VoIP

Cisco’s John Chambers answers questions from Twitter

During Cisco Live 2009, @CiscoSystems Twitter followers submitted questions for John Chambers the CEO of Cisco. Their questions regarding the companys overall strategy, Flip, video, and smart grid technology are answered in this video.

Spiceworks 4.0 released with Twitter intergration

In the past, I have taken a look at SpiceWorks network management tool. ISurprisingly, it is a completely free tool and, to add some icing on that cake, they are based out of my home state - Texas.

So, when they contacted me to let me know that they were releasing a new major upgrade to SpiceWorks, I thought I would try to help them get the word out here.

The latest rev offers Twitter Integration, 3rd Party Application Plug-ins and Network Mapping. Here are the details on those features from the SpiceWorks press release:

• Network Mapping – the fully-integrated network mapping application automatically creates network diagrams that graphically display network elements, their relationships, and bandwidth consumption. The “Hotspot” mode uses enhanced visualization features to help IT managers visually monitor and troubleshoot network problems in real-time.
• Management Application Plug-ins – top technology vendors, including Microsoft, LiveOffice, Intel and Trend Micro, have built management widgets that plug into Spiceworks to help users better manage technology from those vendors. The LiveOffice Mail Archive Widget, for example, allows users to archive email accounts from within Spiceworks in a couple of clicks. The Microsoft License Organizer allows users to automatically track Microsoft licenses and to order additional licenses when needed. Additionally, Intel offers a plug-in that allows IT pros to see which computers are vPro-enabled.
• Help Desk Tickets Anywhere – users can control the Spiceworks help desk from any email-enabled device, including mobile phones. With a few simple key strokes, users can create new tickets, edit & update existing tickets, and delete tickets from anywhere – whether right next to a user’s desktop or half-way across town.
• Social Windows Event and Twitter Alerts – users can now see how other IT pros have prioritized and managed various Windows Events. With one-click they can view Windows event background pages and read community group discussions on how to best troubleshoot and resolve related problems. In addition, activity updates sent from within Spiceworks can now be automatically updated or “cc:’d” to a user’s Twitter account. These features help small businesses to use social networking tools to resolve and stay better informed on IT issues.

You can try out the latest version for yourself (no evaluation timeout) by signing up at the SpiceWorks website. I figure that if its already used by 700,000 IT Professionals, I can’t go wrong!

Stay up to date on Cisco networking with Twitter

Do you want to get the latest Cisco news? Ever used Twitter?

Twitter is the *BEST* place to stay up to date because its REAL TIME. Here are the best Cisco Networking resources on follow on Twitter:

• @CiscoSystems
• @CiscoSubnet
• @CiscoPress
• @CiscoIT
• @CiscoNews
• @Cisco_Insights

And finally, if you are going to follow those “in the know” in Cisco networking, why not follow me? You can do that at- @davidmdavis

Exploring entry-level options for using VoIP

In my article Exploring entry-level options for using VoIP, I cover your choices for getting into the world of VoIP with a VoIP phone system. Cisco, and other companies, have some great options that you should consider before dropping $20K with a local PBX vendor who sells you a some overpriced PBX that also does VoIP.

To learn more, read my artcile Exploring entry-level options for using VoIP

Exploring entry-level options for using VoIP

So what is the least expensive way to get your foot in the door with VoIP? What if you have a “shoestring budget”? I know, I have been there. Network Admins may not be crazy about moving all compan voice to VoIP and having to administer it. However, most Network Admins are interested in learning about VoIP. Learn how you can begin learning about VoIP at the lowest cost possible in my most recent TechRepublic article: Exploring entry-level options for using VoIP.

Virtual conferences rooms – almost like being face to face

Cisco has uniquely cornered the market on tele conferencing with the introduction of Cisco TelePresence.  Many companies are utilizing this feature to save on time and travel but are still getting the work done. It has value added to it by ease of operation and you don’t have to add new infrastructure to your network to use it.  “Cisco Telepresence gives us the experience and benefit of actually being in the room with colleagues on the other side of the world, without having to pack a suitcase.”, says Chief Information Officer Ken Henry of HSBC. And of course, Cisco is preserving our future environment by having companies use less travel and therefore less carbon dioxide in the air.  For further information on this article, please see my article on TelePresence at:   What is Cisco Telepresence and what does it take?

Cisco announces Personal Telepresence!

Gee, how do I get one of those Telepresence things on my desk? Can I get one free if I open a bank account or buy a the Kraft-O-Matic bed? Well, not yet but Telepresence is being brought down more to the “personal” level and is becoming more affordable (if you call $33,000 USD affordable). Seriously, I do look forward to the day when everyone will have one, however, when I am that age, maybe I won’t be as handsome and won’t want to be seen on High Definition TV anymore (ha-ha).

Checkout this story on the new Personal Cisco Telepresence units…

ALSO, please checkout my article on Cisco Telepresence if you are unfamiliar with it-
Petri Knowledgebase: What is Cisco Telepresence and what does it take?

Continued »

Understanding Cisco DSL Statistics

Recently, a user on my website, GaryV, had a question about how to understand Cisco DSL statistics. In his troubleshooting process, he was able to gain a lot of valuable information from the Cisco TAC. He wanted to share that information with everyone else so perhaps it would help someone else, the next time you are trying to understand Cisco DSL statistics.

The full message text can be found here.

Below, is the post from GaryV, which details how to understand and interpret Cisco DSL statistics:

===========================================================================

I did have some degree of success with AT&T, and I actually got a response from the ATM group at Cisco. Hopefully this will be useful to other readers as well…

First, here is what I have so far from Cisco TAC, and they indicate there is more to come.

To troubleshoot Layer 1 problems, you can use the show dsl interface atm 0 command to verify that the Cisco 877 router is trained to the DSLAM. If the Cisco 877 router is successfully trained to the DSLAM, this command will also display the trained upstream and downstream speed in kbps.

Now, the definitions:

Noise Margin (also signal-to-noise ratio)
When DSL service is provisioned in a DSLAM, the minimum acceptable noise margin is usually specified. CAP DSL service is typically provisioned with a downstream margin of 3 dB and an upstream margin of 6 dB. Research has shown that the optimum margins for DMT service are 6 dB downstream and 6 dB
upstream.

Avoiding configuring a DSL service with more noise margin than appropriate is important because the system will train to an unnecessarily low DSL rate to provide the specified margin. It is also important to avoid specifying an exceptionally low margin, such as 1 dB downstream and 1 dB upstream because a small increase in noise level on the transmission line would probably
result in excessive errors and a subsequent retraining to a lower DSL rate.

Increasing the transmit power levels will also improve the noise margin but at the cost of interfering with other services in the same cable.

Most DSLAMs and CPE report both the provisioned and actual noise margins for each DSL line. If the actual margin is higher than the provisioned margin, the line should provide an acceptable error rate at the present DSL line rate. As the actual margin drops below the provisioned margin, there is a
high probability of an excessive error rate and subsequent retrain to a lower DSL rate.

Attenuation
Attenuation generally refers to any reduction in the strength of any type of signal, whether digital or analog. More precisely in the case of DSL, attenuation is the normal loss of signal strength over distance. Attenuation specifically is a logarithmic function of the power setting. As power increases, attenuation increases logarithmically. Also called simply loss, attenuation is a natural consequence of signal transmission over long
distances. The extent of attenuation is usually expressed in units called decibels (dB).

Capacity Used
Percentage of the capacity that is being used.

Now something actually useful.
Here are ranges for these values that I received from an AT&T provisioning engineer.

For Noise Margin: (the higher this value, the better)
8-13 Average
14-22 Very Good
23-28 Excellent

For Attenuation: (the lower this value, the better)
20-30 Excellent
30-40 Very Good
40-60 Average

I will append any additional information I get from Cisco.

Regards,
Gary

============================================================================

-David
Personal Website: HappyRouter.com - home of Cisco how-to articles & videos
David Recommends:
HappyRouter Cisco VMware Workstation & Server Video Training Series
HappyRouter Cisco CCNA & CCNP Video Training Series

Vendor Analysis of Qwest

Are you a current user or Qwest, are you considering changing to Qwest, or do you just want to stay up to date on the telecom industry? If so, you will be interested in this.

IDC Research recently released their 2007 Vendor Profile of Qwest, entitles “Targeting the Enterprise, Qwest Reshapes Its Strategy. This 15 page reports runs for $3500. (w0w) But, don’t worry, I’m not suggesting you pay that for a 15 page report. (And if you have a spare $3500 for a 15 page report just let me know and I will write one for you).

To save you the time and trouble of trying to obtain and read this let me give you a little synopsis…

• Qwest is trying to become more business-oriented
• The reorganization by Qwest to refocus on the enterprise is good for potential customers, like you and I
• Qwest won and participated in the Government’s Networx contract.
• Qwest is moving into metro markets in the US
• Qwest is trying to improve processes, train employees, and improve customer support
• Qwest has a nationwide fibre MPLS backbone in 48 states
• It is trying to expand metro Ethernet into 32 markets
• Qwest made $593 million in 2006 and business so far in 2007 has been basically flat
• Qwest says that 95% of the Fortune 500 are its clients

Overall, according to the analysis, Qwest is a strong company and the have a lot of opportunities ahead that can demonstrate their capabilities. The new CEO needs to ensure that the company stays in the right direction.

My personal feelings on Qwest are that they have come a long long way since they were US West. My poor experience was with their local techs. In the last 5 or so years, I have become increasingly pleased with their local techs and their local salespeople. The company seems to have strong offerings that can be very tempting at times. I have heard that they have had trouble with their Inegrated Access Nationwide VoIP network that they offer to businesses. I hope that they can stabilize that because their integrated access VoIP / Internet solution is a nice offering.

What is your take on Qwest? Love em’ or Hate em’? Do you use them? Please post your comments here!

Thanks….. David
Personal Website: HappyRouter.com - home of Cisco how-to articles & videos
David Recommends:
HappyRouter Cisco VMware Workstation & Server Video Training Series
HappyRouter Cisco CCNA & CCNP Video Training Series