Greetings,
When I was first learning about personal computers, I started off building my own. However, through the years with improved technology, I made a transition over to laptops. I was more focused on my college education and starting my business, that I preferred mobility over performance. Fast forward to about 5 years in as a IT professional, I realized that I needed to teach myself instead rather than wait for an opportunity elsewhere. So with some of the money I saved up, I went and procured some computer components and proceeded to build the server.
I ran into some hiccups of course. Building the PC, I didn’t have much trouble, as it was just like riding a bike. However, the installation of ESXi wasn’t as simple. ESXi didn’t recognize the integrated NIC controller on the motherboard, forcing me to learn how to find a driver and slipstream into the installation media. So thanks to the veterans in the game, I was able to move forward. ( So if anyone is Googling about virtualization and stumbles upon this article. If you have not started yet, buy an ESXi hardware verified NIC. If you started and are having trouble with your installation, but an ESXi hardware verified NIC.)
Fortunately, with my new server, I gained a lot of experience with virtualization in a relatively short period of time. I spun up several virtual machines, utilizing Windows trial software and I created a test environment, increasing my comfort with Active Directory and other roles. I also procured some additional windows licenses and spun some virtual machines for my family’s personal use. I’m glad I spent that time studying, because that knowledge came in handy really quickly. One of the projects handed to my colleague, required ESXi configuration. He didn’t know how to do it, and one of the owners had moved on by this time. I walked him through the process, and the project was completed successfully.
Eventually, I found a new organization and a new manager. I would be forever grateful for him believing in me, as he was all about investing in his employees. Unfortunately, this arrangement was short-circuited when he parted with the organization, and along with him, went my growth. I wanted to get a better understanding of how our network operated, in order to better support it. I understood in theory, but practical experience goes along way. As a end of the year gift to myself(most families would call this a Xmas or Christmas gift) I purchased a Ubiquity Edge router, Unifi Pro AP and a few smart switches. On my vacation,I created several 802.1 q VLANs,(Main, Wireless, Fios and test and Yeah I know, how exciting right..), configured ports on the smart switches as access or trunk ports(utilizing knowledge from my masters program and trial and error) and simulated the network my job was using. My Virtual machines, received their IP from the Server VM which had the DHCP role installed. I had three SSIDs, and my test SSID was also configured that any device connecting would retrieve its IP from that server as well(learned about super-scopes, DHCP relay and VLAN tagging).
When the new manager came in, this knowledge was never put to use. He took away this responsibility/growth opportunity and assigned it to a MSP. Losing motivation and having my mac book battery explode on me, I thought it was about time, I had my own desktop PC again. So I brought my server up from downstairs and installed a GTX 970 that my colleague/brother gave to me and I was all set(Also had to buy a Windows 10 License). Little did I know, I would be in the ride of my life for the next few months. So many problems, with so many underlying issues, that typical solutions didn’t apply to me. It was so frustrating, yet very humbling and I’m grateful for great friends, as well as being persistent. After about three months of battling with this bad boy, it seems that I finally have a stable machine. However, I still plan on building another server, but want to try the AMD route. Looks like my dad really appreciated having access to virtual machines to do some work.
Posted in My Life, S.T.E.A.M.