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July 2008

Scheduling Periodic Config Backups in IOS

Sat, 2008-07-19 07:40

Pretty cool article talking about using kron jobs on a Cisco router to schedule periodic configuration backups.
http://supportwiki.cisco.com/ViewWiki/index.php/Tech_Insights:Periodical_Configuration_Save_of_Cisco_Devices

Another Great Resource

Mon, 2008-07-21 14:21

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.

VUE Releases Testing "Enhancements"

Thu, 2008-07-24 13:58

These were rumored at the end of last year...looks like they have finally arrived! VUE Testing enhancements:
• Photo on Score Report and Web - On completion of a certification exam at the test center, candidates will receive preliminary score reports imprinted with their photos and unique authentication codes. The authentication code can be used to access a candidate's official score online at Pearson VUE's website usually within 72 hours of the examination. The online score report will also display the candidate's photo.

Automatic Err-Disable Recovery

Mon, 2008-07-28 10:19

Someone showed me a great feature today. One of the constant pains in the network is when you get a port err-disabled on the switch. Regardless of how many times I see it, it always seems to be the last thing I check. There's a little-known feature in the IOS called "err-disable recovery" which automatically turns a err-disabled switchport back on after 5 minutes (by default). The good news is that this command allows you to choose specific reasons where you'd like to re-enable the port, such as re-enabling ports disabled because of a port-flap instance but keeping mac-address security violations error disabled. Here's the syntax to make it happen:

Best Cisco Laptop?

Wed, 2008-07-30 07:33

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.



Dr. Radut