Usually at shows like Interop Las Vegas 2013, attendees wander around the show floor looking at all the new products that are coming out from vendors. Now it is always exciting to see the latest and greatest technology coming out, but very often there is so much information to consume it is difficult to envision how these new products will solve problems that IT organizations are facing today.

Cisco is taking a different approach at Interop this year. In the Cisco booth there are a number of demo stations including the traditional new product demos, ask the experts stations, trivia games and many more, but in addition there are two unique demos the “Your NOC Your Way” Demo and the Unified Access Experience Demo that take a solution perspective to addressing top IT concerns.

1. The “Your NOC Your Way” Demo

This unique demo focuses on how Cisco solutions can aid in addressing the top concerns of network operations managers. Read More »

Tags: access, bring your own device, byod, challenge, Cisco, demo, Enterprise, experience, interop, las vegas, network, networking, NOC, problems, router, routing, solution, switching, unified, wi-fi, wifi, wireless

“We’ve tried, it can’t be automated!” I’ve heard this more times than I can keep track of and if you read my previous blog you will know that I just do not agree. I have written about automation with Linux utilities, UCS PowerTool, AutoHotKey, Excel, etc… 99.999% of operations can be automated. So when a customer tells me that something cannot be automated I usually respond with “Have you tried …?”

Here is the scenario; the customer has an automated build process for ESX hosts. At the point where the host is ready to be connected to the Nexus 1000V the process becomes manual. The customer would like to use VMWare PowerCLI to migrate the host interface but the Cmdlet to retrieve Distributed Virtual Switches, Get-VirtualSwitch, just returns the DVS objects,  there isn’t a Cmdlet to migrate the ESX vmnic interface.

Hold on a second, I know that VCenter knows about the Nexus 1000V because I see it in the interface. I know that VCenter can manipulate the Nexus 1000V because VCenter is where interface migration is done. I am fairly certain at this point that ESX interface migration from the VCenter vSwitch to the Nexus 1000V can be automated. But what to use to do it, there is no PowerCLI command like Set-ESXHostInterfaceToN1kv. This is typically where automation ends for many, sometimes you have to dive deep into the objects that the system manages and figure out what to do. Sometimes someone has already done a deep dive into something like what you are trying to do and maybe you can build off of their work.
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Tags: 1000V, automation, center, Cisco, data, infrastructure, nexus, PowerCLI, PowerShell, unified, VMware

The Global Certification Team (GCT) is proud to announce the addition of the Catalyst 6500-E to the Unified capabilities (UC) Approved Products List (APL).  The Cat6K was tested as a switch in Virtual Switching System (VSS) mode with Software Release (Rel.) 15.0(1)SY1, Tracking Number (TN) 1132001, as an Assured Services Local Area Network (ASLAN) -- Layer 2/Layer 3 Access, Core, and Distribution switch.  The UC APL Memo can be found here.

The Cisco® Catalyst® 6500 and 6500-E Series sets the new standard for IP Communications and application delivery in enterprise campus and service provider networks by maximizing user productivity and enhancing operational control. As the premier intelligent, multilayer modular Cisco switch, the Catalyst 6500 Series delivers secure, converged, end-to-end services, from the wiring closet to the core network, the data center, and the WAN edge.

For more information on the Catalyst 6500-E Series, please visit Cisco.com.

Tags: 6500, 6500-E, apl, approved, aslan, capabilities, catalyst, certification, certified, IOS, list, products, UC, unified, vss

Whether we’re at home or in the office, the truth is that all customers want choices. No one wants to be told they can only use one type of DVD player because it is the only one compatible with their television, and the same holds true in the enterprise.  In talking with our customers, we know that they want best-in-breed products. They want to know that whatever product they choose, it will work together seamlessly with their legacy devices to deliver uninterrupted access to the data center. That doesn’t seem unreasonable, does it?

I think that having choices is important – after all, who knows your data center better than you do? So, in keeping with my focus of listening to our customers, I am  excited to share with you that just like our Fabric Extender (FEX) collaboration last year with HP, we have most recently brought the FEX technology to the Fujitsu PRIMERGY blade chassis, giving joint customers an opportunity to further simplify data center access operations and improve productivity. The PRIMERGY Ethernet FEX, also know as the Cisco Nexus B22F, extends the Cisco Unified Fabric into the Fujitsu PRIMERGY Blade Chassis and offers operational simplicity at scale with a single point of management and policy enforcement.

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Tags: Cisco, data center, fabric, fex, Fujitsu, unified

The Global Certification Team (GCT) is proud to announce the following additions to the Unified Capabilities Approved Products List (UC APL):

• Cisco ONS 15310-Customer Location (CL) Rel. 9.2.1 TN 1023001, as a Fixed Network Element (F-NE).
• The Cisco ONS 15310-CL SONET Multiservice Platform is an economical, 1-rack unit (1RU)-high delivery platform optimized for use as the last network element—at the customer location (CL)—in a service provider’s network, or for use as an end node in enterprise or campus environments. The Cisco ONS 15310-CL takes advantage of the proven technology pioneered by the Cisco ONS 15454, the industry’s first and leading multiservice optical transport platform.
• Cisco ONS 15310-Metro Access (MA) Rel. 9.2.1 TN 1023002, as a F-NE.
• The Cisco ONS15310-MA is a carrier-class MSPP that efficiently switches Ethernet and TDM traffic for use in metropolitan and regional optical networks. With the flexibility and scalability that allow it to support DS1, DS3/EC1, OC-3 to OC-48 SONET, and Ethernet interfaces, the ONS 15310-MA is already a part of many North American service providers multiservice SONET and next-generation “triple play” and IPTV deployment strategies.
• Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Provisioning Platform (MSPP) Rel. 9.2.1 TN 1023003, as a F-NE.
• The Cisco ONS 15454 SONET Multiservice Provisioning Platform (MSPP) provides the functions of multiple network elements in a single platform. It supports common interfaces such as DS-1, DS-3, and EC-1 and data solutions including 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet solutions with OC-3 through OC-192 optical transport bit rates and integrated DWDM wavelengths.
• Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Transport Platform (MSTP) Rel. 9.2.1 TN 10230047, as a F-NE.
• The Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Transport Platform (MSTP) is the most deployed metropolitan-area (metro) and regional dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) solution in the world featuring two- through eight-degree reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) technology that enables wavelength provisioning across entire networks and eliminates the need for optical-to-electrical-to-optical (OEO) transponder conversions. The ONS 15454 MSTP interconnects with Layer-2, Layer-3 and storage area network (SAN) devices at rates up to 40 Gbps. It delivers any service type to any network location and supports all DWDM topologies.

The approval document is posted on the UC APL site at the following URL: https://aplits.disa.mil/processAPList.do

Tags: apl, approved, capabilities, certification, defense, dod, list, network, ons, Optical, products, system, UC, unified