Lightning, a very amazing thing… EXCEPT when experienced up close and personal!  The F5 Guy is not lightning proof (despite rumors to the contrary) nor is the equipment that I use on a day to day basis.

A few days ago a large storm system passed by the undisclosed location and during the height of the storm, a bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck the ground outside.  That’s normal for any storm, but this particular bolt struck VERY CLOSE.  How close you say?  Well, it was close enough that I checked my body parts to verify that they were all present and accounted for.  After I performed my limb check was when the smell hit me.  The smell that no IT guy ever wants to smell… charred electrical components.

Even though all of my equipment was plugged into surge protectors and UPS units, they still got zapped.  I couldn’t believe it.  Thankfully though, I practice the regimen of backing up things that I so often preach to others.  I did however have to spend a few days coming up with parts so that I would have something to restore to.

All’s well that ends well.  I gave my old ASUS P5B Deluxe motherboard a crisp salute as the garbage man picked it up today, along with the charred remains of its companion a relatively new ASUS P5Q-SE motherboard.  I was indeed sad to see the P5B go.  I have had it for a number of years and it proved to be one of the most reliable motherboards I have ever owned.

I am working on an article about MOSS 2007 Alternate Access Mappings and the BIG-IP 6400.  I hope to have that cranked out in the next couple of days.  (Barring any unforeseeable disasters)