January 20, 2010

Gives a Whole New Meaning to CatOS!

One of my CBTNuggets students forwarded this over to me. Freakin' amazing use of a Cisco 1900 series switch. Wish I could do something like this for my fish tank!

http://www.newtonnet.co.uk/catfeeder/


Posted by JC at 3:49 PM | Comments (3)

January 4, 2010

The CBTNuggets iPhone App Rules...

The default Home screen of the iPhone shows mo...

Image via Wikipedia

Okay, I've got more useless iPhone apps than I care to admit...but CBTNuggets just released their iPhone app and it's awesome. I was learning how to configure MS Exchange 2007 Storage Groups on the way to Pizza Hut last night. Nice!

...watching the demos does create quite the driving adventure though...

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Posted by JC at 12:19 PM | Comments (12)

November 18, 2009

I Believe This is the Best Error Message I've Ever Seen

ErrorCode.jpg


Posted by JC at 10:28 AM | Comments (15)

June 9, 2009

RFC 2795: Infinite Monkey Protocol Suite (IMPS)

So...if infinite monkeys were typing on infinite typewriters, would they really reproduce the complete works of Shakespeare? Either way, a protocol standard is created to handle such an event:

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2795.txt

Posted by JC at 1:49 PM | Comments (20)

April 22, 2009

Bulk April Update

You may have noticed that my posting has dropped off lately...things have gotten really busy of late, so - rather than individual postings, here's my "Bulk April Update" of the miscellaneous cool items I've found:


Posted by JC at 8:22 AM | Comments (16)

September 9, 2008

Cisco Background?

I've never been hip on desktop wallpapers for my PCs...I usually just go with a straight "black" solid color background. This morning, I suddenly had the thought, "it sure would be cool to have a Cisco logo (the new one, of course) right in the middle of my desktop." Some quick Google searches didn't turn up anything...anyone know where to get a sweet Cisco wallpaper?

FOLLOW-UP #1: Here's a decent one with the old logo. I'd really like to keep my black background though...Fluorescent green fries my eyes.

FOLLOW-UP #2: Here's a wallpaper with the new logo on a black background (thanks Daniel!).

Posted by JC at 9:11 AM | Comments (11)

September 5, 2008

Jeremy and VMWare ESX Server...Love at First Sight!

We take a break from our regularly scheduled Cisco programming to bring you this 'killer free-product' alert. I've now added VMWare ESX server (free) to my list of "programs that will change your life." I believe we actually have Microsoft to thank for making this product free since they're now trying to compete with VMWare by including Hypervising with MS Server 2008.

 If you haven't seen it, VMWare ESX allows you to do essentially the same thing VMWare Server does, but without running on a client operating system (well, technically there's a 32MB VMWare operating system it runs now). I know, it doesn't sound that cool, but I can't begin to describe the performance increase for all my virutal machines. About 3 weeks ago, I converted my Dell Poweredge 2900 server to this product...Suddenly, I got a raise, my dog stopped barking, my neighbor brought me chocolate chip cookies, and I found an extra 5 bucks I had forgotten in my shorts pocket months ago (I love it when that happens).

Seriosuly...VMWare ESX server cannot be explained; you must experience it for yourself.

 

Posted by JC at 7:52 PM | Comments (11)

September 4, 2008

CiscoWorks LMS...Shoot me now.

I am currently sitting in a sub-zero IT room on my 6th hour and 12th CD of a CiscoWorks Lan Management Solution (LMS) 2.6 installation/upgrade. This is the most pathetic, waste-of-time product I've ever worked with...and I haven't even finished the installation.

I will never agree to do a CiscoWorks LMS installation again.

Ever.

At least my fingers are numb so I can chew on them from boredom without feeling anything.

Posted by JC at 3:04 PM | Comments (10)

July 30, 2008

Best Cisco Laptop?

I've been a "quasi-apple fan" for years...When they came out with the MacBook Pro, I bought the 17" giganto-screen model and have been using it to configure Cisco devices ever since. Recently, I was at a client site...he pulled out an old Dell X200 12" laptop to configure a Cisco router. I suddenly found myself being jealous over a thin laptop (2.9 pounds) that cost 1/10th what my behemoth MacBook did. I'm thinking I'll hit Ebay to pick one of these up for a couple hundred bucks (they're older), but before I do...does anyone know of a better super-thin, small, lightweight laptop to use for base Cisco configs? Nothing fancy, just needs to run a terminal window.

I thought this might start a good thread for "Cool ultra-portable Cisco-configuration laptops" everyone (including me) can use.

UPDATE: I've settled on the Dell D400 since it has a built-in serial port.

Posted by JC at 10:33 AM | Comments (33)

July 21, 2008

Another Great Resource

Here's another great blog/website resource to add to your list:

http://www.packetlife.net

The site is well organized into interesting sections. I especially like the cheat sheet (for technology, not exams) and Network Monitoring / Utilities categories.

Posted by JC at 5:21 PM | Comments (4)

June 25, 2008

Training in an Alternate Universe

So...I'm sitting in the Cisco keynote speech featuring Padmasree Warrior (Cisco's new CIO) who is talking about the power of collaboration in the world. She was mentioning things like Twitter, vLogs, and Second Life...suddenly, a brilliant idea hits me: training in Second Life?!? Is it possible?

Okay, I admit, up until now, I thought Second Life was going to lead us into the Matrix...where everyone lived in and was controlled by machines. I steered clear of it. But, now I'm thinking - is it possible to deliver live, interactive classes through Second Life? Help me out here second-lifers...Here's my idea...

Build a "virtual classroom" in second life where "virtual students" can come and see a whiteboard, ask questions, watch live demos on Cisco gear, maybe even do labs themselves? Is it possible? What would it take to make it happen?

This could be really cool...

Posted by JC at 7:44 AM | Comments (14)

May 20, 2008

Okay...I can admit when I'm wrong...

SecureCRT is incredible... Last week, my PuttyCM software crashed again. In a moment of frustration, I pulled out my credit card and paid the $139.00 for SecureCRT 6.0 with 3 years of maintenance. It's a little like the flu shot...you feel stupid paying money for it and it really hurts, but you're glad you did it when it's all over.

How did I ever live without this anti-idle feature before?!?

Ah geez...side note - I just went to the Putty CM website and saw they now have Alpha version 0.7.0 out that fixes many of the bugs I previously complained about. I can't believe I've just wasted $139.00 on SecureCRT now.

...I'm such a schizophrenic flake...

Posted by JC at 2:17 PM | Comments (9)

May 15, 2008

Geez...I thought I was bad...

I was doing some looking around at Internetwork Expert and came across some of Scott Morris' material (which looks really good from the samples!). Being naturally curious, I googled his name and found a Network World article describing his home lab...Now THAT is nice! Insane...but NICE!

Scott Morris' Home Lab

What's funnier was that in reading more of his biography, he used to run a BBS system I regularly used (The Assassin's Guild). Ha! Small world.

Posted by JC at 6:11 PM | Comments (13)

To All the Students I've Loved Before

Just a quick note to everyone. Now that I've launched the CiscoBlog Forums, I've seen plenty of posts just saying hi, or thanks, or any number of things directed at or to me personally. First off, thanks for all the kind words! Second, please don't be offended if I don't reply - I can barely keep up with my email much less forum/blog posts...thanks!

Posted by JC at 6:05 PM

May 3, 2008

iPhone Starbucks Wifi

Wahoo! Free Internet access for iPhone users at Starbucks!

Wahoo! Free Internet access for those who know how to make their laptop look like an iPhone at Starbucks!

UPDATE: AT&T has since disabled Wi-Fi access at all Starbucks. Good things never last ;o)

Posted by JC at 2:38 PM | Comments (5)

April 21, 2008

That's it...

Well, it looks like the CiscoBlog has grown too big for my current hosting provider (BlueHost.com). This is the second time my "account has been suspended" due to "reason: site causing performance problems". I guess you get what you pay for ($6.95 a month seemed too good to be true :)

Does anyone know of a good hosting provider? Low cost + reliable + tons of storage space + bandwidth?

...and who won't shut down your site if it gets busy...

Posted by JC at 8:55 AM | Comments (29)

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 (12)

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 (26)

February 6, 2008

SecureCRT...Why Is This So Hard?!?

I've got 8 days remaining on my trial license...In the other tab of this browser is the order page for SecureCRT 6.0. My cheapskate nature just won't let me click the Submit button! Am I really about to pay $99.00 for a client that gives Windows the ability to do something my Apple system does natively? Are they really charging $99 for an SSH client? Am I really about to spend this?

...but it saves my sessions! And those tabbed windows...SO NICE! Auto-reconnect functionality? Sweet!

$49.00...no problem - totally worth it. $69...maybe...but $99? That's a month of In/Out Burger visits! Is SecureCRT really worth a month of In/Out Burger?

...but it remembers all the passwords for my routers too...


AAARGH! Someone tell me I'm not going insane. Seriously - I'd rather be buying a new car than trying to force myself to hit the Submit button on the SecureCRT order page. Isn't there some SecureCR-FREEware product someone has created for Windows? Why can't Apple just take over the world and be done with it? Ugh.

Posted by JC at 8:35 AM | Comments (35)

November 14, 2007

The Internet Pulse

Just had someone show me a pretty nice website to get a good feel for the connection statistics for the major Internet carriers. Check out http://www.internetpulse.net/ - it shows each carriers connection to each other in a table format. Nice!

Posted by JC at 2:58 PM | Comments (3)

October 31, 2007

The Ultimate on the Road Cisco Management - Apple iPhone

iphone.jpg

I can't stop...just when I thought, "alright, it's time to stop being such a geek and get back into family life..." I get an Apple iPhone. What was I thinking?!? This is hours of endless addictive fun. The Apple iPhone uses a smaller-version of the full Apple operating system based on Free-BSD. Once you "unlock" the iPhone (the industry lingo is "Jailbreaking your Phone"), you can install a plethora...I mean HUNDREDS of useful utilities on it. I thought I'd share a picture of the latest one (click the thumbnail - I dare ya). THAT'S RIGHT! It's an Apple iPhone accessing a remote Cisco ASA firewall using OpenSSH!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! THaT iS SoOOoO awESoME! Who the heck needs bathroom reading anymore?!?

Woa...too much info there...sorry.

Posted by JC at 2:40 PM | Comments (17)

August 4, 2007

Map Drives to FTP Servers: NetDrive 4.1

I ran across this program a couple weeks ago and have been very impressed. So, here's the idea - I'm paying 7 bucks a month for 300 GIGS OF ONLINE STORAGE (insane amount indeed) through Bluehost.com (bless their hearts). Now, most providers throw those obscene amounts of storage around because they don't actually expect people to use it - I'm out to break that assumption. I have over 100 Gigs of digital pictures stored on a server at home, plus countless emails, work files, and so on. My worry? What if my house burns down...or the server crashes with an unrecoverable issue...I and my wife would be devistated at the loss. So, here's what I'm doing:

1. Use Netdrive 4.1 (yes, it's free) to map my X: drive to my bluehost FTP space

2. Run a scheduled backup (using Windows 2003 Server) once a month to back up all these priceless files to the X: drive

Eh? Not a bad plan...other than the fact that my internet connection will run slow for a couple days...errrr...weeks while the backup completes.

For those of you interested in getting this handy Netdrive 4.1 utility, just click here!

Posted by JC at 12:32 PM | Comments (13)

August 1, 2007

Remote Control for Desktops

Here's one I'd like to add to the toolbelt of resources: a FREE version of GoToMyPC.com.

www.logmein.com

This website allows you to install software on remote PCs and access them from the web page (via secure login, of course). Very handy for helping family with PC problems!

Posted by JC at 1:27 PM | Comments (25)

March 27, 2007

The Arizona Cardinals Use Cisco?!?

Who knew?!? Quote from Cisco website: "...Arizona Cardinals chose the Cisco Unified Communications System to create an immediately scalable, flexible and revenue-focused network..."

I guess this story is near and dear to my heart because I live in Arizona, and support the Cardinals (in a small, dark closet near the west side of my house). I figured they'd never do anything cool! Nonetheless, this has Cisco so excited, they've created a webcast out of it to air on March 28th. I bet it'll be better than a typical Cardinal football game!

Full story: http://www.imakenews.com/ciscotcc/e_article000780884.cfm?x=b9h55Hv,b52CSd0t

Posted by JC at 3:12 PM | Comments (6)

January 5, 2007

Annoying Microsoft Home Directory Problem...

Before you say it, yes...this is the CISCO blog. But I do Microsoft administration as well and this problem was SO annoying, I had to put it somewhere for future reference and will hopefully help some out in the process. Here's the problem:

I use Microsoft Active Directory to map user drives for users on a network by using the simple method shown in the screencap below:

WinHomeDir.jpg


Simple enough, right? Well, here's where the problem comes in. On different machines, with random users, the U: drive ended up mapping to the parent share rather than the user's personal home directory (in the case of the screencap above, Jeremy ended up with his U: drive mapped to \\win2003\homes rather than \\win2003\homes\jeremy). Now, mind you this only happens some times, not all the time... So after hours of mindlessly searching Microsoft and Google, I stumbled across the answer...and I didn't even have to pay www.experts-exchange.com's yearly 99 bucks to get it (I hate fee-based blogs with a passion).

The problem comes because of Window XP's "fast logon" behavior. Ever notice how that CTRL-ALT-DEL screen comes up super fast when you boot? There is a price to pay...If the user logs on before the network has a chance to initialize, the XP operating system automatically skips group policies, logon scripts, and ...my problem...the home drive maping.

So here's the fix: turn off the fast logon behavior with a Group Policy. Here's where you do it:

WinHomeDir1.jpg

Sure, it takes a few seconds longer for the logon prompt to appear...small price to pay.

...and I've decided to switch to Apple now ;o)

Posted by JC at 4:19 PM | Comments (5)

December 27, 2006

Off-Topic: Cool Windows XP Utilities

While not directly related to Cisco, I ran across these "PowerTools" for Windows XP that I found quite handy. Feel free to use them if you'd like:

CMDHere: Adds "Open Command Window Here" to your right-click menu when selecting a folder in XP - voila! insta-command prompt.

TaskSwitch: Greatly improves the ALT-TAB functionality of Windows XP; adds preview window

ImageResize: Allows you to resize any image to a reasonable window resolution (great for my 8 Megapixel camera that creates picures over 1 MB)

DeskManager: Gives you the Linux feel of multiple desktops. Right-click on the taskbar -> choose toolbars -> select Desktop Manager after you install this.

Posted by JC at 9:34 AM | Comments (19)

November 1, 2006

Random "Trick"

Okay, this may be old news to some of you, but someone showed it to me and it changed my life...or at least seemed like a pretty cool tip. On Cisco devices, you can filter the "show run" output by entering a forward slash (/) at the more prompt and typing in the section you want to move to.

So...

Router# show run
Building configuration...

Current configuration : 12919 bytes
!
! Last configuration change at 17:33:29 ARIZONA Tue Oct 24 2006 by jeremy
! NVRAM config last updated at 14:27:00 ARIZONA Fri Oct 20 2006 by jeremy
!
version 12.4
!
...blah blah other junk goes here
!
--More-- <---- enter the forward slash here followed by a word (such as interface) that you want to jump to.


This is essentially like doing the "show run | begin" syntax, but you can do it on the fly. Okay, maybe not life changing, but sure is handy on those massive config files.

Posted by JC at 2:23 PM | Comments (4)

July 4, 2006

My First Rant...

I'm not one given to rants, but it's been about three weeks now, and I'm still mad...so now I've got to say something about it. Ever since I've been in the Cisco world, I've subscribed to Packet Magazine. It's a free magazine from Cisco that is just full of great stuff. In one of the more recent issues of Packet, they mentioned, "Cisco is now moving to a unified system where everything is accessible from one place, so we figured this is a good time to mention that we're going to move our magazine online...if you still want the print issues, you'll have to pay for it."

So, the end of free Packet magazine (print edition) has come under the gloss of "unified networks." The digital edition of Packet is still free, but...well, am I behind in the times in saying, "I DON'T LIKE READING MAGAZINES ON MY PC!"???

I have no point in this post, other than to take a survey: is there ANYONE out there that would rather have a digital copy of this magazine rather than a print edition? Please satisfy my curiosity and tell me why!

...and yes, I did pay for the Packet magazine subscription. I'm such a sucker.

Posted by JC at 5:34 PM | Comments (12)