I need some precision about LDP

Hi, guy I just want to have some infos about the exact role of LDP in the MPLS world.

For me LDP is just the protocol that distribute the label into the MPLS cloud, no more.

I have my colleague who say that LDP also create label before distribute them. I think that is Cef in Cisco IOS who is respondible for the label creation.

Any comments ??

Xmas Gifts and 3560's QoS

Today is the 24th December 2K11, Xmas evening and I'm very exciting because I will put the gifts for my child under the Xmas tree.

He will have an touchscreen tablet for kids with 80 games and educational activities inside (He always want to play with my Archos tablet, I hope he will appreciate it's own now ), a bike and a kind of painting/ drawing table for kids.

During my afternoon browsing on Internet I found a link from Kevin Wallace about 3560 QoS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IA4iOrn2eiU), even if it's Xmas I take time to watch all this video (1H46min).
This video is great and provide good QoS revision for a CCIE aspirant like me.


No more networking, for today and tomorow : Let's say Merry Xmas.

ProctorLabs got a pb and Falling in Love with MPLS

The last week i received an e-mail from ProctorLabs saying that my vrack session was cancelled due to maintenance operations.
They also gave me 2 X 8 hours vrack vouchers; a few minutes later i got an other e-mail from protorLabs saying that my vrack session was cancelled due to dual booking at the same time but this time no vrack session vouchers for me.

Re-learning MPLS and I'm always glad when i practice this technology and underliyng techniques : magnific.

CCIE Roadmap

Yesterday, I was involved in another proctorlabs vrack session, there was a bug who make my account can't have acces to the vrack page,
even if i was logged on their website. After tallking with their after hours support the problem was clean.

I decided to do lab on OSPF, Tunnels and BGP : the labs were well, but due to familly reason I stopped my session 3 hours before the end.

I don't know how many time it will take me to master all the CCIE R&S Blueprint, but I can say that I'm far from ready to go to the lab right now.

Due to my job and current project (We have to Setup a Genesys Contact Center for our Local Regulator, an also a Genesys Voice Platform for a local cellular operator)
that need to be finish before the mid-December.

2 weeks ago I was in Senegal for a 5 day Genesys Training.

I waste a lot of time regarding my preparation roadmap, I'm only on the IpExpert Vol1 Lab 23. I have the Audio on Demand, Vol 2 and Vol 3 to do, but CCIE isn't how fast you go but how you secure your journey.

First Trip to Senegal

I'm in senegal for a week training it's will be about contact center with Genesys:
-Genesys Framework FWK
-Genesys Basic Routing Design BRD

I have many friends here, and I hope to see at least one. I will also try to see the Google and Cisco offices here.

Yesterday as soon I arrived I went to Gorée Island, beautiful place with a lot of history (The pictures will come after)

I will try to make some CCIE lab, may be at nihgt when I will come back to my hotel room after each daily course.

African Queens = African Women CCIEs

Since I begun my studies for CCIE, i was always surprised by women CCIEs.
When I think about how this exam is difficult, how many hours of pratices, how many sacrifices it's require.

All I can say is Big Up for this women, double Big Up for my african sisters. I found on Linkedin 2 African women CCIEs

Braun Hilda Attangeur CCIE R&S #17897, ITIL V3 : Manager at Quanteq Technology and Services
Abiola Oluwaseun Adefila CCIE Voice #26063, PMP #1438734 : Solution Architect at Internet Solutions

PS : If you know other African women CCIE let me know.

CCIE, Guiltiness and CXFFE

The only one exam that make you feel guilty when you don't learn.

I don't know why but since I begun my study for my CCIE lab exam, when sometimes I decided to take time for me doing another tricky things but not related to CCIE; it's like I'm guilty because my mind think about a waste of time.
Watching TV instead of learn, even sleep become a source of mental fight against the CCIE part of my me.

When you learn for CCIE, you can't have time for anything else, there a lot of certifications I want to achieve like CCNA voice, CCNP Voice, CCNA security, CCNP Security, VCP and why not PMP; but I can't because CCIE catch all my mind, this why all the others guys who passed the exam says that you have to be focus and go through it. If you have to be involved in another tracks or certifications you may never found time for your CCIE lab attempt.

Stay focused : The new slogan

PS : I just passed the Cisco eXpress Foundation for Field Engineers (CXFFE) this morning; my company want to be Cisco Premier before the end of this month. Cisco Silver will be for next year.

Back to blog

Hey guys, after a long time exactly one month  without blogging, I'm happy to be back now.
During this time I was so busy with my professional work, too many things to do.
During this time I continue my learning for my CCIE, I have doing IpExpert Vol1 Lab 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15.
Always great things to learn, sometimes very difficult,sometimes very boring but that why CCIE is the most prestigious IT certifications in the world.

I have 15 others labs for completing my Vol1 book, my next lab will be about Router and Switch Security.

So let's go for some access-list exercices.

My motivation song : Till I collapse from the slim shady

(Go left, go left, go left right left)
'Cause sometimes you just feel tired
You feel weak and when you feel weak
(Go left, go left, go left right left)
You feel like you wanna just give up
But you gotta search within you
(Go left, go left, go left right left)
You gotta find that inner strength
And just pull that shit out of you
And get that motivation to not give up
(Go left, go left, go left right left)
And not be a quitter
No matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse

Till I collapse I'm spillin' these raps long as you feel 'em
Till the day that I drop you'll never say that I'm not killin' them
'Cause when I am not then I am stop pinnin' them
And I am not hip hop and I'm just not Eminem
Subliminal thoughts when I'm stop sendin' them
Women are caught in webs, spin and hauk venom
Adrenaline shots of Penicillin could not get the illin' to stop
Amoxacilin is just not real enough
The criminal cop killin' hip hop fillin' minimal swap
To cop millions of pac listeners
Your comin' with me, feel it or not you're gonna fear it
Like I showed you the spirit of God lives in us
You hear it a lot, lyrics the shock is it a miracle
Or am I just a product of pop fizzin' up
For shizzle my whizzle this is the plot listen up
You pizzles forgot slizzle does not give a fuck

Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth
Till the smoke clears out and my high wear out
I'ma rip this shit till my bone collapse
(Until the roof, until the roof)
Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out
(The roof comes off, the roof comes off)
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth
(Until my legs, until my legs)
Till the smoke clears out and my high wear out
(Give out from underneath me)
I'ma rip this shit till my bone collapse

Music is like magic there's a certain feelin' you get
When your real and you spit and people are feelin' your shit
This is your moment and every sin'le minute you spend
Tryin' to hold onto it 'cause you may never get it again
So while you're in it try to get as much shit as you can
And when your run is over just admit when its at its end
'Cause I'm at the end of my wits with half this shit that gets in
I got a list here's the order of my list that it's in
It goes, Reggie, Jay-Z, Tupac and Biggie
Andre from Outkast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas and then me
But in this industry I'm the cause of a lot of envy
So when I'm not put on this list the shit does not offend me
That's why you see me walk around like nothin's botherin' me
Even though half you people got a fuckin' problem with me
You hate it but you know respect you've got to give me
The presses wet dream like Bobby and Whitney Nate hit me

Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth
Till the smoke clears out and my high wear out
I'ma rip this shit till my bone collapse
(Until the roof, until the roof)
Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out
(The roof comes off, the roof comes off)
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth
(Until my legs, until my legs)
Till the smoke clears out and my high wear out
(Give out from underneath me)
I'ma rip this shit till my bone collapse

Soon as a verse starts, I eat it at MC's heart
What is he thinkin'? I'ma not to go against me, smart
And its absurd how people hang on every word
I'll probably never get the props I feel I ever deserve
But I'll never be served my spot is forever reserved
If I ever leave earth that would be the death of me first
'Cause in my heart of hearts I know nothin' could ever be worse
That's why I'm clever when I put together every verse
My thoughts are sporadic, I act like I'm an addict
I rap like I'm addicted to smack like I'm Kim Mathers
But I don't want to go forth and back in constant battles
The fact is I would rather sit back and bump some rappers
So this is like a full blown attack I'm launchin' at them
The track is on some battlin' raps who want some static
'Cause I don't really think that the fact that I'm Slim matters
A plaque of platinum status is whack if I'm not the baddest

Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth
Till the smoke clears out and my high wear out
I'ma rip this shit till my bone collapse
(Until the roof, until the roof)
Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out
(The roof comes off, the roof comes off)
Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth
(Until my legs, until my legs)
Till the smoke clears out and my high wear out
(Give out from underneath me)
I'ma rip this shit till my bone collapse

(Until the roof)
Until the roof
(The roof comes off)
The roof comes off
(Until my legs)
Until my legs
(Give out from)
Underneath me
I will not fall
I will stand tall
Feels like no one could beat me

CCIE Number going fast

IpExpert announce the CCIE #29981, only 19 number before 30000. It's seems that CCIE number is  going too fast. Is it the exam nowadays not so difficult? or the number of attendants growing too fast.

I can told you that the exam is always difficult, make no mistake CCIE is the most difficult exam in the world, the number of attendant is higher than ever nowaday (with all the chinese guys who want to be CCIE, indian guys)
the growth of the number of attendant can show us one thing the place of networking in today IT world.


What will be my number?  I want to pass the lab in Jan/Feb 2k12 maybe 31560 (lol)

2nd Proctorslabs vrack

During my 2nd proctorslabs vrack, I continue as I say the last week going deeper in layer 2 technologies.

I get into vol 1 lab 4 (rapid per-vlan spanning-tree), lab 5 (L2 tunneling), lab 7 (bridging and frame-relay) and lab 10 (ospf)

Different labs but same problem for me:  Private Vlan, I do my best but I can't remember the steps for properly configuring Private Vlan (some advice?)

I really appreciate the lab 5 and lab 10 because I do them without any help (no look to the solution guide)

In your path to the CCIE, you will see great improvement in your comprehension of multiple technologies and how to configure and tweak them in the craziest way as possible ; but when you can’t answer a question in a lab you feel disappointed because you though that you catch all the parts of the puzzle . I think now it’s just a reminder for being always humble and always keep learning. 

You will always find problems that you can’t solve, but at least you should always try to.

1st Proctorlabs vrack

I just finished my 7h45min of vrack on Proctorlabs.

What can I say about their vrack system, honestly nothing.

All the switches and routers respond quickly, we don't see the distance when we are in front of our securecrt (or putty) we completely forget that the equipment are far away from you.

I used my 7h45 min to do Lab1, Lab2 and Lab3. As I already sayed in the past these labs are on layer 2 technologies.

It’s important to take time to master layer 2 technologies because, when we use gns3 like me, gns3 don't offer you all the layer 2 commands you need for a complete preparation.

I will plan to take another 7h45min of vrack for the other layer 2 technologies lab (especially for frame-relay, bridging and tunelling)

After today vrack , I need to review private-vlan and ethertype number (for doing mac access-list)

IpExpert Vol1 : Lab 1 - Lab 7

All theses labs are related to L2 technologies and some miscellaneous topics

We learned about:

> STP, MSTP, RSTP, PVST+, RPVST+ (how to deal with Cost, Priority, Root Bridge, Secondary Root Bridge, Diameter, Timers,  Uplinkfast,  Backbonefast)

> DOT1Q (tag native vlan), ISL, trunking, VTP (mode, password, pruning, manage extended vlans)

> Ether-channel (PAGP, LACP, static with port-channel command), UDLD (udlp port [aggressive])

> QinQ, L2 protocol tunneling (l2protocol-tunnel, dot1q-tunnel)

> CDP (no advertise vtp infos, CDP source interface)

> 802.1X with aaa (port-control auto|force-authorized|force-unauthorized, dot1x system auth-control, aaa new-model)

> Monitor Session (remote span)

> Frame-Relay (encapsulation type, interface-dlci,frame map ip @ip <dcli>, no frame inv), MFR, PPP Over FR (virtual-template), back 2 back FR (no keepalive)

> Switch Port-Security, Error Recovery, Private-Vlan, Protected Port

> Bridging (bridge x protocol ieee, bridge irb, bridge 1 route ip, bridge-group x)

> NTP (basic config)

> How to use special characters (Ctrl-V before the special character)

Read carefully the questions, for the anwsers avoid over-thinking: KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

Break the questions in small part an try to resolve these parts

Pay attention that your new configuration isn't breaking the past config; never break the old until it's specified to you in the scenario)

Independance Day

Today is my country bithday, 51 years old.

Peace and Love for my country.

May God grant that CISCO, HP, IBM, GOOGLE and the other big IT companies opened offices in Cote d'Ivoire. :-)

GNS3 tips !!

I'm involved in, IPExpert Vol1 Workbook as many others students i use gns3 and the topology file give to us by IPExpert on their website.

The topology use router with two NM-16ESW card for emulate a switch (gns3 can't emulatea real switch) after redesigning their topology for my gns3 environment, I began to see two pbs:

1- speed and duplex mismatch
 (correction when you use the default ethernet interface of 3725 you have to fix the speed and duplex on both side of the link)
2- can't ping even the vlan ip addres of a switch instead of having a router port in that vlan, cant't ping ip address on a different switch in my topology, meanwhile everything in my config was good
(correction2 NM-16ESW card on a router can't communicate I don't know why, even if some times the forum on the web say the opposite, if your traffic needs to go from one card to an other one it's will be impossible, try to use only one NM-16ESW card)

After all these changes everything seems working properly.

CCIE R&S Written Exam Passed

Ok, as i promise i successfully passed the CCIE 350-001 written exam this morning.

I'm very happy, even if i know get the written doesn't mean you are 5% ready to the lab it's just a prerequisite, but i think it's better to have it than not.

Let's go to the Lab i plan to take it on February or March 2K12

IPExpert VOL1 -Lab 1

I made this week-end the Lab1 of IPExpert Vol1. It’s a very good introduction to the rest of the book some tricky tasks (always).

The most difficult part wasn’t the lab itself, but the way to adapt the gns3 topology to the proctors labs diagram. Why IPExpert doesn’t give us a fully ready to go gns3 files (.net files, initial and final configs) it’s would be a great time saving for the CCIE aspirants.

The most funny task was how to change the console password to ip?expert, yes ? is in the password

IpExpert VoD Day 4 and Written Exam

Yesterday, I complete all the IpExpert VoD.

The day 4 is a worst day for me since I began reading and watching the videos (only because of ios security topics).

IOS security: too many things to remember, but as we know if you don't love a topic be sure this topic will be your killer topic on the lab exam, so don't try to fake yourself ( just master it).

IOS security (locks and key ACL, reflexive ACL, CBAC, ZBF, IOS IPS)

QoS is not so difficult as sometimes I learn on the web, the magic formula TC=BC/CIR; if you know this formula, I think you have done the half of the road.

For IPv6, I think like Joe Astorino, if you master IPv4, you have done 80% of the IPv6 road you will just have to adapt to some new IPv6 specifications.

IPv6 really it's not a big deal.

I booked my CCIE Written exam for Wednesday. I'm ready to take it; i want to have it in order to put a little more pression on my head (you have 18 months to go through your lab exam, after passing the written exam). I hope I will get it in one shoot I don’t want to pay again 

Now let’s move to the 34 technology focus lab workbook Volume1, the Lab1 was very interesting; I learn some new things (VTP server mode doesn't support extended vlan)

CCIE dreamer advice: keep learning, never stop learning (even if it is just something you think you don’t have to learn), keep your motivation higher as possible (for me motivation is the key for CCIE)

See you soon I will tell my thoughts about the Volume 1 Workbook, and hopefully announce that I get the Written exam (I know get the written means nothing)

IpExpert VoD Day 1, 2, 3

Hi, guys I have finished the IpExpert VoD Day1, Day2 and Day 3 (without the Day 3 configuration part).

What can I say about these videos: Please IpExpert try to cut some videos there are too long (max time 1 hour would be nice).

If they think that they have to say more just make 2 or 3 videos (ex: IP services Part 1 50min, IP Services Part 2 36min)

After a certain amount of times you are waiting the end of the video instead of being focused on what the animator said, it's my personal opinion about the length just to keep the student focus.

The major information I get from the first videos is read carefully the task, what is asked to you. What command you don't have to use, which router you don't have to touch.

If something is not explicitly deny, is permit. Don't over think; sometimes there is an easy way to do the task. 

I’m happy that Cisco add MPLS to the CCIE R&S blueprint, MPLS and MPLS  L3-VPN are great. There is much more new terms but after reading books, and watch the videos everything  is much more clear in my mind now and I really appreciate the advantage and the underlying techniques (route distinguishers, route target, MBGP, VRF, Penultimate Hop Popping, etc.) they used.

CCIE R&S 4th Edition : Personal Thoughts

I have just finish my Cisco CCIE R&S 4th Edition book; I will now take one week to make a big review of all the amazing stuff I had read in this book.

I often read on Internet  that this book is not so good as it should be, for me I think it's a good book (not great but good) ; how can we expect more for a book who try to browse all the CCIE R&S Written exam topics in only 900 pages . The authors do their best, I learn a lot reading this book, I will recommend always read this book with an internet connection at your side.

Why? Sometime some explanations may or may not trusty, so google them (just to be sure, remember you want to be a CCIE don't trust anybody)

This book sometimes doesn't going deeper as some others readers would aspect but in only one book you can't have all the details you want; if you want some more specific explanations about MPLS buy a dedicated MPLS book : Cisco MPLS and VPN Architecture, if you want to be more precise in security buy  Cisco Network Security Technologies and Solutions.

Before reading this book you should be already familiar with the CCIE R&S blueprint and have some advanced knowledges in networking and switching. You should never began your CCIE R&S Written exam study with this book.  Before reading this book, I read TCP/IP Vol 1 & 2 (mandatory for all CCIE aspirants); watching the entire CBT nuggets for CCIE R&S (course and lab video) of Jeremy Ciora, and the last but not the least I'm CCNP (the new version); why new version? Ii think new CCNP help you much more on your road to be a CCIE than the older one (personal thought of a man who study BSCMN, BSCI before switching to the SWITCH,ROUTE and TSHOOT exams)

I will plan to take my written exam at last the 15th of July. I will also began watching the VoD course of my IPexpert BLS by Joe Astorino.

PS: I have a new colleague, Network and Telco engineer like me. He is also involved in CCIE R&S track (he use CISCO CCIE 360 Program), it's good to not be alone sometimes :-)

IBM : The IT Company

I fell in love with IBM, i need to work for them, the IT company.
No other company has do many as IBM for the IT industry. Hey recruiter I want to be an IBMer (I think I'm already an IBMer lol)

EIGRP Metric

Sometimes we have to pay attention to little details

Just take a look on EIGRP Metrics

EIGRP have a composite metric based on multiples elements: Bandwidth, Delay, Mtu, Load, Reliability.

Bandwidth is the least bandwidth encountered on the path to the router (in bps)

Delay is the cumulative delay of all the links encountered on the path to the router (in 1/10s)

Mtu is the maximum transfer unit as we already know

Load is the load of the interface were packet arrived

Reliability

If we want to see these infos, we just have to type: show ip interfaces Fa0/0 or on any interface participating in EIGRP.

All these parameters are subject to a factor by which they can be multiplied in order to obtain the metric; these parameters are the K values.

We have one key value par element from K1 to K5

Let's remember us the original formula of EIGRP metric : Metric = 256*([K1*Bw + K2*Bw/(256-Load) + K3*Delay]*[K5/(Reliability + K4)])

EIGRP original metric formula is quite a bit very difficult to have it by mind, thanks God the default K values in Cisco IOS are K1=1, K2=0, K3=1, K4=0 and K5=0. After applying these K values to the precedent formula we have now

Metric = 256*(10^7/Bw)+(256*Delay), by default our Cisco routers use only Bandwidth and Delay for EIGRP metric

Just to keep in our mind 2 things:

1/ metric weight command in EIGRP

Ex: metric weight 1500 15 150 255 12 // instruct the router to use these values as the new K values instead of 1 0 1 0 0, we just change the multiplier

The element of the metric will be used based on values obtain by the routing protocol itself

In fine we will have Metric = 256*([1500*Bw + 15*Bw/(256-Load) + 150*Delay]*[12/(Reliability + 255)])

2/ redistribute command in EIGRP

Ex: redistribute ospf 1 1500 15 150 255 12 // instruct the router to redistribute OSPF and use for those OSPF routes these elements values (not K values with this command the K values will be left to their default)

Here 1500 = bandwidth metric / 15 = delay metric / 150 = reliability metric / 255 = loading metric / 12 = mtu metric

In fine we will have Metric = 256*([K1*1500 + K2*1500/(256-255) + K3*15]*[K5/(150 + K4)])

PS: I have only received my book (CCIE Routing and Switch Certification Guide 4th Edition) today June 20th while on Amazon.com they told me May 25th

Pictures

IpExpert 1

IpExpert 2

IpExpert 3

IpExpert 4

IpExpert 5

IpExpert 6

 IpExpert Usb Disk Drive (diskGO edge)

my new laptop hp dv6 with windows 7

 intel core i5, 1To HDD, 4Gb RAM (HP dv6)

my archos 101 (initial charge)

Today is Day 0

I receive all my purchase except my CISCO book for ccie r&s 4th edition, when I track the book on DHL it’s always in Germany, the previous arrival date was the 25th may but now we are far from this date.
But anyway I’m happy because all the others stuff are here

-New computer with 4GB ram and Intel core i5 (hp dv6)
-IpExpert hard drive
-IpExpert books
-Archos 101 tablet (my birthday gift by myself)

I can say that today is day 0 because now; I really enter my studying process (4 hours/day and 10 hours the week end) for obtain the famous number.

I think I’m ready as I read many books, and see some ccie mock labs I think the ccie is possible for me

So see you soon I will post some pictures of all of my materials

Implementing SSH on Cisco IOS

1 enable ssh using ip ssh command
2 configure the hostname using hostname command
3 configure a domain name using ip domain-name command
4 configure RSA keys using crypto key generate rsa command
5 configure the terminal lines for ssh using transport input ssh command

BGP theory

We use the BGP version 4.

BGP is in fact a TCP application that uses port 179.

iBGP (BGP inside the same AS).

eBGP (BGP between different AS).

The best choice is the shortest AS-PATH (by default).

Routing policies are present in BGP attributes.

BGP is a very slow protocol; we have a 5-sec interval update for iBGP and a 30-sec interval update for eBGP.

Authentication is possible with BGP (md5 auth).

Synchronization rule: a route learned by BGP must be present in the IGP routing table before being transmitted to any other BGP peers.

Split horizon rule: a route learned by iBGP must never be announced to another iBGP peer. This is why we always try to have a full meshed iBGP topology. In order to bypass this rule we must use Route Reflectors.