IP/Ethernet to Fibre Channel Translation Guide (Including Brocade FOS vs Cisco NX-OS)

Being very familiar with NX-OS based Fibre Channel (FC) Fabrics, when I was presented with a Brocade (now Broadcom) FC fabric, first thing I googled was “Cisco to Brocade FC translation” and a few other variants. My searches mostly came up empty. That’s why I decided to create my own “translation” table.

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This table will definitely help me in being able to learn about and manage Brocade FC fabric.

Continue reading “IP/Ethernet to Fibre Channel Translation Guide (Including Brocade FOS vs Cisco NX-OS)”

Free Brocade Fibre Channel Training

Continuing on with a series of free and/or cost effective training options, here is yet again another blog post about free training! – this time courtesy of Brocade (aka Broadcom).

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Now this training would be quite job specific and/or organization specific. If you are already working in an environment where Brocade fibre channel infrastructure exists, want to learn about Fibre Channel technology in general, or have an interview coming up where you need to brush up on your fibre channel skills, this is a great FREE resource to get you up to speed.

How can you get started?

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Free CISSP Course on Cybrary.it

UPDATE: Check out my more recent blog post on how to achieve your CISSP certification

I feel like I have been on a roll with blogs relating to free or very cost effective training options!

Latest in the series is a great FREE course by Kelly Handerhan on Cybrary.it

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This course is really meant as an introductory course to CISSP. In it, you will gain about 20-30% of the knowledge you need to pass the CISSP exam. You will need to supplement this course with other training material if you plan attain the CISSP certification…

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Great quality and FREE ACI Training!

I just came across this great quality AND FREE Cisco ACI Training by LumosCloud!

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClzKhGbl3TTJoUPpYxGHV2A/videos

Just about 15 months ago, I paid good money for the first version of their training. This newer version, available for free at the link above, seems to be just as great in quality and super comprehensive too.

Of course, Cisco has some pretty great ACI labs also available for free on dCloud (which I have mentioned a couple of times before). With the above combination, you can learn Cisco ACI in pretty great depth.

I am still trying to figure out what the catch is with the Lumos’s free training. Until then, enjoy! 😉

Packet capture on NX-OS

NX-OS has had the great Ethanalyzer feature since very early versions. It allows you to perform limited packet captures directly on your NX-OS based switch!

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It is however a pain to use practically and has lots of limitations. One of the biggest limitations is that it can only capture traffic hitting the CPU – so you are limited to control plane and management plane traffic only. That however is key to solving many problems that are often associated with (or blamed on) the network.

Here is an example that captures, displays and filters ARP packets processed through the switch these commands are being performed on.

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Reach out for career advice!

I’ve been blessed with a great career in IT. I’ve had the honor of mentoring numerous individuals with their careers in IT – and one thing that I see happening consistently is that the ones that are typically the MOST qualified are the LEAST HESITANT in asking for help. Many people whom I’ve mentored have advanced degrees and certifications – like MSc, CCIE, even Phd., and other certifications, who are far more qualified than I am – and they are the ones reaching out for guidance!
What I’ve learned from this is that those are not afraid of asking for help, and don’t let their ego or nervousness or hesitation or riskiness or whatever else may be holding them back get in the way, end up being most successful.

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Simple Multicast Testing Tool for Windows

After multicast has been configured on the network, one of the biggest challenges tends to involve actually testing multicast functionality in between two Windows machines (physical or VMs) connected via the network.

In the past, I’ve just used iPerf and/or multicast video streaming via VLC, which are still valid and great testing options, but, sometimes when using these tools, I’m often second guessing my self as to whether or not I am even using the tool correctly and legitimately generating the multicast stream that I intend to generate. Part of the problem is that iPerf can be complicated to use, and VLC multicast streaming can be buggy.

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Singlewire Multicast Testing Tool

I would still continue to use the iPerf/jPerf and VLC multicast video streaming method, which can be a good way to test throughput, however, I’ve now come across new VERY SIMPLE tool to validate basic multicast connectivity, the Singlewire Mutlicast Testing Tool (free).

Continue reading “Simple Multicast Testing Tool for Windows”

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