Network Topology - Because Nobody Wants to Debug This Mess Later#
Networks are complex enough—let’s not make future troubleshooting harder. Proper documentation now saves headaches later.
Note: All IPs are either RFC 5737/4849 test addresses or RFC 1918 private ranges. Don’t expect them to work on the public internet.
Cloud Providers & Colocation#
Track where your infrastructure lives. It’ll save you time when things break.
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| # Quick provider lookup
whois 203.0.113.54
whois $(dig +short roll.urown.net)
|
| Provider | Nickname |
|---|
| Amazon Web Services | aws |
| Google Cloud | gcp |
| Microsoft Azure | azure |
| Vultr | vultr |
| Scaleway | scale |
| Netcup | netcup |
| Oracle Cloud | oracle |
| Hetzner Cloud | hetzner |
Locations#
Physical presence by city/data center.
| Location | Code |
|---|
| Los Angeles | LAX |
| Chicago | CHI |
| Paris | PAR |
| Tokyo | TYO |
| Sydney | SYD |
| Madrid | MAD |
| Zurich | ZRH |
| Johannesburg | JNB |
| São Paulo | GRU |
Public IPs & Subnets#
Assigned by upstreams. IPv6 is available in some regions.
| Provider | Location | IPv4 Subnet | IPv6 Subnet |
|---|
| vultr | NYC | 203.0.113.101/32 | 2001:db8:abcd:1::/64 |
| scale | AMS | 198.51.100.42/32 | 2001:db8:abcd:2::/64 |
| netcup | MUC | 192.0.2.77/32 | 2001:db8:abcd:3::/64 |
| oracle | MAD | dynamic | 2001:db8:abcd:4::/48 |
| azure | SYD | dynamic | dynamic |
| gcp | TYO | dynamic | n/a |
Internal Network Ranges#
RFC 1918 ranges for internal use.
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| # Generate random subnets
echo 172.$((RANDOM%16+16)).0.0/24
echo home 172.27.$((RANDOM%255+16)).0/24
|
| Site | City | IPv4 Subnet | Mask | CIDR | Notes |
|---|
| home | Frankfurt | 172.27.88.0 | 255.255.255.0 | 172.27.88.0/24 | Home LAN |
| office | Frankfurt | 172.27.126.0 | 255.255.255.0 | 172.27.126.0/24 | Office LAN |
| mama | Berlin | 172.27.74.0 | 255.255.255.0 | 172.27.74.0/24 | Mom’s network |
| guest | Frankfurt | 172.27.99.0 | 255.255.255.0 | 172.27.99.0/24 | Guest VLAN |
| lab | Frankfurt | 172.27.150.0 | 255.255.255.0 | 172.27.150.0/24 | Lab VLAN |
RFC 1918 Private Address Space#
Reference for internal-only addressing.
| Network Address | Netmask | CIDR |
|---|
| 10.0.0.0 | 255.0.0.0 | 10/8 |
| 172.16.0.0 | 255.240.0.0 | 172.16/12 |
| 192.168.0.0 | 255.255.0.0 | 192.168/16 |
IPv6 ULA (Unique Local Addresses)#
For internal IPv6, use ULA ranges.
| Site | City | ULA Suffix | ULA IPv6 Subnet |
|---|
| home | Frankfurt | 13a6 | fdc1:d89e:b128:13a6::/64 |
| office | Frankfurt | 2615 | fdc1:d89e:b128:2615::/64 |
| mama | Berlin | 41c5 | fdc1:d89e:b128:41c5::/64 |
VPN Overlay Network#
Overlay connects all sites. Use distinct subnets.
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| # Generate VPN subnet in 10.100.x.x/24
echo 10.100.$((RANDOM%200+20)).0/24
|
| Network | Scope | IPv4 Subnet | IPv6 Subnet |
|---|
| core | Global | 172.27.0.0/16 | fdc1:d89e:b128::/48 |
| home | FRA | 172.27.88.0/24 | fdc1:d89e:b128:13a6::/64 |
| office | FRA | 172.27.126.0/24 | fdc1:d89e:b128:2615::/64 |
| mama | BER | 172.27.74.0/24 | fdc1:d89e:b128:41c5::/64 |
| overlay | VPN | 10.100.42.0/24 | fdc1:d89e:b128:6a04::/64 |
Domain Registration#
Own your domain.
DNS Zones by Location#
Organize DNS by site for clarity.
| Subdomain | Location | IPv4 Subnet | IPv6 Subnet |
|---|
| . | Global | 172.27.0.0/16 | fdc1:d89e:b128::/48 |
| home | FRA | 172.27.88.0/24 | fdc1:d89e:b128:13a6::/64 |
| office | FRA | 172.27.126.0/24 | fdc1:d89e:b128:2615::/64 |
| mama | BER | 172.27.74.0/24 | fdc1:d89e:b128:41c5::/64 |
VPN DNS Zone#
Overlay DNS: mesh.example.net
| FQDN | IPv4 Address | IPv6 Address |
|---|
| apollo.mesh.example.net | 10.100.55.10 | fdc1:d89e:b128:7b01::1010 |
| cassini.mesh.example.net | 10.100.55.20 | fdc1:d89e:b128:7b01::2020 |
| galileo.mesh.example.net | 10.100.55.30 | fdc1:d89e:b128:7b01::3030 |
| voyager.mesh.example.net | 10.100.55.40 | fdc1:d89e:b128:7b01::4040 |
Server Naming#
Use neutral names for flexibility. (Halo references.)
| Host | Location | Provider | Role |
|---|
| chief | SFO | hetzner | Server |
| cortana | LON | rack | Server |
| arbiter | PHO | roller | Server |
| keys | FRA | home | Router |
| johnson | FRA | home | NAS |
| guiltyspark | FRA | home | Wi-Fi AP |
| halsey | FRA | home | Server |
| miranda | FRA | office | Router |
| tartarus | FRA | office | NAS |
| truth | BER | mama | Router |
DNS Configuration#
Ensure all hosts are reachable. Dynamic DNS is used for home connections.
Root Domain: example.net#
| FQDN | IPv4 Address | IPv6 Address |
|---|
| apollo.example.net | 203.0.113.54 | N/A |
| cassini.example.net | 198.51.100.7 | 2001:db8:48d1::1 |
| galileo.example.net | 192.0.2.14 | 2001:db8:2d07:5b57::0 |
| voyager.example.net | dynamic | 2001:db8:3414:6b1d::1 |
| pioneer.example.net | dynamic | 2001:db8:3414:6b1d::10 |
| kepler.example.net | dynamic | dynamic |
Home Lab: home.example.net#
| FQDN | IPv4 Address | IPv6 Address |
|---|
| chief.home.example.net | 172.27.88.1 | fdc1:d89e:b128:13a6::1 |
| cortana.home.example.net | 172.27.88.10 | fdc1:d89e:b128:13a6::10 |
| arbiter.home.example.net | 172.27.88.3 | fdc1:d89e:b128:13a6::3 |
Office: office.example.net#
| FQDN | IPv4 Address | IPv6 Address |
|---|
| keys.office.example.net | 172.27.126.1 | fdc1:d89e:b128:2615::1 |
| johnson.office.example.net | 172.27.126.10 | fdc1:d89e:b128:2615::10 |
Mom’s Place: mama.example.net#
| FQDN | IPv4 Address | IPv6 Address |
|---|
| guiltyspark.mama.example.net | 172.27.74.1 | fdc1:d89e:b128:41c5::1 |