Archive for Technical Articles
The Basics of RIP Version 1
Posted by: | CommentsRIP does have its limitations but it is still a venerable routing protocol. Its been around since the 1980s, so has stood the test of time and is supported across a wide variety of platforms, including Windows Servers and both Unix workstations and servers. Run out of routers and need to split a subnet in two? You could use an old server with two NICs and have this speak to your network kit using RIP. Its clear that more serious admins wouldn’t touch it and it can have a bad reputation but it still does have a place in networking. It is very suitable for smaller networks and its ease of configuration make it a good choice for those network admins with little experience. It is also an excellent choice for teaching network students about routing protocols as a lot of the structure , such as timers, are used in other protocols.
So here is a general summary of RIP.
Popularity: 63% [?]
Setting up a Cisco Voice Lab Part 1 – CUCM and VMWare
Posted by: | CommentsI have recently passed the CCVP qualification and I think it would be useful to pass on some of the methods I used for setting up a home CCVP lab. The CCVP is one certification were just using books and study materials isn’t really an option. You really have to get some hands on experience. Not everyone will have the luxury of working in a Cisco VoIP/IPT environment or be able to go on the commercial CCVP courses. It is still possible to get some hands on experience by setting up a small home lab however. Read More→
Popularity: 100% [?]
UDLD and EtherChannel Configuration
Posted by: | CommentsA data centre network for a client I work with had an interesting issue this week. For no apparent reason some users within the data centre environment reported connection issues to hosts in the network. They were able to connect to some hosts but not others. Then all of a sudden connection would be restored but quickly lost again.
One of my colleagues was able to access two of the core data centre switches but I could only get to one. A very quick trip to the data centre floor and a console cable connection into the core data centre switches revealed the issue. Read More→
Popularity: 91% [?]
Cisco CMM for Catalyst 6500
Posted by: | CommentsI had the chance earlier today to look at the Cisco Communication Media Module for a Cisco Catalyst 6500. The module is used as a gateway in a Call Manager 4 cluster. The module takes up one module slot in the Catalyst 6500 and, depending on the particular module you need, it can come with either 6 E1 or T1 ports.
It’s the first time I’ve used this particular module but setting it up as an MGCP gateway is no different from setting up any other MGCP gateway. First of all to access the CMM module you use the session command from enable mode.
6509#session slot 8 processor 0 The default escape character is Ctrl-^, then x. You can also type 'exit' at the remote prompt to end the session Trying 127.0.0.80 ... Open
6509-VGW-CMM>en 6509-VGW-CMM#
The voice module is configured through IOS commands just the same as any other Cisco voice modules or cards. However, in this particular setup the endpoint configuration is controlled via Call Manager via MGCP.
To set up the CMM as an MGCP gateway to be controlled by Call Manager you need to issue the two following commands:
ccm-manager config server call_manager_ip_address ccm-manager config
You can now add this gateway into Call Manager and start configuring the endpoints (or E1 ports) on the device from there. It’s a fairly straightfoward excercise. Just make sure you use the same name in the Call Manager configuration as you have given your gateway. Read More→
Popularity: 47% [?]
TechRepublic File System Video
Posted by: | CommentsThe TechRepublic site is one of the very best on the web for IT resources and an excellent source of learning materials. I came across a nice video presented by Bill Detwiler the other day called 10 Cisco IOS Router file management commands every Cisco admin should know. Most CCNA students I’ve taught in the last few years have experience of managing files and file systems through GUIs. Very few have used DOS or a Unix/Linux command line to do file management tasks and so they can struggle at first with managing files using IOS. The video includes commands such as:
- dir
- cd
- copy
- verify
- fsck
The video post also contains a link to a corresponding article by David Davis that covers each of the commands in a little more detail.
Popularity: 31% [?]