CCIE-V Lab Strategy Part 1 - Formulate Your Strategy

I know what you are thinking, yet another blog on CCIE-V test taking strategy. Well, of course I would do that. It is almost a right of passage. An obligatory first step for any who have passed the exam. It is a glorious sign that you have arrived! Right? Not really. It is actually a sign that you have nothing better to do and are struggling with how to burn through the huge amount of free time that now lay in front of you! 

So, yes I am going to talk about test taking strategy. This started as just a single blog entry and then I realized it was becoming a little too long for just one blog. I wouldn't really go as far as saying this will be a series but it is certainly going to be more than one entry. 

For part 1, I wanted to walk through a couple strategies I came across as I was trying to determine my own path. I also want to discuss some of the factors you should account for when coming up with your own, personal strategy. You see, I believe that a well-prepared candidate will have a strategy that is unique to them. Even if that strategy borrows heavily from other approaches. You don't want to blindly follow someone else's strategy just because they appear to know what they are talking about. Listen, learn, and form your own opinion. 

Using SQL to Look at EM Profile MOH Sources

In this installment of the SQL query series I wanted to actually explore a request that came by way of the Cisco Support Community. The scenario/question:

What would the query be to obtain the MOH source for DN's that are assigned to EM Profiles?

The individual posing the question was primarily interested in listing MOH sources for directory numbers associated with Extension Mobility profiles. The query to grab this data is a simple variation on a query I presented a few months ago in the blog entry: Using SQL to Look at MOH Source Configurations.

Read the News Today, Oh Boy! I Passed the CCIE in Cisco RTP

Yesterday, I sat for the CCIE Voice lab in RTP.  At 0300 EDT my mailbox received the grade notice. A few hours later I actually opened the email and followed the link to get my exam report. 

For some reason I stared at the screen for what seemed forever before it sunk in that I passed this beast. Though, in a way I am still numb. 

Multi-Step Upgrade: DRS Tip

I am in the process of doing a multi-step upgrade from 6.1 to 8.6 and I figured that while my DRS restore was chugging along I'd take a quick moment to post a tip to the ol' blog. On this particular project we are pulling a DRS backup from the production system and taking it off site to one of our labs. From there, I am doing a restore to a MCS host I have in the lab and stepping the UCM publisher through the upgrade process. 

There is a teeny weeny hurdle you could run into during this process. Particularly when you are creating a DRS backup device to take the newly upgrade image back to the production environment. 

If you are doing something like what I describe above and are seeing an error message on the DRS Backup Device page that says something like <spicolivoice> "Duuude, I'd like to help ya out brah but the Local Agent has bailed on us...." </spicolivoice> then I may have the fix you need.

CCIE-V "I Shoulda' Checked That" Tip #5: Dial-Peer Zero is Bad Like Vad

This is the fifth installment in what I am calling the "I Shoulda' Checked That" series. The inspiration for this series is covered in the first installment. To save readers some time, I am going to jump right into things. On this go around, I am going to discuss the fifth tip of the series: Don't Forget Dial-Peer 0. 

Cisco UC Apps Native Prompt Recording - CCIE-V

There are several applications that are in the CCIE-V blueprint that may require a candidate to create a custom recording or prompt. Unity Connection, Unified Contact Center Express, BACD, and Unity Express all leverage prompts in some way. All of these applications, save BACD, also have the ability to record prompts. So, the question becomes what approach (or approaches) do you apply when sitting for the exam? 

In the "real" world you probably have tools that you have grown accustom to using. I have a set that I discuss in a UC Toolkit series hosted on the NetCraftsmen site. Unfortunately, you won't have access to 3rd party tools and will need to make do with the inherent capabilities of the UC applications in the blueprint. 

There are a variety of ways to address the need. I have played around with a few options and I figured I would share my approach. Just in case someone else may find it useful. 

Unlocking Jabber Video Sign-In Preferences for Jabber.com

Recently, I was doing some testing with the Jabber Video for TelePresence (Movi) client. I was all set to go. I had my Jabber client loaded on my iPad, my VCS up and humming (loudly, I might add), and the Jabber Video client running on my MBP. I wanted to add another client to the mix, so I figured I would use the Jabber Video client on my iMac. This client was configured to use the free Jabber service (jabber.com) and I found out that I was unable to edit the server configuration. 

I found an easy (albeit unsupported) fix to the problem and I figured it was worth sharing.