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March 28, 2008
GNS3 0.4.1 Release
GNS3 continues to get better every release. For those who haven't heard, GNS3 is Cisco network simulation emulation software that allows you to run the REAL IOS in a lab environment between multiple simulated emulated devices. This release now allows you to emulate 1700 routers and PIX firewalls! Killer.
There's plenty of talk that GNS3 will soon support virtual PCs in the lab environment.
I also stumbled upon another blog who has some great reading / tutorials on setting up and configuring GNS3: http://www.blindhog.net/. Kudos to all the video tutorials on the site!
Posted by JC at 1:37 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
March 27, 2008
Burn Vista - Long Live Windows XP!!!
A little off-topic, but I found this HILARIOUS: Infoworld magazine created a petition to Save Windows XP. Apparently, Microsoft will stop selling Windows XP over the shelf (for people building their own PCs) on June 30th. InfoWorld magazine started a "Save Windows XP" petition that now has over 100,000 signatures (and growing).
Always a mark of a good operating system...when hundreds of thousands of people are begging you not to stop making the previous version.
http://weblog.infoworld.com/save-xp/archives/2008/03/save_windows_xp.html
Posted by JC at 10:22 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
March 25, 2008
CallManager 6.0 and 6.1 in VMWare
Sorry for the lack of posting as of late. All my time has been consumed in finishing up the CIPT (CallManager) series for CBTNuggets. While CallManager 4.X currently owns the market (and probably will for years to come), it looks as though Cisco is producing a pretty killer solution in Callmanager 6.X versions. So...I bought the software off Ebay and found this link detailing instructions on getting 6.X versions of CallManager running in VMware. What surprised me is that these instructions are from Cisco TAC!!! Hurrah for Cisco finally realizing that people will be running CCM in lab environments! No more registry hacks (not that you could with Linux anyhow). Cisco even provides the VMWare environment file that sets up VMWare exactly like you need it for CCM 6.X. Nice!
Here's the link: Click right here
Also, right on this link, Cisco's approval for running CCM in VMWare for demo/lab purposes: Click right here
UPDATE: I've attached the VMWare Environment file right here.
UPDATE #2: How funny - during the installation, the CCM 6 software recognized that I am running this in VMWare:
Also equally funny: I tried to install the CCM 6.X software on my MCS-7815 server from Cisco and it gave me an unsupported hardware message. VMWare works; older Cisco hardware does not :).
Posted by JC at 10:30 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
March 5, 2008
Vyatta...Is there a "free" Cisco alternative?
A student with an accent in one of my classes asked me, "Have you ever used Vyatta?" Through the noise from the Cisco equipment running and the accent, I thought he had asked me if I had ever used Viagra...After some awkward moments, we ended up on the same page.
Vyatta is an open-source routing/firewall/VPN solution. Going to the Vyatta homepage will leave no question who they're going after; right on the front page is a survey, "Which Cisco product will you replace with Vyatta?" I have just downloaded the Vyatta virtual machine and gone through a few of their training videos (which are a pretty good explanation of the product). Seems somewhat Cisco-ish in it's context sensitive help system. Has anyone had any experience with Vyatta? Can you really replace a dedicated Cisco appliance with a virtual machine? Seems unlikely...
Posted by JC at 7:18 AM | Comments (22) | TrackBack