TLDR: I use Hamachi to solve a problem. Client doesn’t listen and breaks it, then gets me to fix it.
This is a story of using an old software to fix a modern solution with a client that doesn’t listen.
Back in the old days, where Minecraft was new and port forwarding was advanced, there was a software called “Hamachi” made by the company “LogMeIn”.
It was a nifty little tool that used to allow people from all over the world to virtually connect to your computer with no ports forwarded!
Then everyone figured out how to use a router properly and dropped Hamachi.
Nowadays I work as a senior tech at an I.T Management/Consulting company.
10 years after my experiences with Hamachi, one of my clients calls up. They are a company that specializes in yachts. One of their yachts requires an AV guy to remote in and perform updates on their equipment but isn’t bothered being there physically.
They call up asking me to set up a VPN, little did they realise that their Sat provider and 4G backup both do not support port forwards. We are not their general I.T company. These guys have another company that handles it but the parent company uses us as their primary I.T. So I had no idea about their systems, or how anything worked there. After spending 40 minutes figuring out and confirming my suspicions, all looked lost…
But do not fret, as the solution we used 10 years ago lit up in my mind like a fire in a forest.
I remote into a laptop on board, set up Hamachi, put it in gateway mode and test to see if I can access the local network… SUCCESS! 10 minutes later I’ve provided the relavent information, tell them not to touch the laptop and set up a 1 time installer that’ll allow the person to download the client and immediately add them to the network.
I wait… Hoping that my solution works for them. Wondering if this software that I used when I was 13 would still be useful today!
The next day rolls around, and I get a call.
C = Client
M = Me
C: “Your solution didn’t work. Fix it!” - Actual quote
M: “Hmm that’s odd… Did you turn off the laptop?”
C: “No, the guy just tried logging in and it didn’t work. We need these updates done ASAP!”
M: “Okay! No worries, just going to remote in now!”
I remote into the computer to find they weren’t lying… The machine hadn’t been turned off… They did however, unplug the laptop from ethernet, and connect it to wifi… Which is not the interface Hamachi was set to work on… And is on a separate VLAN all together so it wouldn’t be able to talk to the AV network anyway…
*sigh* They have a history of not listening to instructions and going off in a tangent.
M: “So I see that the laptop isn’t connected to the ethernet port anymore?”
C: “Yeah, we needed it to play music.”
M: “… But it needs to be plugged in for it to work. I told you this…”
C: “It’s on wifi, it should still connect!”
M: “No… It’s not set to work that way!”
C: “A client is using that laptop, we can’t get it back just yet.”
M: “Fine. Once you get it back, call me and I’ll make sure it works again”.
2 hours go by, I get a call back.
C: “It’s back on the cable. Do what you need to”.
Cool, it’s back in, everything shows up green on my end… An hour later…
C: “It’s still not working! What’s going on! I don’t see you logged in fixing it!”
M: “It’s working… I’m currently on the network…”
C: “The AV Guy said it isn’t!”
M: “Okay, I’ll talk to them about it.”
Eventually I found out that the AV guy decided to try installing it on another computer to make sure it worked before installing it on his new computer… So the 1 time installer link didn’t work…
I generate him a new installer link, he installs it. Eureka! It works!
My old friend Hamachi worked fine, the client was happy that they were able to get the updates done! All is well…
Well… Until the client got the bill…