What have YOU learned this week?

I figured I'd start a new thread. We all work in technology which means we're all learning new things both positive and negative through experience, studying, etc. I thought I'd share a post about what I'd learned this week:

Writing ASA ACLs is very different from what you learn on the CCNA exams
I learned about object-oriented ACLs which are WAY better than the regular old ACLs you learn about in the beginning
I've learned a lot about making adjustments on a VPN firewall and I felt like at any moment, I was going to break everything.
I've learned about creating Unity voicemail boxes, creating new templates, and making config changes to phone remotely
I've learned how to configure new links over a WAN optimizer and it was fun
I've learned that a lot of network guys use GUI but, let's be honest, it's not as cool
I've learned that vendors and service providers are not as efficient as they think they are and I'm sure they feel the same way about me
I've learned that sometimes other IT departments don't understand the kind of work and precaution that it takes to make changes to a network environment and expect it to be done within 10 minutes of their request
"I work Monday-Friday 8-5PM" is not an acceptable response to your superiors when crap needs to get done (Ok, I did know this before but I witnessed someone trying to pull this BS and the fallout after this week)

What have you learned this week? Cynical, inspirational, or informative lessons welcomed!

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Roguetadhg

I've learned that selling items on ebay is not as fun as buying.

Iristheangel

No... No it's not. Trying to find time to ship stuff is hard for me.

jdballinger

I learned that you should ALWAYS check Cisco's website to ensure that you have the proper IOS image before you **** it onto a new switch. And that maybe you probably shouldn't delete the old one until the first reload is successful. Also, in case anyone didn't know, 3560-X switches do NOT take the same IOS image as 3560G switches. Good to know (n00b mistake was pretty embarrassed by having to do an XMODEM transfer of an IOS image.)

I also learned how to configure a Cisco ACS appliance. I learned that there is a Discard protocol, and that Wake-on-LAN is a pain to set up.

KenC

Iristheangel wrote: »

I figured I'd start a new thread. We all work in technology which means we're all learning new things both positive and negative through experience, studying, etc. I thought I'd share a post about what I'd learned this week:
Writing ASA ACLs is very different from what you learn on the CCNA exams

I learned about object-oriented ACLs which are WAY better than the regular old ACLs you learn about in the beginning

I've learned a lot about making adjustments on a VPN firewall and I felt like at any moment, I was going to break everything.

I've learned about creating Unity voicemail boxes, creating new templates, and making config changes to phone remotely

I've learned how to configure new links over a WAN optimizer and it was fun

I've learned that a lot of network guys use GUI but, let's be honest, it's not as cool

I've learned that vendors and service providers are not as efficient as they think they are and I'm sure they feel the same way about me

I've learned that sometimes other IT departments don't understand the kind of work and precaution that it takes to make changes to a network environment and expect it to be done within 10 minutes of their request

"I work Monday-Friday 8-5PM" is not an acceptable response to your superiors when crap needs to get done (Ok, I did know this before but I witnessed someone trying to pull this BS and the fallout after this week)

What have you learned this week? Cynical, inspirational, or informative lessons welcomed!

I learned I should really do more in a week, a LOT more (and I only learned it after reading this).

veritas_libertas

That this works great: Baby Sleep Noise : Download Sleep Inducing mp3 Sound Files / An Inexpensive Baby Shower Gift

NotHackingYou

A+ 702 stuff, MTA database fundamentals stuff

shodown

Check out my srst thread in the ccnp voice forum.

m3zilla

Iristheangel wrote: »

Writing ASA ACLs is very different from what you learn on the CCNA exams

I learned about object-oriented ACLs which are WAY better than the regular old ACLs you learn about in the beginning

It's not all that different, but it sure makes a lot more sense. Never understood why ACL on router/switches uses wildcard mask instead of regular subnet mask.

Object groups are great, but it can also be really messy. If you have different tech that creates different groups for the same set of hosts because they don't bother to check, it gets out of hand really quick. It's also a nightmare when people start nesting groups within groups, within groups!

If you're new to ASAs, look into the packet-tracer command...it will save you lots of time when troubleshooting connectivity issue. Also make sure you understand security levels, and how that affect natting.

Slowhand

I've learned what was missing all these years, working for different companies. There have been times when I've had lots of responsibility, there have been times when I've had little or no direction as to what I'm supposed to be doing. . . but I never imagined that it would be the BEST WAY TO WORK EVER now that I've been given the authority to carry out a project as I see fit.

I've also learned how wonderfully lazy I get to be while auditing Windows machines, thanks to PowerShell. I didn't have to leave my desk one single time in three days to dig up hardware and software information for my initial report.

Iristheangel wrote: »

I've learned a lot about making adjustments on a VPN firewall and I felt like at any moment, I was going to break everything.

I feel like that every time I touch anything in production, quite frankly.

neotesla

Roguetadhg wrote: »

I've learned that selling items on ebay is not as fun as buying.

+1

Just sold my old digital camera for about 10% of the original purchase price.

onesaint

Agreed. Ebay selling can take all the fun out of a perfectly good time on the web.

Things I learned this week:

Leaving your hotel in some South American countries can be a very risky move.
Governments like to change their business visa requirements frequently.
Design theories for monitoring global networks.
And that Nagios will never be as smart as I want it to be.
ASA IPS cards can fail and need to be reseated for no reason what so ever. But, Cisco TAC is great.
When you have Catalyst 6500s everyone in the network thinks they should use them.
Upgrading Active/Passive ASAs with zero downtime.
Two pass variance calculations.
The different methods of antenna calibration.
I still like RH more than Deb/Ubuntu.
Getting people to follow SOPs ins't all that easy.
Corporations keep their documentation in way to many different places.
vShpere Client is a good way to get to hosts to view routes from a different angle.

Ch@rl!3m0ng

Never sold anything on ebay so cant comment on that.

What I learned this week:
1. I preffer fendora to ubuntu.
2. You can have more than a minute converstation about baby poo and wee.
3. I have a learning dissorder and cannot stop studying for something

4. I like Skrillex music (had never heard of him)
5. That i still want to work in info sec.

Thats my top five.

al3kt.R***

Hi guys, here's my short list of lessons learned this week:

Document every single production config change; there's no telling when something changed -however innocent it might seem at first- might break something else (sometimes especially important), at a time when every memory recollection of the change has irrevocably been wiped out of your memory!!! It's funny though that in theory we always emphasize on documentation, but in practice many times we are fond of quick/test changes that do a certain job temporarily, but may easily become forgotten with unknown consequences.
Never push too hard for any solution; solution will eventually manifest itself in the mind, when mind is less stressed and soul & body relaxed.
Good colleagues leaving for another job are not irreplacable, but are greatly missed and appreciated every other day on work.
My local bookstore is cheaper than Amazon, even if they have to order my book online... And faster too:)!!!
SSCP Access Control CBK stuff.

Best regards to all, liked your posts, to some of them I could easily relate!!!

Krones

That I will not be ready to take the 701 test in a week but should study for a few more weeks.
That my least favorite chapter in Meyers AIO is on printers and while I can remember pin numbers, sockets, video resolutions I have trouble describing the process of basic print technologies.
I will have to go back and review a few of the earlier chapters because some stuff has apparently slipped my mind... ha ha ha.
I wish that I was using my time to study and learn Linux/Python or that it was part of my degree program.

GOZCU

1 ) I have realized that Juniper as a vendor is really popular and should not be underestimated. This is also the another reason why EIGRP is not as popular as Cisco wanted it to be.

2) I have learnt about some network security fundamentals, especially the advantages and disadvantages of complex DMZ designing, work principles.

GoodBishop

That Fing is awesome and will be used in the future.

someasiandude

More A+ 701 legacy hardware memorization lol

cyberguypr

Not this week, but last week I learned that my recently departed coworker was a pr0n star credited in over 100 movies. That's the kind of stuff you read on the Reddit and you say "nah, how could that be". Best part was how I came across this. I was at a hotel with my wife and surfing through in-room PPV an adult movie came up with someone who looked like her. I was 50/50 and refused to believe it but took a pic of the TV for further analysis. Later on I ran it by someone else to get a second opinion and verdict was that it was her. A bit of googling later, we were in awe at the results. Surreal.

Iristheangel

@cyberguypr - I had that happen to me before with a friend I had for years, not a coworker. Before I got into IT, I worked in various banking and customer service jobs. I ended up working telephone customer service for three months for a pharmaceutical company to provided... ahem... enhancement pills for men among other products. Anyways, they had some rinky dinky promotion where they decided to send out a couple of adult DVDs with the enhancement product to their customers. I was walking through the shipping department one day and I glanced at a pile of DVDs sitting on someone's workstation. On the cover was my friend in all her glory. I thought there was no what this could have been my friend since she was some nice girl for Utah but after some Googling I was sure. She was in 50+ titles! Goes to show that you never really know people and they can surprise you

jamesleecoleman

I didn't really learn anything tech related this week. I did learn how to rip the turnsignal assembly in my car in half using a lanyard. Yea... not fun.

Last week :
1: I did learn how to set up honeyd and it wasn't really easy.
2: I learned that it was really easy to mess up services while running an exploit against an unpatched machine. In the same lesson, I found out that it was very difficult to bind (??) an exploit to a different process.
3: w3af seems complicated to use.

Cerebro

veritas_libertas wrote: »

That this works great: Baby Sleep Noise : Download Sleep Inducing mp3 Sound Files / An Inexpensive Baby Shower Gift

Was this for your baby or you?

The drone noise was intense lol, which ones have worked for you? I'll be recommending this to people.

Zartanasaurus

Iristheangel wrote: »

I figured I'd start a new thread. We all work in technology which means we're all learning new things both positive and negative through experience, studying, etc. I thought I'd share a post about what I'd learned this week:
Writing ASA ACLs is very different from what you learn on the CCNA exams

I learned about object-oriented ACLs which are WAY better than the regular old ACLs you learn about in the beginning

Yeah, ASA ACLs are a PITA IMO. When I started where I am now, one of the first things I did was rewrite all of our rules to take advantage of object groups. Came in handy when I had to learn the new NAT system in 8.3.

I've learned that a lot of network guys use GUI but, let's be honest, it's not as cool

I'd say I'm 50/50 between CLI/ASDM on the ASA depending on what I want to do. ACLs/VPN/NAT I do in ASDM. Anything route/switch is 100% CLI.

I learned that it can be difficult to explain networking concepts to someone who is brand new to the field.

paul78

What a great thread... I learn new stuff when I see what others are learning or find interesting.

Most interesting things, I learn from reading TE forums.

This week, I learned about:

- sound proofing small server/network labs thanks to other TE members.
- Fing from GoodBishop
- a promising security site from chaser7783
- TE members continue to prefer vi over emacs
- router-on-a-stick