A Network Blog by a Network Engineer

Could the Cisco CCIE lab in RTP be moving? CONFIRMED!

Jeff Fry published on 2018-11-06 included in CCIE

Let me preface this post by saying that this post is not Cisco official nor sponsored. This post should be taken as speculation and I am presenting what I have been able to put together. Until Cisco has announced something official, take everything I have here with a grain of salt and do not assume it as fact. If something changes I will update the post as appropriate.

Jump to updates – SJC too?
11/12 – New Cisco Learning thread on this topic

Adding the latest updates to the top.

In a series of tweets today from @LearningatCisco they have confirmed today (14-Nov-2018) that RTP and SJC are transitioning to mobile test sites and the new home of the lab is Richardson, TX. The last on-sites dates for CCIE testing in SJC is 28-Nov-2018 and for RTP is 07-Dec-2018.

Effective immediately, the last on-site testing date before San Jose, CA CCIE lab is transitioned to a mobile test site is November 28, 2018. For RTP, NC the last on-site testing date is December 7, 2018.
— LearningatCisco (@LearningatCisco) November 14, 2018
Cisco is adding a new, permanent #CCIE lab in Richardson, TX. RTP, NC and San Jose, CA will now become mobile test sites, adding to the 40+ locations we offer globally for convenient access to lab testing, https://t.co/mzGeE7DqBE. Scroll to News section.
While the CCIE Lab in Richardson, TX, is not on the lab locations page it is an on-site testing facility as of now. Any available seats can be seen on the schedule, please check current availability by logging in to the CCIE Online Lab Scheduler.
— LearningatCisco (@LearningatCisco) November 14, 2018
https://t.co/mzGeE7DqBE. Scroll to News section. While the CCIE Lab in Richardson, TX, is not on the lab locations page it is an on-site testing facility as of now. Any available seats can be seen on the schedule, please check current availability by logging in to the CCIE Online Lab Scheduler. — LearningatCisco (@LearningatCisco) November 14, 2018
Tweets from @LearningatCisco (opens in a new tab)">Tweets from @LearningatCisco

— END OF UPDATE ABOVE, now back to regular post.

Last night I saw a post on my Facebook social media feed about that CCIE lab in RTP that caught my attention. The post was about the CCIE lab in RTP moving at the end of December 2018 to Richardson, TX!

Facebook post on 05-Nov-2018 approx. 15:45 Eastern
David’s LinkedIn Profile

I had a hard time believing this, so I did some quick research that actually leads me to some job postings for a CCIE Proctor in Richardson, TX. Both of these posting are no longer live, so I have included links to their cached copies.

10 Year CCIE – My Reflection

Jeff Fry published on 2018-11-05 included in CCIE

How time flies – it is now over 10 years ago that I earned my Cisco CCIE R&S number of 22061. It was the culmination of failing the lab quite a few times, trying to study as hard as I could, and had the pressure that my CCIE written prequalification was going to expire soon. I want to do a quick post with my reflection of the CCIE, what it means to me, what it has done for me, and what I see with it now.

When I first earned my CCIE, like many people out there I suspect, my head was bigger than my shoulders could carry and I would let everyone know that I am a CCIE. Looking back on that I realize how much of an arse I probably sounded (and may have acted) like. _Lesson learned – just because you have a cert does not mean you need to tell everyone. My advice to you – be proud of what you have accomplished, but don’t let it get to you. _

Juniper Nxtwork 2018 – Recap

Jeff Fry published on 2018-10-22 included in Juniper Nxtwork

The other week I had the privilege of attending Juniper Nxtwork 2018 in Las Vegas, NV. I have attended the previous two Nxtwork events (2016 and 2017) and this year’s event outdid them in every way.

What made this year’s event so much better you might ask? Well in my view it is simple – everything. With the event being in Las Vegas it provided much more room for attendees, speakers, vendors, testing, as well as endless evening entertainment options. To cap off the event the closing speaker was amazing – more on this later in the post. All in all, this year the event had over 1000 people in attendance, and that is many times over what the other years. Being in Las Vegas there was always sufficient seating for the sessions, dining, and breaks.

Juniper Nxtwork – Hackathon 2018

Jeff Fry published on 2018-10-18 included in Junos Nxtwork

This year while at Juniper Nxtwork 2018 I had the privilege of attending the pre-event Hackathon on Tuesday, October 9th, 2018. The goal of the Hackathon was to use, configure, and troubleshoot an SDSN environment using SaltStack.
If you are unfamiliar with SaltStack, it helps you to enable event-driven network automation. The Salt-Master is able to monitor events and tell the Salt-Minion to take an action. This action is defined in a json file where you are able to pass variables (log output for example) and manipulate them as required. This was my first exposure to SaltStack and Event-Driven Automation, and I have to admit I liked it!

For attending the event you received some cool swag as can be seen below:

Cisco Live – Coming out of your shell! (Be Social!)

Jeff Fry published on 2018-05-23 included in Cisco Live

Cisco Live is just around the corner and what better time to talk about the social aspect of the event. Yes, Cisco Live is a big Tech Learning festival, but it is also been nicknamed _Geek Summer Camp_. Cisco Live is the time of year when a bunch of super smart introverts becomes extroverts for a few days. It does help that they are surrounded by like-minded individuals.

The big opening icebreaker for most of us is the opening TweetUp. This is a great initial gathering where people are there to actually socialize and meet new people. If you attend (and you should) make sure you introduce yourself to someone new.

Another great place to meet others is in the Certification Lounge in World of Solutions. This place is open to anyone who holds a Cisco Certification. Come and meet some of the best and brightest here – come see what new certifications are being worked on – and best of all, usually always has some snacks available!.

A really interesting, and actually the easiest, place to meet someone new is LUNCH! Lunch is typically served with open seating so you are able to sit anywhere and with anyone. It is a great time to find new people to sit with and introduce yourself, share war stories, and just have a good conversation. You can talk about anything – Cars, Technology, the sky – pick a topic and have fun!

Ultimately the Social Media Lounge is the best place to come and meet new and old friends. It is easy to find the area in World of Solutions and there will be seating, tables, charging stations, bikes, games, and a few other things. This really is a place to meet up and tweetup! 🙂

Oh, one thing worth mentioning if you really want to come out of your shell – #KiltedMonday. Yes, it is a thing that has started at Cisco Live. Bring your kilt and have a good time on Monday – you will meet new people and make new friends, that I can assure you. Last year I think that there where some social prizes available later on in the day – not sure if they are Official Prizes, but someone usually has some fun with it. If you make it to Cisco Live this year – be sure to stop by the TweetUps, Cert Lounge, Social Media Lounge, Lunches, or any place people are gathering and introduce yourself. Just remember to have fun and open up! Below you will find a stroll down memory lane of some past Cisco Live gatherings. Just some of my fun memories that show the comradery that I have developed over the years.

Meet awesome instructors (Brian McGahan)

CCIE/NetVet reception with John Chambers (2014)

Crowning the Prince and Princess, as well as their Jesters. – 2014

Grass Skirt Gathering (Steve put on a few I think) – 2015

Nobody can resist the smell of BACON in the morning!

Ethan has work to be done! @PacketPushers never sleep!

Rare Unicorn spotting at Cisco Live! Yes, they do exist!

Cisco Live Update – App Updates!

Jeff Fry published on 2018-05-21 included in Cisco Live

There have been some updates to the [Cisco Events][1] app this year that I wanted to share. I also just looked to see when I last posted about the app and that was 2015 – HERE. In case you do not have the app yet, here are the links: Apple iOS (iPhone and iPad) Android So, what are some of the new features this year that we should be aware of, well they are:

This year the home page is more personal and made for just you! You will now have a single place to see your schedule, favorites, recommendations, and find your surveys!

Cisco Live Update – CAE Artist Schedule

Jeff Fry published on 2018-05-21 included in Cisco Live

The Cisco Live CAE artist schedule has been released! There will be two stages this year, the main stage and one over at the Hard Rock.

Main Stage

Time	Artist
8 – 8:45 PM	Leon Bridges

9:05 – 10 PM	Cake

10:30 – 11:30 PM	Sam Hunt

11:30 PM	Partys Over!

Cisco Live Information Update – Contest Info

Jeff Fry published on 2018-05-21 included in Cisco Live

Cisco Live is just a few weeks away as I write this and I am getting excited to see everyone again. Just wanted to put out a quick post on some of the latest information that has dropped in my inbox. There will be a few contests this year that will help to keep the social media entertaining. You can find all the information as well as rules and details at the Cisco live Contest website. Below are just some of the highlights.

#CLUS SuperPhoto

Cisco Live 2018 – Tweetup Information!

Jeff Fry published on 2018-05-15 included in Cisco Live

Cisco Live 2018 is in a few short weeks, can you believe it?!?! Are you as excited as I am to see everyone?

Well, the first opportunity that we will have will be the Arrival TweetUp that is on Sunday, Jun 10 at 5:45 PM Eastern – and you need to register for the event so they know how many will be there. You can find the Arrival Tweetup by searching for SOCGEN-1000 in the Scheduler. Also good to note that the Arrival Tweetup will be in Hall C Atrium, Level 2 in order to accommodate everyone. This is actually right in front of the WoS, so should be easy to find. Oh, and the arrival Tweetup photo is scheduled for 6:10 PM.

Cisco Live 2018 – The BAG!

Jeff Fry published on 2018-04-23 included in Cisco Live

Earlier Cisco dropped the band information, and now we have the bag information too! The bag this year is a first that I can recall, it is a 2 in 1 backpack convertible into a duffle bag! The strap pictured on the front of the image below is detachable, yet when attached the bag can be used as a duffle!

In case you are wondering what Backpack convertible into a duffle bag is, I found some good pics over on eBags of one. Backpack mode:

Transform and duffle bag mode!

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