Hey there! Ask me what I do and I’ll tell you I live and breathe IT – the nerdy way, of course. With a strong foundation in Linux, Security and Networking. I’ve spent years diving deep into the world of technology. This weblog, Roethof.net, is my space to share insights, solutions and the occasional rant about the ever-evolving tech landscape.

What I Do

Professionally, I work as an IT specialist, bringing my expertise to various roles such as Linux System Administrator, Technical Specialist, Architect and Security Officer. Currently, I focus on managing our company’s internal IT infrastructure and security. My passion lies in tackling complex technical challenges, developing efficient solutions and, most importantly, automating repetitive tasks using tools like Ansible to avoid the daily grind. Security is also a significant part of my responsibilities, where I often wear the hats of Security Officer, SysAdmin and even dabble in penetration testing. However, my happy place is undoubtedly in front of a terminal, where I can truly get things done. This site serves as a personal knowledge dump – a collection of my “brainfarts,” or rather, my solutions and experiences, hoping they might be helpful to others navigating similar tech journeys.

Why Open Source?

Open source is the backbone of my tech philosophy. The freedom to inspect, modify and distribute software aligns perfectly with my desire to understand and control the systems I work with. It fosters collaboration and innovation and it’s the driving force behind many of the tools I rely on daily, from Arch Linux, FreeBSD to Ansible and Bash. Sharing my solutions and experiences through this site is my way of contributing back to this vibrant community.

About This Site

Roethof.net is my unfiltered tech diary and technical outlet. Here, you can expect a mix of practical solutions and philosophical musings on technology. Yes, there will be the occasional rant about the absurdities I encounter, including the joys and perils of surviving sleep-deprived sysadmin nights. You’ll also find my thoughts on the delicate balance between security and usability. You might even stumble upon my ongoing quest for the perfect split keyboard to alleviate the discomfort of Tietze’s syndrome – a truly first-world problem that still warrants a good grumble. This blog is intended to be raw, practical, and a direct reflection of my experiences in the trenches of IT and straight from the terminal.

A Bit More About Me

I’m always chasing the next puzzle, whether it’s streamlining a messy workflow, outsmarting a security snag, or finding the ultimate setup that doesn’t fight me back. Call it a nerd’s endless adventure. But to keep it short:

• Tech Stack: Arch Linux, Ansible, Bash, with FreeBSD and Debian scars—or should I say servers.
• Drive: Solving problems and automating everything, manual (IT) work is for suckers.
• Family: I’m the proud father of an 11-year-old son, who constantly reminds me there’s a world outside of the terminal, and the lucky fiancé of an amazing partner who somehow manages to keep me grounded even when I’m knee-deep in some obscure technical rabbit hole (or ranting about it).
• My Epic Quest (Still Loading…): It’s a continuous, often frustrating, but ultimately rewarding journey of leveling up my tech skills, diving headfirst into new and exciting (and sometimes terrifying) nerdy domains, and building cool (and hopefully functional) stuff along the way. The learning (and the potential for new rants) never stops!
• My Nerd Mantra: “Automate the boring bits so you have more brainpower for the awesome bits.” and “If it’s not automated, is it even worth doing? (Unless it’s something you can later automate, then maybe.)”

Get in Touch

Do you have a perplexing tech problem, an ingenious automation script to share, or perhaps a recommendation for a split keyboard that might save my wrists? Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] – I’m always up for a nerdy chat, a collaborative debugging session, or even just a good-natured rant about the state of technology (and the lack of sleep that sometimes comes with it). Spotted a glaring flaw in my setup? Go ahead, point it out – I dare you to prove me wrong (though be prepared for a spirited defense!). Whether you’re here to geek out, swap war stories from the IT trenches, or just chuckle at my latest technical misadventure, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s keep this tech community engaging, informative, and maybe just a little bit cathartic.