How it started

(note: this post is antedated to form a proper timeline of the developments of my network, it was actually written in march of 2024)

I started my network at the tail end of 2022. At that time, I had my machine hosted in one of the datacenters of [Coloclue][https;//coloclue.net]. They offered a service called ‘Nikhef port’, which is (almost) exactly what it sounds like. You get a physical port in Nikhef, accessable to your machine via a VLAN.

So I started out with a simple patch from that port to Frys-IX, which happens to be in the same rack! This was the beginning of AS202585. A transit connection from Coloclue (AS8283) and a connection to Frys-IX. Thanks Tim and Arend!

Then, the itch started. I asked myself: how can I grow my network? One way would be to hang a switch in Nikhef somewhere. That means I need a U and some power.

After some searching, my employer Speakup agreed to accomodate 1 U for this hobby after laying down some conditions. Which I am very grateful for! Then, I was ready to expand! I asked a friend to help me lay some cables one afternoon and, after some hard work: there it was!

Thanks for helping, Erwin!