I run a PC with Linux for various little jobs. It stays up and is useful to move files around on the network without jamming up my everyday laptop. Running Debian.
After putting off a reboot due to a kernel update, today seemed as good a day as any. So I did.
Machine rebooted, and failed to appear on the network. Because I usually access it remotely, it's a bit cramped, but I squeezed in, and started running various tools etc. I figured it's most likely some config change that's stopping the network from starting.
After a lot of faffing, and a couple of unhelpful reboots, I finally twigged that it wasn't assigning an IP address - for some reason DHCP wasn't working ....
It was at this point (annoyingly not before) that experience kicked in, and I decided to swap the network cable (that hadn't been touched in about 4 years) for another.
You can guess the rest ...
Presumably the contacts oxidised enough that the reboot cycle was enough to reduce any voltage below operational ?
Digging through my PC bits box, I reflected on a few facts that sprang to mind ....
1) I have never,ever bought a network cable. I've inherited them from various roles I've worked in.
2) Every IT department in bigger outfits I've worked for has always made their own cables.
3) For the cost, having *2* network cards, cables and connections seems a sensible precaution if you're going to need physio after investigating a boot fault in a remote machine ....