Well the day has finally come, it is time for Cisco Live 2011 in Las Vegas, NV.  Everything here is looking great, things are still getting setup but the Wireless is up and working, registration opened early, and I am set to go.
So, the big question every year is what does the bag look like?  Well, here is your answer – looks great! Tom ( @NetworkingNerd) mentioned to me that these are the TSA Friendly backpack bags, AWESOME!  What is a TSA Friendly bag? Well, you can check the TSA website for exact details – link – but in short they are bags where the laptop storage section open like a butterfly to go through x-ray without having to remove the laptop from the bag.
 
So, here are pics of the bag.  It is black, orange, and gray – not a bad color combination at all!

 
 

 
Well the time is just about here, the time for Cisco Live 2011 in Las Vegas, NV.
I will post updates as the days progress, just like I did last year.  Hoping to recap the experiences, mention the bad, highlight the good, and recognize the great.
The posts should be fast and furious – my twitter feed should be streaming!
To all those who will be there with me, safe travels, good times and see you soon!
 
 

I was working on some stuff the other day in the lab and needed to demonstrate how to tell why a router reloaded.  Did it reload by the reload command?  SNMP string? or some random Error (not withstanding Solar Flares).  Well, the first two are easy to demonstrate, but the third one is a little difficult. Or is it…
As we all know there are some hidden commands out there – a popular one is CSIM (Call Simulator).  It is used to generate a call from a Cisco router to test a dial-peer and trunk configuration.  If you are on Cisco router, you can type
(quick housekeeping)
Router/Switch Output
Commands
Notes
PSTNGateway.PA# csim start 6105551212
csim: called number = 6105551212, loop count = 1 ping count = 0
csim err csimDisconnected recvd DISC cid(1170604)
csim: loop = 1, failed = 1
csim: call attempted = 1, setup failed = 1, tone failed = 0
PSTNGateway.PA#
That command, CSIM, will tell the router to dial 6105551212 and place a call.  They usually returned with a failed state, but I can assure you my phone rang (I changed the number in the post)
OK, I digress a bit there but I wanted to provide a hidden command that would not be destructive that you can look at.
So, how does one show a fellow engineer what a crash looks like, well TEST CRASH is the command.  And yes, it is a hidden command that will crash the router.

The other day I was looking for a Cisco IOS 15 license matrix and was unable to find anything definitive and all that I was doing was trying to find out what services are enabled in different images. Granted, one can use the Feature Navigator to find out and compare, but sometimes we just need something quick and simple.
In IOS 15 there is a Base image, a Security Image, a Data Image, and a Unified Communications / Collaboration Image.  Each one has some common features, but for the most part each are different.  Below is a matrix that I was able to put together using the Cisco Feature Navigator and comparing all the images to each other.  If you would like an Excel version, you can click here

I had to remove the in-line matrix for the moment as it was just too big for WordPress to handle.  For now, just grab the link above.
Also, I think I need to check a few things with some of the other hardware out there.  I think the Cisco 3925e that I selected has much more features in the base code then say, a 2901 would have.  I will do an updated post shortly on some of the model comparisons and IOS feature matrix.
 
 

Just wanted to take a moment and let you know that as of today, I have made a quick change to the front page of the blog.
Historically when you visit the site you where presented with the full article on the front page – this has led to slow load times as well as an increase in bandwidth usage.  In order to try and 1) Save your time; 2) Reduce server load; and 3) Save bandwidth I have added a READ MORE AND COMMENT button to the posts.  Just click on the more and the full post will load.

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A few months ago (wow, has it been that long) I did a post on Cisco Live 2011 – Why you should go… and wanted to now follow that up with what you should expect while you are there as well as what you should bring with you.  If this is your first time I hope that this helps, if this is your 2nd, 3rd, etc time – please post in the comments with suggestions.  Each and every one of us experiences the event a little different, so sharing is always helpful and appreciated.
What do you need to bring with you for this event and what should you do to prepare?  Pack a good size suitcase and leave room!  You have the chance to get so many shirts, bags, whiz bangs, and other nick-knacks at World of Solutions you will need the space.  Not to mention if you shop at the Cisco Store there and get shirts, books, golf balls, pens, etc – you will need a place to take all that stuff back with you.  The first few years I would up shipping things back, and that does get expensive real quick!

 

Well this week I FINALLY got my FastMAC U-Socket power outlet – keep in mind I ordered it back in March of 2011 – only took about 3 months to get it.  I knew it was back ordered when I ordered it, but I honestly never expected it to take 3 months.  The company did nothing to my awareness to notify me of the status during those three months.  I finally had to call and ask for a status when I noticed the website was showing in-stock – but when I did call they did move me ahead in the queue for shipment and I got them about  a week later.  Now that they are in-stock there, that fiasco should not happen to anyone else (chalk it up to wanting to be one of the first).  The only thing I am a little sore on is the shipping – even after all that time I was still had to pay to have them shipped. I would have been happy with a coupon equal to the shipping charge, oh-well – no big deal to be honest – the wait was worth it!
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This post is more of an informative post with regards to what tools I tend to use on a regular basis in my job.  Recently, Stretch wrote about what was in his tool bag over on PacketLife.Net .  He has some GREAT information over there beside just that post, so if you have never visited you should wander over there when you have time.
 
For the most part I tend to use the many of the same tools he discussed, but figured it would be nice to share what I have in my bag. So, without further typing, here we go!
Note:  If you click on the pictures it will take you to a link to where you can either get the tool or a similar tool if the one I had is no longer availablee

This is probably my most used tool when I do not have to make cables.  It contains just about every nut, bolt, and screw that you will find in a data center.  It is easy to use, quick to find, and very versatile. No need to separate screw drivers or pliers, just grab this and you are good to go!

Network Warrior – 2nd Edition

Recently, O’Reilly published the long awaited Network Warrior 2nd Edition by Gary Donahue (aka GAD).  This was a much anticipated update since technology has changed since the original publication back in 2007.  I am glad to see the inclusion of the Cisco ASA, Cisco Nexus, and IPv6, and Voice – as well as a few others.  Most (if not all) of the examples in the book are shown in different Cisco languages – CatOS, IOS, and also NX-OS.  These examples are great for helping the ready to understand and see the differences ( as well as the evolution ) of the codes.