ESXi - install complete

The ESXi install was a bit of an anit-climatic event.

It's pretty easy. Kudos to VMware. Figuring out how everything is situated and how VM installs go was a bit harder. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around client vs. host. Once I figured out the ISO could be installed from the VSphere client machine's DVD drive, everything went smoothly.

Have a VM running Ubuntu 12.04, now and am getting ready to install another of Kali for some light Certified Ethical Hacker study.

This is kind of a lame post, so when I get done with my taxes, I'll do a screenshot walkthrough of the d/l, install, licensing, and then the install of Kali, for the ESXi noobs like myself.

Starting an ESXi 5.5 install.

So begins a foray into the VM world.

Installing ESXi onto the Dell Optiplex initially.

Good for only 60 days ?

Seems like others were not paying for this.

Adding more Storage... The hard way.

More noise, more power, moar FUN!!!

Adding a couple Terabits of Storage by fibre channel. It was cheap, and I still had a few fibre-channel cards from the Dell 2950 I had a while back. We'll see If I can get it up and running as a home storage solution on 2gbps links.

Carrier E-line topology updated

One SRX on it's way to a new home, the two NIB SRX's in beginning configuration to behave as much like MX'es as one can make them. Still deciding on the second switch, but am running directly from the SRX to the ADVA 825. I don't really need to add a switch on that side. On the West side I am simulating a carrier hotel situation where we provide services to multiple customers in the same building on a switch, which would IRL be an EX4200, too costly for simulation.

Topology for the almost finished Carrier E-Line network

After some good deal-making this last week, I'm one Juniper EX2200 short of my Point to Point Metro-Ethernet simulated network. The final EX2200 might morph to an EX3300 or EX4200 with some luck, or more likely, will be a an EX2200-C-12T, although I wouldn't rule out a Cisco ME3400.

Here will be the topology:

CCNA Voice lab beginning

To facilitate a few other possible projects in the future, I'm beginning the build of a CCNA Voice lab.

I'll be looking for a few more phones, and and modules, and will eventually set up a SIP based phone service here, possibly, just to say that I did it, maybe more, we'll see.

Ohh, and the T3600 is up and running, if a bit hampered by some Raid controller card issues on a single 64gb SSD for now.

These are the same workstations we use at work, but believe it or not, at 8gb of system ram in my home system, I have twice as much as my workstation at work. 

Our video cards, at work, on the other hand, are no slouches. We have two W7000, 4GB cards in each station. If you're asking why $1300 worth of Video cards, and only 4gb of system ram in a workstation that does no CAD/CAM, but runs 4-5 Java-heavy Element Management systems, you'd be asking the same question I do every day. I think I've finally goaded them into getting us 8-12gb loaded soon. 

Such is the life of being a technical employee under decidedly, non-technical managers. I had my shot to become one of them, but chose to stay on the Engineering track. I'll revisit management again someday, but I've still got a ton of training and study to do before I'd feel qualified to manage another engineer.

One step closer to a viable JNCIA-ENT/SEC lab

Just need to unload one SRX at a decent profit, and pick up a second EX switch with the proceeds. Might spring for a 3200 or 4200 if one comes along cheap enough.

CCP aka Cisco Configuration Professional

I've had a real dearth of posts lately, due to both inherent craziness at work, and a couple other projects that I'm working on.

The HomeLab business was dry for a few months, then picked up with a vengeance right at Christmas. I sold 7 configured Labs over a two week period, ending the very last day of the year. Now that everything is shipped, I can get back to the projects I've been working on.

One of the projects will be... sometimes I forget the title of the Blog, "CCNP or Bust". It probably seems to the outsider, that it's more Bust than CCNP, but because of the limited use of Cisco gear at my day/night job, having the CCNP is less of a driving force. Becoming a well rounded network engineer, is more of a concern with the MEF-CECP a much more desired certification where I work.

That said, I'll be back focusing on the CCNP between February and the end of March, with a desired completion date of March 27th. There is a good reason for this, so the posts will probably be coming in a flurry between the beginning of February and that date.

I likely will be trying to take Switch around the end of Feb. So as the kids say... "It's on like Donkey Kong"

I have a few toys coming as well. I have a Dell Precision workstation, a T3600, identical to the workstations we have at work arriving today. Only thing it's missing are the dual W7000 Video cards that they (for whatever reason) Spec'ed our systems with. It's a bit of an example of what it's like to work at a company in which most of the people, apparently, even our IT department, don't really have a good grasp on what we do. $1300 for dual 4GB video cards, but only 4Gb of system ram. One can only chuckle. I picked up the entire workstation, with 8GB of system ram, for likely, less than my company paid for ONE of the video cards in my workstation at work. I estimate we probably overspent around $30,000 on our workstations.
I picked this up to run ESXi vm's for various reasons, including the evaluation version of Cisco Unified Connection manager, eventually.

I also have two more Juniper SRX210's on the way to facilitate a focus on the JNCIA-ENT after the CCNP is finished. At some point, I'd like to get out of NOC work, and into a 9-5, Monday through Friday position. I don't mind dealing with the occasional emergency network situation, but after nearly 8 years of constant Fiber cut/Network outage management, it's beginning to wear on me.


That all said I do have a subject here, and it aligns with one of my other projects, to be named later...

Cisco Configuration Pro. Something one will have to have some experience with for some of the new CCNA tests, and likely the CCNP when a likely revamp of those come.

I've set it up seriously for the first time. I have an 1841 discovered and now a 3560.

There are a few simple configurations you will need to get a node discovered.

• interface configured on the network you have your PC running CCP on.
• username, privilege, and secret password for the device.
• VTY configured with priviledge, local login, and transport inputs set

and that's pretty much it