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