This made me laugh…

June 2, 2010

http://www.ccietraining4u.com/tag/ccie-training/

Their headline says “GET THE CORRET TRAINING.” It would help if they could get the spelling CORRET – i mean “CORRECT.”
By the way guys, i’ve got a top secret ninja project underway. If i pull it off i’ll let you guys know. But don’t tell anyone, OK?

Juniper can talk to Cisco…

April 11, 2010

If you follow the first part here:

http://gungajim.wordpress.com/2009/12/24/bridging-mac-osx-to-real-networks-part-1/

You will get the Dynamips process to be able to talk to a tap interface. I then started my Juniper machine in vmware and made sure that it could ping the vmnet1 interface (to find this, open terminal and type “ifconfig” – my vmnet1 interface has an ip address of 172.16.16.1).
I have already opened my Juniper olive and assigned an interface connecting to my vmware fusion network – host-only -which, in theory should be the vmnet1 network. Therefore all i should have to do is assign an ip address to my em0 interface on the juniper olive to be able to ping the vmnet1 address. Let’s do that now:

root>edit
root#edit interface em0 unit 0 family inet address 172.16.16.2/24
…..top commit and-quit

when you do a “show interface terse” you should now see the em0.0 interface with an ip address of 172.16.16.2/24. Now try and ping the 172.16.16.1 interface. If this pings you are connected to the vmnet1 interface!

All you have to do now is follow the tutorial here:

http://www.blindhog.net/how-to-connect-gns3-to-internet-in-macosx

remembering that you need to change the en1 interface to your vmnet1 interface and that the default route from Cisco is going to the tap0 interface – and Bob’s your uncle!

As an additional bit you can get them exchanging routing protocols as well – i’ve only managed to get them to talk by creating tunnel interfaces and they appear to be exchanging OSPF packets – but it needs more testing. But it is working – not 100% as of yet, but it does work ;)

Juniper vs Cisco.

April 7, 2010

ALHAMDU LILLAH!!!
For those of you that don’t know i managed to get juniper working in vmware… then after a few tries i managed to get multiple “olives” talking to each other. For my latest break-through, i’ve finally managed to get Dynamips to talk to the juniper olives!!
At the moment i can only get them to communicate via static routing (and some clever natting) – but surely all i have to do is configure a tunnel and then get the ospf operational? Just a matter of time…

If anybody would like me to do a full write-up, just drop me a line :D

Time to Crack open a can of Whoop Ass!!

March 30, 2010

Sick and tired of looking at security now… There are only 2 subjects that i haven’t been 100% comfortable with this time around of studying and thay have been REDISTRIBUTION (whoa is me) and security. I know i have to review those, but for now my knowledge of security is more than enough to pass the written exam…. i think ;)

 With my written exam pencilled in for MAY 10th i need to get moving. My new job has just moved me onto the night shift – which means that i theoretically should have more time for studying. I’ve also found that going through these technology labs it gets a bit hazy because they seem to build on the fact that you’ve completed the sections in a chronological order. There was a security lab that asked for filtering whilst using the MQC – now bearing in mind that i haven’t touched QoS in say a year, i just skipped that :D

  So i’m thinking of hitting Qos next.. These are the topics still outstanding:
IP Services
BGP
Multicast
IPv6
Switching
QoS

 Actually, looking at that list i think i’ve talked myself out of QoS as there is a lot to do with switching – i’ll leave those til the end. IP Services looks most interesting to me and i’m pretty good (to an extent) with BGP. I’m using a work computer which can only take 3 routers comfortably (so no multicast then :o ) – which leaves IPv6.                   

Crap!

OSPF OEQ’s

March 28, 2010

1) What LSA type is used for summarization between areas and describes routes between areas?
2) What OSPF feature allows LSA updates to be refreshed in groups as opposed to on-demand?
3) What is the default metric type when using OSPF redistribution?
4) EIGRP is being redistributes into OSPF. What keyword is needed to allow the prefixes to be properly redistributed?
5) What is the default network type for a sub-interface in OSPF?
6) If there is an OSPF topology change where will an SPF calculation occur?
7) Which router-type can filter type-7 LSAs?
8) What is the default AD for an OSPF E2 route?
9) What is the length of the number for ospf TO IDENTIFY the router within an AS?
10) What OSPF interface types shows up by default with PPPoFR?
11) Two peering OSPF routers> If one IOS doesn’t the use of “Area 0.0.6.9″, what area can you use to connect to the other router?
12) How can you avoid OSPF refreshing updates on stable interfaces?
13) Which IP address is used to send an updated LSA entry to OSPF DRs/BDRs?
14) What is an OSPF type-2 packet?
15) How often does OSPF flood (refresh) each LSA record?

Juniper working.

March 15, 2010

For those of you out there wondering, i haven’t abandoned the post – currently working on security. But as a bit of a sideline, i managed to get 2 Juniper olives working, talking AND running OSPF on MACOSX (running in vmware fusion). Marshallah!!
Quite sweet, really. I think that this will really improve upon my job prospects…
Now back to reality. Quite a few CCIE’s have said “if you want to pass, put yourself under pressure!” and out of the 15 (or so sections i’ve only managed to finish:

BGP
Bridging/Switching
EIGRP
Frame-Relay
IP Routing
IP Services
IPv6
MPLS
Multicast
OSPF
QoS
Redistribution
RIP
Security
System Management

- Touched upon but not 100%
Comfortable
In progress

Seems like i’ve got a long way to go…
My CCIE written has also expired now – i have a preliminary date in mind (which i’ve just plucked out of the air) – May 10th.

Study Techniques..

March 5, 2010

Today guys, i’m gonna give you an insight into my secret ninja study techniques.
First of all i look at the recommended reading list – see if i’ve got access to that book and then read it. I continue to read the book until 1 of 3 things happen:
1) I finish the book (this hasn’t happened yet :D )
2) I get bored and give up. This hasn’t happened either – but i don’t find reading that interesting. However if you want a true understanding of the technology reading HAS to be done.
3) I get a basic understanding of the technology and then start labbing to enhance that understanding.
What i mean by getting a basic understanding is by reading, say, 10 chapters of a 15 chapter book. I take my time to let the information sink in, then start labbing to prove the concepts. What i usually do is go through Narbik’s workbooks (plenty of typo’s – but the concepts are excellent!) and then pick up INE – If i can go through the whole of INE without looking up any answers then that means that Narbik has done a good job. It worked for RIP, EIGRP and OSPF (mostly) – but i think Narbik is gonna fall short with MPLS.. I’ve already had a quick look at the INE foundation books for MPLS and, remember i only have the last MPLS lab from Narbik to complete – and i’ve counted 5 parts that Narbik hasn’t covered. Now maybe INE have gone above and beyond what is required or maybe Narbik will “pull it out of the bag :D “… i don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see..

I can’t believe how many people out there haven’t heard of Dynamips – or how many people are instantly dismissive.
“oh yeah, yeah, i’ve heard of it but haven’t got around to using it yet…” More fool you.
“Yeah, these simulator things are ok – but they’re not as good as working on the real equipment…” Aren’t they?

For me personally, they are an invaluable tool. Remember, i’m still “just a CCNA” but the amount of conversations i’ve had with people who’ve got “10 years experience” and blown them away is unbelievable. Now don’t get me wrong, if i came up against a “real CCIE” level dude, with real-world experience, i’m gonna get owned – but there are so many people that are relying on their “experience” that when a “lab-rat” comes through, they get jealous.
What is “experience?” So many guys i’ve seen who call experience just sitting in a company looking at the equipment, getting coffee (as long as the machine is on “free vend”) and typing “show ip bgp summary.”

Juggling Juniper!

March 3, 2010

Oh – my – word!!
After spending many, MANY valuable CCIE study hours trying to get a Juniper Olive to work on my Apple Mac (with VMware Fusion), i finally got it to work :D . I have to admit in the end that i cheated and searched the net for a vmware image and then installed that. But i don’t care! It’s up and running…. then i spent another hour trying to add an interface. I managed to get an ethernet interface up and running and applied an ip address and description! My first venture into juniper…
I’ve got two certification-oriented goals for today then:
1) Finish the last 1.5 MPLS labs in Narbiks workbook. I know i’m moving slow and i’d love to be moving much faster, but i have understood everything so far, alhamdu lillah.

2) Try and connect 2 olives together (an olive is a pc running JUNOS).

I think that this may be the more difficult of the two – considering tap interfaces, bridging, etc. This is the command i needed to use just to add the ethernet interface, which i found here – http://juniper.cluepon.net/index.php/Talk:Olive or here http://joost.blogsite.org/wordpress/?p=15:

Under VMware add ethernet0.virtualDev = “e1000″ to “*.vmx” file.
Ethernet1.present = “TRUE”
Ethernet1.virtualDev = “e1000″
Ethernet2.present = “TRUE”
Ethernet2.virtualDev = “e1000″

Now i need to discover how to “build” a virtual serial interface and connect them together. After a bit of reading, i’m kinda hoping that the multicast functionality is there – i’m running jinstall 9.6.1 so i hope it’s not an issue.

Just another distraction to take me away from CCIE studies…

After spending the past 2.5 hrs looking into this it appears like this website might have the solution to joining multiple vmware olives together, without using Qemu. This really distracts from CCIE studies.

and this…. http://communities.vmware.com/message/748577#748577

Where i’m at…

March 1, 2010

Ok, for those of you that actually are following this blog (i know that there are a couple of you out there :D ), i’m just going to give you a quick heads up where i’m at.
This new job is giving me exposure to Juniper now, so that’s taking a little bit of time – so different, but really – just the same!

I’m going to put a definitive time table together as well. I’ve found that i’ve been going around in circles, 1 month for MPLS!? So i’m putting together a timetable and i’m gonna stick to it. The plan is to pass the written and then 50 days after that go for the lab! When i get home tonight, i’ll start working on the OSPF questions then i’ve got to decide:- Multicast, BGP, Qos or Security? Any ideas…? I’m thinking Security…

Nothing so far has given me any problems, Marshallah…. Except for redistribution. Damn you, redistribution….. DAMN youuuuuu….

MPLS Notes

February 18, 2010

1.) LSRs forward UNLABELLED packets by examining the FIB & LABELLED packets based on the LFIB.

2.) The MPLS Route-Distinguisher (RD) is an extension to the BGP NLRI field.

3.) The FIB lists an outer label and an inner VPN label. The P routers only forward using the outer label, ignoring the inner VPN label.

4.) PHP causes the SECOND-to-LAST LSR to pop the outer label. Therefore the egress PE router label switches by using the INNER VPN label, instead of the outer label.


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