It's a start!

So, my brother kindly donated 3 cisco routers to me:

1. 800A without it's proprietary power connection
2. 1700 series missing only a kettle lead for power
3. 870 with power!

So looks like I'm starting with the 870. Of course, I don't have the enable passwords for them, so the recovery procedure will have to be followed, which I believe should be a trivial enough matter (hopefully!).

For the CCNA security, you have to use the SDM (security device manager) tool and luckily enough, the 870 works with it. I just have to install it on my laptop rather than the router as it only has about 26MB (sh flash: 27611136 bytes total) and with the IOS taking up between 12MB and 14MB and SDM being another 14MB on top of that, it's just not enough.

So, seems like I've just defined a couple of rules there:

1. Actual commands written to router will be in bold
2. Output of commands, which may not be the complete output but maybe only the relevant output, will be in italic

I think I should also mention that I have already installed "winagents tftp server 4" so I can eventually move files back and forth between my laptop and the router. So, with my trusty console cable, I think I'm ready to recover the 870.

Blog 101

Well, having never created a blog before, I thought I may as well start with the obligatory introduction.

Me, I'm fairly fucked now. Made redundant March 2009, two months after buying a house, so it's a bit of a tight-arse-time I'm going through. Sending CVs here and there only to get mixed up with the other 278365872165 Linux/UNIX admins vying for the same six jobs gets both tiring and depressing, and as we all know, where do people who have nothing better to do and all day to do it go? That's right... the internet!

So here I am at my new shiny blog finding new ways to pass the day that doesn't involve either watching re-runs of Frasier (you know, since March, I've seen EVERY episode and I'm still watching them repeat it from the start again!) or Maury or that very angry man, Jeremy Kyle, or playing on the PS3.

So I have plan. Networking has always been my weakest point in IT (hate calling it that) so I wanted to do the CCNA exam. Turns out that now, they have different types of CCNA, so I've decided to do it the hard way. I'm going to attempt to get my CCNA Security AND CCNA Voice as I reckon, over time,they would be the two best that would stand to me so I could get a position anywhere (network security) and in telecoms (voice specific). Of course, I may need to actually do the CCSP and the CCVP or even CCIE Security and CCIE Voice before people take me seriously, but I reckon I have time, so why not!

From now on, the blogs you're going to see will probably be related to the CCNA Security, as that's where I'm starting. I just hope I actually keep this up! Motivation and enthusiasm aren't exactly my closest friends unless it involves copious amounts of alcohol.

So, without further adieu, lets roll bitches...