Using SQL to Verify Configurations for CCIE-V Lab

It was bound to happen: two separate blog series have collided. Ever since I started down the path of getting the CCIE-V I have been thinking of ways to leverage the
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) CLI to speed up the provisioning process. In most cases, I have determined that while I could do some complex provisioning from the CLI it didn't really save much time (or, in many cases, it cost more time).

That isn't to say there aren't some shortcuts available via the CLI. In fact, I think using SQL select queries from the CLI can save time when doing verification. A case in point: this past week I had a problem with RSVP between two sites that resulted from a configuration issue. I used SQL to identify the configuration issue and eventual fix in about 1.5 minutes.

Coming Down from the CCIE-V Bootcamp High

Last week I was out in San Jose, CA for the CCIE-V "One Week Lab Experience" delivered by IPexpert. Now that I am back home, I am starting to go through withdrawal. I think I would like a 3-week bootcamp! That would be a lot of fun. I suppose you would learn something too. However, that isn't really what I enjoyed the most about the experience. I enjoyed having an excuse to focus my full attention on a specific task.

I put the bootcamp experience up there with the various Cisco Proof Of Concept (CPOC) sessions that I have had the good fortune of being involved with. It is a real joy to focus on a task that allows you to build something from the ground up.

If you are pursuing a CCIE and have the means, you should invest in the bootcamp experience. I think it is worth it just to have an excuse to focus on the technology. Not to mention, I definitely think it will go a long way to ensuring success when sitting for the exam.

Taming Dial-Peers for CCIE-V Lab

Accuracy and efficiency are two critical success criteria for the IE lab. I know that this is not a monumental revelation! On my own personal journey, I am starting to develop/adapt strategies for taking the test and tactics for streamlining execution. You need both. 

You need a strategy so that you don't get lost. There are several popular strategies, but you have to pick one (or create one) that works for you.


You also need to put together some tactics for executing specific tasks. This is different than having a strategy for taking the test. Think of the test-taking strategy as a "macro-level" thought process and the tactical execution of tasks as a "micro-level" process. They work together and can, if you aren't careful, work against each other. 

You can come up with strategies/tactics on your own or you can adapt these from your contemporaries that are on the same journey as you. I recommend that you explore the latter approach first. There are lots of good ideas out there. In fact, the topic of today's blog is to discuss having a convention for creating dial-peers, translation rules, and translation profiles. The approach provided is a combination of an idea I got from the ipExpert boot camp and my own method for building out dial-peers in production environments.

Cisco Jabber for iPad Pt 2 Individual Accounts and Hosted Services

Last month I posted a blog on provisioning Cisco Jabber for iPad to use CUPS and CUCM. For part deux, I wanted to switch gears and provide a walk through for provisioning the Jabber client to use hosted services for Presence and video. 

Namely, I am going to discuss using Cisco WebEx Connect for IM/Presence and Cisco's Jabber Video for TelePresence (or as I like to call it, @jabber.com). It is worth noting that we are going to explore the "Personal Account" provisioning track here. That means discussion of WebEx Connect with CUCM or Cisco VCS won't be front and center. That will come later.

CCIE-V Understanding Basic MGCP Ingress Call Setup

About two weeks ago I posted an article on Understanding Basic MGCP Egress Call Setup. At the same time I started an outline and collected traces for the "ingress" view of MGCP. Then a "little bird" told me about a blog article that Vik Malhi posted on http://blogs.ipexpert.com that covers dissection of the ingress call. Vik's article breaks it down quite nicely (no big surprise here) and there is no sense in duplicating effort!

Vik's article is entitled: MGCP T-Shoot Call Setup and Tear-down. It is a good read as is his other articles on the ipExpert site. Good job Vik and many thanks for all of your contributions to growing our collective knowledge and understanding.

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CCIE-V Looking at SIP Call Setup from UCM to ITSP

As I mentioned in a previous blog on MGCP Egress Call Setup, I have been studying for the CCIE-V and putting some emphasis on getting cozy with trace files. This is a necessary aspect of the IE voice exam. In what may become a series, I am taking my notes and dumping them in the ol' blog blender. 

In this installment, I want to walk through a SIP call setup scenario.

Interview on Cisco Support Community

Recently I was interviewed for the Cisco Support Community, which is an online technical support forum for Cisco Systems. The content of that interview is available here. I wanted to thank Dan Bruhn and Litsa Pitsillidou for setting up the interview and for their (as well as their team's) dedication  to making the Cisco Support Community so successful!

I'd also like to thank Litsa and Rhonda Raider (Raider Communications, Inc.) for conducting the interview. You're tops in my book!

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