When Technology Doesn’t Cooperate – Finding a Solution Step by Step

Sometimes something that worked perfectly yesterday suddenly stops working.

You try again. You check everything. Maybe you change something and try once more. And yet the problem remains.

That’s what happened to me recently with my firewall.

At first, it seemed like an ordinary technical problem. A certificate wouldn’t renew, and I couldn’t immediately work out why.

But while looking for a solution, I realised that there was more to it than just technology.

A Technical Problem

My firewall is an important part of my homelab. Among other things, it helps keep my network secure and allows different parts of the network to communicate with one another.

This time, I had a problem with a certificate.

If you’re not familiar with technology, a certificate might sound complicated. You can think of it as a kind of digital proof that a connection to a website or device is trustworthy.

When the certificate wouldn’t renew, I started investigating where the problem might be.

One of the things I looked at was DNS.

You can think of DNS as the internet’s phone book. When you use a name, DNS looks up the IP address associated with it.

Within my homelab, I also use split DNS. Put simply, this means that a name can point to an internal address when I’m connected to my own network, while the same name points to my public address when accessed from the internet.

That might sound complicated, but the basic idea is that a name can point to a different address depending on where you’re connecting from.

And it’s precisely these kinds of things that make a homelab so interesting to me.

Sometimes You Can’t Figure It Out on Your Own

I enjoy investigating technical problems myself.

In fact, that’s one of the reasons I have a homelab in the first place.

But sometimes you reach a point where you realise you need help.

That was the case this time.

So I contacted Sophos Support.

I don’t mind doing that at all these days.

Asking for help doesn’t mean I’m incapable of solving something. It simply means I want to get the problem resolved.

My Recovery Plays a Part Too

Since my stroke, I’ve noticed that not everything comes naturally anymore.

Sometimes I find it difficult to follow an explanation when someone speaks quickly. And when I speak too quickly myself, people sometimes find me harder to understand.

That’s why I also explained to Sophos during the conversation that I’d had a stroke.

It’s important for me to mention this. Not because I want sympathy, but because it helps people understand why I sometimes ask them to explain something more slowly or repeat it.

That also helps me feel more at ease during a conversation like this.

Every Day Is Different

And this doesn’t just apply to technology.

During my recovery, I can have a pretty good day and then find that a few days later, things suddenly feel much harder.

Sometimes I can feel quite down again.

At those moments, it can feel as though I’ve taken a step backwards.

Fortunately, I’m not dealing with this alone.

My family, friends, and acquaintances support me. The healthcare professionals who guide me through my recovery are important too.

Sometimes a conversation helps.

Sometimes it’s enough for someone simply to listen.

And I often find that, with this support, a difficult period passes more quickly.

Recovery doesn’t move forward every single day. But that doesn’t mean I’m standing still.

My Homelab Helps Me Move Forward

My homelab is more than just a collection of computers, servers, and networking equipment.

It’s a place where I can keep busy.

Where I can learn.

Where I can investigate problems.

And where I can sometimes simply take my mind off other things for a while.

Over the past few months, I’ve picked up quite a lot again. I’ve been working on servers, Proxmox, storage, backups, networking, security, and my firewall.

Not everything went smoothly.

Sometimes I had to start again.

Sometimes I had to try something more than once.

And sometimes I simply had to stop and continue later.

That’s another reason I’m increasingly trying to work step by step.

Trying Out Different Devices

Because I enjoy understanding why things work the way they do, I’d like to experiment with different firewalls and other networking devices.

Not because I need to replace everything immediately.

Quite the opposite.

I’d like to compare different devices side by side and discover how they differ.

What does one device do differently from another?

Why does something work one way on one firewall and differently on another?

And which solution ultimately suits my own homelab best?

That’s also why I wrote an article called Do You Have Any Tips or Ideas for My Homelab?.

In that article, I ask people to share their ideas, experiences, and tips.

Perhaps someone has an old firewall or another networking device that is no longer being used. Even an older device could be interesting to me, if only to test it, compare it with other equipment, and learn from it.

It doesn’t have to be new or expensive.

For me, the real value lies in learning, experimenting, and understanding.

I’ve Achieved a Lot Over the Past Few Months

When I take a moment to reflect, I’m actually quite proud of myself.

Not because I can do everything again.

I certainly can’t yet.

But when I look at where I started and what I’ve managed to rebuild in roughly two and a half months, I can see that I’ve taken quite a few steps forward.

And all of this while my rehabilitation continues.

I’m working on my homelab again.

I’m continuing to develop my website.

I’m writing again.

I’m learning new things.

And all the while, I’m trying to listen carefully to my body and pay attention to my energy levels.

That last part might be the hardest thing of all.

I Haven’t Done This Alone

I also want to be honest about something.

I haven’t done all of this on my own.

My family, friends, and acquaintances have supported me.

The healthcare professionals who guide me are also an important part of my recovery.

Sometimes, that support is precisely what helps me move forward again after a difficult day.

That’s something I’m grateful for.

There Will Undoubtedly Be More Setbacks

I know I still have a long way to go.

There will be plenty of days when something doesn’t work out.

There will be technical problems.

There will be days when I have less energy.

And perhaps there will also be days when I feel quite down again.

But by now, I’ve learned that a day like that doesn’t automatically mean everything has gone wrong.

Sometimes it’s simply a difficult day.

Perhaps I need to stop for a while.

Take a rest.

Ask for help.

And then carry on.

I Don’t Give Up Easily

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few months, it’s this:

I don’t give up easily.

That doesn’t mean I never stop.

Sometimes stopping is exactly what I need to do.

But stopping is not the same as giving up.

Sometimes it simply means giving myself a little time before taking the next step.

My recovery doesn’t follow a straight line.

Neither does my homelab. 😄

Some days go better than others.

But as long as I keep looking at what is possible, I can keep moving forward, one step at a time.

And Perhaps That’s the Most Important Thing

At this point in my life, my goal isn’t to get back to doing everything as quickly as possible.

It’s about rebuilding.

Step by step.

Sometimes independently.

Sometimes with help from other people.

Sometimes by solving a technical problem first.

And sometimes simply by getting through a difficult day.

All of this has become part of my life.

And perhaps that’s also what I want to show through my website.

Recovery doesn’t have to be perfect.

You’re allowed to be proud of what you’ve achieved.

Sometimes you experience a setback.

And afterwards, you can still move forward.

I don’t give up easily.

Do You Ever Experience This Too?

Perhaps you recognise something in my story.

Maybe something in your own life changed suddenly, and you had to learn to deal with situations differently.

Or perhaps you’ve faced a completely different problem and eventually discovered that asking for help made it easier to move forward.

What helps you keep going after a setback?

Is it family, friends, a hobby, a healthcare professional, or perhaps simply taking some time for yourself?

Feel free to share your experience in the comments.

Perhaps your experience will help me, but it might also help someone else who reads this.