I just looked up and realized it's been a month since I last posted here and it's about time for an update. In the last month, I've read exactly 1 chapter from my CCNP Route Foundation Learning Guide, so I definitely need to kick it up a notch in that department. I did do a revamp of my NetLab and I feel really good about how it's coming together. We finished shutting down our Allen Data Center, so I took some of the ancillary switches from that and created a really good CCNP switching scenario, complete with Core, Distribution and Access Layers. With that layout, a user can basically perform every skill required for the CCNP SWITCH exam. I also have 11 routers and a full frame-relay mesh switch, which is more than adequate for all CCNP and CCIE lab practice scenarios.
With the data center shutdown and some other large work efforts on the job, reading for the exam hasn't exactly taken priority. Maybe after I get into the meatier chapters, I'll be able to stick with it. We'll see how that goes.
Also this month, I had an automotive episode where I spent a week dealing with a cooling issue. Turns out, a worn out elbow in a $2 plastic heater hose connection can take down a supercharged 3.8L V6 engine. Here's how it went down:
Day 1 - I got home from work and noticed that the car was a bit hot.
Day 2 - The car overheated first thing the next morning. I limped it back to the house and worked from home that day. That night, I replaced the thermostat and bled the system. A test drive showed no problems.
Day 3 -The car made it about 20 minutes before overheating. I caught a ride the rest of the way to work and then limped it home after work. Steam appeared to be escaping from near where the lower radiator hose attached to the block.
Day 4 - I drove my wife's car to work and plotted my next step.
Day 5 - It was a rainy Saturday, so I let it sit.
Day 6 - I replaced the lower radiator hose, flushed the radiator and still had steam escaping. I began to suspect that I had a cracked intake manifold gasket. I decided to run some stuff through the cooling system that can fix leaks. When you run that stuff through the system, you're supposed to have the heater turned all the way on. When I turned it on, I noticed water going everywhere. I was able to see water getting out all around the plastic elbow that takes water from the block to the heater core hose. AHA! I tore down the passenger side of the engine and got the two little elbows out. One was majorly cracked! After replacing that and bleeding the system, the cooling system has been working perfectly. I still lose a little bit of water, but if I keep everything topped off weekly, I don't see any issues.
Anyway, post is getting kinda long. See you next month!
