SIN - Student Internet Network
I joined SIN (Student Internet Network) at Thomas More Kempen in 2021, and have been serving as Vice President since 2022. SIN is a student-run organization founded in 1997 on the belief that everything can always be improved—a mindset that still defines our culture today.
We provide web hosting to over 500 students and student organizations for just €5 per year. In addition to our core hosting services, we also support various campus initiatives—most notably Gamefest, a large LAN gaming event where we handle the full network infrastructure.
SIN is closely tied to the IT-Factory program and thrives on student-driven innovation. Members are encouraged to design and implement real-world solutions. Whether it's spotting bugs early, hardening systems against exploits, or rolling out security updates, SIN'ners are known for being ahead of the curve.
Since becoming Vice President, I've taken on both technical and leadership responsibilities—overseeing infrastructure improvements, managing services, and mentoring new members.
A few of the projects I've contributed to are highlighted below, including a rack migration and 10G network upgrade, as well as our work on multiple Gamefest events.
Rack Migration & 10G Networking
As part of campus renovations, SIN had the opportunity to move out of the small, outdated cleaning closet we had used for years and into a purpose-built micro-datacenter. This move required careful planning: all of our servers had to be powered down, relocated, and reconfigured.
We used this opportunity to upgrade our infrastructure by installing 10 Gigabit network cards in all servers. At the same time, we began configuring our new HPE core switches to support this higher-speed network.
In a later phase, we migrated all of our storage infrastructure to this new 10G network. Since our old NAS system didn't support 10G, we also transitioned to a more modern and reliable setup using TrueNAS, configured in a mirrored, high-availability layout.
This project significantly improved our internal network performance and set the stage for future upgrades across SIN's services.
Gamefest
Gamefest has been a yearly LAN gaming event at Thomas More for the past three years. Since the very first edition, SIN has been responsible for designing, setting up, and maintaining the entire network infrastructure for the event. We also lend a hand with general event support wherever possible.
Each Gamefest network setup typically includes two dedicated servers—one acting as a router, and the other as a Steamcache, to improve download speeds and reduce upstream bandwidth usage. The network is then distributed using core switches that connect to up to 10 access switches, with link aggregation used to ensure optimal throughput and redundancy.
At the most recent edition of Gamefest, we introduced network monitoring tools like Observium, allowing us to actively monitor switch status, Wi-Fi access points, and network traffic. This enabled us to detect and resolve issues in real time, improving the overall experience for attendees.