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Jan
22ndThe VCE Model : Yes, it is different
This post comes out of a slide deck I authored last week for a partner event. I decided I was going to try and illustrate why the VCE model really is such a different approach to other datacenter and private cloud models. Normally my blog is light on vendor specific commentary. I see myself more as a virtualization geek who just happens to work for an awesome company (EMC) than a hardcore analysis/blogger. But I have seen so much messaging lately that distorts the VCE message, I really felt the need to offer my own perspective.
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Aug
2ndBetween a Rock & OSPFv3 : My Cisco CCNP Test
Hard to believe but I have been a CCNA for almost three years now. October is the three year anniversary which also makes it the month my CCNA expires. I had planned on moving on to my CCNP tests well before the three year deadline but I got distracted by becoming a manager, having two more kids, and fall head over heels into virtualization with VMware. Even with all the distractions I still studied when I could. The plan was to take the tests one by one and whittle them down. A new problem arose when Cisco decided to update the tests. They put a firm July, 31st 2010 deadline on the tests I had been studying for. So now I had two deadlines. I had one deadline for having to start all over (October) and another one to get at least the two big tests or the bigger composite test out of the way. Well, time has a way of sneaking up on you and in the beginning of this month I realized I had 31 days to pass either both Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI) and Building Cisco Managed Switched Networks (BCMSN) tests or risk it all by taking the composite test which combines both. On top of this I was booked for at least two weeks of customer calls and side projects for my team. About two weeks before the deadline I booked the test. July 31st @ 11:00am. Only one shot because by the time I [...]
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Jul
12thGeek week : How to build an empire in 6 days[printprofile] 15 EMEA based vSpecialists, too much caffeine, the smell of last night’s pizza, and a seemingly impossible list of tasks to accomplish – that was Geek Week Q2 2010. As a vSpecialist at EMC, we attend a lab construction week as part of the on-boarding and initiation ritual. The instructions are simple: take this list of applications and infrastructure configurations, and work as a team to install and configure them all with the kit we provide to you before the week ends. There are multiple objectives for Geek Week, the main ones being; get the team working together, learn about integrating EMC, VMware, and Cisco technologies, and develop a good understanding of technologies that are not yet released, so we are best able to support our customers at product launch time. To kick off the week, Scott Lowe and Chris Horn dive into the details of what they expect from us: With the equipment you have been given, please deliver the following by COB Friday: Rack, stack, cable all equipment (build a Vblock 1, and connect the non-Vblock components into their own environment) Upgrade EMC CLARiiON CX4 platform to FLARE 30 (prerelease) Upgrade EMC Celerra platform to DART 6 (prerelease) Upgrade Cisco UCS firmware, and UCS Manager to the latest release Install VMware vSphere 4.1 including vCenter Server 4.1 instances deployed as VMs (prerelease), and configure NFS, and VMFS datastores Configure hosts to use Cisco Nexus 1000V and PowerPath/VE Use Unisphere to configure storage and present the storage. Configure [...]
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Jun
30thCisco Live 2010 : Things to do in Vegas
Ok, if you are at Cisco Live 2010 and have any interest in the new Private Cloud innovations or in Virtualization, I have a who’s who of EMC vSpecialists onsite that you must meet. 1. We have in one location two of the masters of the VCE SST team. These guys eat, sleep, and breath Vblocks all day. Chris Horn, and Eric Hollis are the busiest vSpecialists and other than maybe Chad Sakac or Wade O’Harrow, have more face time with customers looking at private clouds than anyone. I highly recommend swinging by booth 1671 and asking to meet them. Tell them Nick (@lynxbat) sent you. 2. There are people who are in the know at EMC, and then there is Stephen Spellicy. This guy is involved in helping with product development, testing, and demo building across all parts of EMC. Have a question on Redwood UIM? Where EMC is going with Cisco and VMware? No other guy at EMC that I know of (I admit, not a long list…) is working the technology in the trenches like Stephen. He is also working the booths for VCE and EMC Journey to the cloud. 3. But, I am not done. We also have my step-brother (by employment) David Robertson. Storage guru, FCoE master, Nexus 5k experienced geek and a half. Have a difficult storage/FCoE/VMware question? I bet $10 Dave will have it answered for you in a very short and intense conversation. 4. Alongside the above we have John Avery (VMware, [...]
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Jun
29thCisco Live 2010 : It’s all about the Milk & Cookies
Watching John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, give the keynote presentation today at Cisco Live 2010 I was struck by two important things: The focus on changing the way the consumer / business users utilizes technology The strong emphasis on the demand for a new model for business operations. Both of these appear on the surface to be great marketing statements. But, what makes these different is the timing with the evolution of technology today. I think the value proposition of the video on every business/consumer device is obvious. I know the Cisco Cius brings the capability to change the way interactions occur and collaberation begins. But, what affected me most was a simple statement that Mr. Chambers made: “Today, change starts from the consumer and moves to the datacenter” It just clicked for me with this statement. The drive for the private cloud, for infrastructure that is flexible, agile, and easily consumable is based on demand. It isn’t based on just the energy savings, cost efficiency, or enabling of new technology. The consumers want more. They want their milk with their cookies. They want to do things quickly with lots of choice and a multitude of interaction. This trend is obvious with devices like iPhones, iPads, Flip Video, even mobile hotspots like Sprint Overdrive. And because the consumers want more and the competition to fill that need accelerates; business development is demanding more from the way it interfaces with technology. The point being, that the acceleration of technology is imposing [...]
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Jun
27thWhat happens in Vegas… : Cisco Live 2010!
Seems like I somehow get myself involved in everything lately… This week I am headed to Cisco Live 2010 although for this one, I was begging to go. While a true blue EMC guy and VMware lover. I am also secretly a big fan of Cisco stuff. I love how they are always on the cusp of new technology. I also love networking and I am a huge fan of the new movements into Data Center Networking 2.0. My VMworld session this year is on virtualization and how it affects the way we look at networking. I will spend my time this week tweeting and blogging about what I see and hear at Cisco Live. I will also spend some time at the great EMC booths including our Journey to the Private Cloud booth. Feel free to drop by and say hi. Also, EMC is hosting a TweetUp at the Mandalay Starbucks Wednesday @ 9:30am. Come out to meet all the killer Cisco competent vSpecialists and EMC peeps. I am also going to take my CCNP composite test this week so if you run into me and I look like I have been studying all night; you will understand. If you have something you would like me to look into and blog about, please post a request in the comments. I will try and respond to each and everyone I can. See you there, .nick
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