Busy Day Yesterday

First off it was raining like the God of the Old Testament was personally pissed at the unwashed heathens of Portland, OR, but fortunately it was warm (in the 60s); so that slowed everything up quite a bit.  For some reason people in the Pacific Northwest can't master the idea that speeding thru a standing pool of water deeper than your hubcaps is likely to kill the engine and leave you sitting in the middle of said lake.  But like I said it was warm.  I was out walking a couple times and I got soaked but I didn't freeze.

Next, For quite awhile we have been trying to run a connection between two buildings on the fabulous compound where I work.  Normally not a big deal  but it required a new fiber run, which the vendor messed up (Supposedly. That is what I heard, but they are disputing it and I think it is going to court.  I have no first hand knowledge just what I have heard from some of the electricians) anyway that run had to be re-done.  Then we had to get switches etc. etc.  Finally we got everything in place and I went to hook everything up and nothing works.  The SFP (the fiber optic module) wouldn't identify in one of the switches.  OK back to the hardware compatibility list - buy a new set of SFPs that is supposed to work with both switches.  Still doesn't work.  Co-worker finds a different H/W compatibility list and that SFP only works on the 8 port version of one of the switches.  We have the 24 port version.  Another set ordered.  They showed up yesterday and hurray they worked!!! Our long national nightmare is over we have a connection to the other building.

Third, a number of software updates that we have been waiting months for (since like July) finally hit.  Stuff that has been on my vulnerability reports for ages is now patchable.  Yay!!!  Unfortunately it takes like 30 minutes per device, and some of these devices have 3 or 4 patches each (different modules on the same backplane).

Anyway that's life at the moment - color me old, fat, soggy and busy as hell, trying to get all this stuff done before I run my final vulnerability scan for the year.