NgarumaVTC/KaziLab

Build a School Server for an African School #+TITLE: KaziLab #+AUTHOR: Axel Ramge #+DATE: 2026-05-13 #+OPTIONS: toc:2 #+LANGUAGE: en *Zero Maintenance. Zero Waste. Zero Downtime.* /A declarative, cost-effective NixOS computer lab architecture for any school./ #+BEGIN_QUOTE One configuration file. One rebuild. Twenty students online — on hardware that was destined for the bin. #+END_QUOTE * What is KaziLab? KaziLab is a complete, reproducible blueprint for turning a room full of aging business PCs into a modern, fully-managed computer lab — without buying new hardware, without proprietary licenses, and without a dedicated IT department on-site. The entire system state is declared in NixOS configuration, tracked in Git, and reproducible from scratch. When something breaks: roll back. When something needs updating: update once, all clients follow. One server, one config, zero drift. Built for the [[github.com][Ngaruma Vocational Training Centre]] in the Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania — and designed to be forked, adapted, and deployed in any school with similar constraints. /Kazi = Work (Swahili)/ * Core Principles | Principle | How | |------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | Zero Maintenance | NixOS declarative config. Rebuild once, all 20 desktops follow. | | Zero Waste | Refurbished enterprise hardware. 10-year target lifespan. | | Zero Downtime | ZFS mirror + UPS + WireGuard remote access from anywhere in the world | | Open Source Only | NixOS + MikroTik RouterOS. No vendor lock-in, ever. | | Financially Sane | ~3,600 EUR total. 120 students. Works out at ~30 EUR per student. | * Architecture at a Glance #+BEGIN_EXAMPLE [Admin / Germany] | WireGuard VPN (punches through CGNAT — no static IP needed) | [MikroTik hAP ax3] <-- Airtel LTE/5G Firewall | DHCP | DNS | NTP | QoS | WireGuard endpoint | [MikroTik CRS32 …