I was just playing around with some switching labs. As i was doing this, i ran into configuring SNMP, sending traps when mac-addresses was added/removed, and all sorts of other things. I could (as in the lab) just set the IP address of the NMS (Network Management System), but i wanted to actually make sure that these were being picked up correctly by an NMS.

I thought i would write a bit about my bootcamp last week. Here’s what I have come up with. I will update this as more thoughts flow into my head 🙂 Day one at Narbik’s bootcamp: —————————– What an eye opener.

Just wanted to let everyone know that im working on a post describing the Narbik bootcamp. Just concentrated on labs at the moment. It will arrive shortly 🙂

More Narbik Labs. I have arrived at the BGP section, and its very good. It touches on some more obscure features that are really useful. One of the things i ran into was the use of advertise-maps, exist-maps and non-exist maps.

Making up a list of things i need to bring for the bootcamp. I finally want to try and be a bit more organized regarding this on this trip. I thought id do that best by starting writing all the things i think i will need straight away, and then go back and forth on the list

Last night i was doing some Vol.2 Narbik Labs. I was supposed to filter some OSPF routes entering the routing table on a certain router. I chose to use an extended access-list because, well, just because i could. The command i wanted to use, was the router-config mode command “distribute-list”.

I just re-cabled my home lab and setup everything so i could work on Narbik’s foundation workbooks. You can check out more at: [http://www.micronicstraining.com ]1 These are the workbooks that you get before the bootcamp, to get you up to speed with individual technologies.

Welcome back to the 2nd post about OSPF and external routes. Last time we spoke of OSPF and how it behaves in regard of external routes in a single “normal” area. By normal, it implies an area that accepts all types of LSA’s.

I want to create some posts about the actual behavior of OSPF in regards to external routes in different areas and how everything behaves. It might take more than a few posts, but I hope you’ll keep reading them 🙂

I have been working on some OSPF scenarios lately. These was sparked by a post by Joe Astorino @ IPexpert. They are about the use of the forwarding address in Type 5 LSA’s generated by an ABR because of a Type 7 LSA in an NSSA area.

The link below is an excellent read from INE that you should really take the time to read. I am working on a post about the OSPF forwarding address, as well as some MPLS stuff. Stay tuned 🙂 I just wanted to get the link out there.

This small post will be about a little feature called “views”. This feature is used to create a sort of profile, for which you could have a certain user do certain things. As you might know, the only way to do this previously was to use the priviledge level command.

I have just landed a new job. It is a networking company, doing alot of security, ip telephony and general network consulting. The company can be found here. It is called NetIP. The company is located about 30km from where I live, so a little drive in each direction is nessecary.

Its been a while, and for that im sorry. I have been very busy watching VOD (Video On Demand) classes from IPexpert. Scott Morris has done these videos, and he is pretty good at it in my opinion. There are alot of new stuff as well.

So a simple concept right? Tunnel your L2 protocols through a switched network? I agree, but as usual, i put more complication into it. Basically a VOD from IPexpert on L2protoco-tunnel used to create a trunk connection. In the video it is shown that you can create a trunk by using a l2protocol-tunnel (STP in particular).

The lack of posts recently has its cause. I have been playing around with a screencast. The problem boils down to compressing the video somehow. I made a recording, and unfortunally it was recorded in a too good of a quality, resulting in a pretty big filesize (~300Mb).

Here is the brainstorm about the preparation on the CCIE lab I have come up with so far. Remember that this is no final list or any “magic pill” of any sorts, it is just some thoughts I have been having.

Intro: Authentication is a critical part of administrating your network devices. For the longest time, i know for a fact that alot of companies use a simple authentication mechanism. Namely a either a line password, or at best local user database authentication.

I have mentioned it before, and i’ll do it again. Flash cards are great for remembering those pesky little details. I wanted to share the flashcards I have created so far: http://flashcarddb.com/cardset/24460-cisco-flashcards Hopefully you can get some use out of them.

Lately I havent been keeping up my chores on the blog. Theres a good reason for this. I have really been studying hard to do the written exam again. Done lots of practice tests, a lot of technology focused labs on especially some edge areas where I wasnt 100% sure of things.

This is the 2nd post about 802.1D, also known as spanning-tree. In the previous post, I explained alot of functionality behind the selection of ports on both root bridges as well as non-root bridges. (Remember a switch is a bridge).

Ive spent the last couple of days playing around with the traditional Spanning-tree protocol (802.1D), which has been used for many years, but is pretty slow to converge. As most of you know, Spanning-tree protocol (STP), is used to build a loop-free L2 topology.

I failed my first attempt at the CCIE written exam this thursday… It really sucks. I was very close to passing it, but unfortunally it didnt happen. I need alot more practice questions to get a “feel” of whats being asked.

So I have started my review process. I have some things on my list that I need an in-depth look into. Among these are: IPv6 tunneling types. Web Cache Communication Protocol (WCCP). Some Frame-Relay workings, like FRF.12 and FRF.9. Switching section in BCMSN, particularly MST.

Been spending the last few days doing some leg-work on understanding different ACL’s to match different networks most effeciently. Alot of posting on Online-Study List on how to do this, all very valuable. Tyson Scott from IPexpert created a PDF file that was posted, and will also be made available from IPexpert.

Great news for all you europeans! It would seem that IPexpert is looking into creating classes on european soil. This would be really great to cut down on costs and travel time to attend IPexpert led instructor training. I hope we can get together about 10-ish people that wish to attend these classes.

So this is the 2nd part on how PIM-SM operates. Last time I showed how the initial RPT (shared tree) was constructed, and how data would flow from the source to the receiver. This time, I want to show you how the optimization technique in SM actually works.

I knew it would be tricky before I even started with the multicast section, but not this hard 🙂 So I wrote about PIM-DM and its flooding behavior, and how it would make sure data was flowing from the source to the receivers.

So Brandon Carroll’s quest to do the Routing and Switching certification is scheduled to take 90’s days. I think he is very gifted and got the right stuff to do it (he’s a security CCIE). What came to mind, was this hypothesis:

Ive started on the Developing IP Multicast Networks book from Beau Williamson. This book is apparently “the” book on multicasting, so I hope it will help me out with this weak area of mine. So far ive read about DVMRP which is not on the blueprint, but it sounded like it would be a good help to understanding PIM modes, which are on the blueprint, so I decided to go through it anyways.

I am almost done with the Internet Routing Architectures book, and its a great book!! You really get to understand why BGP is the way it is. Where IGP’s as we know them concentrate on fast convergence, BGP is all about 2 things: stability and policies.

So even though im looking over my journal, and i am doing about 1,5 – 2 hours studying each day, I feel like im lacking the discipline to really make a dent in the thing called CCIE Written. I have not been using google calendar like i should, and it is really bumming me out.

So after learning that im not employed after september, I am on the market for a new laptop. This new laptop will be my primary machine, as I very rarely boot up my stationary computer. It should be able to handle quite alot.

The new blueprint is out for all to see. Its version 4, and includes some interesting things. Alot of people have already analysed it in quite some detail. The two things thats most obvious to me, is the emphasis on MPLS as more and more dominant technology.

As the topic implies, I will be writing about a few things regarding shaping and policing. Now these are two really hard-to-understand topics for me, but they are also very usefull. To understand what they do, and the difference between them, lets define them as such:

Im at the policing and shaping section of the exam certification guide, and its very hardcore stuff in my opinion. Just finished the section on 3550 and 3560 ingress/egress queuing and scheduling methods. Wow, thats really something i gotta get my head around.

Im somewhat in the middle of the CCIE exam certification guide, and still learning alot. I am putting down the framework for more detailed examination of technologies. I have a couple of books on my reading list after this to solidify the knowledge with more in-depth details.

I am doing alot of technology focused labs, and I always learn something new, which is really good. For example, I was studying the effects of autosummarization with RIP and EIGRP. A few things cropped up. RIP will autosummarize routes it receives from other neighbors, where as EIGRP will only summarize those, if it has a locally connected network of the same major net, and it is included in a network statement.

Im done with my first reading of Routing TCP/IP volume 1. All in all a great book, with lots of information about the various IGP’s. I skipped the IS-IS part simply because its not part of the R&S written blueprint. I made quite a few notes about each chapter along the way, which I am sure will come in handy when reviewing/troubleshooting material.

So I broke down and bought the IPexpert Blended Learning Solution the day before yesterday. I got great advice very fast from the people there, and they were very nice. Been looking over the workbooks, they seem really good and challenging 🙂 As I have written before, I will take my time and learn as much as I possibly can, so I wont even start those labs until I have a better understanding of the entire scope of this whole CCIE buisness, which in other words means alot more reading and understanding of things and passing the written exam.