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Beige Beginnings and a Night to Remember

Back in 2006, I stepped into my first IT role as a 1st/2nd line engineer at a department store. To some, it might not sound like much, but for me, it was the moment I had been waiting for since I was 10 years old and first caught the computer bug. Now, my childhood dream had become a reality, and I was officially part of the IT world!
It didn’t take long before I found myself drawn to the fascinating world of networking. I was soon tracing the cable routes in the building in my mind, visualizing how they connected from cabinet to cabinet. It wasn’t just about keeping systems running—it was about understanding the invisible threads that held the whole network together.
Then came my big opportunity. The store needed to upgrade its core switching infrastructure and several edge switches. This was my chance to work alongside the 3rd line and deployment teams, and I couldn’t wait to dive in. But there was one catch—I still had a lot to learn about concepts like VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks). I knew the terminology but didn’t fully understand the details yet. So, I kept my approach broad and focused on getting the job done.
At the time, the store was running on a Cabletron Systems Smart Switch 6000 at the core, with Cabletron 2000 edge switches in the older parts of the building. For a bit of context, Cabletron was a key player in networking during the 90s, known for its solid hardware that came in that signature beige color—so much beige. Everything IT in those days seemed to be beige, like it was stuck in some eternal computer purgatory.
But things were about to change. During a major store redesign in the early 2000s, Enterasys switches had been introduced in the newer cabinets. Eventually, we upgraded the core to an Enterasys Matrix E5, with Enterasys Matrix E1 switches for the edges. Goodbye, Cabletron! Hello, sleek black hardware—the early 2000s had officially arrived in all their matte black glory. It was like we were saying goodbye to the past and welcoming a future where everything was, well, darker.
Speaking of aesthetics, around that time, my home setup was all about neon lights and uncontrollable LED fans. You know, the kind that made your room look like a mini-rave every time you powered on your PC. Today, kids have it easy with their programmable RGB setups. Back then, we had to settle for glowing chaos!
But back to the store upgrade—everything went remarkably smoothly. We closed the store right on time at 5 p.m., sent the POS transactions on their merry way, and split into teams to tackle the long night ahead. The task at hand? Stripping out years of chaotic cabling from the cabinets. Picture this: 3-meter cables where only 30 cm were needed, and 30 cm cables trying to do the job of a 3-meter run. It was cable madness! I can only imagine what that spaghetti looks like today.
Despite the cable disaster, we finished up around 4 a.m., which I thought wasn’t too bad for an overnight project. Aside from a few downed links and a couple of rogue PCs, all the switches powered up on the first try—a rare IT miracle. Honestly, I can’t remember anything else going that smoothly since. Or maybe I’m conveniently forgetting something…
So, what brought on this nostalgic trip down memory lane almost 20 years later? Well, I stumbled across a brilliant YouTube video that popped up on my feed. I’ve always had a soft spot for retro tech, but wow, does it make me feel old!