Happy Christmas

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Happy Christmas/Yule: Reflecting on Why I’m Doing This Project and What I’ve Achieved So Far

Happy Yule! As we embrace this festive season, it’s a wonderful time to reflect on my learning journey since September with this project. It’s been both challenging and rewarding, providing a great way to keep my mind active.

Over the years, I’ve built a few test labs, but this one has been the slowest and most complicated. Blogging about my progress is helping me solidify what I’ve learned while also supporting others in their own learning journeys.

In addition to this project, I’ve worked on a couple of electronics projects, organised meetups for my photography group, and balanced my day job as a DBA with being a father.

Here are some key highlights from the test lab project so far:

  • Building a Foundation and Project Goals: This laid the groundwork for everything that followed.

  • Getting Things Ready with Vagrant and Packer: Streamlining the setup made the process much smoother.

  • Setting Up a NAT Network for the RADV Router: Tackling this complex task was both a challenge and a triumph.

  • Exploring IPv6 Address Space for the RADV Router: Gaining insights into network design was enlightening.

  • Learning to Deploy an AlmaLinux VM with Packer: These practical guides helped solidify my skills.

  • Setting Up a RADV and NAT64 Router: Completing this part felt like a significant milestone.

Now that the complicated RADV setup is behind me, I look forward to tackling the rest of the machines with more confidence. I’ll be taking a break to enjoy time with family, indulge in some mince pies, and immerse myself in gaming with Elite Dangerous until the new year. Here’s to a peaceful Yule!

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