NetAdmin learns that wooden chocks, unlike swipe cards, open doors when networks can't

Who, Me? Welcome once more, valued readers, to another Monday and another instalment of Who, Me? in which Reg readers like your good selves share tales of tech misadventure.

Last week's reminiscence by "Erik" about locking himself in a client's premises inspired several readers to share similar tales. "Bilbo," for instance (not his real name) wanted to reassure us that "When working into the early hours of the morning it's easy to make mistakes" and that he had also locked himself both within and without the places he was meant to be getting work done. He had on various occasions resorted to popping out ceiling tiles and scrambling through crawl spaces as well as popping doors off hinges in the name of getting the job done.

He assured us he has learned from his mistakes. We can only hope – for his sake.

Another heroic Regizen was "Hudson" (also a Regonym) who was tasked with replacing the entire network stack in a branch office of his employer – "new router, about six switches in the main office/server room, and two other buildings on the property that each had a switch." Quite a task.

What's more, the existing cabling, he told us, was "a crime against all that is good and decent," so he brought all new kit to bring the place up to his exacting standards.

As with Erik last week, the place Hudson was working on used a combination of some physical keys and some electronic ones. This will be important later.

He set to work at about 5PM when the office closed for the day, and started deactivating and disconnecting the various cabling and equipment in the main building. By midnight he had rebuilt the stack with all the new kit in place and cabled up on racks and looking absolutely tickety-boo.

At this point he decamped to one of the satellite buildings – an equipment shop full of various tools – to replace the switch there, thinking it would only take a minute and it would be handy if that new switch were already in place when he powered on the main network stack.

With that task done he returned to the main building, only to discover that his keycard, required for entry, would not work. He tried it again, with no response.

You may have already realized his mistake.

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The electronic key system, you see, was IP based, and ran off the very network that Hudson was in the process of rebuilding. He'd gone to the external building with his physical key without turning on the system he would need to get back inside to his gear.

And unlike Erik, he hadn't brought his phone with him to replace the other switch. Everything – phone, laptop, even his hotel room key – was in the deactivated network room, tantalizingly out of reach.

He walked around the building several times trying to find a way in, and settled on an entryway that was undergoing refurbishment. It was destined to become a glass-enclosed foyer, but the glass hadn't yet been fitted so the doors were boarded up with plywood. Most importantly, the hinges were on the outside.

Retrieving a hammer and screwdriver from the equipment shop, he carefully removed the pins from the hinges and shifted one of the heavy doors to gain entry to the building. Lacking the skills or strength to replace the hinge, he rested it more or less in place, attached an apologetic note, and went back to work.

This escapade had cost about an hour of working time, but he was still able to get the network up and running before people started arriving for work at 6AM.

Like Bilbo, Hudson claimed he's learned his lesson. He now keeps his phone with him at all times and chocks a door open if there's any chance he'll be locked out.

We kind of hope his employer knows its state-of-the-art keycard system can be defeated by a hammer and screwdriver – but that's another story.

It is indeed easy to make mistakes. We all do. The best thing to do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and click here to send an email to Who, Me? so that we can share the story with your colleagues on some future Monday. ®