How many phone numbers do you have? Why are people still trying to figure out whether to call your desk or your mobile phone or your home…etc. Should they not just call YOU? I asked my friend Mike Coffin to give me a run down of the technology…both from the ‘what do I have to do’ perspective as well as the ‘what is happening behind the scenes.’ Let me know what you think. I like the idea of chasing down user questions….let me know if there is something special you’d like to see? Robb

Gosh there has been a ton of hype and build up around this launch. Finally today, Cisco releases the Unified Computing System and all the rumor mongering can cease. However, this perhaps gets even more fun now as people get to poke and prod into actual details Cisco is providing. The biggest oversimplification has been the assumption that we are simply getting into the server market The hardest thing for many to digest however is that yes we are in the compute side, but, not in the way you traditionally understand it. I think it does help to have some background on the innovation we have been bringing to market in the last year. In fact, if you are trying to wrap your head around the problems we are aggressively moving to solve in this data center architecture, you should watch some of our previous TechWiseTV shows. -- TWTV 29 Featured the Nexus 7000 and Data Center Ethernet -- TWTV 33 featured the Nexus 5000 and Unified Fabric -- TWTV 38 featured the Nexus 1000v and VN-Link technology -- We did not do a show on the Fabric Extender (Nexus 2000) -- Craig Hultema does a good job of explaining it on YouTube as well as on the Data Center Blog. -- TWTV 43 will air on April 9…you can register now for the details behind this amazing launch of the Unified Computing SystemHindsight 20/20? Read More »

Cabela’s considers themselves the ‘foremost outfitter for America’ and I know my Dad as a hunter and camping enthusiast would readily agree. Michael Copeland is VP of Operations for Cabela’s and he stopped by the booth to talk to us about how Scopix is showing real promise for them as a retailer looking for that next competitive edge. Scopix offers video analytics software that can measure customer service in a very intelligent yet transparent manner. It literally brings good hard metrics to what has historically been measure by ‘gut feel.’ Joe Sagrati, Cisco Account Manager did a great walk through the specifics of the solution. You can see that video on the next page… Read More »

Jimmy Ray has decided to open up a bit more on his blog over at Network World, he titles it “Network Management Sucks.” There is a fair bit of feedback coming back at him as he is sharing his change of heart. We are of course preparing a Network Management show (we need a good name for it…). Anyhow, Jimmy Ray is making some bold claims about why it is time to look a NMS again. Click on over and let him know how you feel. Robb

I have always been struck how flat panel TV’s suddenly became the definition of ‘technical’ and it seemed like EVERY business had multiple monitors usually just displaying ‘the news’ or something. Sports Bars are of course the very epitome of sensory overload but we have seen these benefit my experience at the dentist, where I shop, my hotel, etc. What you DON’T see however is a true appreciation for the value of the asset hanging on that wall. Why would you want to just display content for entertainment purposes in a very random manner (often running ads that benefit the TV network you are sitting on vs. your own objectives) when you could not only tailor the content specifically but also use these same assets to improve training, communication and a myraid other options limited only by your imagination? The follow interview with Greg Shonting is based on the demo he was providing at the NRF (National Retail Federation) show in New York recently. We were talking about the digital signage…something I think has huge upside and potential for many businesses…well beyond just retail of course. So what is involved in making this happen? Read More »

We are working on a new episode (TWTV44) that will focus on the value of network management. Our goal at this point is to take a 360 degree view of the options available from single element managers, through open source, non-Cisco (but Cisco friendly) options like SolarWinds and of course our beloved CiscoWorks. This is a lot of info to pack into a one hour show so we want to make it valuable -- we need your thoughts:What do you think of the topic in general?What is top of mind for you in this area -- i.e. “they better cover… X”What is your experience/reality with various networking management products -- pro and con.Got any tips, tricks or otherwise you would like to share? Upload a video, screen capture or whatever works for you -- be sure and put a link in the comments here. Perhaps you can shape the show and we can call you out and thank you on the air. Let us know what you think!

Checking out an interesting combination of Voice Recognition, search and text messaging. I liked the results I got playing with ChaCha.com today. Read Ed Baig’s USA Today article for more detail.

Thanks to Rob Aldrich’s blog entry that tipped me off to this great little flash/video explanation. Rob provides good context around our recent building management acquisition and how all this starts to fit together.Don’t forget we cover EnergyWise next week, February 19 with Rob Aldrich and one of the original developers, John Parello. Robb

Just in time for Valentines. Kudo’s to our ASR team. I like this. The product stuff is easy to find more on at www.cisco.com/go/asrThe rest of the hijinks can be found at www.techedgeweekly.comRobb

Reducing costs related to the power consumed by devices is the mantra of today’s accounting team. This time consuming process involves the comparisonof device efficiency, power consumption, and the total number of devices needed. What we lack is a holistic means to measure the day-to-day powerconsumed by all network-attached devices which includes the traditional facilities like heating, cooling, and lighting resources. Ethernet is giving us a new way of utilizing power management correlation in a Cisco network. That is the tag line right? I can tell you that my experience with EnergyWise was very cool. The coders at Cisco really did this one right. They used the cloud computing model as a template for EnergyWise and they integrated directly into IOS. I believe this is going to be a real big deal this year. I know that SolarWinds is working on a management package to take advantage of this feature, plus many others as. We are premiering EnergyWise on TechWiseTV on 19Feb09. Then we are doing a more detailed follow on WebEX workshop with one of the code jockeys that wrote it up John Parello. As IT folks we are always looking for ways to advance our career and stand out in a crowd. I strongly believe the energy conservation (and Data Center but I will save that for another blog) are going to be huge fields. Join us for both events ! Jimmy Ray Purser

ComputerWorld Blogger Eric Lundquist wrote that we have outsmarted our competition by not only focusing on bringing real economical value to the ongoing ‘green’ movement these days but doing so while others have focused on new home technology and such. “In a slow economy, companies are only going to invest in projects with a measurable ROI and a cost saving equation. In this shattered economy, the ROI imperative rules supreme.” Eric wrote. He went on to say “Microsoft and H-P took their eye off the ball when they all became enamored with developing in-home media networks rather than networks that would monitor and manage home power and utility use.” Thanks Eric. I of course agree. Hope all of you can see the geeky details behind all of this when we air our next TechWiseTV epsiode “Network Energy Efficiency” on February 19.

One of the most visited booths at NRF in New York was focused on security and the PCI Architecture that Cisco offers. This is always a sticky subject of course and it is interesting to see the foundational nature of security still given some focus in a bad economy. Now, in my experience, people talking about security and people actually working on it and/or spending money to improve can often be from two different groups. None-the-less, take a look at this short overview I got from Wayne Kennedy while I was out there.Robb

This can be a tough topic to understand for sure. A Private is not a VLAN nor do any of the essential VLAN rules apply. A VLAN is a layer 2 boundary and a Private VLAN is really a layer 1 boundary kinda… A Private VLAN is really port isolation. When I config up a private VLAN I am basically telling the switch, ignore port X from your bridge table. A Private VLAN is really allowing YOU the network admin to dictate communication behavior. Consider, I have a hotel or apartment and I want to provide Internet access for all folks BUT I do not want them to see each other. With the VLAN model, I have to route to do this PLUS carry all of the VLAN protocol overhead.A better way, would be to define one common port for Internet access that every port would access, lets say port 1. On a 48 port switch, the other 40 ports, need only to access port 1 and that is it, but the remaining 5 ports need to talk to each other because they are the door security system. So a private VLAN fits the bill here in a simple fashion. port 1 is a community port. I would set up a private vlan that would allow ports 2-43 to access only port 3 and the is it. Then another private vlan would be for my security system which would allow the doors to communicate with the server, but that is it.So the REAL question is, are they secure? Well, they can indeed isolate your ports in their own micro segment. If a hacker cracks one device they can not use it as a jumping off point to all the rest in that subnet. I caution folks when calling VLANs and Private VLANs a security feature. In my testing here in the code cave, I have noticed that a packet sent from a device on an isolated port to another device on another isolated port will not be passed by the switch. Works as planned right? Very true but a packet sent from a device to the MAC address of the default gateway will be passed through the switch. If at an IP layer, it’s addressed to another isolated device, the GW will pass it. I always recommend access lists as to protect against this behavior. I love ‘um and use them often, I just know they are part of my security tool chest and not the end all to be all. Of course in security, what is? Summing it up:Private VLANS: Are only used per switch.VLANS: can span the entire networkPrivate VLANS: allow only data traffic to and from the mapped portsVLANS: allow maintenance protocols per VLAN like NTP, VTP, ICMP, etcPrivate VLANS: have specific uses like; service providers, hotels, DMZ’sVLANS: are used for applications like wireless, voice, political boundaries, etc..Jimmy Ray Purser

The NRF (National Retail Federation Show) in New York last week had a ton of innovation. It was a much more technology laden conference than I would have expected despite the fact that it is one of the best ‘business oriented’ conferences around. The show floor was huge and packed. Packed with vendors of course…but a few less customers this year given the challenging economy. The overwhelming focus within every discussion was around the need to focus on investments that would not only bring measurable results but also bring them in the short term. I will be trickling out video that we captured at the event as things get edited. Scopix Solutions was in our Cisco ‘Connected Retail’ booth and had a small crowd consistently hovering as they were doing something that I did not know was even possible. Read More »

New Cisco technology called ‘EnergyWise’ is being announced today and we are very fortunate to be featuring it in our next episode ‘Network Energy Efficiency: The New Frontier’ on February 19. I used to think that ‘going green’ was perhaps not in line with basic business functions and the desire to make money. So given the state the economy is in, my first thought would have been that we are going to see rapid deceleration of green initiatives. Au contraire -- we are seeing much more evidience to the contrary: economic trouble is actually ‘driving’ green initiatives. We have covered the subject of green before our TechWiseTV episode 36: ‘Energy Efficiency in the Data Center’ . Cisco makes announcements today however that we are excited to be a part of. Read More »