XPUB Infrastructour

Wednesday 3 September 2025

MORNING
10:00-12:00

(warming up)

• first! sensing the room (everyone writing a one line infrastructure & intimacy description?)
• WHY this is interesting (infrastructure and intimacy, all the different ways this can take place and be formed)
• overview of XPUB infrastructure - visiting each table briefly
• new ✨ sandbox ✨ launch
• exploring local networks - why local networks, little "id" cards (yes), local etherpad on the sandbox

AFTERNOON
13:00-15:15

(decentralised infrastructouring)
(one table/wiki page with instructions for each thing)
(XPUB infrastructure tasting setup)

• Eduroam
• Sandbox - introduction to XPUB sandbox culture ;) + gathering sandbox name options with dot matrix printer, connected to a screen
• Wiki - make an account, User pages, add yourself to the student page (Manetta)
• Zulip - accounts making, touring through streams, topics and private messages
• [XPUB] and [MD] mailinglists - collect emails and make sure everyone is subscribed
• Etherpad - introducing the features AND possible points of friction (Manetta)
• XML - with Claudio? TBC Manetta will ask him
• Mastodon/Glitchsoc (404.xpub.nl) - with XPUB2, pre-launch, official launch later in September (tbc)
• Bootleg Library
• Gitea
• XVM (HUB, gitea, wiki, websites, pad, ...) + skattkista (backups) + OVH server (Zulip)
• Workbooks - to explore how these workbooks are made (maybe, nice optional extra table)

DIGESTIF
15:15-15:45

sandbox collective name decision making!

BREAK
15:45-16:00

CHERRY ON THE CAKE
16:00-17:00

• Sandbox protocol launch (!) - Michael (invite XPUB2 and alumni)

Previous editions

Previous of this infrastructour:

• the 2021 edition by Aymeric
• 2022 Edition by Michael

Eduroam

The WiFi network of the school is called Eduroam. It's actually a network that is shared between higher education spaces and other academic organisations throughout the world.

INSTALL YOURSELF

1. Are you connected to Eduroam already?
   Yes! (go to step 10)
   Nope (go to the next step)
2. Did you receive the HR letter with the login details?
   Yes! (great! go to the next step)
   Eh no? (Hmm. The people at the FIT/IT desk downstairs can help you further. It's the funny side desk next to the stairs on the ground floor.)
3. Try to connect to Eduroam, the workbook on this table lists how you can do this on different operation systems and in different ways (Linux/Android/Windows/MacOS/iOS/etc).
4. If it does not work, you can go to the FIT/IT desk or ask the PZI coordinators.

(Local) Networks

Context

You may hear people speak of the "Internets". More than a quaint (mis) naming, the idea of a global "Internetwork" of networks grew out of a reality of many networks that through standards and a myriad of other technical protocols and ongoing physical care and maintenance work produce the illusion of an "always on 24/7" global network. Despite the many advantages of this network, creating ones own private networks can be useful and in some cases essential to say create opportunities of connection to a community *on its own terms*.

INSTALL YOURSELF

• Connect to wifi network "infrastructour", the password is also "infrastructour". NB: Your device may warn you and perhaps even require additional confirmation to stay connected to this network as it's not connected to the public Internet.

• Check your network settings to find *your IP address on this network*, it should start with 192.168.1. Write this number on an "IP address card" and proudly display it.

This is your member ship card to this local network, the first three numbers identify the shared network (aka the "subnet"). The last number is what uniquely identifies you on this network. Note that this IP address is *not public*. Also (and more exceptionally) this network is not connected to the public Internet. It's like a bubble that allows connections between those inside and connected.

• Try to connect to the URLs "sandbox27.local", or "infrastruc.tour".

If you see "https://" in your browser, make sure to correct it to "http://".

Sandbox

INSTALL YOURSELF

Make a user account for yourself on the new sandbox!

1. Type the following: sudo adduser YOURUSERNAME
2. Follow the questionnaire that reveals itself. Content warning: this is full of legacy stuff from the past in the time that ROOM NUMBER was still thé thing! (the eh 1970s)
3. Add yourself to a special administrator group (called SUDO: "super user DO"!) by typing: sudo adduser YOURUSERNAME sudo
4. Check if it this all worked by typing: ls /home/

And, suggest a name for this new sandbox!

1. Print your suggestion by typing: echo YOURSUGGESTION > /dev/usb/lp0

Mastodon/Glitchsoc (404.xpub.nl)

404.xpub.nl is our (work-in-progress!) student-run Mastodon instance.

It's very fresh still! We picked this up as a collective research project during the last prototyping classes with Manetta of last year.

It allowed us to explore what the Fediverse is as a project, how it tries to build another type of social media and have a critical discussion about it.

And to not only study it from an outside position, we decided to install an XPUB Mastodon server and become part of the Fediverse. To do this, we had to tackle not only technical work (the installation and server related work), but also learn more about governance, code of conducts, customization and other sides of Fediverse cultures. To do this work all together, we split into 4 different groups:

• sysadmin/server
• moderation
• customization
• culture(s)

The server is fully in the hands of students! So if you want to join this initiative, you certainly can. XPUB staff is happy to support whenever needed and possible timewise.

INSTALL YOURSELF (optional)

If you want to explore this instance, and with it the wider Fediverse, you can make an account for yourself!

1. Go to 404.xpub.nl
2. Click on "create account"
3. Follow the instructions
4. It is possible that you don't receive the registration email... (i vaguely remember that this was an issue)... in that case: ask one of the XPUB2 students around this table for help :--)

The bootleg library

Context

• Project of Simon Browne
• Interfacing the Law series

Another simple means of having a "private" network... simple shared password(s).

Calibre is a Free software traditional desktop application for managing a digital library. Calibre web is a related project that adds a (shared) web interface built on top of a calibre installation. It adds the ability for multiple people to browse, upload, and edit metadata of books, as well as simple "readers" to read formats like PDF + epub online. Simon Browne's Bootleg library follows preceding projects like Bibliotecha, that were based on Calibre web. After maintaining and hosting the server at his home, responsibility for hosting the bootleglibrary returned to XPUB in 2023 (?), and it now sits in the physical XPUB library alongside Simon's original "bootleg" library cabinet and (paper) publications.

INSTALL YOURSELF

• go to https://hub.xpub.nl/bootleglibrary
• check the table for the secret PASSWORD that allows you access to the library.
• Check out what Steve has prepared: the Writing Machines Reader