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I don’t think I can. I know I can!

Archive for the ‘Real World’ Category

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Polish Telco Operator Quadruples Bandwidth of Existing Core

Posted by Peter Kurdziel on February 19, 2010

Netia chooses Cisco® CRS-1 Carrier Routing Systems for IPoDWDM (40G), resiliency, and optimized total cost of ownership.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/routers/ps5763/case_study_c36-518850.pdf

Posted in Real World | Leave a Comment »

A Poem on a “CCIE-to-be” from my Wife :-) Interesting

Posted by Peter Kurdziel on February 12, 2010

Posted by Muhammad Anser Khan on groupstudy’s mailing list.

THE WOES OF A WIFE….

Loneliness, boring hours and silence is for me,
meet me i’m the wife of a CCIE-to-be,

Nothing to do but to read the stories of wizards and witches,
while my husband stare at his routers and switches,

My days have become long and drab,
only because he has to give his lab,

To him i wouldn’t look so dull and drony,
If only he’d leave alone his IP Telephony,

For me,no outing no romance no disco,
ah! how i hate this word “CISCO”,

We could better discuss and plan OUR future,
but no! he’s more interested in MPLS architecture,

I love him with all my heart and body and soul,
but he has eyes only for the routing protocol,

I have to beg him to take me to a mall,
between him and me is always a “firewall”,

My good old “cisco-free” days are lost in a mist,
I sure wish i could use his “access list”,

My woes are as vast and as deep as a sea,
meet me im the wife of a CCIE-to-be……

Regards,
Anser

Posted in Real World | Leave a Comment »

CCIE® SP Operations Certification

Posted by Peter Kurdziel on January 25, 2010

The Cisco CCIE SP Operations certification
assesses and validates core IP NGN service provider operations
expertise.  Candidates who pass the CCIE SP Operations certification
exams demonstrate skills required of a expert-level (Tier III or Tier IV
support) operations engineer to troubleshoot and maintain complex
service provider IP NGN core (PE-PE and PE-CE) network infrastructures
in both IOS and IOS XR operating environments, plus validate broad
theoretical knowledge of operations management processes, frameworks,
and network management systems.

CCIE SP Operations Certification benefits:

  • Certification
    helps qualify personnel for customer’s Operations (NOC) Centers
  • Provides
    a credential (certification) that a person holds significant knowledge
    in SP Operations
  • Provides expert level certification to network
    operations (i.e. NOC) personnel to validate they are qualified to
    maintain and support Cisco service provider core IP (NGN) Next
    Generation Networks


CCIE SP Operations Written Exam Topics

 

The Cisco SP Operations Written
Exam (#350-060) has 100 multiple-choice questions and is two hours in
duration. The topic areas listed are general guidelines for the type of
content that is likely to appear on the exam. Please note, however, that
other relevant or related topic areas may also appear.

 

Exam Sections and Sub-task Objectives

√

1.0

Manage the network fault management
system

1.1

Develop a fault management
process for a managed network environment collaboratively with the tools
team

1.2

Determine the interaction
between the fault management system and the ticketing system in
collaboration with the tools team

1.3

Determine the method to gather appropriate metrics
for an established fault management process

2.0

Manage
performance and capacity

2.1

Identify spikes and potential trouble spots based
on syslog and/or Network Management System (NMS) output

2.2

Develop a plan to solve a particular performance
issue based on syslog and/or Network Management System (NMS) output

2.3

Identify the Network Management System (NMS)
metrics and SLA metrics that will be needed in order to further
troubleshoot a specific problem communicated orally, written, etc.

2.4

Develop a plan to establish a baseline and monitor
the network in conjunction with the tools and performance groups

2.5

Create baseline network performance in conjunction
with engineering and architecture teams

2.6

Monitor the network to look for variances against
the baseline

2.7

Edit existing scripts which
enable a network baseline management plan in conjunction with the tools
and performance groups

3.0

Manage
operations processes

3.1

Collaborate with the process
team and NOC management on process development to meet a desired
network operational objective

3.2

Develop a specific prototype
and test plan for a particular planned network change, working
collaboratively with the engineering and design groups

3.3

Develop, for a particular network, a list of needed
tools working collaboratively with the tools team

3.4

Develop a detailed operations plan  including
metrics and reporting functions for a particular network working
collaboratively with the process team

3.5

Develop a process change action plan based on the
results of a network audit

3.6

Develop and maintain a
spares plan for a particular network

4.0

Troubleshoot and
fix reachability and transport problems within the network

4.1

Identify predecessor steps that have not been
executed based on an escalation ticket dealing with reachability

4.2

Determine whether to fix or escalate a ticket
dealing with reachability

4.3

Identify the area(s) causing
a complex reachability problem of unknown origin

4.4

Troubleshoot a complex routing problem and,
considering the technical aspects, determine the risks and fix it

4.5

Troubleshoot a complex security problem and,
considering the technical aspects, determine the risks and fix it

5.0

Identify
problems in implementation plans

5.1

Find issues of a rollout plan received from
engineering before deployment

5.2

Identify hardware which is
not backwards compatible on a new service rollout plan

5.3

Find hardware that needs operating system upgrades
on a new service rollout plan

5.4

Review and provide
recommendations on areas in which NOC support plans will not be
sufficient on a new service rollout plan

6.0

Troubleshoot and
fix network performance problems

6.1

Identify predecessor steps that have not been
executed based on an escalation ticket dealing with network performance

6.2

Determine whether to fix or escalate a ticket
dealing with network performance

6.3

Determine whether to fix or where to escalate a
core network fault

6.4

Identify the source of a
complex network performance problem

6.5

Troubleshoot a complex network performance problem
and, considering the technical aspects, determine the risks and  fix it

6.6

Identify a complex
application performance problem and isolate it

6.7

Identify a complex computing device (server, call
manager, etc – not the network or application) performance problem and
isolate it

6.8

Troubleshoot a complex
traffic pattern problem and, considering the technical aspects,
determine the risks and fix it

6.9

Troubleshoot a complex,
chronic performance problem and, considering the technical aspects,
determine the risks and fix it

Posted in Real World | Leave a Comment »

Autonegotiation Valid Configuration

Posted by Peter Kurdziel on January 17, 2010

There is a lot of confusion about auto negotiation. Here is a chart that will help bring things into perspective.

Autonegotiation Valid Configuration



Configuration NIC (Speed/Duplex)

Configuration Switch (Speed/Duplex)

Resulting NIC Speed/Duplex

Resulting Catalyst Speed/Duplex

Comments

AUTO

AUTO

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

Assuming maximum capability of Catalyst switch, and NIC is 1000
Mbps, full-duplex.

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

AUTO

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

Link is established, but the switch does not see any
autonegotiation information from NIC. Since Catalyst switches support only
full-duplex operation with 1000 Mbps, they default to full-duplex, and this
happens only when operating at 1000 Mbps.

AUTO

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

Assuming maximum capability of NIC is 1000 Mbps,
full-duplex.

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

Correct Manual Configuration

100 Mbps, Full-duplex

1000 Mbps, Full-duplex

No Link

No Link

Neither side establishes link, due to speed
mismatch

100 Mbps, Full-duplex

AUTO

100 Mbps, Full-duplex

100 Mbps, Half-duplex

Duplex Mismatch
1

AUTO

100 Mbps, Full-duplex

100 Mbps, Half-duplex

100 Mbps, Full-duplex

Duplex Mismatch
1

100 Mbps, Full-duplex

100 Mbps, Full-duplex

100 Mbps, Full-duplex

100 Mbps, Full-duplex

Correct Manual
Configuration2

100 Mbps, Half-duplex

AUTO

100 Mbps, Half-duplex

100 Mbps, Half-duplex

Link is established, but switch does not see any
autonegotiation information from NIC and defaults to half-duplex when operating
at 10/100 Mbps.

10 Mbps, Half-duplex

AUTO

10 Mbps, Half-duplex

10 Mbps, Half-duplex

Link is established, but switch does not see Fast Link Pulse
(FLP) and defaults to 10 Mbps half-duplex.

10 Mbps, Half-duplex

100 Mbps, Half-duplex

No Link

No Link

Neither side establishes link, due to speed
mismatch.

AUTO

100 Mbps, Half-duplex

100 Mbps, Half-duplex

100 Mbps, Half-duplex

Link is established, but NIC does not see any autonegotiation
information and defaults to 100 Mbps, half-duplex.

AUTO

10 Mbps, Half-duplex

10 Mbps, Half-duplex

10 Mbps, Half-duplex

Link is established, but NIC does not see FLP and defaults to
10 Mbps, half-duplex.

Posted in Best practices, CATALYST, Real World, Troubleshooting | 1 Comment »

Vegas baby!!!!!

Posted by Peter Kurdziel on January 12, 2010

Cisco Live 2010 – Pre-Registration Now Open

Cisco Live is Cisco’s annual IT and communications conference. The
conference features Networkers, our premier education and training
program, and other special programs designed to meet the diverse needs
of today’s IT and communications professional from increasing technical
proficiency to understanding the impact of technology on business.

Las Vegas, Nevada
June 27 – July 1, 2010

Posted in Other, Real World | Leave a Comment »

Narbik is adding CCIE Security and Service Provider bootcamps this year!

Posted by Peter Kurdziel on January 12, 2010

Here is a list of bootcamps and dates.
http://www.micronicstraining.com/classes/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=190

Posted in Other, Real World, Routing & Switching Lab | Leave a Comment »

Troubleshooting the Catalyst 6500

Posted by Peter Kurdziel on January 12, 2010

Troubleshooting Hardware and Common Issues on Catalyst 6500/6000 Series Switches Running Cisco IOS System Software


Troubleshoot Error Messages in the Syslog or Console



The show diagnostic sanity Command



Supervisor Engine or Module Problems


     
Supervisor Engine LED in Red/Amber or Status Indicates faulty

     
Switch Is in Continuous Booting Loop, in ROMmon mode, or Missing the System Image

     
Standby Supervisor Engine Module Is Not On Line or Status Indicates unknown

     
Show Module Output Gives “not applicable” for SPA Module

     
Standby Supervisor Engine Reloads Unexpectedly

     
Even After You Remove the Modules, the show run Command Still Shows Information About the Removed Module Interfaces

     
Switch Has Reset/Rebooted on Its Own

     
DFC-Equipped Module Has Reset on Its Own

     
Troubleshoot a Module That Does Not Come On Line or Indicates faulty or other Status

     
Inband Communication Failure

     
Error “System returned to ROM by power-on (SP by abort)”

     
Error: NVRAM: nv->magic != NVMAGIC, invalid nvram

     
Error: Switching Bus FIFO counter stuck

     
SYSTEM INIT: INSUFFICIENT MEMORY TO BOOT THE IMAGE!


Troubleshoot CatOS to Cisco IOS Software or Cisco IOS Software to CatOS Conversion


     
Problem when User Attempts to Access the NVRAM After Cisco IOS to CatOS Conversion

     
Unable to Boot with Cisco IOS Software when User Converts from CatOS to Cisco IOS


Interface/Module Connectivity Problems


     
Connectivity Problem or Packet Loss with WS-X6548-GE-TX and WS-X6148-GE-TX Modules used in a Server Farm

     
Workstation Is Unable to Log In to Network During Startup/Unable to Obtain DHCP Address

     
Troubleshoot NIC Compatibility Issues

     
Interface Is in errdisable Status

     
Troubleshoot Interface Errors

     
You Receive %PM_SCP-SP-3-GBIC_BAD: GBIC integrity check on port x failed: bad key Error Messages

     
You Get COIL Error Messages on WS-X6×48 Module Interfaces

     
Troubleshoot WS-X6×48 Module Connectivity Problems

     
Troubleshoot STP Issues

     
Unable to Use Telnet Command to Connect to Switch

     
Giant Packet Counters on VSL Interfaces


Power Supply and Fan Problems


     
Power Supply INPUT OK LED Does Not Light Up

     
Troubleshoot
C6KPWR-4-POWRDENIED: insufficient power, module in slot [dec] power
denied or %C6KPWR-SP-4-POWRDENIED: insufficient power, module in slot
[dec] power denied Error Messages

     
FAN LED Is Red or Shows failed in the show environment status Command Output

     
“Diagnostic level complete” causes a crash on 6500


Cisco Support Community – Featured Conversations



Related Information

Catalyst 6500/6000 Switches ARP or CAM Table Issues Troubleshooting


Troubleshoot ARP or CAM Related Issues


     
Loss of Dynamic MAC Addresses with Distributed Switching

     
CEF Drops Packets at Regular Intervals

     
Switch Filter All-Zero MAC Addresses from the CAM Table

     
Unicast Flooding in the Network Every 5 Minutes

     
ARP Issues in Hybrid CatOS

     
Error EARL-2-EARL4LOOKUPRAMERROR During the CAM Table Lookup

     
Static CAM Entries Lost After Supervisor Switchover

     
%ACL-5-TCAMFULL: acl engine TCAM table is full

     
Ping Issues Occur when the MSFC Does Not Respond to the ARP Request in Catalyst 6500 Series Switches

     
Multiple Entries in MAC Address Table

     
Virtual IP Address Used by Microsoft Load Balancing is Not Reachable


Troubleshooting Input Queue Drops and Output Queue Drops


Processing and Switching



Input Queue Drops


     
Troubleshoot Input Queue Drops


Output Queue Drops


     
Troubleshoot Output Queue Drops


Commands to Obtain More Information


     
show interfaces switching

     
show interfaces stats

     
ip accounting mac-address

     
show interfaces mac-accounting

More info here: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/prod_tech_notes_list.html

Posted in CATALYST, Real World, Troubleshooting | Leave a Comment »

look up vendors bases on OUIs and other MAC address prefixes

Posted by Peter Kurdziel on December 19, 2009

http://www.wireshark.org/tools/oui-lookup.html

Posted in Real World | Leave a Comment »

Advantage Now! Accelerating Partner Success in Small Business

Posted by Peter Kurdziel on November 20, 2009

My company being a Cisco Partner was invited to this event.  It looks very interesting and I am looking forward to going.

Details

Small and medium-sized businesses will be leading the recovery again as
optimism rises. Find out how you can capitalize on the opportunity that
is about to unfold. Exclusively for Cisco® partners, Advantage Now! Accelerating Partner Success in Small Business is a live event designed to help send your sales figures through the roof.

By registering now, you’ll give yourself the chance to learn:

  • How a complete Cisco Small Business Pro Series portfolio creates new opportunities for you
  • How two new Pro Series solutions can lead to even more revenue
  • How the Cisco Small Business Advantage can help you become more profitable

    • Watch Broadcasts from Top Cisco Executives and Small Business Experts

  • John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of Cisco
  • Andrew Sage, Vice President, Worldwide Small Business Sales, and Rick Moran, Vice President, Small Business Marketing, discuss Cisco’s small business strategy and vision
  • Gene Marks, small business consultant, business
    owner, author, and journalist, talks about 10 things smart business
    owners learned from the recession and why they’ll make more money in
    2010
  • And many more

    • We have the products NOW.

    We have the tools for you to sell them NOW.

    All you need to do is register NOW.

    Agenda

    Eastern Standard Time

    12:00 pm John Chambers Introduction

    12:05 pm “S” Vision LIVE by Rick Moran and Andrew Sage

    12:30 pm What’s New in Products and Services LIVE with local hosts

    1:15 pm What’s New in Channels and Marketing Update LIVE with local hosts

    2:00 pm Keynote – 10 Things Smart Business Owners Learned from the Recession…and How They’ll Profit in 2010 by Gene Marks

    2:45 pm Wrap

    Posted in Real World | Leave a Comment »

    Configuring and Troubleshooting Ethernet 10/100/1000Mb Half/Full Duplex Auto-Negotiation

    Posted by Peter Kurdziel on November 14, 2009

    This is a subject that still confuses many people.  It is best that you hard code your ports.

    More info here:
    http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/tech/tk389/tk214/technologies_tech_note09186a0080094781.shtml

    Posted in Best practices, Real World, Troubleshooting | 3 Comments »

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