Finished IEWB IP Routing

by David Sudjiman ~ June 30th, 2009

Well, finished IEWB IP Routing, moving forward to RIP…

Object-group in ACL

by David Sudjiman ~ June 25th, 2009

I thought I was going to use this for one of the client but unfortunately it is only available for IOS above 12.4(20)T.

Object-Group gives you a solution to make your ACL looks much cleaner and nicer and easier to read by substituting those IP addresses and even the services into an object.

Finished IEWB Frame Relay

by David Sudjiman ~ June 20th, 2009

Finished IEWB Frame Relay and moving to IP Routing.

Installing VWIC-1MFT-T1/E1 on 2821

by David Sudjiman ~ June 17th, 2009

There is a command we need to apply to switch the card module to E1 or T1 and this is the first thing you need to do before configuring the interface.

Router(config)#control?
control-plane  

Router(config)#card type ?
  e1  E1
  t1  T1

Router(config)#card type e1 ?
  <0-2>  Card slot number (always 0 for 1800 series & 2801 routers)

Router(config)#card type e1 0 1
Router(config)#control?
control-plane  controller  

Router(config)#controller E1 ?
  <0-0>  Controller slot number

Router(config)#controller E1 0/1/0
Router(config-controller)#

and it was REALLY hard to find this info if you using words like “configure vwic-1mft-t1/e1 2821″ and without knowing that you need to apply this command.

Cisco WCS 6.0

by David Sudjiman ~ June 15th, 2009

I was impressed with the presentation of Cisco WCS 6.0 today. The WCS has a lot of enhancements including heaps of configurable reporting and web page presentation. The web page presentation feels like an iGoogle on steroids and fully customizable on what kind of information you want to present. You can even use Google Earth combined with the Location feature.

For this particular web design, I think Cisco just get it right. Compare this WCS 6.0 with Cisco CallManager!

Apart from the presentation upgrade, there are lots of new feature included OfficeExtend that enables you to bring the Cisco AP home and this AP will remotely connect to office thus giving you an encrypted tunnel from the CIsco AP to office.

ClientLink is also a great feature to automatically focus the RF beam to particular area to increase performance.

Complete new features below (taken from Cisco.com)

  • Ease of Use Enhancements—The following GUI changes have been made: 1) streamlined workflows and unified tab designs that reduce the number of clicks required to complete operational tasks, 2) consistent cross-links that support quick access to actionable and relevant information, 3) customized displays based on user-defined parameters that support easy filtering, adding, sorting, editing, and removal of displayed information, and 4) breadcrumb trail that retraces the user’s navigation path forward and backward through a variety of WCS screens.
  • Monitoring Enhancements—The following areas have been enhanced to simplify WLAN monitoring: 1) users can easily edit tab categories and contents to meet their specific requirements, 2) new floormap tool icons and interface support customization of displayed components and visualization of network status and alarms, 3) network status and alarms summary is now in the left-hand corner of Cisco WCS, 4) Cisco WCS search tool is now at the top of the interface to support simple and advanced searches, and 5) all WLAN campuses, buildings, and floor are hierachically listed in a new collapsible and expandable mapping tree, facilitating quick visualization of network locations.
  • Streamlined Configuration Templates—This feature includes the following for the streamlining and simplifying of templates: 1) mouse-over feature that provides a quick description of each template, enabling users to quickly find the template the meets their requirements, 2) quick creation and scheduling of templates through an enhanced user interface, 3) over 60 configuration templates from the Controller Launch Pad (including system, WLAN, security, 802.11a/n, 802.11b/g/n, mesh, management, CLI, and location), 4) one place to see a list of the templates applied to a controller, and 5) access point configuration templates that are quickly customizable for 802.11a/b/g/n lightweight, autonomous (standalone), or mesh access points.
  • Enhanced Client Management—Client monitoring has been enhanced to support quicker access to critical client information and tools across the wired and wireless network. CDP information was added to allow visibility to access point details even when the access point is disassociated from the controller. When access points are not associated to any controller, the CDP neighbor information helps to find to which switch the access point is connected. New features include: 1) client details screen with new information and an aggregation of existing information into an easy-to-read format, 2) streamlined access to the client troubleshooting tool and its step-by-step processes from anywhere in WCS, 3) access to client mobility information including how and why a client roamed across the wired and wireless network, and 4) quicker access to common tools from the client monitoring screen.
  • Expanded Flexible Reporting—The new Report Launch Pad delivers fully customizable reporting that includes: 1) flexible user-defined report parameters for configuration, scheduling, sending, and saving, 2) mouse-over feature that provides a quick description of each report enabling users to quickly find the report that will meet their requirements prior to running the report, and 3) over 40 customizable reports on topics including access points, clients, controllers, inventory, compliance, guests, mesh, performance, security, and the RF environment.
  • Enhanced WCS Licensing—The management of WCS licensing was enhanced.
  • Dynamic Interface Template—This feature provides the ability to tie WLANs to unique VLANs.
  • Switch Port Tracing Enhancements—This feature provides additional functionality to the switch port tracing that was introduced in release 5.2. It provides additional flexibility when adding switch credential information and enhances rogue access point reports.
  • Guest Access Enhancements—The following enhancements were made for guest access: 1) the ability to configure default lifetime greater than one day, 2) the ability to import customized logos on the printed page, 3) the ability to print guest account credentials on a page, 4) enhanced navigation and look and feel, 5) customized print page header, 6) deletion of expired guests, and 7) the option for lobby ambassadors to see all accounts.
  • Advanced AP Timers—Some advanced timer configuration for H-REAP and local mode is now available for the controller on WCS.
  • WLAN Status Scheduling—This feature provides the ability to enable and disable multiple WLANs at a specified time for one or more wireless LAN controllers.
  • Customer Feedback Link—Under the Help Menu is a Submit Feedback selection that allows you to provide input on the product.
  • Learning Modules—Several short video clips have been added under the Help Menu to show the process for executing common tasks.
  • Maps Ease of Use Enhancements—Some of the ease of use enhancements for maps include the following: 1) customizable views, 2) cloning selected campus, buildings, and floors, 3) search filters to filter campuses, buildings, and floors with specific severities, 4) automatic expansion of Tree View to first level, and 5) short cut icons to perform menu operations.
  • OfficeExtend AP—This feature provides the ability to configure and manage wireless teleworker networks by extending the corporate network using a remote wireless access point.
  • Client Link—Cisco Aironet 1140 and 1250 series access points support client link, a spatial-filtering mechanism used at a transmitter to improve the received signal power or signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio at an intended receiver (client). Client link uses multiple transmit antennas to focus transmissions in the direction of an 802.11a or 802.11g client, which increases the downlink SNR and the data rate to the client, reduces coverage holes, and enhances overall system performance. Client link works with all existing 802.11a and 802.11g clients.

Source:

Release Notes for Cisco Wireless Control System 6.0.132.0 for Windows or Linux

When to use “interface-dlci” or “map ip” on Frame Relay

by David Sudjiman ~ June 12th, 2009

I’ve done Frame-Relay IEWB a really long time ago yet I keep forgetting why I should use frame-relay interface-dlci or frame-relay map. Reading the Cisco IOS Wide-Area Networking Configuration Guide, Release 12.4T gives you the explanation and I decided to post it here to help me remember.

For point-to-point subinterfaces, the destination is presumed to be known and is identified or implied in the frame-relay interface-dlci command. For multipoint subinterfaces, the destinations can be dynamically resolved through the use of Frame Relay Inverse ARP or can be statically mapped through the use of the frame-relay map command.

We know that on Frame Relay relies on the mapping between DLCI to IP Address and this is done by using Inverse ARP. We also know that without using dynamic mapping, we can also use static mapping using command frame-relay interface-dlci or frame-relay map.

The different between the two is that frame-relay interface-dlci is used for point-to-point subinterfaces and frame-relay mapis used for multipoint subinterfaces.

The logic behind it is basically in point-to-point network the next-hop is always known and whatever the interface thrown at will be passed to the next-hop. All we need to do is to define what the interface DLCI number is.

For multipoint subinterfaces, the situation is different. One subinterface faces multiple end-points. Therefore, there is a need to define which DLCI mapped to which IP Address.

PPP Over Frame Relay (PPPoFR) from Internetwork Expert

by David Sudjiman ~ June 12th, 2009

Frame Relay does not natively support features such as authentication, link quality monitoring, and reliable transmission. Based on this it is sometimes advantageous to encapsulate an additional PPP header between the normal layer 2 Frame Relay encapsulation and the layer 3 protocol. By running PPP over Frame Relay (PPPoFR) we can then implement authentication of Frame Relay PVCs, or even bind multiple PVCs together using PPP Multilink.

PPPoFR is configure in Cisco IOS through the usage of a Virtual-Template interface. A Virtual-Template is a PPP encapsulated interface that is designed to spawn a “template” of configuration down to multiple member interfaces. The traditional usage of this interface has been on dial-in access servers, such as the AS5200, to support multiple PPP dialin clients terminating their connection on a single interface running IP.

Complete article from Internetwork Expert.

PPP Over Ethernet (PPPoE) from Internetwork Expert.

by David Sudjiman ~ June 12th, 2009

Below are a couple example configurations for PPPoE. Note that you can run into MTU issues when trying to use OSPF over PPPoE. This can easily be resolved by using the “ip ospf mtu-ignore” command as the dialer interface’s MTU is 1492 while the virtual-template’s (virtual-access) MTU is 1500.

Complete Article from InternetworkExpert.

(Almost) Finished IEWB RS Vol1 v5; Bridging and Switching.

by David Sudjiman ~ June 9th, 2009

Well, kinda finished. I need to redo some weak spots such as dot1q tunneling, MST, PPPoE, Protected Ports, Flex Link, Fallback Bridging, and Private Vlan which I couldn’t really do it because the remote lab is full booked until Saturday.

I’ve been spending 7 6-hour sessions just to practice over and over for this workbook. I know, It’s kind of over doing it but I’m glad that I’m making sure I got a good grab for each subjects on the workbook.

Every Saturday I dedicated to 12-hour lab and for each day I dedicated at least 2-hour for reading or doing another lab.

I’ve read most of the subjects on Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E Switch Software Configuration Guide, 12.2(50)SE. I actually intended to read all of them but I think I would be better of reading from another sources for subjects like DHCP, EEM, QOS, etc. I can always go back to this doco when I need them. At least I’ve read all of the Layer 2 subjects on this doco.

And yes, I had those moments when my brain just couldn’t take anything anymore. Well, a 12-hour sleep will do the trick to rest it, at least for now.

Moving on to the next chapter, Frame Relay.

Burnt Out

by David Sudjiman ~ May 31st, 2009

My mind is not getting any satisfaction tonight. This is actually my cooling down after 6 days of working and study and I really can’t take it anymore. I’ve been resuming my study starting it all over again since the last three weeks yet seems It’s getting harder just to read few more pages of Cisco Documentation.

For the last three weeks I’ve been reading 3750 Software Configuration Guide and trying to nail down anything that seems unknown for me. I guess that’s just pretty much reading cover to cover for everything.

I don’t know how I can recover from burning out yet a day of not doing study scares me as I can’t afford to forget something.

Sleeping doesn’t help and ceasing to study is not an option. I guess I just have to keep pressing on…