2025-03-21 big changes on core

On March 21, 2025, we will finally install our new MikroTik Cloud Core Router – CCR2216.
All important devices in our network have names. Our new core switch from MikroTik is called “Corey McRotik.”

As the central core switch, it connects all our network segments.

Many people don’t realize that we run a real, independent network.
All student dormitories in Geislingen an der Steige, Hohenheim, Nürtingen, Reutlingen, Albstadt, and Sigmaringen are connected to us in Tübingen and meet here at Fichtenweg 5.
(This is also why we cannot simply add dormitories that are connected via DSL, like those in Rottenburg, to our network.)

During the upgrade, all dormitories will go offline one or multiple times for a short period, depending on how we need to switch the fiber optic connections.

We chose Friday during the semester break to minimize disruptions for students and avoid interfering with the Studierendenwerk.

Our homepage is no longer hosted on a server at Fichtenweg—it is now hosted externally.
The main reason for this change was a series of power outages in our server room, which not only took all dormitories offline but also made our homepage unavailable.
We don’t expect frequent power outages, but with this change, we can provide more reliable updates in case of problems.

In short:

No need to worry, no emails, and please do not report the planned outage on Friday at 6:00 PM—we are aware of it.
We will be in the server room, literally holding cables in our hands.
We will update this message once we are finished.
If you still have problems after restarting at least one router, please contact us immediately via the contact form.
We will stay on-site for a few more hours to fix configuration issues or, if necessary, undo changes to keep the internet downtime as short as possible.

If you are interested in large networks, feel free to contact us (contact form: Mitmachen).
No prior knowledge is needed!
This year, we will replace switches in over 100 buildings—it’s manual work, so every helping hand is welcome.

If technology is not your strength, but you still want to help, we would really appreciate it.
As you can see from this not-so-perfect text, we could also use someone who can write better texts, design announcements, or simply organize tasks.

Right now, we are mainly active in Tübingen, but we already have one person in Hohenheim who recently joined to help on-site.
We really appreciate people outside of Tübingen because you can reach locations faster.

For example, you could help someone in a dorm with router issues, check if a construction crew accidentally cut a fiber optic cable, or look in the basement to see if a power outage is causing a network problem. All of this is much more difficult for our volunteer team in Netz-AK to handle from Tübingen.

6:16 pm update: after 4 minutes of downtime we finished. If anything is different for you, contact us!

2025 new to the dormitory?

First of all, it’s great that you’re here – welcome to the dormitory and our volunteer-managed network!

If you are new to the dormitory, you probably want to meet people. So, it’s a good idea to talk to your neighbours if you have a question.
They can answer questions about housing, shopping, or sports facilities and we can only help you with the access to the internet.

The internet in the dormitory is fast, and you don’t have to pay extra for it. (If someone has slow internet, it’s usually because they have a bad router.)

To go online via Wi-Fi, you need your own router. Almost everyone has one or shares Wi-Fi with the neighboring room.
If you already have a router, make sure to read our tutorial on Wi-Fi in the dorm room.
If you don’t have a router and want to buy one, I have written a blog post explaining how I would do it if I were in your situation.

If you ever have a problem or need help, don’t hesitate to contact us via the contact form.
Please always use this form so that we have all the information we need to help you quickly and efficiently.

Unfortunately, as a working group, we can only help you in German or English. Please use the language you are more comfortable with.
We understand that you might want to practice your German, but it is easier for us to help you in English if your English is better.

When you write to us, please don’t use AI.
Based on what and how you write, we can understand what you mean and how much you already know.
A “perfect” AI-generated message suggests to us that you know a lot – and you will then receive a response at that level.
If you want help from a human, write the message yourself!

Have fun and enjoy your time in the dormitory!

Your Netz-AK (short for Netzwerk Arbeitskreis = Network Work-group)

Christmas 2024

The Christmas season – for many, a time of reflection and peace. But for us at Netz-AK, it stays busy! Even during the festive season, we’re here for you. Whether it’s sudden technical issues or those little things you’ve always wanted to configure properly – we’ve got your back!

Of course, there are limits: if solving a problem requires “paid staff,” many of them are rightly on holiday now.

Why? It’s simple: volunteers rock!

A big thank you to everyone who helps us keep going. A special shout-out to the caretakers, Carmen Braun, Mrs. Horrer and Mrs. Hein.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a great start to the new year!

Your Netz-AK Team

Heads-Up: Friday, 06/12/2024 – New switch, new luck! 🚀

Hi everyone,

It’s time! On Friday, December 6, 2024, we’re finally installing the new generation of switches in the dorms on Konrad-Adenauer-Strssße. 🎉

What does this mean for you?
During the installation – about 3 hours – the dorms will be completely offline. No connection, no internet, no streaming, sorry! 🙈

Please don’t contact us during this time or ask how much longer it will take. It’ll take as long as it takes – but we promise to work as fast as we can! 💪

What’s new?
The new MikroTik switches are a test to see if they can replace our old Alcatel devices. Small tests went smoothly, but now it’s time for the real thing. Fingers crossed that everything works as planned! 🤞

Thanks for your patience and understanding – after the update, you’ll be the first to enjoy the new speed! 🖥️⚡

Your volunteers of the Netz-AK 🌐


Update: Saturday, 3:05 am we are back in Fichtenweg and configuring the last minor things. (That were very long three hours 😃 )


Update: Sunday, ~9 pm. we are replacing some modules and hope to connect the dormitories in Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse at 10 Gigabit to Fichtenweg 5.

Netz-AK goes to Hohenheim!

On Friday, the working group, along with its new members, will visit our technology in the dorms in Hohenheim. We expect to arrive at Egilofstraße around 5 PM and from there, we will visit Welfenstraße and Schwerzstraße. Whether a short tour of the campus or a visit to our dorms at Chausseefeld is possible will be decided spontaneously.

If you would like to meet us, keep an eye out for a group of nerds – it’s safer to let us know in advance using the contact form (Join Us).

The reason for the tour is our new members from Tübingen and our first interested person from Hohenheim! Besides getting to know the locations, we hope to gain insights into the needs of the dorms, which we often view as “outlying areas.”

 

Workload Admissions Winter Semester 2024/25

Another move-in wave is over, and it’s time to share some statistics so the blog isn’t just about network outages.

All emails were answered by hand, and as quickly as possible.

WS2024-25 Mails
WS2024-25 Mails by time
WS2024-25 Mails by day
WS2024-25 Mails by month

2024-09-30 Total outage the 2nd

Today (~4:19 pm), there was second unexpected power outage caused by a tripped circuit breaker (FI switch), which disconnected our systems from the network for about 90 minutes.

Since manual intervention was needed, we had a downtime of around 30 to 45 minutes before the systems were fully up again.

The outage wasn’t caused by anything we were doing, so it came as a surprise. Unfortunately, the UPS (uninterruptible power supply) didn’t last long enough until I could bike up the hill to Fichtenweg 5 to fix it on-site.

These kinds of incidents can happen, but most of you probably didn’t even notice the outage.

2024-09-30 Total outage

Today (3:58 pm), there was an unexpected power outage caused by a tripped circuit breaker (FI switch), which disconnected our systems from the network for about 90 minutes.

Since manual intervention was needed, we had a downtime of around 30 to 45 minutes before the systems were fully up again.

The outage wasn’t caused by anything we were doing, so it came as a surprise. Unfortunately, the UPS (uninterruptible power supply) didn’t last long enough until I could bike up the hill to Fichtenweg 5 to fix it on-site.

These kinds of incidents can happen, but most of you probably didn’t even notice the outage.

2024-09-11 Kaiser-Wilhelm-Strasse 10

Our systems have been showing an outage at our connections at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Strasse 10 in Geislingen an der Steige since Wednesday, September 11th.

We received the first report from a resident on September 12, 2024, at 11:42 AM.

Without such a report, we cannot take action because there can be many reasons for the outage of our connections, like construction work in the building or on the street, or other reasons for a power cut.

In the past, we have gone to sites unnecessarily with fully configured replacement devices, so we no longer respond without a report from a resident.

Since we cannot access the building and the technical rooms in the basement without the help of a janitor, no repairs have been possible yet.

We will try again today to fix the issue.

Update 10 AM: The janitor was reached and turned the power off and on again. Everything is back online. The availability and accessibility of janitors is very important!
A big thank you to the janitor for his help – he saved us over two hours of driving time.