===== Do you want to build a router? =====
  * **Speaker**: Mathias Palmersheim  
  * **Room**: CC 203  
  * **Time**: Sat 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm  

  * **Format**: Lecture (30 Min + Q&A)  
  * **Difficulty**: Some experience required  
  * **Track**: Networks  
  * **Additional Tags**: Self-Hosting  
  * **Presenter Location**: In-person  
  * **Experience**: several-th time speaking  

==== Description: ====  
After years of configuring firewalls and routers, Mathias found himself wishing these platforms were as easy to manage as a standard Linux machine — especially since his Ansible‑based workflow already made Linux configuration effortless. Unfortunately, most routing platforms fall short: no API, thin Ansible modules wrapped around a CLI, or limited access to the open‑source tools running underneath.

This talk explores how Mathias gradually — and then very quickly — transitioned from relying on traditional router platforms to running a **Linux‑based router** managed through the same GitOps workflow as the rest of his infrastructure. Attendees will learn what motivated the shift, what challenges emerged, and how adopting a Linux router improved control, observability, and consistency across his homelab.

**Target Audience:**  
  * Network admins who want better control and observability of their networking equipment