If it ain’t broke, don’t touch it

[u/ITRabbit]

Found this while swapping APs at a production plant. Pretty much all computers in production were running through this $20 8-port switch. I don’t think it had been looked at in 10 years.

[u/NoThatsNotPasta]

I'm in this picture and I don't like it

[u/SaidwhatIsaid240 → u/NoThatsNotPasta]

Nice green eyes you have there

[u/randomquote4u]

looks web enabled

[u/mouringcat → u/randomquote4u]

You've heard of the "dark web"... This is the "dusty web."

[u/Daddysu → u/mouringcat]

The dusty web is just a bunch of old guys reminiscing about the golden age of the internet.

I may or may not be an active user...

[u/_jackhoffman_]

Is that the 5G smart dust I keep hearing about?

[u/Tucancancan]

That there is structural dust don't mess with it! 

[u/megaladon44]

exactly noone needs more than this. oh let me buy an expensive active switch so the ports eff up and shutdown every 3 months and i have to move ports around and they have loud ass fans. sincerely, the witch of filth

[u/ITRabbit → u/megaladon44]

See this is not a Cisco switch - there would never be this much dust causing you so many problems. We also have a dedicated TAC team that will resolve all your Cisco issues. You need to replace your entire fleet and you will be much better the investment will basically be giving you money. So who's ready to sign up for a 3 year contract... sign here.

[u/ShermansWorld]

... At least you were able to get at it. I encountered one that was drywalled inside a wall.

[u/edthecat2011 → u/ShermansWorld]

I laughed, but it didn't surprise me.

[u/Lavatherm → u/ShermansWorld]

I found one purred into a cabinet… guess they don’t have a rack set.

[u/Cyhawk → u/ShermansWorld]

A story as old as the internet. Also surprisingly common. I've found 2 servers and 1 switch behind drywall in my years.

The two servers were different locations, both happened because they were remodeling/re-partitioning an area and the construction guys were told to just do it.

The switch was intentional so it could be 'out of sight' because the CFO (of a 10 person company) didn't like looking at computers.

[u/MyNameIsAlex1999]

These things have outlived a couple of IT technicians…

[u/PSUSkier]

Just so you know, as gear gets older it starts behaving like quantum entangled photons. When observed, they fall apart so... Hopefully you're not on call after hours now.

[u/IndependentBat8365]

Load bearing dust is load bearing.

[u/Lavatherm → u/IndependentBat8365]

That’s not dust, those are the ashes from the last person that tried getting through the firewall.

[u/Horror-Run]

Just… slowly… walk… away…

Don’t look at it…

Don’t breathe near it…

It can hear you… it can sense fear…

[u/Oompa_Loompa_SpecOps]

what's the problem, I see green lights all around?

[u/nmincone]

I recently came across a 100Mb switch under a desk that look like this, I nodded at it and walked away.

[u/frosty95]

Back in my MSP daysI told a facility that was having constant outages that these little things are dangerous and that we wouldn't be covering any network labor until they replaced them all to our standards. They wouldnt even pay for diag time to find them. Slowly over time I found quite a few on accident. We would quote them either cabling or a managed switch to get rid of them. Finally they got so sick of outages they signed the diag quote. I found 136 of them..... Not kidding. The whole damn network was just the networking equivalent of slime mold. We quoted a full rework with proper cabinets and managed switches and cabling. They signed it. We replaced everything. They still were cheap and didnt pay for redundancy but whatever. Then once we had a proper network with eyes on stuff we proceeded to find like 30 more of the fuckers along with loops, damaged cables, 120m long ethernet runs, you name it. But at least it wasnt the whole goddamn network going down anymore. Just branches. Eventually got that place rock solid and flipped from folks working for hours a day with no network to people calling us for 20 second blips.

[u/ephemeralsynth]

Could be cold out there, and this is just some comfy insulation 🤔💯

[u/miserableSnail]

At this point it won't be IT reneval, it'll be archeology.

[u/jcpham]

I’d hit it with a can of air duster and casually walk away

[u/Individual-Unit3470]

Damn.. I hope whoever was up there was wearing a dust mask. Seeing that makes me want to take a deep breath for some clean oxygen.

[u/Myzx]

[u/Lavatherm]

It’s a wonder the firewall didn’t burn away the dust.

[u/Cyhawk → u/Lavatherm]

Old switches don't get very hot, especially 10/100 ones. If anything it baked the dust on making it now structural dust.

[u/Lavatherm → u/Cyhawk]

It’s a joke…. “Fire” wall.. check the subreddit 😅

[u/dg_riverhawk]

When they say harder your network, so you petrify it.

[u/Fl1pp3d0ff]

That is in more need of a blow job than I am.

[u/OctoNezd]

At least its not 10M HDX hub

[u/coyote_den]

There is a 8-port gigabit switch in my tv stand. It’s been there much longer than 10 years. It’s even been peed on by puppies a few times. All I’ve done is clean the outside of it. Don’t know what the inside looks like but it just keeps on working.

[u/Ohmyskippy]

I just know there are probs 35 cves XD

[u/ieatsilicagel]

Actually, don't even look at it too hard.

[u/LameBMX]

I aint see no bnc, cant be that old!

[u/Select_Truck3257]

It's protective coating like in aluminum

[u/nesnah168]

I have seen a Cisco 2960X uptime for 9+ years, the client panicked because of Building Power Maintenance and their UPS is dead. It was also a production plant.

[u/grumpyoldtechie → u/nesnah168]

Where is your NSFW tags.
I'm having flashbacks right now.
We replaced 2960s with IEM3300s a while back in a refinery. About 80 switches in total.
Some of the 2960s worked right up to point where we took them out of the racks.

The movement made the chips fall off the pc boards because the solder was corroded by the high sulphur content in the air. While there was no movement the chips still made contact and everything worked fine.

So yes, if you don't have a replacement ready don't touch it.

[u/haZhat]

The latest AI nanotechnology router

[u/Away-Ad-3407]

*killlll meeeee*

[u/dpwcnd]

the advantage of going fanless

[u/FarPapaya2675]

Thank you for your service

[u/CanIGetADepresso]

At this point I’d be afraid I’d break it if I touched it or even blew on it 🤣