While I am officially shifting away from the rigid 5-week sprint, I am still utilizing this time to ensure the foundation is fully operational before the next semester begins. The goal is to have a stable, production-ready environment so I can transition from building infrastructure to actually utilizing it for high-level learning.

Infrastructure & Documentation

This week was heavily focused on the “logical” layer of the lab. I’ve finalized my Master IP & VLAN Sheet, which currently tracks approximately 20 VLANs. This number will likely grow as I integrate Active Directory and professional services. Having this level of documentation is critical for the “Clear Box” philosophy I want for my network.

The Hardware Pivot: Entering the 10G Era

The biggest update is the addition of an Arista Datacenter Switch. This allows me to move critical services like Ceph onto a dedicated 10G backbone. We are moving away from standard speeds into the realm of microsecond (and even nanosecond) latency.

To support this, I’ve acquired:

  • Arista Datacenter Switch (10G/low-latency)
  • DAC (Direct Attach Copper) Cables for all server nodes
  • High-speed Network Adapters for the ProLiant and Dell nodes

New Year’s Mission & Security

As we head into the New Year, my focus will shift to physical installation and hardening. The plan for the coming week includes:

  • Hardware Integration: Swapping adapters and running DAC cables.
  • Service Deployment: Provisioning personal/enterprise service nodes and dedicated game nodes.
  • Resilience: Finalizing NUT (Network UPS Tools) configurations.
  • Security: Enforcing YubiKey MFA across all homelab and personal resources to ensure a zero-trust environment.

The Long Game: Building vs. Maintaining

My ultimate goal for the end of this period is to move from Constant Construction to System Maintenance. Once the lab is stable, I can finally focus on the other important domains besides just IT:

  1. Advanced Programming (Python/Go)
  2. Hardware Engineering (FPGA work)
  3. AI Development (Project Itzli)
  4. Cybersecurity Concepts (Red/Blue team labs)

It’s time to stop building the lab and start using it to build the future. It’s time to get excited, see you next year.