Lab Date Booked

I've been rather terrible at updating this thing again...  I'm really a rather terrible blogger aren't I?

Don't answer that.

Well one thing I have been doing is putting the plan into motion, and to that end today I booked a Lab exam date.  Nov. 7 I'll be walking into Cisco in San Jose and finally taking this big bad test.

I have a lot of work to do between now and then.  Let the good times roll :)

IINS 640-553 OCG Winner!

Thanks to everyone that sent in a submission for my book giveaway.  It was actually a tough decision but in the end I've awarded the book to Martin, a CCNA from Slovakia who's interested in pursuing the CCNA Security to help him further his career.

It would also seem that Martin has talents out side of networking...  He has mentioned to me that it would be alright if I mention his website, www.floorripper.com so I figure I'll oblige him ;)

Good luck on the CCNA-Sec Martin!  I look forward to hearing about your progress in the coming months.

1000 Page Views!

Sometime last night while I was sleeping the page view count for this month hit the 1000 mark.  While this is a very small number compared to any real site out there it is for this site I think a milestone that I'm going to make a post about.

I'm pretty sure that about half of the 1000 page views so far this month were wirerat trying to solve the Networking-Forum Easter Egg Contest.

If you read this blog regularly then thank you.  If you're just passing by then I hope you come back, but thanks for checking things out.

The previous monthly page view high mark was last month at 853.

IPexpert IOU Topology

IOU has been leaked.  L2IOU has been leaked. It was only a matter of time before someone did this...  Might as well be me :)

Here's a NETMAP file that recreates the IPexpert CCIE R&S topology, and a wrapper script to start it. And as my special gift, a bash script to convert the config files provided by IPexpert to a format that (L2)IOU can work with.

I might do up some diagrams at some point, but for now you'll have to figure it out from these text files. 

Enjoy!

IPv6 for Enterprise Network Book Review

Networking-Forum and CiscoPress hooked me up with a promo copy of this new book in return for a review.  That review has no been published and you can find it at http://www.networking-forum.com/blog/?p=2162.

So I have this book lying around doing nothing...

Right before I started this blog, and my path to the CCIE, I was a newly minted CCNP looking for my next step.  At the time I had thought that I wanted to go after a CCSP in the short term, with a CCIE after that.  Well, life doesn't always work out the way you think it will.  Instead of this path I ended up being head-hunted by my current employer who was looking to make me a CCIE.

Great story eh?  What does this have to do with you?  I'm glad you asked.

In preparation to go after the CCSP I bought myself a copy of the CCNA Security Official Exam Cert Guide (IINS 640-553).  I've never read it.  I've barely ever opened it.  The CD in the back is still sealed.  And it's extremely unlikely that I'm ever going to read it.

So I'd like you to have it.

IP Subnet-Zero

I thought it would be interesting to take a little stroll through history and look at something that really isn't relevant to today's network, but was something that you weren't allowed to use in days gone by.  As the blog title says, that something is IP Subnet-Zero.

ZER0 ZER0 ZER0 ZER0

What is IP Subnet Zero?  Well, it's a legacy command on Cisco routers the controls whether or not the use of the all zeros subnet is permitted.  What's the all zeros subnet?  To properly understand what the all zeros subnet is we need to first remember what classful networking was, and how things all got started in IP beginning with RFC 791. 

ZER0 ZER0 ZER0 ZER0

IOU Lab Topology #2

As I mentioned in my first IOU topology post I more frequently use another topology that has turned out to be better suited for my labbing needs than my first attempt.  Well, here is that topology.

Networking-Forum.com CCNA Specialization Scholarship

Just like the previous NF CCNA Scholarship Steve is again offering up to provide someone with the materials and costs associated with obtaining a Cisco CCNA certification, but this time it's for one of the specialization tracks.  Are you already holding a valid CCNA? Do you want a CCNA Security?  Or voice?  Well here's your chance.

http://www.networking-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=23933

Good luck to everyone!

IOU Lab Topology #1

Some time ago Cisco's IOU was leaked out to the web.  I was able to get a copy (don't ask where, I won't help you) and have managed to get it set up on a spare box at home.  There are a couple of really good tutorials on the Web that explain how to get it set up and working and how to build a lab topology.  I've built two topologies so far that I use to lab things up when needed, and I'd like to share the first with you now.