This is a submission for the "GitHub Finish-Up-A-Thon Challenge" (https://dev.to/challenges/github-2026-05-21)
What I Built
I built ProCurveUI, a modern desktop application that brings legacy HP ProCurve switches into the present.
The project started from a simple frustration: managing older ProCurve hardware often means dealing with serial cables, outdated TLS implementations, browser-incompatible web interfaces, and CLI workflows that haven't changed in over a decade. While the hardware itself remains reliable and popular in homelabs, the management experience has become increasingly painful.
ProCurveUI provides a clean graphical interface for interacting with these switches without relying on obsolete browser technologies or legacy management tools. The goal was to extend the useful life of excellent networking hardware by making it easier to configure and manage from modern systems.
As someone who spends a lot of time building security and infrastructure tooling, I enjoy creating software that removes unnecessary friction from everyday workflows. ProCurveUI is exactly that: a quality-of-life tool for homelab enthusiasts, network engineers, and anyone still running older HP ProCurve gear.
Repository: https://github.com/syrex1013/ProCurveUI
Demo
GitHub Repository
https://github.com/syrex1013/ProCurveUI
Screenshots
Include screenshots showing:
- Device connection screen
- Switch overview dashboard
- Configuration management interface
- Port management view
- VLAN or network configuration features
- Dark mode interface (if available)
Video Walkthrough
A short demo showing:
- Connecting to a ProCurve switch
- Viewing switch information
- Managing ports and settings
- Applying configuration changes
- Monitoring switch status
The Comeback Story
This project sat in the "almost finished" category for longer than I wanted.
The initial version proved that the concept worked, but there were still rough edges, missing functionality, UI inconsistencies, and documentation gaps that prevented it from feeling complete. Like many side projects, it reached the stage where it was useful to me personally but not yet polished enough for wider adoption.
For Finish-Up-A-Thon, I focused on turning a prototype into a project that others could actually use:
- Improved overall application stability
- Refined the user interface and workflow
- Fixed lingering bugs and connection issues
- Cleaned up project structure and code organization
- Improved documentation and usability
- Performed testing against real ProCurve hardware
- Prepared the repository for community contributions
The biggest win wasn't adding a flashy feature—it was taking the time to finish the details that make open-source projects approachable and maintainable.
Today, ProCurveUI is something I can confidently share with the homelab and networking community.
My Experience with GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot was especially useful during the polishing phase of the project.
While building new features is often the exciting part, finishing a project involves a huge amount of repetitive work: refactoring code, improving error handling, writing boilerplate, cleaning up UI components, and documenting functionality.
Copilot helped accelerate that process by:
- Generating repetitive UI code
- Assisting with refactoring and cleanup
- Suggesting edge-case handling
- Speeding up debugging sessions
- Helping write documentation and comments
- Reducing context-switching when working across different parts of the codebase
Instead of spending time writing the same patterns repeatedly, I could focus on improving the user experience and finishing the project.
For a challenge centered around completing unfinished work, that productivity boost was incredibly valuable.
Closing Thoughts
Older networking hardware still has plenty of life left in it. The challenge is usually software, not hardware.
ProCurveUI is my attempt to modernize the management experience for legacy HP ProCurve switches and make them easier to use in modern homelabs and lab environments.
If you have old ProCurve equipment sitting in a rack somewhere, I'd love to hear your feedback, bug reports, and feature ideas.
⭐ GitHub: https://github.com/syrex1013/ProCurveUI