Category Archives: News

My new CCIE rack

Posted by on February 5, 2010 4 comments

I’ve ordered all of the components for my CCIE rack. Here is what it will consist of:

  • (4) 3550′s
  • (3) 2611xm’s
  • (3) 3640′s (instead of 1841′s)
  • (1) 2522 (Frame switch)
  • (3) 2501′s (BB routers)
  • (1) 2511 (Terminal server)

If you’re familiar with Internetworkexpert’s topology, you’ll probably notice that you only really “need” two BB routers (the 2501′s). I purchased an extra simply as a backup, so I could expand the topology a little bit and have a wildcard in there if I chose to experiment a little more. All of the gear is going in a 24U rack, and I estimate I’ll have about 20U’s occupied with the gear above (plus PDU’s, and possibly a shelf).

Anyway, can’t wait for it to all arrive. In the meantime I have a lot of cleaning to do, and will be reorganizing my computer desk-area (which is no small feat!). I will post pics as the gear comes in!

CCDA passed

Posted by on February 4, 2010 No comments

Passed the CCDA exam today. It was cake! To be honest, it was kind of a joke- taking the CCDA after the CCNP. Anyway, I think the CCDP would probably have a lot of good information in it, but in order to stay with my timeline for the CCIE, I have to move straight to the written. Sometime during the journey I might knock the CCDP/Security+ out (for work), but I’m not necessarily making plans..just leaving the door open.

Tonight I continue my reading of TCP/IP Vol I. I’m going through RIPv2/RIPng at the moment. I’m mostly just making sure I remember all the details at this point. I labbed a little bit of the RIP stuff with my rack rental credits, but they were pretty trivial. I don’t see much of a need to lab too much until I get into EIGRP/OSPF. Anyway, I got a lot to read tonight at work.!

TCP/IP Vol I goodness

Posted by on February 3, 2010 No comments

I’ve been trucking away at TCP/IP Vol I lately, and it’s finally picking up steam! I had flipped through it before in my CCNP studies, but never cover to cover. I’m on page 202 right now, which isn’t bad considering I only started reading it a few days ago. The first 150 pages dragged on and on were informational, but I really started enjoying getting back into the routing protocol arena. I didn’t find anything really “new” so far, but I’m still ensuring I know as much as possible before moving forward. This means yes, I have been labbing some basic scenarios..to make sure I have a full understanding of the technology. Once I get a little further with this book, I’ll begin redoing the INE Vol I labs. I never completely finished them, although I did get pretty far. I’ll start from scratch, using rack rentals to begin with (dynamips is falling out of favor with me lately, with the exception of using it for small layer 3 labs), and by the time I get really involved in the vol I labs- I expect the complete lab to have arrived at my home, and be sucking more $$ out of my pocket for electricity expenses :)

More to come soon! I’m really going to be hitting it hard these next couple of months.

More accurate timeline!

Posted by on February 2, 2010 2 comments

  Alright, so this will probably change, but here is a better idea of the timeline I’m planning on for getting my number.


July 15th- CCIE R&S written exam

July 15th, 2010 – June 15th, 2011 – Prepare for lab

Mid June, 2011- Internetwork Expert 12-day bootcamp here in Tampa

Mid July- Lab attempt in RTP

Mind you,  I will be on paid leave from July to September, so I will have nothing but time to prep for the lab and tie up any loose ends. I’m really hoping this will be “it”.

So anyway, I might be getting ahead of myself, but only time will tell. Time to hit the books :)

Back on the horse…for real.

Posted by on January 27, 2010 No comments

  Well, I’m getting back into the CCIE game..again. I had a false start last time. I got IEWB Vol I, which was a great book, and I made it pretty far through it, but I got sidetracked, and really wanted to complete my CCNP before going for the CCIE. Mostly so that I had something to “show” for my work. Since I got my CCNP this month, and am testing for the CCDA soon, it seems natural to move on to something else. So here’s my rough timeline..subject to change, as always.

R&S Written exam: June 15th (or sooner)

R&S Lab exam: June 15th, 2011 (12 months after the written)

Study materials (written): IEWB Vol I, the typical CCIE books…too many, dynamips, some rack rentals. I learn best by doing, so I’ll be reading and labbing in betwee, although I won’t be doing any full labs during this phase.

Study materials (lab): IEWB Vol I/II/III, Maybe IPexpert Vol II labs, some rack rentals, as wel as dynamips for focused study on individual technologies. I’ll also be putting together my own lab (see below):


My lab (proposed): It will essentially consist of several 1841 routers, 2 3550′s, 2 3560′s, a terminal server, along with a couple of 2620′s to fill in the gaps, and a couple of BB routers. Total cost will come in at somewhere around $5-6k when it’s all said and done. I’ll be piecing it together over the next 6-9 months (while I’m studying for the written). During the early stages of my lab prep, I’ll rely on dynamips and rack rentals, and once my home lab is complete, use that.

Because of the OEQs and troubleshooting sections, I plan on integrating some book study with my lab study time..possibly a couple of hours a week throughout the entire lab prep process. I’m hoping this will keep me sharp, and give me an edge on the troubleshooting section.

As I said, I take my CCDA in a week. I have studied that book inside and out, and am ready to take it. I’m bored with it infact..so I’m starting to read Routing TCP/IP Vol I from cover to cover. I’ll be doing plenty of dynamips labs while reading this book. For anyone who cares, I’m running Ubuntu 9.04 with GNS3, on an Intel 2.4ghz dual core w/ 4GB RAM. It’s a nice setup, but I want real hardware, so I can just fire it up and kind of eliminate the issue of troubleshooting dynamips/ubuntu.

Not sure how much I’ll be posting while prepping for the written (at least in the next month), since I need to review a lot of material. I’m rusty on my routing topics..but I feel good with switching, so that’s good. Anyway, as I learn more, I’ll post more :)

CCNP..finally!

Posted by on January 20, 2010 No comments

I finally took my last exam a couple of weeks ago, which made me (finally) a CCNP. I did pretty well on the ONT- I didn’t feel like there were too many surprises. I’ve kind of taken a temporary hiatus in my CCIE prep, to focus on “lower” certs due to personal reasons and time constraints. That being said, I finished the CCNP two weeks ago, and scheduled my CCDA exam for Feb 4th. I’ve almost completed the CCDA book from cover to cover, and have to say, I’m not really impressed. The CCDA would possibly be nice to have if I had never seen Cisco material before (or gotten the CCNP), but in my case, it’s flying by pretty quick. I’ll probably continue on to the CCDP next like most people do, but I’m not sure. For this next year, I plan on knocking out some security certs, and possibly the CCIP, then CCIE written later this year/early next year. I’m trying to place the CCIP material hand-in-hand with the CCIE written. Even though I know some of it overlaps while some doesn’t, I think it would be a good idea to place them close together, to keep me sharp.


So, in the next few months, it’s looking like my plans look like this: CCDA (Feb 4th), CCDP (Mar 1st or so), CEH (May 15th or so). If time allows this year I may take the OSCP course, we’ll see. Ultimately the idea is to hone my security/pen testing skills, then come back around to the Cisco world to go full-swing into things. We’ll see how things actually play out. Hope everyone is doing well..can you believe it’s 2010? Time is flying..

Cisco puts out iPhone security app

Posted by on November 24, 2009 No comments

Article by Austin Modine from San Francisco.

Cisco has pushed out a new iPhone app that helps IT managers respond to newly-detected security threats by the seat (pocket) of their pants.

The Cisco SIO To Go iPhone application beams in data from the company’s Security Intelligence Operations (SIO) to show a customizable menagerie of security information that could potentially help defend a business network.

At hand are real-time alerts and threat mitigation solutions which come from sources that include more than 700,000 Cisco security devices, the company’s historical threat database, 3,300 IPS signatures, and over 600 third-party threat-intelligence sources, Cisco said.

The app also has the ability to check a site or server’s “reputation” powered by IronPort — which shows if it’s been attacked by a virus over the past 24 hours.

It also includes links to Cisco’s security blog, press releases, and Twitter feeds if that’s your bag.

While the iPhone isn’t known for its enterprise-ready prowess, clearly folks are hooking into businesses with their fancy App shwag anyway. Cisco playing along with an iPhone app is a pretty good indication how common it is inside corporations.

The Cisco app is available now. At the iTunes store, naturally. ®

(Article has been reposted from theregister.co.uk. You can view the original article here)

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This is great! As a former blackberry lover turned iphone fanatic- this is awesome news. It shows that the iPhone is surely taking a foothold in the corporate IT sector. The only problem now, is how do we secure a device used to secure other devices?

Tune in, the SGT is ramping things up!

Posted by on November 21, 2009 No comments

That’s right folks. As promised, it’s back to the plan- pass my last CCNP exam (ONT), and conquer the CCIE written exam. Look for the new articles to be posted within the next two weeks! Can’t wait! Let me know what you think of them!

Tampa Bay web design

Posted by on November 13, 2009 No comments

    It’s been a long time it seems since I’ve seriously updated this blog, but I have great news. On December 1st, my web design/development company, WebActa Solutions, LLC, will officially open for business. I am pretty excited about it all, and am working hard to make sure things go smoothly. I have a love for business, and a love for technology, so WebActa allows me to work in both arenas. I am still pursuing the CCIE, but have obviously bumped my original date back a bit. For those of you who didn’t follow me before, I was setting myself up to take and pass the written by Jan 1st, 2010, but now I’m looking at around April 2010. I’m giving myself time to get the business launched, and finish my CCNP up, then I will be back on track. Anyway, WebActa offers some great design, SEO services, and web hosting as well, so if you’re looking for a great deal on hosting, visit us at our site. WebActa, Tampa Bay’s premium web design company!

It’s been awhile..

Posted by on October 6, 2009 No comments

Damn! It’s been a long time since I posted here. I guess that goes hand in hand with my studying as of late as well. In my defense, I expected studying to slow down or stop completely due to my wedding, and all kinds of other stuff going on at the moment….and well, it did. For what it’s worth, my motivation is extremely high, and I’m anxious to take the written (looking to take it in January 2010, I think). I may be going out of town for work, and if I do, I’ll study plenty, and probably take the lab upon my return (late next year). Anyways..so here’s some highlights of what’s been going on..


-Went to the E6 (staff sergeant) promotion board, did very well. E6 in less then 5 years isn’t too bad! We’ll see how it all goes…someone at the board recommended that I compete for the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competition..I’d rather devote time to the CCIE, but it’s a nice thought.


-Wedding is SO soon. 12 days! While Shanna is doing mostly wedding stuff (ceremony/reception), I’m in charge of anything logistical, or travel related for our guests coming into town..and it’s definitely keeping me busy. I just reserved our white wedding stretch limo for the night of the wedding, and we have a room at the Hilton reserved for that night. The next morning we’re flying to Miami and ultimately Jamaica, where we’ll have a private towncar to take us from Montego Bay to Sandals Negril (most travelers take a group bus to the resort). Supposedly upon arrival we’ll be greeted with Champagne and cheese..pretty cool! It’s crazy to think that someone like me is able to get that kind of treatment, even if only for a week. I can’t help at times like that but to think of my time in Iraq and the other bad places I’ve been…then realize I’m at the total opposite of the spectrum. It’s pretty wild.


-I’ve been running/hitting the gym a lot. Trying to get into shape for Jamaica. It’s going OK.


-In order to facilitate my promotion in the Army, I need to get the maximum promotion points available for civilian education possible. Since certifications count (only full, not individual tests), that means I NEED to finish my CCNP next month. After that, I have 3 more certifications that I can apply towards my promotion. I’ll probably be taking the Security+, CCDA, and CCDP, I think. That equals out to taking the following tests (in this order): ONT (complete CCNP), Security+, CCDA, CCDP. Not too bad. Lots of work, but I feel the only tests that will be really challenging will be the CCDP ARCH exam. Oh well. If all goes well (and I think it will), by X-mas, I’ll have several new certs, be promoted ($$), and then be heading full steam to the CCIE written with nothing to stop me. I think I was trying to be too ambitious by taking the written before Christmas. The original plan was to take the written in Jan/Feb anyways, so I’m actually still on track. Of course we’ll see how it goes..I have a pretty high standard when it comes to learning the material- I want to nail the written out of the park and start my lab prep the right way.


-Since just hearing of the new CCA (Cisco Certified Architect) cert coming out..I want the CCIE that much more, so I can pursue the CCA in a few years (once I meet the exp. requirement). The CCIE is still extremely sought after, but I feel the CCA would just place someone that much higher on the totem pole. Anyway..time to hit the pool…I ran today, and my legs are killing me (damn shin splints)…


Take care all, I’ll probably post some updates in the days leading up to the wedding, and after the wedding they’ll move back to their normal technical nature…and I will have more articles like the QoS series posted…


Mike