerations

- [ ] Automated backup strategy
- [ ] Monitoring/alerting system (Prometheus + Grafana?)
- [ ] Consider Authelia for future services without built-in auth
- [ ] Document disaster recovery procedures
- [ ] Consider consolidating Docker hosts