Goodbye to 2008
Terry SlatterySo here we are at the end of another year. I've changed jobs and am now working for Chesapeake Netcraftsmen (netcraftsmen.net) and still blogging for Netcordia.
At Netcraftsmen, I'm getting back into a heavily technical role, transitioning from a heavy marketing support role. It is refreshing and challenging to get up to speed on all the details of things like QoS and MPLS. Passing the CCIE recert test is one thing, but making sure that the configuration you're going to deploy is something else. The syntax of the different queuing mechanisms of various pieces of hardware is something that can't be tested in the recert test, but you have to get it right in the real world.
I think this coming year will mark an interesting change in corporate networks. More of them will start using MPLS internally (not just VPNs provided by a carrier) and you'll find a need for tools to track MPLS VPNs. I can't tell whether the network management vendors provide something useful for us to use.
Another thing that I think will gain significant momentum this year is IPv6. The government mandate provided a bit of initiative to vendors. But the deadline passed without much fanfare, because the requirements were so minimal.
The international community is going to be driving the use of IPv6 and multinational companies will have to support it to do networking in many of the countries in which they operate. Finally, collaboration is starting to reach the point of critical mass. The tools that are available are now good enough that mass adoption is starting to take place. The energy crunch and economy makes it much more expensive to travel, so investing in collaboration is a wonderful alternative to extensive travel for a face-to-face meeting.
I'm looking forward to the new year and to see how the network industry handles these and other unforeseen changes.
-Terry
Terry Slatery asked us to post this invitation to join the Cisco Mid-Atlantic Users Group (C-MUG). The folks over at Chesapeake Netcraftsmen are a brain and are crwating a forum to share information with any interested network engineer in thei region. Go check it out and tell them Eman sent you!
Cisco University is now the Cisco Mid-Atlantic User's Group!
Chesapeake NetCraftsmen is proud to announce the formation of the new Cisco User’s Group for the Mid-Atlantic area. The Cisco Mid-Atlantic User’s Group (C-MUG) has evolved from the Cisco University presentations sponsored by the Virginia and Maryland Cisco sales teams. The new Cisco User’s Group will continue to bring you top-notch technical presentations and information on the latest Cisco technologies and products.
The first meeting will be held in two locations on successive days:
Thursday, January 15, 2009 9:00 a.m.:
Fraternal Order of Police Hall
711 4th Street, NW Washington DC
(1 block from Judiciary Square Metro)
Friday, January 16, 2009 9:00 a.m.:
Loyola College Graduate Center
Columbia Campus
8890 McGaw Rd
Columbia, MD 21045
The theme for this meeting is on network security and will feature two speakers.
Rob Chee, CCIE, Sr. Consultant at Chesapeake NetCraftsmen, will explain “How to Deploy Cisco Network Access Control”. Rob will show you various deployment methods you can use to get the most out of Cisco NAC. If you have been considering NAC for remote users, office users, or wireless users, you won’t want to miss this informative presentation.
Having problems with your PIX/ASA firewall? Eric Stuhl, CCIE, Sr. Consultant at Chesapeake NetCraftsmen will talk on “Troubleshooting PIX/ASA Firewalls.” You will learn expert techniques for diagnosing and repairing problems with your firewall.
Registration and map links may be found at:
https://www.123signup.com/event?id=ztcnn
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