John McDonough

9 min read

Learn how to use the UCS Python SDK to write less Python code, and still do everything with respect to the UCS Object Model

3 min read

What’s Up at Cisco Live Barcelona? You know it…I know it…automation is happening in the data center. So…are you ready to feel the code? I am, and I’m really excited about the line-up of sessions and hands-on workshops coming the DevNet Zone this month at Cisco Live in Barcelona, Spain. So much cool stuff to […]

7 min read

Let’s Connect What’s the hardest part about meeting someone new or going to another country or just interacting with something you are unfamiliar with? Typically, it’s how to start the interaction, how do you connect, stay connected, and reconnect. Sometimes the relationship or the place just doesn’t work out and then you have to leave […]

5 min read

You WANT to Automate! But Where to Start? You want to automate but not sure where to start or what tools to use or even what processes can be automated and if the thing you want to automate is even automatable. Does it offer an API? If it does, is there an SDK? Are there […]

3 min read

So, It's Thursday May 25th, the day after DevNet Create, Cisco DevNet's very first developer conference. It's kind of like the day after Christmas. What I mean by that is, that there is a tiny feeling of melancholy. You know what I mean? All the work and anticipation and then it's over and you're a little sad but still happy and ever so slightly you are looking forward to the next time. At least that is what I am experiencing, perhaps if I relive a little bit of DevNet Create I can shake off the blues.

4 min read

Cisco UCS was architected as a programmable infrastructure from its inception.

5 min read

During my college years, I worked for a major US airline. It was a great job but could get a little rough when faced with cancellations, overbookings, missed connections, etc. However, when faced with challenging situations I was always very calm. I recognized the passengers emotions associated with the situation were mostly because they had somewhere […]

2 min read

In middle school in the late 70s I took a test that was supposed to indicate my future career. The suggested careers were given a probability ranking. The top two results, by far were Entertainer at number 1 and Scientist at number 2, with the difference in probability between them almost imperceptible. Every other career […]

8 min read

I bought a used car this past weekend for my two teenagers to share, for school, work, getting around town, etc. It is a sensible car, four-wheel drive, high safety rating, decent gas mileage, few options and fewer distractions, a big difference from the ’72 TransAm I had as a teenager. Like the car I […]

4 min read

When I hear “hybrid” I think about cars. Those gas and electric cars that can switch to whichever power source is needed when it is needed the most or makes the most economical sense. The switch is, or at least should not be noticeable. Having been in a hybrid car I’ve experienced the switchover, the […]

3 min read

I have been out of college for almost 25 years and have been programming ever since.  However I was a programmer before I graduated, I was a programmer when in 7th grade I got to bring home a Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor), for a week at a time. I thought that everyone would want to bring […]

6 min read

Out with the old and in with the new and honestly I couldn’t be happier with the new that’s coming in. What is the new that I’m talking about? The Nexus 1000V REST API of course. I just finished writing scripts to manage (create, modify, delete) vlans and port-profiles on a Nexus 1000V using expect. […]

3 min read

Cisco UCS supports many compute nodes, in a data center there most likely will be more than one UCS system, managing hundreds of compute nodes. These UCS domains will probably have very similar requirements for VLANs, VSANs, vNIC and vHBA templates, Service Profiles templates, boot polices and etc. Are you tired of cutting and pasting, […]

3 min read

I always find it funny when there is a commercial for a product that is intended to help you but the commercial ends with a low talking voice that casually itemizes the potential side effects. And I usually laugh because I am reminded of the one time popular fat substitute that had a less than […]

2 min read

“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 […]