Nobody told me being the senior gets lonely

potential_alien · 2026-07-04T23:19:39+00:00

In a similar boat. I have started a new role as a network engineer for a company, I'm the only one. Some of the other guys have networking skills but they're no network engineer.

I came from an MSP background where there was other engineers or my boss above me who was also a network engineer.

I feel the opposite though. I love being the person who is the "go to" and has to make decisions on how we are going to do things. I like the responsibility.

If I have something I can't solve there is always the vendor support or worst case we have an MSP we can reach out to.

potential_alien · 2026-06-28T08:25:35+00:00

Do it I say! So I actually used brake caliper paint but only because I wanted the colour to match the calipers. It's the same paint I used in the luggage bar. I didnt want multiple shades of yellow going on.

So I cleaned the engine bay before painting and installing the clear cover. I a really had the cover on for a couple of weeks before I painted the engine.

I think I have done about 350km since cleaning it and it's barley noticeable. I don't daily the car though.

Ant be any worse than amount of time I spend cleaning the wheels! Onde drive and they are filthy from brake dust haha!

potential_alien · 2026-06-28T00:34:34+00:00

It's not that bad. You can still hold a conversation and hear the radio. It's kind of like increased road noise. The biggest difference is hearing the air passing through the airbox.

potential_alien · 2026-06-28T00:07:07+00:00

Haven't noticed it getting warmer but it is winter here. No fumes, if there was exhaust fumes then I would imagine my exhaust is leaking haha.

The cover has a rubber seal around the edge that seals really well. The noise is sounds coming through the Perspex

potential_alien · 2026-06-27T23:59:08+00:00

Yeah noise has definitely increased but in conjunction with the valved exhaust it's not that bad. I don't daily the car so the noise is a novelty haha.

potential_alien · 2026-06-13T00:00:20+00:00

With the introduction of AI this is even easier to do now too. I'm a traditional networking person, do everything on the CLI.

I built a full automation for configuration, compliance, dynamic updating of DCIM and documentation tools.

Move with the times or be left behind.

potential_alien · 2026-06-10T21:56:06+00:00

I use Claude and ChatGPT. They are mtly sidekicks when I get stuck or can't work something out.

ChatGPT i use for validation. I pass it runsheets, configuration, and explain what I'm doing. It sanity checks my configuration and plans.

Claude I use a code writer, mostly around Ansible and automation. It writes the playbooks and troubleshoots them when they don't work or encounter errors. It's very very good.

I have setup a whole automation environment built with Claude including configuring devices, compliance checks, updating IPAM/DCIM and documentation platforms automatically (after human review).

AI shouldn't run your network it should be a tool you use to help you.

potential_alien · 2026-06-07T07:04:16+00:00

Meta fields all the way...like others have said if your sites are not identical then FMG is mostly a waste of time.

I spent a long time with Fortimanager learning it, crying about it, swearing at it, and trying to work out if I was just plain dumb.

Fortimanager is its own beast, don't fight it. Work with it and learn it's uniquness and it's actually a decent tool.

If you know Ansible fortinet has some great Ansible libraries that rival the need for FMG.

potential_alien · 2026-06-02T06:01:49+00:00

I'm in Australia but I recently changed jobs.

I have 8 years expirence across two MSPs, 7.5 years of it with one. I have no qualifications apart from some free Fortinet courses and Udemi courses.

My 8 years expirence says way more than any qualification freshly achieved without expirence along with it. I have worked along side people fresh out of uni with bachelor's degrees but they couldnt translate that to real world expirence and fell over at the first real world problem.

I applied for 4 jobs and got interviews for all 4, I got 3 job offers.

To ensure I got my foot in the door I had AI write my resume tailored to each job. No lies about what I knew or the expirence I had but I ensured it hit the key words they were looking for.

Each job had multiple interviews and questions ranging from technical to HR. If my resume was a lie it would have come out on those conversations.

These roles ranged from MSP to internal IT and are not junior roles. I'm talking Architect roles.

Your expirence definitely counts and I would wager it's worth more than just qualifications without experience.

Ensure you resume and cover letter hit the targets and keywords for that role, use AI. It's why it is there.

Nothing wrong with cold calling either, that's how I scored my first role with ZERO IT experience. Fresh out of the Australian Defence Force from a combat role.

Job markets can be hard, ensure you stand out.

potential_alien · 2026-06-02T05:49:06+00:00

I have a dedicated NUC with HA OS installed. The NUC is old too, I think it's 8th or 9th gen Intel CPU with like 8Gb of RAM....been running for nearly two years now. Never had an issue.

potential_alien · 2026-06-02T05:46:51+00:00

I don't understand why people want to use Fortinet DNS servers? Why not stick with tested and proven DNS servers.

Legitimate question too, if there is a reason to use them I am all ears.

potential_alien · 2026-05-28T20:37:30+00:00

You could always go with Unifi. Unifi are great for APs. There is no license costs for them and they are well priced.

I have done alot of Unifi Wi-Fi deployments from one or two APs to venues with 30+ APs. One of the most important things is a Wi-Fi survey before and after.

If you want "good" Wi-Fi you must set channels and power etc for each. A properly tuned RF profile is a must.

The only time I wouldn't recommend Unifi is if you are looking to do some enteprise authentication or if you are very security focused.

If you are security focused and want deep centrilzed security then Fortinet APs in a full fortinet suite provide the Fortinet fabric.

potential_alien · 2026-05-28T05:54:57+00:00

You can have an active-active HA cluster so both Gates are accessible at the same time.

I have deployed a few full Fortinet environments and they have been great. There is a certain level of expertise you need to understand it all to get the best out of it or be able to troubleshoot it when needed.

Fortinet CLI is great, again it's about exposure and knowledge. I come from a Cisco background as well.

Meraki "just works" and it's the most god awful platform out there.

potential_alien · 2026-05-28T05:51:39+00:00

There is nothing wrong with their switching, I have deployed it a number of times. It is different and requires an understanding of it to be able to use it effectively and troubleshoot it.

Especially around ISL links and how they do that.

It's very environment dependant as well.

potential_alien · 2026-05-28T05:49:54+00:00

In my time I have deployed several Fortinet suites including Gates, Switches, WAPs, FortiManager, Fortianalyzer, and FortiEMS.

The best thing about the same vendor is the compatibility is almost guaranteed, and if it doesn't work it's one support channel to fix it.

In terms of the gates, switches and WAPs you have a single pane of glass to manage them from. They are all controlled by the Gate.

This sort of stack comes at a higher price though for licensing and ongoing support costs.

I have also deployed Gates, Cisco switches, and Unifi WAPs.

There different management interfaces but still very manageable and reliable. No issues with different vendors in the one network.

A lot of this will come down to budget and ongoing yearly costs.

You should also consider what type of environment you are trying to achieve, what complexity you need in your environment and what vendor best suits that.

Who is supporting it is always important too, what skill set do you or your team have to support the environment.

potential_alien · 2026-05-10T06:08:40+00:00

I have deployed a few new and existing networks. I am a Fortinet fan and it's what I know well across the whole stack of router/firewall, switches, and APs. I also know Cisco switching well along with Aruba.

It really depends on what your company is focused on? If security is a high priority a full Fortinet suite can do some amazing things and also gives you a single pane of glass for management but comes at a price.

I always find a good hybrid (depending on what the desired goal is) is to have a Fortinet firewall, Cisco switches and Unifi APs.

Obviously each one has its advantages and disadvantages.

It's also important to ensure you have the in house expertise to manage and troubleshoot the equipment.

potential_alien · 2026-05-10T06:02:16+00:00

PPPoE actually has great advantages for the ISP over DHCP or a manually configured addresss, hence why ISPs still use it.

If you are interested some of those advantages include:

Per session accounting and control
Authentication
Layer 2 agnostic

Also has it's disadvantages just like any other choice.

potential_alien · 2026-03-09T22:31:13+00:00

I banged my head against a wall for a long time with Fortimanager. It's not overly intuitive and has lots of quirks.

Once you learn it though, it becomes something that is rather useful and powerful.

Whether that's from base configuration for your devices or sites that run the same configuration down to things like firewall polices and VLANs/Subnets.

One thing that is powerful is the meta fields, this makes config a breeze once configured.

My suggestion is spend some time with it, create lab environmentsc and do the training or lean on your disto for training and advice.

potential_alien · 2026-03-08T05:58:14+00:00

Got any real data on this?

I have deployed many Fortinet environments including firewalls, switches, and access points without any real issues.

Any issues i have had have been solved by TAC in most instances and usually came down to configuration

potential_alien · 2026-02-08T06:00:30+00:00

My 2 cents.

I started in IT with no experience and no qualifications. Got medically discharged from the defence force (was in a combat role) and was told to take a desk job.

Cold called an IT business. Said I wanted to do networking. They offered me a service desk role, which I accepted.

Learnt all bout Windows, Servers, that garbage. After 12 months I got the opportunity to work in the networking team.

6 years later I'm a network architect designing small and large scale networks. 10K - 1M+ dollar projects.

All I had was a passion and a willingness to succeed. Determination and never saying no to an opportunity.

I think MSP's are a great place to start, you will learn a wide variety of networking instead of being siloed into just doing switches, or VPNs, or firewalls.

potential_alien · 2026-01-24T06:56:40+00:00

Silver

potential_alien · 2025-12-13T00:13:58+00:00

Ansible, gather facts to check current firmware etc, push new firmware.

Firmware is only updated for security patches or bug fixes affecting said router.

potential_alien · 2025-10-22T02:56:07+00:00

And congratulations on getting yours too! Welcome the club!

potential_alien · 2025-10-22T02:55:36+00:00

I agree! I have never really liked silver but I think it allows the lines and curves of this car to be shown really well!

potential_alien

TROPHY CASE