April 2024 From Mini ITX to Powerhouse: Navigating the Challenges of Building a Server/NAS
Let’s dive into one of my biggest projects: building the server/NAS. This adventure started with repurposing my mini ITX computer, Mobile Isaiah, into a powerhouse server. Despite the initial challenges of short cables and fitting everything into the compact case, I managed to set up two 8TB IronWolf drives in a mirror configuration.
Setting up TrueNAS proved to be a night-long puzzle, with unexpected formatting issues and configuration hurdles. After overcoming these obstacles, configuring Plex seemed like a breeze, though a version rollback was necessary to smooth out some bumps.
To improve data transfer speeds, I migrated the NAS to a Cisco switch, only to realize later that an unplugged Ethernet cable was the culprit. Despite not achieving the desired gigabit speed, the satisfaction of overcoming challenges made the journey worthwhile.
In the end, with data securely backed up and Plex up and running the project’s success outweighs the setbacks. It’s been a rollercoaster of frustration and problem-solving, but ultimately, a rewarding journey.
May – September 2023 “My Three-Month Journey to Achieve Security+ Certification
In the fast-paced world of technology, some of the best moments happen unexpectedly. Three months ago, I set out on a mission to get my hands on the coveted Security+ certification. Through this blog post, I want to share my journey, its highs and lows, and inspire others while keeping things down to earth.
Back in late April, I was thinking about what I wanted to do. My goal was to land an internship that could help me sharpen my IT skills. I was looking for a place like a hospital or somewhere heavily into computer stuff. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been studying for various tests like CompTIA IT Fundamentals, CompTIA A+, and CompTIA Network+. It was like building a foundation, and then I dived into Cisco CCNA, which felt like learning a whole new language. Unlike my previous tests, this one needed me to get hands-on, not just book smarts.
I passed the Cisco exam and celebrated with some cool projects, like setting up a home lab, configuring networks, and tinkering with tech gear. I even bought a Cisco switch and PoE phone, messing around with different tech stuff, coding, and soldering. I didn’t get very far, but I learned a lot.
I planned to land an internship over the summer, gain some experience, and maybe score a tech job around September. But as Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the mouth.” My plan didn’t quite work out as expected.
I reached out to schools and hospitals for internships, but it was tough to get a response. I didn’t know who to contact. The only folks who replied were the IT helpdesk at a local college, and they were pretty helpful. But HR had a different story. They said an internship would be a liability, which in my mind meant a security risk. The only offer they gave me was to apply for a job. I took that personally; if I was good enough to intern, I was good enough to work.
It took me three months of hard work, studying about 17 hours a week, to pass the Security+ exam. I took a few breaks, like a week off for vacation and some time to mourn a family member. During that break, I relaxed with my best friends and enjoyed life without thinking about tech and security. When I got back, it was time to put on my study hat again.
Studying for the Security+ was different from my previous tests. I had a strategy, knew what to study, and had the right resources. It was challenging, but it never felt impossible, unlike the Cisco exam, which sometimes felt like an insurmountable mountain.
On September 5, I took the Security+ test and passed. I celebrated with my friends, and on September 11, we had a fun cake. That marked the end of summer with an unexpected Security+ certification.
In the world of business and IT, employers want to know your strengths and weaknesses. Throughout my journey, security was a perceived weakness, but I managed to turn it into a strength. It was like improving the locks on your doors, making your network safer, and exploring new angles of security.
As for what’s next, I’m not entirely sure. But I enjoyed taking this less-traveled path, much like a relaxing drive down country roads.
April 2023 DIY Friendship light using an ESP32 Arduino microcontroller
Hey there! Today, I want to tell you about my latest project that I’ve been working on for the past month and a half. It’s a DIY Friendship light using an ESP32 Arduino microcontroller, and let me tell you, it has been quite the journey!
It all started when I saw a video on YouTube by Barnacules. He had connected his ESP32 to LED pixel lights that displayed scrolling text of the names and amounts of donations on his channel – I was fascinated! I decided to get everything I needed to create my friendship light, where my friend and I could change the color of our respective LED lights using a key code. It was like having our little mood light that we could control from afar.
Now, I have a background in IT, so I am confident in my ability to troubleshoot the technicalities of the project. But what I wasn’t prepared for was the sheer amount of learning I had to do! I had to set up the Arduino IDE software, learn how to solder, and even create a Twitch bot from scratch. It was equal parts frustrating and fascinating.
But, the real hero of this project was Chat GPT – my very own “Jarvis” like in the Iron Man movies. It was my go-to for writing code and it did a pretty good job. Whenever it messed up, I just had to give it the error message and it would fix it. And boy, did I make a lot of mistakes! From incorrect soldering to accidentally connecting power to the ground, I had my fair share of setbacks. But, as Einstein said, I didn’t waste a week, I just learned how not to do it!
One of the biggest challenges I faced was trying to have people outside my local network change the color of the light. After trying and failing to use Twitch, I finally found a solution in Telegram. I made a Telegram account and created a bot to change the color of the light. It took a lot of time and effort, but I finally got it working.
But, the journey didn’t end there. I still had to use port forwarding to enable the bot to communicate with the ESP32. It was a tedious process, but after a month and a half of hard work, I finally did it. Now, I can change the color of my light from anywhere, and it feels like a huge accomplishment.
In conclusion, this project taught me a lot about DIY electronics, coding, and troubleshooting. But, the real MVP was Chat GPT, which helped me every step of the way. And who knows, maybe someday I’ll be able to add scrolling text to the LED lights – but for now, I’m happy with just changing the color.
February 2023 setting up a Cisco voice-over IP phone to use on PBX
As I delve into my past projects and look forward to my upcoming ones, I can’t help but reminisce about the time I set up a Cisco voice phone on PBX. It was one of the biggest projects I have undertaken, and it was both challenging and rewarding.
To start, I had to figure out how to power the phone. After some deliberation, I decided to use Power over Ethernet (PoE) to avoid messy cables and simplify my setup. I purchased ethernet cables, jackets, and a tester to make my custom cables. In theory, it seemed easy – just cut the cable to the desired length, crimp the wires, and voila! But, as they say, theory and practice are two different things.
I quickly discovered that making ethernet cables required a lot of patience and attention to detail. I used the 568b wiring method and followed the white-orange, orange, white-green, blue, white-blue, green, white-brown, and brown sequence. However, I often made mistakes with the third and sixth pins or occasionally with the fifth or seventh. It felt like arts and crafts, and I struggled to get the cables just right.
Despite some initial setbacks, I kept pushing forward, and after about a week, I honed my skills and mastered the process. I learned that making shorter or longer cables required a different approach, and I had to ensure that I left enough slack on the ends. It was a great feeling when I finally got it right.
With the ethernet cables in place, I moved on to getting the Cisco phone to work with SIP. However, the Cisco phone used its own protocol, which required me to update it to work with PBX, a process that took two weeks. Once I had updated the firmware, I had to install the PBX system using the virtual machine Oracle box.
The hardest part of this whole project was getting the right Cisco firmware to work with PBX. PBX doesn’t work with all firmware, so I had to use XML documents to put the right things in the right order in a very specific way. It was a challenging task, but once I got it all working, it was satisfying to set up the voicemail and watch as the time updated.
Overall, it was a three-part project involving ethernet cables, a Cisco phone, and PBX. Although it was my first time using a voice-over IP phone, I found the power of ethernet to be pretty cool. It was a challenging project, but it taught me a lot about perseverance, attention to detail, and the satisfaction of completing a challenging project.
December 2022 setting up the network
When I got my Cisco CCNA, I knew I needed to put my skills to the test in a real-world project. So, I decided to dive into the deep end and buy some used equipment from eBay to set up my own home network lab.
My first big project was to hook up a Cisco switch and router to my home network so I could have more ports and faster speeds. Easy, right? Boy, was I in for a shock!
The first challenge was resetting the used equipment, which wasn’t too hard thanks to my Cisco training. But then I wanted to get SSH on the switch, and that’s when things started to get tricky. After watching some YouTube videos and doing some research, I discovered that the firmware version I had didn’t accept SSH. Talk about a setback! But, I didn’t give up. I installed Telnet instead and moved on to the router.
Getting SSH on the router was easier, but that was just the beginning. The real challenge was configuring my home lab to connect to the MSP router. I spent three weeks off and on trying to make it work. I tried subnetting, virtual VLANs, and different routing protocols, but nothing seemed to be working. I was frustrated and ready to give up.
But, then I had a breakthrough. I finally got static routes set up from the switch to the router to the MSP router. I kept using the wrong gateway, but I persevered. And just a week before Christmas, I finally got it all working.
It was a huge relief to see all the lights and fans spinning up and working and to know that I had done it all on my own. I realized that while my Cisco training had given me the theory, it was the real-world challenges that truly put my skills to the test.
Now, every time I walk by my home lab and see the lights and hear the fans spinning, it brings a smile to my face. It’s the little things that keep you going, and it’s all worth it in the end.
Setting up my own home lab taught me that just like in football, anyone can throw a clean pass when there’s no pressure. But, it’s the split-second decisions you make when things get tough that truly show your skills. And, I’m so glad I didn’t tackle this project until after I got my Cisco CCNA. Sure, I learned a lot, but the setbacks would have been even more frustrating without that certification under my belt.
So, if you’re looking for a challenge and want to put your Cisco skills to the test, don’t be afraid to dive in and tackle a real-world project. It may be tough, but the feeling of accomplishment when you finally make it work is unbeatable.