Just ahead of our brand new CCNA Voice live online bootcamp beginning this Monday, I thought it might be nice to provide an easy-to-follow graphic for those starting out in Voice (or on any other Cisco networking track). This graphic was from last year, but remains quite easy to follow for each and every Cisco track. Read More

Cisco had promised us Christmas 2010 editions of these new exams. Those dates have slipped again. Read More

Continuing my review of titles from Petr’s excellent CCDE reading list for his upcoming LIVE and ONLINE CCDE Bootcamps, here are further notes to keep in mind regarding EIGRP. About the Protocol The algorithm used for this advanced Distance Vector protocol is the Diffusing Update Algorithm. As we discussed at length in this post, the metric is based upon Bandwidth and Delay values. For updates, EIGRP uses Update and Query packets that are sent to a multicast address. Split horizon and DUAL form... Read More

To start my reading from Petr's excellent CCDE reading list for his upcoming LIVE and ONLINE CCDE Bootcamps, I decided to start with: EIGRP for IP: Basic Operation and Configuration by Russ White and Alvaro Retana I was able to grab an Amazon Kindle version for about $9, and EIGRP has always been one of my favorite protocols. The text dives right in to none other than the composite metric of EIGRP and it brought a smile to my face as I thought about all of the misconceptions I had regarding... Read More

In our current CCDP course - we examined the hot topic of Virtualization in not one, but two lessons. Read More

In our CCDP bootcamp, we examined Cisco’s implementation of Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS) in some detail. One blog that I promised our students was more information about how large enterprises or Internet Service Providers can enhance the scalbility of this solution. First, let us review the issues that influence its scalability. We covered these in the course, but they are certainly worth repeating here. Remember that VPLS looks just like an Ethernet switch to the customers. As such,... Read More

Introduction BGP (see [0]) is the de-facto protocol used for Inter-AS connectivity nowadays. Even though it is commonly accepted that BGP protocol design is far from being ideal and there have been attempts to develop a better replacement for BGP, none of them has been successful. To further add to BGP's widespread adoption, MP-BGP extension allows BGP transporting almost any kind of control-plane information, e.g. to providing auto-discovery functions or control-plane interworking for MPLS/BGP... Read More

Cisco originally promised us a new CCDP exam (version 2.1) on Nov 8, 2010. Read More

Here is the recommended reading list that several asked for from our CCDP Bootcamp. Thanks again to all that attended for the awesome participation and discussions. Read More

The INE CCDP Bootcamp covers in depth information about the Nexus line from Cisco Systems. Here is some of the overview information from the course for those that desire a quick introduction to this line of equipment. With the Nexus gear, Cisco introduces us to yet another operating system called NX-OS. The platforms that run this Operating System include: Nexus 7000 Nexus 5000 Nexus 2000 Nexus 1000V Cisco MDS 9000 Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Nexus 4000 What are the key features of... Read More