Subnetting Practice Program

A quick link to an online subnetting practice program.

http://faculty.valleycollege.net/rpowell/jscript/subnet2.htm

Cisco IOS XE End-of-Life Guidelines

Located at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/routers/ps9343/product_bulletin_c25-448258.html

Introduction

This product bulletin describes the end-of-sale and end-of-life (EoL) guidelines for Cisco IOS® XE Software on the Cisco® ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Router.

Cisco IOS XE Software is a time-based release as opposed to a feature-based release. Consequently, these end-of-sale and EoL guidelines of the Cisco IOS XE Software differ from the guidelines of other traditional Cisco IOS Software releases. This product bulletin outlines these differences and describes the standard end-of-sale and EoL milestones.

Cisco IOS XE Software Release

Cisco is introducing a new software release and a specific EoL guidelines with the introduction of the first Cisco IOS XE Software release. Cisco IOS XE Software provides for more frequent releases and quicker obsolescence of individual software releases, enabling Cisco to introduce a greater number of stable IOS XE Software releases with fewer new features in each release. As a result, the customer release qualification time of each release may be reduced.

The architecture of the Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Router is designed with In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) capabilities. End users can usually perform hitless software upgrades while the system is in service.

The Cisco IOS XE Software releases are time-based, each with a fixed release date, as opposed to feature-based releases, with a variable release date. The schedule specifies three individual software releases at 4-month intervals within a 12-month cycle.

Cisco IOS XE Software Support

Each Cisco IOS XE software release is classified as either a Standard-Support or Extended-Support release. A Standard-Support release has a sustaining support lifetime of one year from FCS with two scheduled rebuilds. These rebuilds are typically released at a two month interval after First-Customer-Ship (FCS) of the affected IOS XE software release.

The Extended-Support release provides a sustaining support lifetime of two years from FCS with four scheduled rebuilds. The first two of these rebuilds are released at two-month intervals after FCS of the subject IOS XE software release while the second two rebuilds are released at a four-month interval thereafter.

Cisco makes no commitment to introduce software fixes to the affected IOS XE Software release after the final planned rebuild release.

Software issues found after the final rebuild release will be fixed in a subsequent major IOS XE Software releases until the End of Software Maintenance Support (EoSWM) milestone. An exception may arise to address mission-critical, high-severity software fixes and security vulnerabilities which may result in an additional rebuild release after the final scheduled rebuild date (but before the EoSWM milestone) on an as-needed basis at the discression of Cisco. No software fixes will be introduced to the affected IOS XE software release after the EoSWM milestone.

After the EoSWM milestone, the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) will provide customer support on the affected IOS XE Software release within the guidelines set by existing Cisco EoL policies at the EoSW milestone.

Cisco IOS XE Software Release Schedule

Cisco IOS XE Software releases 2.1 through 2.3 are Standard-Support releases. Release 2.4 is the first Extended-Support release. After release 2.4, every third IOS XE Software release will be an Extended-Support release. Table 1 defines the support models used by each of the IOS XE Software releases through Release 2.13.

Table 1. Cisco IOS XE Software Release Support

Support Model	IOS XE Release
Standard-Support	2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.8, 2.9, 2.11, 2.12
Extended-Support	2.4, 2.7, 2.10, 2.13

End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Guideline Definition

The Cisco IOS XE Software's end-of-sale and EoL guidelines have pre-set time intervals for each of the EoL milestones. These time intervals are based on the support model of the affected Cisco IOS XE Software version. Table 2 summarizes the end-of-sale and EoL milestones for Cisco IOS XE Software releases.

Table 2. Cisco IOS XE Software End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Milestones by Release

Milestone	Definition	Timing
First-Customer-Ship (FCS)	The date at which the affected Cisco IOS XE Software release is made available to Cisco customers.	Begins affected Cisco IOS XE software release lifetime.
End-of-Life Announcement Date	The date the document that announces the end of sale and end of life of a product is distributed to the general public.	At FCS for Standard-Support releases.
		Six (6) months after FCS for Extended-Support releases.
End of Planned SW Maintenance Release Date*	The last date that Cisco Engineering may release a software maintenance release in an affected Cisco IOS XE Software release. After this date, maintenance rebuilds and software-fix support will be provided only through subsequent major Cisco IOS XE Software releases until the End of Software Engineering Maintenance Support (EoE) date of the affected release.	Four (4) months after FCS for Standard-Support releases.
		One (1) year after FCS for Extended-Support releases.
End-of-Sale Date	The last date to order the product through Cisco point-of-sale mechanisms. The product is no longer for sale after this date.	Nine (9) months after FCS for Standard-Support releases.
		One (1) year after FCS for Extended-Support releases.
End of Software Maintenance Support (EoSWM) Date	Date when Cisco Engineering no longer provides bug fixes to software.	One (1) year after FCS for Standard-Support releases.
		Two (2) years after FCS for Extended-Support releases.
Last Date of Support	The last date to receive service and support for the product. After this date, all support services for the product are unavailable, and the product becomes obsolete.	Five (5) years after End-of-Sale date for either Standard-Support or Extended-Support releases.

* An additional rebuild release may be released after the final rebuild date to address mission-critical, high-severity software fixes and security vulnerabilities (before the EoSWM date) on an as-needed basis at the discretion of Cisco Systems, Inc.

The Cisco IOS XE Software end-of-sale and End of Software Maintenance Support (EoSWM) timeline for Standard-Support releases shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Cisco ASR 1000 Series Router Standard-Support Software End-of-Life Timeline

The Cisco IOS XE Software end-of-sale and End of Software Maintenance Support (EoSWM) timeline for Extended-Support releases shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Cisco ASR 1000 Series Router Extended-Support Software End-of-Life Timeline

Upgrade Paths

Customers are encouraged to migrate to one of the Extended-Support releases (Cisco IOS XE Software release 2.4,2.7, 2.10, 2.13, etc.) when the release becomes available with appropriate features for the applications.

Customer Notifications

Cisco will issue individual EoL bulletins for each software release affected by an EoL plan. Standard-Support releases will have an EoL announcement published at FCS. Extended-Support releases will have an EoL announcement published six months after FCS.

Cisco Services

Cisco offers a wide range of services programs to accelerate customer success. These innovative services programs are delivered through a unique combination of resources, processes, tools, and partners, resulting in high levels of customer satisfaction. Cisco services help you protect your network investment, optimize network operations, and prepare your network for new applications to extend network intelligence and the power of your business. For more information about Cisco Services, refer to Cisco Technical Support Services at: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/svcs/ps3034/serv_category_home.html or Cisco Advanced Services at: http://www.cisco.com/go/services.

For More Information

Please refer to product bulletin PB448387, "Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco ASR 1000 Series Routers", for more information about the overall software release strategy for the Cisco ASR 1000 Series products.

For more information about the Cisco ASR 1000 Series Routers, visit http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9343/index.html or contact your local Cisco account manager.

For information about Cisco service and support programs and benefits, visit: http://www.cisco.com/public/Support_root.shtml.

6509 Dual SUP File Copy

A little tidbit about copying files from the primary SUP to the redundant SUP when doing an IOS upgrade or for any other reason. You need to copy that same file to the redundant SUP to make sure it boots up as well. If not it will not boot and show up as Other status and a diagnostics of not applicable.

General Copy from TFTP to Flash
6509#copy ftp flash
Address or name of remote host [10.1.1.1]?
Source filename [s72033-ipservicesk9_wan-mz.122-33.SXH5.bin]? /desktop/s72033-ipservicesk9_wan-mz.122-33.SXH5.bin
Destination filename [flash]? s72033-ipservicesk9_wan-mz.122-33.SXH5.bin
Accessing ftp://10.1.1.1//desktop/s72033-ipservicesk9_wan-mz.122-33.SXH5.bin...
Loading /desktop/s72033-ipservicesk9_wan-mz.122-33.SXH5.bin !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[OK - 74788836/4096 bytes]

74788836 bytes copied in 184.176 secs (406073 bytes/sec)

Now Copy from the file from the Primary SUP to the Redundant SUP
6509#copy disk0: slavedisk0:
Source filename []? s72033-ipservicesk9_wan-mz.122-33.SXH5.bin
Destination filename [s72033-ipservicesk9_wan-mz.122-33.SXH5.bin]?
Copy in progress... CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
74788836 bytes copied in 262.984 secs (284385 bytes/sec)

If you have (Other) instead of (Hot) in the top section and a Not Applicable in the bottom section when executing a show module command, your Redundant SUP likely did not boot properly. This will happen if you forget to copy over the IOS to the Redundant SUP module.

Look at Cisco IOS XE

Micheal Morris posted a nice article on Cisco IOS XE over at Network World Cisco Subnet.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/37762

Cisco / VUE “Come Back 2009” Promotion

http://vue.com/cisco/comeback2009/

From the link:

“Come Back 2009” Promotion

Here’s how to redeem your Cisco “Come Back 2009” Exam:

Register for an exam at full price. If you fail the exam, you may schedule a free retake of the same exam by entering the promotion code: COMEBACK2009 at the time of registration.

Offer only valid for Career Certifications and Specialization Exams (not valid on online exams or the CCDE Practical Exam – 352-011). NOTE: All exams needed for a certification must be taken to gain back your certification.

CCIE Security Lab Updates

Cisco released a statement for an update to the CCIE Security Lab.

"An updated version of the popular CCIE Security Lab Exam will be made available April 20, 2009. As previously announced, Cisco has refreshed the exam with the latest Cisco equipment and software to mirror the job knowledge and skills needed by security professionals. In addition, a continued emphasis has been placed on troubleshooting to recognize the operating challenges faced by IT departments. Candidates scheduling their lab exams April 20, 2009 or later should prepare using the CCIE Lab Exam v3.0 Overview, the CCIE Security Lab Exam Blueprint and the CCIE Security Lab Exam v3.0 Equipment and Software Overview. Candidates testing prior to mid- April 20, 2009 should continue using the v2.0 blueprints and the v2.0 CCIE Security Lab Equipment and Software Overview"

New CCIE Logo Poll

I created a poll for opinions on the new CCIE Logo over at LinkedIn
http://polls.linkedin.com/p/17292/aiuyz

Please feel free to vote in the poll.

CCIE Lab Short Answer Questions FAQ

I gathered this from http://ciscocert.custhelp.com

What is changing on the CCIE Lab Exam?
To increase the security & integrity of the CCIE R&S Lab exam, there will be a series of open-ended, short answer questions added to the lab exam and delivered online in all global lab locations. The addition of these questions does not change the lab exam blue-print, nor does it require time be added to the total exam time. At this point the questions are being added to the Routing and Switching lab; lab exams in other tracks will be announced in advance. - Link

Will short answer questions be added to other CCIE Lab Exams, beside R&S? If so, when?
Cisco intends to add short answer questions to all CCIE lab exam tracks. We will announce the addition of the short answer questions to each track well in advance of the questions appearing. - Link

How many short answer questions will be asked, and how long should candidates expect to spend on them?
Four or five short answer questions will be asked and candidates can expect to spend about 10-12 total minutes on them. - Link

Why are you adding short answer questions to the CCIE R&S Lab Exam?
Including several randomly-selected short answer questions on the lab will allow Cisco to increase the validity of CCIE and ensure only qualified candidates achieve certification. - Link

Will the short answer questions be added to the CCIE blueprints? How can I prepare (study) for the questions?
The short answer questions cover material already listed on the CCIE lab exam blueprint. The questions are intended to be answered easily and quickly by well-prepared candidates. - Link

Will there be additional time provided for the new short answer questions?
The length of the exam will remain eight hours. The short answer questions are intended to be answered easily and quickly by well-prepared candidates. - Link

When will candidates begin to see the short answer questions on the lab?
Candidates in all lab locations can expect to see short answer questions on their exams beginning in (TBD 2009). - Link

Can I skip the short answer questions and still pass the Lab Exam?
No, candidates must achieve a passing score on the short answer questions, as well as the configurations, in order to pass the Lab Exam and achieve certification. - Link

Can I skip the short answer questions and go back and answer them later?
No, the short answer questions must be completed before the candidate moves on to the configuration scenarios. - Link

Will the short answer questions also appear on CCIE mobile labs?
Yes, the mobile labs are the same as the traditional lab exams. The short answer questions will be part of all CCIE Routing & Switching lab exams after. - Link

What if I don't agree with the grading on the short answer questions? Can I appeal the results of the short answer section?
Because short answer questions are open-ended, responses are manually graded and the grading guidelines will allow for some variation in response. If a candidate requests and pays for a Lab Exam reread, a second proctor will review the entire exam responses and issue a second opinion. There will be no option to purchase a reread of only the short answer results. - Link

If I don't complete the short answer questions, can I opt out of the exam and receive a refund?
No, the short answer questions are now an official part of the lab exam. No refunds are given if candidates decide they are not ready to take the exam within 90 days of the exam date. - Link

Do the short answer questions affect my overall CCIE lab exam score?
Yes. All sections on the exam and their results are taken into account when determining the overall exam score. - Link

Changes to CCIE Written and Lab Coming (including "interview" questions)

Changes to CCIE Lab and Written Exam Question Format and Scoring

Effective February 1, 2009, Cisco will introduce a new type of question format to CCIE Routing and Switching lab exams. In addition to the live configuration scenarios, candidates will be asked a series of four or five open-ended questions, drawn from a pool of questions based on the material covered on the lab blueprint. No new topics are being added. The exams are not been increased in difficulty and the well-prepared candidate should have no trouble answering the questions. The length of the exam will remain eight hours. Candidates will need to achieve a passing score on both the open-ended questions and the lab portion in order to pass the lab and become certified. Other CCIE tracks will change over the next year, with exact dates announced in advance.

Effective February 17th, 2009, candidates will also see two other changes in CCIE written exams. First, candidates will now be required to answer each question before moving on to the next question; candidates will no longer be allowed to skip a question and come back to it at a later time. Second, there will be an update to the score report. The overall exam score and the exam passing score will now be reported as a scaled score, on a scale from 300-1000. This change will not affect the difficulty of the current set of exams and will assure CCIE written exams will be consistent with Cisco's other career certification exams.

Next CCDE Practical Exam Scheduled

The next CCDE Practical Exam date and locations have been announced by Cisco.

Location: PPC - Chicago, Illinois USA and London UK
Registration Opens: Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Exam Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Exam Cost: $1,400USD (please review cancellation policy below)
Prerequisite: Candidate must have passed the CCDE qualification exam prior to registration

The information can be found here:
https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/community/certifications/ccde/practical_exam#cisco_4