Course detail

Permacomputing and Self-Hosting Practices

FaVU-KREAP3Acad. year: 2026/2027

As part of the course’s hands-on component, students will select an unused older device (ideally a laptop, PC, or possibly a tablet or smartphone) and gradually transform it into a functioning digital infrastructure: they will learn to repair hardware damage, install the Linux operating system, set up open-source web services, and make them accessible via VPN for their private or group use, or publish them online for use by the general public.

The practical component of the course is supplemented by discussions of excerpts from related texts and artistic projects exploring permacomputing, (neo)Luddism, feminist servers, and artist-run IT infrastructure. An integral part of the course is reflection on students’ own experiences within the online environment and the web services they interact with, including a critical evaluation of these services and an exploration of free, non-extractivist alternatives.

 

 

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

2

Assignment to study programme types

Bachelor's

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Entry knowledge

Basic PC skills.

 

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Credit is awarded for completing ongoing assignments and the final semester project.

Classes are held in FaVU VUT classrooms during the times specified in the schedule. Attendance is mandatory (5 unexcused absences are permitted). A higher number of absences may be compensated for by completing an alternative assignment, subject to agreement with the instructors.

 

Aims

The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the theoretical concepts of sustainable digital approaches of permacomputing and to introduce them in practice to the topic of self-hosting (the management and provision of web services for personal and community purposes).

By completing the course, students will gain the ability to repurpose old, discarded devices and even transform them into practical digital infrastructure. Graduates will have practical experience installing and securing the Linux operating system, performing minor hardware repairs, running containerized applications (Docker), publishing web services via VPN (Tailscale, Pangolin), and registering domains and configuring DNS. Graduates reflect on the extractivism of digital platforms and are able to take a critical stance toward them on both practical and theoretical levels.

 

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

BENQUÉ, David, 2026. Luddite Academy: Towards a politicised digital creative practice. Online. In: Luddite Academy. 2026-04-22. Dostupné z: https://luddite.tools/assets/UCC-2026-paper/. (EN)
BEVILACQUA, Davide (ed.), 2024. Artists Running Data Centers. Online. Servus.at – kunst und kultur im netz. ISBN 978-3-9504200-3-6. Dostupné z: https://monoskop.org/images/b/bf/Artists_Running_Data_Centers_2024.pdf. (EN)
GLORIA; HOFFMÜLLER, Reni; JULITO; KLAU; METZLAR, Donna et al., 2014. A Feminist Server Manifesto 0.01. Online. In: Are You Being Served? Dostupné z: https://areyoubeingserved.constantvzw.org/Summit_afterlife.xhtml. (EN)
HEIKKILÄ, Ville-Matias "Viznut", 2021. Permacomputing Update 2021. Online. In: . Dostupné z: https://viznut.fi/files/texts-en/permacomputing_update_2021.html. (EN)
TARNOFF, Ben, 2022. Internet for the People: The Fight for Our Digital Future. London: Verso. ISBN 9781804290392. (EN)

Recommended reading

Not applicable.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme DES_B Bachelor's 2 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    2 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    2 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    2 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
  • Programme VUM_B Bachelor's 3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective
    3 year of study, summer semester, elective

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

13 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

Exercise

13 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

Syllabus

  1. Course introduction, sharing past experiences and expectations
  2. Permacomputing: reflection on the assigned text, introduction to desktop computer hardware
  3. Installing an operating system on an old, unused device
  4. Alternative web services: office suites, chat (Matrix), the Fediverse social network
  5. Introduction to the command line, remote connection via SSH
  6. Smolweb: introduction to static web hosting and minimalist web design approaches
  7. Basics of Linux system administration and security
  8. Introduction to Docker/Podman containerized applications
  9. Port forwarding, introduction to DNS and Tailscale VPN
  10. Additional topics based on consensus among students. Consultations and debugging of semester projects.

 

Individual preparation for a project work

13 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

Individual preparation for excercises

12 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer