Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Cisco Systems, Inc. CSCO, Cisco: Pac Crest Ups Positive Enterprise Rebound to Target $27

The company’s price target was also raised by $27 from $23 by Cisco Systems, Pacific Crest analyst Brent Bracelin this morning.

He further states that he sees signs of a rebound among Cisco’s enterprise customer base from his checks with resellers. Bracelin expects Cisco to meet or beat expectations for its Q4 of $8.5 billion and 28 cents.

About Cisco

Cisco Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells Internet Protocol (IP)-based networking and other products relating to the communications and information technology industry worldwide. The company offers routers that interconnect IP networks and moving information between networks; switching systems, which provide connectivity to end users, workstations, and servers; application networking solutions; home networking products, such as voice and data modems, network cards, media adapters, Internet video cameras, network storage, and USB adapters; and Cisco security solutions to protect information systems.

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Sunday, July 26, 2009

Cisco Unified Service Delivery Underscores Industry’s Focus on Data Centers

I came across this article published by CIOZone on July 20, 2009 - “IT Spending Forecasts Improve, Cisco Popular”; and obviously, am pleased by the positive results around Cisco’s Unified Computing System (UCS).




An impressive number - “77 percent of respondents in the UBS survey said that they expected to buy or evaluate Cisco’s Unified Computing System…in the next 18 months”; and that they see this system as being more likely to succeed than the competition. This is great news, since the UCS forms the foundational building block for the Unified Service Delivery solution and it is a testament to our engineers for building such an innovative product

READ THE ORIGINAL BLOG ENTRY:

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Infosys Opens First Philippine BPO Branch With Collaboration Platform From Cisco

Infosys Opens First Philippine BPO Branch With Collaboration Platform From Cisco


Technologies Ltd., recently opened its first BPO branch in the Philippines. The center features collaboration technologies from Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), including Cisco® Unified Contact Center, which delivers intelligent contact routing, call treatment, network-to-desktop computer telephony integration (CTI), and multichannel contact management over an Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure. The center will support multiple clients in the technology industry.

Infosys' Philippines branch extends the global relationship between the two companies, which began in India in 2002 and now includes six geographic delivery centers across the globe. "Cisco's relationship with Infosys is strategic in nature and crosses various business organizations, providing tremendous synergies for both companies," said Mark Homan, Global Operations senior director at Cisco.


"The entire IT infrastructure is built on a Cisco platform and we will continue to expand the center," said Madhusudan Menon, center head, Infosys Philippines. "Through this project, Infosys BPO Philippines may emerge as one of the largest Cisco Unified Contact Center implementations by the end of the year."


"The relationship between Infosys BPO and Cisco is good for the Philippines, as it brings world-class end-to-end order management and customer services to the country. It will also give a boost to the BPO industry here and enhance the country's reputation in this area," said Stephen Misa, country manager, Cisco Philippines.


Cisco technologies used in the project include specific customer resource management (CRM) applications for customer order management, the Cisco Unified Communications suite, including the Cisco Unified Contact Center and Cisco WebEx(TM), Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management, Cisco Unified Web Interaction Manager, and various workflow-processing tools, as well as Cisco routing and switching products.

Infosys BPO recently won the 2008 Six Sigma and Business Improvement Award for Organizational Business Improvement in Transactional Services at the Third Annual Global Lean, Six Sigma & Business Improvement Summit held in Orlando, Fla. This year, Infosys' ranking rose from fifth to fourth in the FAO Enterprise Provider Bakers Dozen survey.

SOURCE:

Friday, July 24, 2009

Avaya's Nortel buy could cause trouble for Cisco

Avaya's Nortel buy could cause trouble for Cisco

Avaya's US$475 million bid for Nortel's Enterprise Solutions Business could spell trouble for Cisco in Australia's enterprise telephony market, according to an industry analyst, but it would also be good news for customers.

"They would be a very credible challenger to Cisco," Telsyte telco analyst Gary Tsang told ZDNet.com Australia today. He estimated the companies' joint market share would be close to 30 per cent in Australia by 2010: "If they can sustain their current sales level they should become the market leader by 2010."

The planned acquisition of the Nortel division has come at a time of major change for Avaya, which recently appointed its new managing director, Rob Wells, a former executive of Business Objects. Avaya also recently ditched its direct sales model, reverting back to a pure channel model, said Tsang.

The company this week announced it would supply 6000 IP handsets to Macquarie University via a deal won by one its two major distribution partners, NSC. Nortel had previously been contracted for the university's network refresh.

Should the deal proceed, Avaya is likely to achieve better negotiating terms with the major telcos too, according to Tsang.

Optus' integration arm, Alphawest, currently has a distribution deal with Nortel and Cisco. Telstra, meanwhile, has flagged Polycom as its preferred IP handset supplier, while on the unified communications front its preferred suppliers are Cisco and Microsoft.

"The market is very fragmented and bringing Nortel and Avaya together will be good for the Australian market in terms of challenging Cisco," said Tsang.

SOURCE:

Monday, July 20, 2009

Gotta be the best Cisco Router Simulator Ever

GNS3 Against Packet tracer 5.1

GNS3:
1. You can almost do all the commands that the packet tracer cannot do.
2. You can simulate the virtual network to a real hardware or an equipment.
3. The frame cloud is easier to configure.
4. Free

Packet tracer 5.1:
1. Limited commands only
2. You can only connect directly to another workstation.
3. Frame cloud is a bit hard to configure and understand.
4. Available only to those enrolled in CNAP.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Harley-Davidson and Cisco both let go of many hundreds.

With its sales of motorcycles down 30% and its revenue down 27% from last year, Harley-Davidson, the legendary producer of high-end hogs, slashed its expectations for this year's shipments by nearly 20% this week and let go of 1,000 workers. This follows the company's January job cut of 1,100, bringing its total staff reduction so far this year to 2,100. The company employs around 9,300 altogether.

Its new chairman and chief executive officer, Keith Wandell, who took charge in May, maintained that Harley's brand is still top-notch, and that the sales slump reflects only the down economy: "It is obviously a very tough environment for us right now, given the continued weak consumer spending in the overall economy for discretionary purchases." Harley's stock price was floating around $18.90 on Friday, down by more than half since last year, but still more than double its low of $7.99 in March.
Article Controls

Last week Hasan Imam, an analyst with Thomas Weisel Partners, reported that Cisco Systems ( CSCO - news - people ) was preparing for large layoffs. This week Cisco began printing the pink slips. The carnage wasn't quite as gruesome as the 2,000 dismissals Imam had predicted, but Cisco let go of nearly 700 on Thursday at the company's San Jose, Calif., headquarters. John Chambers, Cisco's CEO, said in February that he'd be eliminating up to 2,000 jobs by the end of the fiscal year; these are among those positions. Cisco employs around 66,000 people altogether.

Navistar International, a producer of military vehicles, laid off 275 at its plant in West Point, Miss., this week. The layoffs follow Navistar's failure to win a $1.06 billion Pentagon contract, which was instead awarded to Oshkosh, of Wisconsin. The West Point plant operates on a project-by-project basis, said a spokeswoman for the company. Navistar hopes to find a new vehicle to build to bring the plant back to full operation in the future.

Boeing ( BA - news - people ) announced this week that by September it would let go of 130 workers at its operations in Huntsville, Ala. Those job losses are a direct result of cuts in federal missile defense spending scheduled to take effect in 2010. They will affect Boeing's work on the Defense Department's Ground-Based Midcourse Defense program. The company expects to cut an additional 100 or so jobs elsewhere for similar reasons.


SOURCE:

Friday, July 17, 2009

Cisco Moves Ahead With More Layoffs

 Cisco Systems Inc. laid off several hundred employees on Thursday, as part of the company's plan to control its costs amid declining sales.

Between 600 and 700 people were laid off at the company's San Jose headquarters, according to a person familiar with the decision. The company also cut jobs in branch offices elsewhere in the U.S., said people familiar with the matter. The total number of jobs eliminated wasn't immediately clear.

"We are doing everything possible to minimize the impact on employees affected by the limited restructuring," a Cisco spokesman said.
Digits

 In February, Cisco Chief Executive John Chambers said the networking giant would likely cut between 1,500 and 2,000 positions over the remainder of its fiscal year, which ends this month. The company also eliminated several hundred positions in February.

Cisco, which had 66,558 employees at the end of April, has reported back-to-back quarters of declining sales. In May, Mr. Chambers said that he saw signs that the worst of the recession was over, but added it could be a while before spending trends back up.

SOURCE:

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Firm fields Cisco eng’rs

PRIME Communications takes pride in bringing its Cisco-certified employees at the forefront of its highly respected business solution service.

Armed with the right skills to meet the ever growing challenges of the information technology industry, Prime Communications’ network operations group are all Cisco certified.

Cisco has a widely respected training and certification program that equips engineers and IT professionals with training and expertise on highly sophisticated network solutions.

With increasingly more complex networks and requirements, companies put a premium on highly skilled, certified engineers and commit resources to train their IT personnel. In line with its goal of prioritizing customer satisfaction, Prime Communications has ensured that all its engineers interfacing with its business customers have undergone Cisco training and certification.

The Cisco program has three certification levels – gold, silver and premier.

Prime Communications’ network operations group have proudly attained the premier certification level, which means that the company’s IT engineers have achieved technical competency in the integration of basic routing and switching, wireless LAN and security technologies. (PR)

SOURCE:

Monday, July 13, 2009

Getting Going With Cisco Router Simulators

For anyone who has ever needed to test a new network architecture, implement a new routing protocol or simply study for a Cisco exam has needed access to a real live router or a router simulator. But buying a bunch of routers just test up an idea or for study is expensive. And until recently good fully functional router simulators we just something we could only dream about.

Some company's, like Boson have router simulators you could buy to help you study for the CCNA but it was extremely limited with limited functionality. There was also some open source software like dynmips and the hypervisor engine that could be used to simulate a router but these applications were really difficult to configure and only support limited models.

Well now there is GNS3 - a multi-platform Graphical Network Simulator. GNS3 builds on dynamips and dynagen to create a nice graphical front end for building complex Cisco networks. I was completely amazed at how easy it was to install and build a new network, configure routers and switches and have a nice simulated network up and running.

GNS3 is a free open source router emulation software application developed in Python and uses the PyQT libraries for creating the UI. It uses standard vector graphics similar to Visio to create the network digrams and layouts. GNS3 uses real Cisco IOS for creating fully function emulated routers and switches.

GNS3 supports many types of interface configurations (pretty much if its in the IOS its supported). Frame Relay, Frame Relays Switches, ATM, Ethernet, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, and more.

The only draw back that I can say so far with GNS3 is that you need a pretty hefty machine to simulate a large network. Especially if you are trying to build it on a Windows machine. I havent tried but I have heard that running GNS3 on linux is much more manageable.

Another application that has similar functionality is Cisco's Packet Tracer. Thought originally designed as a group learning tools for Cisco Academy students, it make for a nice router simulator. And because its build for Cisco Academy, the only place to get it is if your enrolled in Cisco Academy. Another problem with Packet Tracer is it only runs on Windows. It's a bit more limited than GNS3, as it comes preconfigured with set models of routers and switches. It is very stable and less resource intensive than GNS3 by a long shot and will do the trick when you need to test out a quick config. To find Packet Tracer is pretty easy if you look out on the bit torrents, you should easily be able to find it.

So if your looking for a cool router simulator and have been frustrated thinking they dont exist. Think again! Here are two really cool simulators right here!

Source:

Sunday, July 12, 2009

CISCO WIRELESS ROUTER WRT610N REVIEW

This new product being launched by cisco is really a breakthrough product it gives off a higher and better signal even if you are being surrounded by walls and a gap between buildings the good thing about this product is that it supports a signal from G to N. And with its new look it wouldn't be easily recognized as an access point it is like a stealth plain of the armed forces.

Are you a CCNA certified card holder?

Hello All,

I have been bringing my CCNA card almost 2 years now and I have already renewed it before it gets expired, but im still done with one exam to renew it to a CCNP professional with the switching to be the first one I passed, I am still reviewing on the routing exam for it is a very broad one that talks on large routing protocols like BGP,IS-IS, OSPF and IPV6.

Friday, July 10, 2009

New Cisco CCNA Security Training series released by Palaestra Training

Palaestra Training Releases Cisco CCNA Security Training Video Series with Full preparation for Cisco's 640-553 Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS) Exam.
Our customers asked us to develop Cisco CCNA Security Training, says Christopher Rees, President of Palaestra Training. He adds
we are offering this training series -- simply the best Cisco CCNA Security Training at the best price on the market -- anywhere!
The Best Trainers Create the Best Training

Medford, NJ (PRWEB) July 2, 2009 -- Palaestra Training today announced the release of their Cisco CCNA Security Training video series which fully prepares a student for Cisco's 640-553 implementing Cisco IOS network security exam. "Our customers asked us to develop Cisco CCNA Security Training, says Christopher Rees, President of Palaestra Training. He adds "today, network security is an integral part of any network administrator's daily work and our videos help them not only understand those skills and get certified, but we also help them apply this knowledge in real world scenarios."

This advanced topic course on Cisco CCNA Security features over 11 hours of video instruction delivered on DVD. The training comes with multiple file formats, giving customers the ability to access the training in a variety of ways, such as iPod (m4v) Video, mp3 Audio, and high-resolution AVI format. This allows Palaestra Training to deliver their content to customers in ways they can truly watch or listen to anytime, anywhere. The training package helps students prepare for the Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS) 640-553 certification exam. In addition to complete coverage of the exam topics, the package includes a full version of Cisco IINS 640-553 practice exam software from award-winning exam simulation software maker MeasureUp.

Rees added "we are offering this training series -- simply the best Cisco CCNA Security Training at the best price on the market -- anywhere!" For a limited time, customers will receive $25 off the retail price of $249 by using the promo code pr640553.

Palaestra Training's Cisco CCNA Security video training course is instructed by Koren Archibald, a Cisco Certified Systems Instructor (#30837) and award-winning technology consultant who has helped deliver security solutions to the U.S. Government and large international organizations worldwide.

About Palaestra Training:
Palaestra Training is an international IT certification and training video products and services company based in Medford, New Jersey. Palaestra Training was founded in 2006 by senior executives and technologists from the advanced technology and training industries. Built upon the successful "The Best Trainers Create the Best Training" model, Palaestra Training delivers IT certification and training video solutions to hundreds of companies, colleges and universities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations including: The United States Army, Oracle Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Xerox Corporation, and TD Bank. Palaestra Training is privately held and markets its products and services directly and through partners worldwide.

SOURCE:

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Cisco IPTV Broadcast: Midyear Security Report Shows Network Threats 'Are Getting Down to Business

On Tuesday, July 14, 2009, security executives and researchers from Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) will discuss findings from the Cisco 2009 Midyear Security Report, recapping security events and trends of the first half of 2009 and implications for the future. The live broadcast will highlight:

* Threats in 2009: Security incidents that affected businesses and consumers around the world.
* Crime Today - Getting Down to Business: Explanation of how Internet criminals are increasingly operating like successful businesses, borrowing some of the best strategies from legitimate companies and forming partnerships with one another to help make their illegal activities more lucrative.
* Recommendations: Guidance on how to prevent security breaches and protect businesses and individuals.
* Live Q&A: Media, analysts and customers can ask questions throughout the broadcast.

Who:

Patrick Peterson, fellow and chief security researcher, Cisco
Fred Kost, director, security solutions marketing, Cisco


When: Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 8 a.m. Pacific


Where: The Internet TV broadcast can be accessed at the URL below. No registration required. Please visit the http://tools.cisco.com/cmn/jsp/index.jsp?id=89479 on July 14 at 8 a.m. Pacific and click "Play" to launch the live presentation.


Technical Assistance:
Attendees who experience difficulties connecting can contact support at 866-614-0208 or 617-778-9652. Phone support is available 30 minutes prior to and after the event, as well as during the videocast. Attendees may also submit an Online Support Request to CiscoTV_help@external.cisco.com or ciscotv_help@btci.com if necessary.


About Cisco Systems

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Cisco, the Cisco logo, and Cisco Systems are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.

SOURCE:

Cisco results

Cisco results from CNN

Cisco janitors plan protest at Stanford

Those following the saga of the 75 janitors laid off from Cisco might want to keep the date of May 21 in mind. That's when hundreds of janitors and their supporters will stage a protest at Stanford during the school's "Socially Responsible Supply Chain" conference at which two Cisco executives will speak.

The protesters will gather outside of Stanford's Bechtel Conference Center to protest the participation of Cisco executives Kevin Harrington and Brian Glazebrook. According to the janitors' union, Cisco recently ordered its contractor, ABM, to lay off more than 75 janitors at its corporate headquarters in San Jose. The janitors set up camp outside of Cisco's headquarters to protest those layoffs.

In a press release announcing the planned protest at Stanford, union vice president Andrea Dehlendorf said:

"By targeting of contracted janitors for layoffs while protecting its enormous profits, Cisco has created a textbook example of irresponsible corporate supply-chain economics."

Last week, the janitors' union, SEIU-United Service Workers West, said it sent a letter to Harrington and Glazebrook pointing out that Cisco cannot credibly claim to be a socially responsible company while it withholds its prosperity from its contracted service workers. The letter called on Cisco to live up to its claims of having a "responsible supply chain" by reinstating the laid-off janitors, and engaging in workplace and wage improvement dialogue with the union.

Do they have enough knowledge on how the cisco janitors work in the cisco company?

SOURCE:

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Cisco appoints Ned Hooper strategy chief

*Hooper to take on Chief Strategy Officer role

*To be responsible for acquisitions and investments

NEW YORK, July 8 (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O) said on Wednesday that Ned Hooper, the head of its consumer business would also take on the role of chief strategy officer with responsibility for issues including acquisitions.

Cisco said that Hooper, already president of its corporate development and consumer business, would help shape the company's business plans as it moves into new markets and develops new strategies in his new role.

The leader in network equipment for big companies and telecommunications service providers has recently been pushing into new market segments such as consumer and video conferencing.

Hooper, an 11-year veteran of Cisco, will also be responsible for the company's global strategy, acquisitions, equity investments and the incubation of new technologies. (Reporting by Sinead Carew; Editing by Derek Caney)

Source:

CCNA 640-802 Network Simulator

More Information
Product DescriptionTable of ContentsVideo
Product Description

The most effective router and switch simulator for hands-on CCNA® skills enhancement

Covers all CCNA topics

* 250 labs
* 8 different lab topologies
* 3000+ hands-on tasks
* Three Unique types of labs



CCNA 640-802 Network Simulator helps you develop and improve hands-on configuration and troubleshooting skills without the investment in expensive lab hardware. This state-of-the-art, interactive simulation software allows you to practice your networking skills with more than 250 structured labs designed to help you learn by doing, the most effective method of learning.



Experience realistic network device response as you work through each of the labs, which include detailed instructions, topology diagrams, hints, and full answers. Unlike other simulators on the market, the lab scenarios included in the CCNA 640-802 Network Simulator are far more complex, challenging you to learn how to perform realistic network configuration and troubleshooting tasks.



This unique network simulation software helps you master the hands-on skills needed to succeed on the CCNA® exam. Topics covered include:

* Router and switch navigation and administration
* LAN switching
* IP addressing
* Routing
* WANs
* VLANs and trunking
* IP routing protocols
* Scaling IP
* Troubleshooting



System Requirements:

* 500 MHz or higher processor
* 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
* 500 MB hard drive space
* 32-bit true color monitor (1024x768 resolution)
* Microsoft Windows XP Professional with SP3, Microsoft Vista, or Mac OS X Version 10.4.11 or higher
* Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.5.0
* Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0
* Connection to the Internet during installation for access code validation


Source:

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

reBlog from mybloglog55f41e5e7b31b7d07f00: Some truths about being a CCNA in cebu

I found this fascinating quote today:



If you plan your career in networking CCNA certification becomes vital for your career growth. In order to be successful in your networking profession and to be viewed by the superiors as an asset to the company you must clear certification exams. For this you can approach any good online training institute that can help you get through the exams. Certified network engineers are perceived as highly skilled professionals by the employers. CCNA certification also imparts the most needed self confidence and self reliance for your career growth.mybloglog55f41e5e7b31b7d07f00, Some truths about being a CCNA in cebu, Jul 2009



You should read the whole article.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Cisco router



Source:

Internet Marketing through blogging

Want to earn and learn through internet marketing click the link below to learn how.

Internet Marketing workshop

Benefits of CCNA Certification

Today's software industries are in need of certified networking professionals, with excellent working knowledge of protocols like IP, IGRP, Serial, Frame Relay, IP RIP, VLAN's and the like, for installing, configuring, operating, maintaining, and trouble shooting LAN, WAN and other networks. If you are a software professional interested in networking, it is wise to grab the opportunity to grow your career with Cisco Certified Network Associate certification. It is easy to obtain this valuable CCNA certification with the help of online training institutes that offer comprehensive training and hands on experience to their students.

If you plan your career in networking CCNA certification becomes vital for your career growth. In order to be successful in your networking profession and to be viewed by the superiors as an asset to the company you must clear certification exams. For this you can approach any good online training institute that can help you get through the exams. Certified network engineers are perceived as highly skilled professionals by the employers. CCNA certification also imparts the most needed self confidence and self reliance for your career growth.

In order to get the best CCNA Certification training, you need to choose an excellent online training institute that can provide you with a solid foundation useful for both your exams and your profession. The easiest way to identify such online institutes is through their reputation. Most reputed online institutions and exams expert provide you with the complete study material and samples that could be of great use to you. While you can get vital information from your friends and colleagues, researching the internet for positive feed backs is also an efficient way to locate your favorite institute. Do personally check the customer care service of the online institutes and customer reviews before joining any of the online institutes that provide CCNA Certification training.

Source:

10 dumb things you can do to your Cisco router and how to fix them

As IT pros, we have many stories about end users who did something dumb with their computers (how many times have you heard the CD-ROM drive as a cup holder story?).

However, we tend to keep our Cisco networking mistakes to ourselves, right? I am not too bashful to admit that I have taken down a network before due to a dumb mistake that could have been prevented (but I won't tell you what it was).

In order to help other network admins avoid costly mistakes, I've come up with a list of 10 dumb things you can do to your Cisco router.

#1: Not having a backup of your Cisco router configuration
While these aren't listed in any particular order, if they were, I would say that this belongs at the top of the most common router mistakes. Picture this: your Cisco router dies, but you're getting a replacement overnight, so your boss is ecstatic.

However, you, as the Cisco network admin, can't seem to make the router pass traffic as you have no backup of the config. Don't get put in the doghouse over this. It's easy to make a backup using:

Router# copy running-configuration tftp

Built into routers with newer IOS versions is IOS configuration archiving. This can automatically copy your router's configuration off of the router when configuration changes are made. To learn more about it read, "Use the Cisco IOS Archive Command to Archive Your Router's Configuration".

Also, there are many third-party GUI applications that will schedule this for you so that you can "set it and forget it." For example, see my article on Kiwi CatTools and products from ManageEngine OpUtils and PacketTrap pt360 Pro.

#2: Not having a backup of your Cisco router IOS software
Not only is a Cisco router completely useless if it isn't properly configured, but it is also useless if it has no IOS or it has the wrong IOS. As a Cisco network admin, you had better have a repository of all the different Cisco IOS router and switch IOS versions in use on your network today, stored on a file share somewhere.

By doing this, you can copy the proper IOS back onto a Cisco router that is shipped to you from Cisco or reconfigure another Cisco router (say an older router off the shelf) to take the place of a broken Cisco router.

Backing up the IOS is easy. Just TFTP it to your server with a command like this:

Router# copy flash tftp

And you will be prompted to answer all the questions needed to back up your Cisco IOS.

#3: Not having spare router hardware
I have found Cisco hardware to be extremely reliable. Still, I have had to replace both Cisco routers and switches periodically, over the years.

These days, it's not acceptable for the Internet connection to be down for a few days should a Cisco router go bad or an interface in the router start taking errors. You must be prepared to replace that hardware at a moment's notice. The replacement hardware must have the same configuration (or a config that delivers the same network connectivity to the end users) and the IOS should also be the same (or offer the same features as needed by the config).

Trust me, you don't want to be making calls all over the country asking if anyone can overnight you a router for a hefty charge.

If you aren't going to have spare hardware on site, you should at least have a Cisco SmartNET contract on your router hardware that is able to deliver a replacement router to you in an acceptable amount of time.

#4: Never document changes
When you discover that you are having networking issues, the first questions are always "When did this start?" and "Did we change anything?" By setting up a change documentation or change management procedure, you can have a history of changes--what was changed and when.

If you set up change management, you typically also have approval processes in there so that someone must have tested and then approved the changes before they went in.

Another way to document changes is to use router configuration archiving. To learn more about it read "Use the Cisco IOS Archive Command to Archive Your Router's Configuration".

#5: Don't log your router events
When issues do come up in the network, you first want to check out router logs. Not only should you have some buffered logs on the router for temporary storage, you should also have a central syslog repository of Cisco router logs.

Cisco IOS logging is easy to configure, and you can use a free Linux syslog server or buy one for Windows such as Kiwi Syslog.

To learn all about configuring logging in the Cisco IOS, please see my article "Get to Know Your Logging Options in the Cisco IOS".

#6: Not upgrading your Cisco IOS
Like any operating system, the Cisco IOS periodically has bugs (see tip #7 on searching for bugs). Plus, over time, you will get new routers with new IOS versions and you want router IOS versions to maintain compatibility. For these reasons and others, you need to make sure that your Cisco IOS stays up to date.

To upgrade your Cisco IOS, see my article "Upgrading" and my video on upgrading your Cisco IOS.

#7: Don't know where to search for Cisco documentation and troubleshooting tips
I get many Cisco IOS technical questions via e-mail, and many of these can be answered by using your favorite search engine. However, here are a couple of tips:

* Use Google search with the "site:cisco.com" keyword to search only for articles on Cisco's official Web site or the "site:techrepublic.com" keyword to search for articles at TechRepublic.
* Install the Cisco Search Toolbars to your browser. With these, you can search the Cisco Bug database, Command Line lookups, error message decoder, your RMA orders, TAC Service requests, and Cisco netpro discussions. Trust me, these tools are very cool and make it easier to find the answer to your Cisco IOS problem. For more information read "Adding Cisco.com searches and tools to your browser".

#8: Forgetting your password and not knowing how to reset it
At some point, you may forget the password on a router. Or, an admin could leave and not tell you the password to a router. While these things can happen, what you need to know is how to reset a lost Cisco router password.

To do this, check out these two resources:

* Cisco's Master Password Recovery Instructions page
* My video on how to reset your Cisco router password

#9: Not securing your router
Security? Who has time for that, right? Well, if you don't secure your routers and network, it could all be lost (and so could the company's most critical data). Make sure you follow best practices to lock down your routers and your network. I recommend you start with reading my TechRepublic download on locking down your Cisco IOS router in 10 steps.

#10: Not spending the time to create documentation
Most of us loathe having to create documentation, but let's face it, we forget things and we aren't going to be here forever. Wouldn't you just love to tell a junior admin to "go read my document on how to reset a Cisco router password" when he asks you how to do it? To prevent mistakes and downtime in the future, make sure you keep your Cisco network documentation up to date.

Source:

Cisco News - Cisco Unveils Wireless-N Broadband Router with Storage Link

Cisco announced a new Linux powered router, the Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N Broadband Router with Storage Link (WRT160NL). This will complement the existing Linksys by Cisco (News - Alert) consumer router line-up and is expected to be the next generation of the WRT54GL.

It is similar in design to the Linksys (News - Alert) by Cisco N-routers, and it has integrated connectors for external antennae. Consumers who need external aerials will benefit from the Linksys by Cisco router design owing to the integrated R-SMA (News - Alert) antenna connectors.

The integrated Storage Link allows consumers to connect their USB storage device to the router for creating a powerful media sharing solution which enables video, photo, data and music sharing via the integrated media server.

Cisco explained that the media server can stream to PCs or UPnP AV digital media adapters. The integrated storage link port supports FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS file systems in read and write modes. Also the two R-SMA antenna connectors allow users to benefit from choosing their antenna and its placement.

The product packaging also offers reduction in waste materials as the size of the box is reduced. Plastics are avoided where possible and recycled paper is used with other eco-friendly materials, said Cisco.

The Wireless-N Broadband Router with Storage Link and Linksys EasyLink Advisor (LELA) are shipped together. With the help of LELA, consumers can get their network running and also to keep the network updated and secure. Cisco said that the set-up CD is compatible with Mac and Windows computers.

“In the past we have had many successful Linux powered devices with the WRT54GL and NSLU2 being great examples. The WRT160NL is the logical next step combining Linux, 802.11n technology and USB storage functionality,” Aaron Marinari, senior product manager, Cisco Consumer Business Group.

“We see the WRT160NL as a possible successor of our WRT54GL as the market transitions to 802.11n - but then with storage functionality on top of that,” headed.

Cisco revealed that the system is Linux powered and 802.11n draft 2.0 certified. It includes a 400 MHz processor, 8 Megabytes Flash memory, 32 Megabytes DDRAM and Storage Link port (USB 2.0). The system specifications also mention UPnP AV media server, Wi-Fi protected Setup pushbutton security and 2 x R-SMA antennae connectors.

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Do you need a CCNA before you go for your CCIE?

Q: What are the requirements for achieving the CCIE certification? Is the CCNA one of them?

A: Oddly enough, the flagship certification for Cisco does not have an actual prerequisite. The Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) may not require any certifications such as the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) for a prerequisite, but that does not negate the recommendation of at least three years professional experience. In other words, you are not required to have the certification, but you should master the concepts of the CCNA and the professional level exams too before you try to get your CCIE.

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Cisco Network Academy Shines Bright in Alberta: An Interview with Scott Empson

Linda Leung and Scott Empson discuss the value of the Cisco Networking Academy, how it's viewed by potential employers, and the advantages of going through the Academy vs. other learning methods

Cisco is perhaps the only networking vendor to manage a learning program aimed at students in schools and other public learning institutions to train a new generation of networking professionals. The Cisco Networking Academy has been around since 1997, and according to Cisco some 600,000 students go through the program each year in 160 countries. One institute offering the program is Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where author Scott Empson is the program coordinator.

Scott also teaches Cisco routing, switching and network design courses in certificate, diploma, and applied degree programs at the post-secondary level. He is an author of numerous CCNP Guides, including CCNP Portable Command Guide Library and CCNP ONT Portable Command Guide.

As he was preparing to attend Cisco Live, I asked Scott about the value of the Cisco Networking Academy, how it's viewed by potential employers, and the advantages of going through the Academy vs. other learning methods.

Linda Leung: What's the most rewarding aspect of being part of the Cisco Networking Academy?

Scott Empson: Working with Academy instructors from around the world that all subscribe to the same ideas and philosophies that what we are teaching is making a difference in students' lives.

LL: What kinds of people have gone through the Academy with you?

SE: The Academy courses that run at my institution are part of a larger certificate or degree program. We have students who are fresh out of high school and are still looking for direction in their lives. I teach older students who have university degrees from another country and have immigrated to Canada looking for a better life. They take our programs, part of which are Academy courses, as a way to allow them to get recognized training that will make them more desirable in our workforce.

LL: The Academy seems to be pretty unique in the industry. Is there anything in the industry that comes close — CompTIA's A+ or Network+, perhaps?

SE: The Academy is one of a kind. I do not know of any other company that has gone to this great length to try and create such an amazing learning opportunity. The CompTIA group has created a series of learner outcomes that are vendor neutral in different areas of IT, but it has not created full courses or curriculum to the quality that is the Cisco Academy. And for any other company that has created vendor specific training (Microsoft, Citrix, etc) for their own products, nothing comes even remotely close to what the CLI (Cisco Learning Institute) has created for the Cisco Academy.

LL: What's the cost of going through the Academy program? What are the options for prospective students in Canada to get help raising funds? Could students apply for the Canada Student Loans Program to help fund their Cisco education?

SE: I can only speak for my institution, but for right now, the Cisco Academy is part of larger, accredited certificate or degree programs. Because of this, students who are accepted into these programs can qualify for student loans, either through the Canada Student Loan Program or through Canadian financial institutions. When we did offer courses to the public as "general interest" courses — ones that were not part of a certificate or degree — I do not believe they qualified for Student Loans.

LL: What specializations are popular with IT students? Which areas are less popular, and do you think we'll eventually have a shortage of skills in those less popular areas?

SE: As with the real world, security is the hot topic — it's everywhere in IT, and rightfully so. Getting even more specialized is the concept of forensics and penetration testing. But to get into these areas you need a strong basis in the fundamentals. Will we ever see a shortage of skilled workers? We're seeing that right now. That's why the Cisco Academy is such an integral part of IT training — they're providing the training in the fundamentals, and will continue to do so.

LL: How do businesses partner with the Academy, and do your students eventually get jobs with those partners?

SE: In Canada I see businesses partner with schools that provide training in the Cisco Academy. But at a high-level some companies do want to partner with Cisco and the Academy — an example of this is Future Shop (a Canadian consumer electronics retailer), where students in the Academy program at either a high school or post-secondary level can use their Academy status to bypass the first level of screening when applying for a job there. Academy students in the IT Essentials course have been identified as desirable employees. Other companies have talked with Cisco about this.

LL: Cisco is putting a lot of emphasis on extending learning opportunities to students in developing nations, to women, and to those with disabilities. What do you think the IT workforce will look like in 10 or 20 years?

SE: The world of IT is truly a global one, in that it doesn't matter where you come from, what gender you are, etc. Everyone who wants to learn can learn. And if you have the skills, you can get hired. Cisco should be commended for trying to create these opportunities for those areas. In 10 to 20 years we will see a very diverse cross section of IT workers from all sections of society.

LL: Do you see a particular willingness by experienced IT professionals to help train a new generation of IT workers? How should such
experienced IT pros offer their skills and experience to newcomers?

SE: The best way of IT professionals helping out is through mentorship — taking that new hire and working with them to allow the new hire a better chance of becoming more productive in their position faster.

LL: During economic downturns and with rising unemployment rates, there may be some people who are tempted to retrain for a new career in IT. Where would you recommend these folks to start? Should they train for the CCENT or jump straight to the CCNA program? How long should you hold the CCNA accreditation before attempting the CCNP?

SE: I believe that in order to have a better chance of getting that first job in IT, you need to be well rounded. Where I live, the people who get hired have a strong skill set in a number of areas — not just Cisco, but in network administration — Microsoft and/or Linux, PC repair, help desk and user support, wireless, Database, and so on.

If you have little job experience, get a certification exam to prove to potential employers that you have the ability to train for and study for passing an exam that is recognized globally. In some markets, a CCENT may be what you need. A CCNA is always better.

I also feel that a worker needs to have at least two years of experience on live production equipment in order to have a CCNP recognized as something of value. There is always the risk that someone with little work experience but a lot of certification credentials will not be taken as seriously as someone with fewer certs, but more practical experience. It is a fine line.

LL: And for these folks, is going through the Academy a better choice than training alone and attending a few classes, which may give them more flexibility, especially if they have part-time jobs?

SE: One of the strengths of the Academy is the ability to work with the actual gear. Studying alone is not enough. In this world you need to get your hands dirty working with the gear, practicing to design, install, configure, and troubleshoot networks. That is what the Academy courses allow you to get — hands-on practice. There is no better way to learn this.

LL: You hold the CCNP, the CCDA, CCAI and Network+. Do you have plans to study for other certifications? Perhaps CCIE?

SE:I hold some other certifications, most notably the Certified Ethical Hacker. There is always the desire to write the CCIE, but it is a huge undertaking. A true CCIE needs to have hand-on experience with all different types of Cisco equipment and technologies, some of which I do not teach or have access to. As an instructor in the world of post-secondary education, I do not always get to work on the necessary equipment or teach the necessary classes to give me a strong enough background to be a worthy CCIE candidate.

I have attempted the CCIE written exam, and have not achieved a mark sufficient enough to be allowed to take the practical exam. I do not call this a failure. Rather, this shows where I need to improve upon. The CCIE is not for the faint-of-heart; it is very demanding, and not everyone has the ability to pass. But if you do pass, consider yourself amongst the very elite in this industry.

Before I go for another attempt at the CCIE, I am considering looking at the CCDP or maybe the CCNA-Security exam and moving in that direction.

LL: Final question: what will you be doing at Cisco Live?

SE: I'll be reconnecting with old friends and networking and making new ones. I'll be seeing some sessions on some technologies that I am familiar with, and some new ones that I have no clue about. I'll stop by the World of Solutions and look for new technologies, products that I can use in my classes. I'll advertise my students and their skill sets to industry, and collect as much swag as I can carry back home (t-shirts, backpacks, etc) to use as prizes in my classes. (Some of my students don't have backpacks, and if I have one that says Cisco on it, or HP, or any of the other companies there, my students really take to using them.)

I'll also stop by the Cisco Press section of the Marketplace, and reconnect with all of the wonderful people there who work endlessly to market, promote and sell my books.

And when I am really needing to clear my head, I will be found in some corner of the Marketplace or World of Solutions… juggling. My co-author, Hans Roth, got me started on juggling as a way to ease stress and decompress, and it's always fun to toss the balls around. He's very good. I am not.

I have'nt pursue my ccnp BSCI yet what should the exam be like after fnishing the BCMSN in the cisco network career path?

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