Web Development Blog

OSPF is a major topic on your CCNA exam, as well it should be. OSPF is a widely-used WAN protocol, and you need to learn the fundamentals before moving on to more complicated configurations. One such detail is the OSPF Router ID, or RID.

The RID is the dotted decimal value by which other OSPF routers will identify a given OSPF router. There are some interesting defaults for this value, and a command you should know to hardcode the RID. You had also better know what has to happen for this command to take effect, so let’s take a more detailed look at the OSPF RID.

In this example, R1 has an adjacency with R2 and R3 over the 172.12.123.0/24 frame network. R1 is the hub, with R2 and R3 as the spokes. No other interfaces are OSPF-enabled on any of the routers. Running show ip ospf neighbor on R1, we see some unusual values under “Neighbor ID”, which is another name for the OSPF RID.

R1#show ip ospf neighbor

Neighbor ID Pri State Dead Time Address Interface

3.3.3.3 0 FULL/DROTHER 00:01:57 172.12.123.3 Serial0

2.2.2.2 0 FULL/DROTHER 00:01:57 172.12.123.2 Serial0

Notice the Neighbor ID of each remote address is the loopback address. How can that be if they’re not OSPF-enabled?

When determining the Router ID (RID) of an OSPF-enabled router, OSPF will always use the numerically highest IP address on the router’s loopback interfaces, regardless of whether that loopback is OSPF-enabled.

What if there is no loopback? OSPF will then use the numerically highest IP address of the physical interfaces, regardless of whether that interface is OSPF-enabled.

BOTTOM LINE: An interface does not have to be running OSPF to have its IP address used as the OSPF RID.

The OSPF RID can be changed, but it requires a restart or to reinitialize the OSPF routing process. Use the router-id command to change the default RID of each router as shown, and clear the OSPF process to do so.

R1#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

R1(config)#router ospf 1

R1(config-router)#router-id 11.11.11.11

Reload or use “clear ip ospf process” command, for this to take effect

R1#clear ip ospf process

Reset ALL OSPF processes? [no]: yes

1d05h: %OSPF-5-ADJCHG: Process 1, Nbr 3.3.3.3 on Serial0 from 2WAY to

DOWN, Neighbor Down: Interface down or detached

1d05h: %OSPF-5-ADJCHG: Process 1, Nbr 2.2.2.2 on Serial0 from 2WAY to

DOWN, Neighbor Down: Interface down or detached

After entering the router-id command, the router console informed you that you have to reload the router or reset the OSPF processes for this to take effect. You enter the clear ip ospf process command to do this. Notice that when you’re asked if you really want to do this, the prompt is “no”? That’s because all the OSPF adjacencies on this router will be lost and will have to begin the process again. That’s OK on a practice rack, not good in a production network. Don’t use that one at work.

The OSPF RID is not a complicated concept, but the fact that an interface doesn’t have to be OSPF-enabled in order to have its IP address act as the RID takes some getting used to. And remember - when the router or switch asks you a question and the prompted answer is “no”, take one step back and make sure you really want to do what you’re about to do!

You’ve just finished programming your masterpiece, your shareware program is finished and now you want to get the word out and start seeing the fruits of your labor. If you are a shareware program author, the next step in that chain in many cases is generating a PAD file (Portable Application Description) for your program so that you can start submitting it to some of the literally 1000’s of shareware directories out there.

The results of this step is where I often come into play and it never ceases to amaze me just how little time and effort some people put into their PAD files. Running a download site requires that I review scores of submissions to my site every week, almost all submitted using PAD files that are generated by program authors. Many programmers worth anything often spend many months or more on making a useful full featured program and then for some unknown reason only spend a few minutes on their PAD files.

Why is a PAD file so important? For one thing the information contained in that file is what is used by download sites to list your program. Most sites in fact use only the information in that file to generate your listing on their sites. So if you don’t spend time on your PAD file that lack of effort will show up on your various listings on the sites you choose to submit to by hurting the already limited exposure you are likely to see.

If your program is in a competitive niche, more than likely it will be listed along side most of your competitors on the various download sites. When a potential user is comparing your program to the others, what do you think will be one of the more important factors as to which one he will choose to download? Unless your product is already well know with a great reputation, all that user has to go by is what is contained in your program description. So if your program description is basically a one sentence blurb about how great your program is and your competitor has a multi-paragraph description detailing everything his program does and what sets it apart from the competition, which one do your think they will choose?

Another important aspect of the effort you put into your PAD file is getting your program noticed on download sites. Unless you are paying for better placement on a site or are getting it with partnership agreements with these sites, how is your program going to be found among the sea of thousands of others? Usually your best shot of being found revolves around search engines, either on-site or off.

Most sites have built in search engines to allow their visitors to find what they are looking for, if they don’t you should probably move on, but what most of these on-site search engines use to return search results are what you put in your PAD description and keyword fields. Writing poor descriptions and not choosing the proper keywords will result in your listing being buried among all the other listings.

Lastly, a large portion of download site visitors come by way of external search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN. If you are at all familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the more meaty, keyword rich a description is, the better it will rank in the search engines and in turn the more hits a program listing page will get. Of course a lot of that also has to do with how the download site program listing page is optimized, but submitting an optimized PAD file will often result in your program showing very well on the various search engines with the only problem being which download site optimizes better and hence gets the visitor. Either way you win as the only problem is not whether your program ranks well, it is which download site will be the one to generate the download!

You’ve spent countless hours on your program, so why aren’t you putting the same kind of effort when generating your PAD file? If your marketing plan includes submitting to download sites, you can’t afford not to.

The idea of reading email while lounging by the pool, text or instant messaging while doing the laundry, or lounging in the Jacuzzi listening to your MP3 collection is appealing to us all.

Unfortunately, many, or even most, wireless units don’t come with security features already functioning. This may not seem like a big issue to someone who is simply setting up a home network, but there are a number of potential problems you should consider.

The most serious problem is the increase in identity theft. If your network is unsecured, the personal data on your wireless electronic equipment is also unsecured. The order you just placed for a book at Amazon may have given your contact and payment information to an unscrupulous hacker!

Nearly every town in which “WiFi” is common will have “War Drivers” and “War Chalkers” at work. These are people who walk or drive around town with wireless equipment, searching for unsecured networks. The “Chalkers” then live up their name, marking curbs and other public items with chalk so that others can more easily find and exploit your network.

Not all “War Drivers” are hackers, of course. Many just want to use your network for free, but the risk is high if you don’t learn how to protect yourself. You can usually find quite a bit of free information as to how to secure your network at the website of your router’s manufacturer, or by doing a search in a search engine for a phrase like “secure home wireless.”

Beyond the truly malicious, there are also your neighbors who may find your network by accident and enjoy nosing into your activities and using your Internet access at will, slowing down your network speed in the process.

Even many businesses use cheap, home-use quality equipment for their company networks. With the poor security often found on small business networks, anyone with a basic knowledge of wireless can access sensitive company and customer data.

If you are unable to secure your network yourself, there are many service companies who will do it for you. A search of your local yellow pages or an inquiry at your neighborhood computer store should yield professional help and get your private data private again

In preparing for CCNA exam success, one of the basic steps is to schedule your exam! And when should you do that?

Schedule your exam NOW.

I can hear you now — ” Why should I schedule my exam now? I haven’t started studying yet!”

From experience, I can tell you that this technique works. People complain about timetables and deadlines, but the truth is that people do their best work with a deadline. “Stress” is not the dirty word that we’ve made it out to be. A diamond is only a lump of coal that was put under pressure.

I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard this:

“I’ll schedule my exam when I’m ready.”

You know when “ready” is? For many people, NEVER. I know someone who’s been preparing for his CCNA for years &ndash literally! He’s going to schedule that exam when he’s ready. He’s been getting ready for years!

By scheduling your exam now, you give yourself a mental deadline. You’ll be surprised at how focused your mind becomes when you know the date of your exam before you start. I have used this technique for my CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE exams. It will work for you!

You can schedule your exam with Prometric or VUE right now! Just search for either of those companies in your favorite search engine, and register online today.

Both sites have test center locators, so no matter where you are in the world, you can find the testing center nearest you.

We all have times of the day that we’re mentally sharper than others. I personally am a “morning person”, so I always schedule my exams for first thing in the morning. If you’re stronger in the afternoon, schedule an afternoon exam. Regardless of the time of day you’re going to take the exam &ndash schedule it now, right now!

When you’re getting started on your CCNA studies, learning the different router modes is key to passing your Intro and ICND exams. But keeping those modes straight can be very difficult. (At least it was for me!) Let’s take a look at the various router modes you’ll need to know about to pass your CCNA, and use IOS Help to illustrate the different uses of each mode.

The first mode you’ll see on a router (if the person before you logged off as they should have) is user exec mode. This is also the default mode a user is placed into when using Telnet to connect to a router. The prompt will look like this:

R1>

You can’t write or add to a configuration in this mode, but you can run quite a few show commands. This is a good mode to have users in who need to see the configuration, but shouldn’t be allowed to change it.

To get to the next level, type enable at the user exec prompt:

R1>enable

R1#

Notice that the prompt changed. This mode has two names, the official one being privileged exec mode. It’s more commonly referred to as enable mode, since “enable” is what you type to get into this mode.

This mode gives you more options for show and other commands, but you still can’t configure anything. To configure global commands, use “configure terminal”, or “conf t”, to enter global configuration mode.

R1#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

R1(config)#

The prompt has changed again, and now global configuration commands such as hostname and no ip domain-lookup can be entered.

From here, you’ve got a lot of options, but we’ll look at three you need to know for your CCNA exams. To apply configuration commands to an interface, enter interface configuration mode, as shown here:

R1(config)#interface serial0

R1(config-if)#

You must be in global config mode to get into interface config mode you cannot go from enable mode straight to interface configuration mode.

R1#interface serial0

^

% Invalid input detected at ‘^’ marker.

Interface configuration mode allows you to apply an IP address to the interface, as well as many other commands related to frame relay, ISDN, and dynamic routing protocols.

For the CCNA, you need to know about two other configuration modes. To configure console commands (such as password protection), enter line configuration mode as shown here:

R1#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

R1(config)#line console 0

R1(config-line)#password cisco

R1(config-line)#login

The prompt “(config-line)” indicates that you’re in line configuration mode. Your console line is not the only line you’ll be configuring for the CCNA, though your vty lines are used for incoming telnet connections and must be configured in a similar fashion.

R1#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

R1(config)#line console 0

R1(config-line)#password cisco

R1(config-line)#login

R1(config-line)#line vty 0 4

R1(config-line)#password cisco

R1(config-line)#login

Notice that you do not have to exit one interface mode to go to another one. Let’s say that you’ve configured your vty lines and now want to put an IP address on your Ethernet interface. You don’t have to go out with ctrl-z and then start again you can go straight to interface config mode from line config mode. Just make sure you see the prompt change!

R1(config-line)#line vty 0 4

R1(config-line)#password cisco

R1(config-line)#login

R1(config-line)#interface ethernet0

R1(config-if)#ip address 15.1.1.1 255.255.255.0

When you’re preparing for CCNA exam success, there’s a lot to absorb. Just take it one piece at a time, get some hands-on experience to go with your theory, and before you know it you’re moving around in the different Cisco router configuration modes without giving it a second thought. Keep studying and your CCNA exam success is assured!

The Answer To The Media Access Control Question

—————————-

Over the past few weeks I have received quite a few e-mails about Ethernet cards, both wired and wireless, and more specifically, about Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. I think the main reason I’ve received so many questions about Ethernet cards and MAC addresses is people trying to secure their home wireless networks and their desire to use MAC address filtering. This type of filtering in wireless networks can be configured to allow or deny specific computers to use or attach to the wireless network, based on the MAC address.

My first thought was to write an article just about MAC addresses and wireless Ethernet. After thinking about it I decided to expand on this and go over some specific information about Ethernet cards and communication.

Different Ways Of Finding Your MAC Address And More

————————————————–

There are several ways of finding your Ethernet and communications protocol information. Many Ethernet card manufacturer’s have proprietary software that can reveal this information but they work differently depending on the manufacturer. So we will use the Windows 2000 and XP “ipconfig” utility since this is available in the majority of Windows Operating Systems.

First, go to “start” -> “run” and type “cmd” without the quotes. Then hit the enter key. At the command line type “ipconfig /all”, again without the quotes. Actually, just typing ipconfig without the /all will work but will only provide you with abbreviated information regarding your network cards. An example of what you might see by typing the “ipconfig /all” command is below with each item commented in green lettering:

Fault Tolerant And Highly Availability Computer Systems

—————————-

There are several ways of finding your Ethernet and communications protocol information. Many Ethernet card manufacturer’s have proprietary software that can reveal this information but they work differently depending on the manufacturer. So we will use the Windows 2000 and XP “ipconfig” utility since this is available in the majority of Windows Operating Systems.

First, go to “start” -> “run” and type “cmd” without the quotes. Then hit the enter key. At the command line type “ipconfig /all”, again without the quotes. Actually, just typing ipconfig without the /all will work but will only provide you with abbreviated information regarding your network cards. An example of what you might see by typing the “ipconfig /all” command is below:

OutPut Of The “Ipconfig /All” Command

———————————————————-

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Home Computer

This is the name of your computer, typically defined during the windows installation. However, it can be changed after installation.

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : domain.com

If your computer participates in a network such as a Microsoft Windows domain this item may contain the name of the domain.

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown

The Node Type may say Unknown, or peer-to-peer, or in some cases “hybrid”. It is a setting that has to do with the Windows Internet Naming Services used in certain types of Windows domain networks.

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

This setting determines if Windows XP or 2000 will function as an IP router. If you have two or more network cards you can setup your system to act as a router, forwarding communications requests from one network to another. Windows 2000 can be configured to do this in a pretty straight forward fashion; Windows XP will need a registry modification.

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy is another setting that is related to the “Node Type” we discussed earlier. It is normally not a required setting in a home or small office network, or newer types of Microsoft Windows domains.

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:

If you have multiple Ethernet (network) cards in your systems, as I do in this laptop, you will have multiple listings. This one happens to be the second Ethernet card, an internal wireless Ethernet card.

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN

This is the description of the Ethernet card, usually the Name / Manufacturer and type of Ethernet card. In this case, it is a Broadcom wireless Ethernet card built into my laptop.

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-90-4B-F1-6E-4A

And here we have the MAC address. The MAC address is a 48 bit hexadecimal code and is suppose to be a totally unique address. It is 48 bits because each number or letter in hexadecimal represents 8 bits. Hexadecimal numbers range from 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E, F. There are 6 alpha-numeric codes hence 6*8=48(bits). The first 3 codes identify the manufacturer of the card and the remaining codes are used to create a unique number. Theoretically there should never be a card with same MAC address on a local network. However, there are a few exceptions. There are software tools that allow you to change this code. In fact, this is a step some hackers take to attack other systems on a local network. I say local network because MAC addresses are not routable between network segments. By spoofing this address, you can impersonate another machine on the local network. Traffic that was bound for the intended target can be redirected to the hacker’s machine. This is the address you would also use to populate a MAC address, or physical address table when setting up your wireless access point to support MAC address filtering.

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

DHCP, or the Dynamic Host Control Protocol, if enabled means your computers IP address is being provided by a DHCP server on you network. The DHCP server could be your wireless access point, cable/dsl router, cable modem, or a server on your network. Also, if a DHCP server is not enabled on your network, your computers Operating System will auto generate a random IP address within a certain predefined range. This means you could network a group of systems together without having to manually assign the IP settings.

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.117

This parameter provides you with your current IP address. The address listed above is what is called a “private” address. There are certain classes of IP addresses that have been set aside for private use. This means for your internal, local, or private network at home or office. These addresses are not, or should not, be routable on the Internet. The Internet routes what are called “valid” IP addresses. Your cable/dsl router or cable modem has a valid IP address assigned to its “external” network interface. The external interface may be your phone line or cable TV cable.

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

The Subnet Mask is a special number, or in some sense, filter, that breaks down your IP address, in this case private IP address, into certain groups. IP addresses and Subnet Masks can be a complicated matter and would take an entire article to go over.

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.254

The default gateway, the IP addresses listed above, is the IP address of the device that will route your request, such as when you try to browse a website, to the Internet. It is a bit more complicated than that though as gateways or routers can route traffic to various different networks, even other private networks. At your home or small office, this gateway most likely is your cable/dsl modem or router.

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.49

The DHCP server, remember we talked a little about this above, is the device that assigns your computer an IP address and other information. DHCP servers can assign all kinds of information such as; Default Gateway, Domain Name Servers (DNS), IP address, Subnet Mask, Time Server, and much more.

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.49, 64.105.197.58

DNS Servers are internal or external servers that resolve Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN), such as .defendingthenet.com , to IP addresses. This is done because computers don’t actually transmit your requests using the domain name, they use the IP address assigned to the FQDN. For most home or small office users, the primary DNS server is the IP address of your cable/dsl router. Your cable/dsl router than queries an external DNS server on the Internet to perform the actual resolution of the FQDN to IP address. The address 192.168.0.49 is an internal private device on my network whereas the 64.105.197.58 is an external public Internet DNS server and is present just in case my router has trouble performing the DNS resolution tasks.

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, March 19, 2006 6:38:16 PM

This information tells you when your computer received its IP address and other information from a DHCP server. You will notice it says “Lease Obtained”, that is because most DHCP servers only lease the IP address to you from a pool of available address. For instance, your pool may be 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.50. So your DHCP server has 50 IP addresses to choose from when assigning your computer its IP address.

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, March 29, 2006 9:38:16 PM

When the IP address, assigned by the DHCP server, lease expires it will attempt to lease you the same or another IP address. This function can typically be changed on the DHCP server. For instance, on some fully functional DHCP servers, you can configure the Lease to never expire, or to expire within 1 day and so on.

Why Are MAC Addresses So Important And How Do They Work

——————————————————

To jump back to MAC address for just a bit. You may think that IP addresses are the most important thing when it comes to network communication. The reality is, MAC addresses are very important because without them computers would not be able to communicate over Ethernet networks. When a computer wants to speak with another computer on a local network, it will make a broadcast request, or ask a question, of who owns a particular IP address. For instance, your computer may say “Who is 192.168.0.254”. Using the information above, my default gateway is 192.168.0.254 and will answer “I am “00-90-4B-F1-6E-4A” 192.168.0.254”. It sends back its MAC address. That MAC address then goes into what is called a Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table on your computer. You can see this information by going to the command prompt like you did above and typing “arp &ndasha”. You will get information like the following:

Internet Address Physical Address Type

192.168.0.49 00-12-17-5c-a2-27 dynamic

192.168.0.109 00-12-17-5c-a2-27 dynamic

192.168.0.112 00-0c-76-93-94-b2 dynamic

192.168.0.254 00-0e-2e-2e-15-61 dynamic

How A Hacker Can Use MAC Addresses In An Attack

———————————————-

You will notice the IP addresses and to the right of them the MAC addresses. Without this information, without the MAC address, you would not be reading this article right now. MAC addresses are not routable like IP addresses. They work on your local or private network. However, devices on the Internet perform the same tasks. Routers and switches maintain a list of their peer devices MAC address just like your computers and devices on your home or office network. I mentioned above that MAC addresses can be changed in order to redirect requests. For instance, if I were on your office network and you had an internal web server that took personal information as input, I could tell your computer to go to my laptop for the web site by broadcasting my MAC address tied to the real web servers IP address. I would do this when you computer asked “Who is the “Real Web Server””. I could setup a fake web server that looks just like the real thing, and start collecting information the real web server would normally collect. You can see how dangerous this can be.

Conclusion

———–

There are several other easy ways you can find your MAC address but they can be a little confusing if you have more than one internal network card. Most external USB, or PCMCIA wired and wireless Ethernet cards have their MAC address printed on them. In cases where the wired or wireless network card are inside your computer, such as in laptops, the MAC address is sometimes printed on the bottom of the laptop. Even Desktop systems cards that are inserted in PCI slots have the MAC address printed on the Ethernet card.

You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as the bylines are included.

Original URL (The Web version of the article)

————

.defendingthenet.com/NewsLetters/FindingYourMACAddressOnWiredAndWirelessNetworkCards.htm

About The Author

—————-

Darren Miller is an Information Security Consultant with over seventeen years experience. He has written many technology & security articles, some of which have been published in nationally circulated magazines & periodicals. If you would like to contact Darren you can e-mail him at Darren.Millerdefendingthenet.com. If you would like to know more about computer security please visit us at .defendingthenet.com.

Music is the ultimate source of entertainment for many people in the world. It is one of the most effective sources of refreshing and de-stressing oneself, when one is burdened with stress and anxiety. It has always been on top of people`s popular priorities, to listen to music as a regular part of their lives.

The invention of gadgets like Mp3 player and iPod has now enabled them to listen to their favorite music, even when they are on the move. This very fact has largely contributed to the growing popularity of the Mp3 player devices among many people across the globe.

Nowadays, Mp3 player manufactures are coming up with the different types of designs to suit the varied needs of all customers. Customers these days have become more prudent than ever before and now they want to choose gadgets that are multi-purpose in use. For instance, there are sunglasses with Mp3 player devices, Mp3 player with GPS (global tracking system) and many other useful combinations. These combined devices not only help users to save their budgets but also offer them comfort of using or carrying them. On the other hand, the manufactures are also able to introduce their products to customers with different features which, in turn, establish their credibility in the market as well. Hence, the whole market of music-oriented gadgets and devices are just growing day by day.

Depending on their functions, Mp3 player gadgets can serve a wide-range of purposes. A recently held study shows that an average teenager spends about U$350 a year on consumer electronic devices, whereas that of an adult sums up to U$1,200. Usually, customers have different buying behaviors and they take different features into account while they buy audio devices. For example, some people want to listen to music while they are working out on the treadmill, and some people want to amuse themselves by listening to their favorite tracks while commuting on public transport. Due to this difference in the life-style of people, manufactures are coming up with Mp3 player devices of different shapes, sizes, styles and storage features.

Since almost all the Mp3 player manufacturers are offering devices with the same features, making their products stand out from the rest is becoming an issue with them. Hence, now they are launching their products in different sleek designs and sizes to attract the attention of their prospective buyers. As a matter of fact, market research studies show that excepting for a few discerning buyers, most of them are influenced by the looks and design of the product. Hence, the audio player marketers are vying with each other to get the customers` attention by introducing their audio player devices with unique and sleek designs. As a result, we can find that most Mp3 player products are getting smaller in size day by day and their looks are just getting swankier.

Mp3 player storage capacity and battery life are some of the important features one should look for. Moreover, file format is not also a problem as most of these portable audio devices play all types of music files.

Despite all these Mp3 player features, people have now started picking only those music devices that have multiple functions. For example, products that do not have either a video player or GPS or a camera are less likely to attract the buyers these days. Many others customers are also searching for Mp3 player products with a screen facility to choose and play their favorite tracks whenever they want. So before you buy an Mp3 player, know what else you want from it apart from music. This will help you decide whether you should go for a mono-purpose or multi-purpose audio device player.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author’s name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

One of the major topics on your CCNA and CCNP exams is Frame Relay. Additionally, Frame Relay is one of the most popular WAN technolgies in today’s networks. Getting hands-on experience with Frame Relay in Cisco networks isn’t just a good idea, it’s a necessity. Let’s face it, your employer is going to get a little touchy if you start experimenting with your network’s Frame Relay setup.

To practice all your important Frame Relay commands for your exams, you need a working Frame Relay cloud in your home lab. A production network’s Frame cloud consists of a lot of Frame switches, but if you choose wisely, a single Cisco router can act as your home lab’s entire Frame cloud!

Before we look at the configuration of such a router (hereafter referred to as a “frame relay switch”), let’s look at the physical requirements.

The more serial ports you have, the better. You should get a router with at least four serial ports. For frame switching purposes, it doesn’t matter if the ports are synchronous or asynchronous - you just need the ports.

You will also need some DTE/DCE cables. The DCE end of the cables will be connected to the frame switch.

A great configuration for a CCNA practice lab is three routers that serve as “production” routers, and a 4th router as a frame relay switch. (You’ll want an access server as well, but that’s another article.)

What I use in my student and customer pods is a setup where R1 is connected to the frame switch’s S1 port, R2 is connected to S2 on the frame switch, and R3 is connected to the frame switch’s S3 port.

Now comes the tricky part - the configuration. A frame relay switch’s config can be hard to find, so here’s a copy of mine. Pay particular attention to the config on ports s1, s2, and s3.

version 12.0

service timestamps debug uptime

service timestamps log uptime

no service password-encryption

!

hostname FRAME_SWITCH

!

!

ip subnet-zero

no ip domain-lookup

frame-relay switching

!

!

!

interface Ethernet0

no ip address

no ip directed-broadcast

shutdown

!

interface Serial0

ip address 10.1.1.2 255.255.255.0

clockrate 56000

!

interface Serial1

no ip address

no ip directed-broadcast

encapsulation frame-relay

logging event subif-link-status

logging event dlci-status-change

clockrate 56000

no frame-relay inverse-arp

frame-relay intf-type dce

frame-relay route 122 interface Serial2 221

frame-relay route 123 interface Serial3 321

!

interface Serial2

no ip address

no ip directed-broadcast

encapsulation frame-relay

logging event subif-link-status

logging event dlci-status-change

clockrate 56000

no frame-relay inverse-arp

frame-relay intf-type dce

frame-relay route 221 interface Serial1 122

!

interface Serial3

no ip address

no ip directed-broadcast

encapsulation frame-relay

logging event subif-link-status

logging event dlci-status-change

clockrate 56000

no frame-relay inverse-arp

frame-relay intf-type dce

frame-relay route 321 interface Serial1 123

!

interface BRI0

ip address 150.1.1.1 255.255.255.252

no ip directed-broadcast

encapsulation ppp

dialer map ip 150.1.1.2 name R2 broadcast 2335552221

dialer-group 1

!

ip classless

!

dialer-list 1 protocol ip permit

!

line con 0

exec-timeout 0 0

logging synchronous

transport input none

line aux 0

line vty 0 4

login

!

end

The key command in the global configuration is frame-relay switching. You must have this configured before you can configure the interfaces.

The interfaces will be configured with the frame route command. Let’s take a look at what each value means in the command frame-relay route 122 interface Serial2 221.

frame-relay route - the command

122 - the incoming DLCI on this interface

interface serial2 - the interface the data will be sent out

221 - the outgoing DLCI

This command on S1 means that anything that comes in on this port on DLCI 122 will be sent out interface serial2 on DLCI 221.

It’s a good idea to hard-code the interfaces to act as DCEs with the frame intf-type dce command. Since these interfaces are acting as DCEs, the clockrate command is needed for the line protocol to come up.

Once you’ve configured your frame switch as shown and have configured the frame map statements on the “production” routers, you can test the frame switch configuration. On the frame switch, run the command show frame route .

FRAME_SWITCH#show frame route

Input Intf Input Dlci Output Intf Output Dlci Status

Serial1 122 Serial2 221 active

Serial1 123 Serial3 321 active

Serial2 221 Serial1 122 active

Serial3 321 Serial1 123 active

You should see “active” for all the interfaces. If you see “deleted”, make sure your frame switch interfaces are open if they are, check the router configs.

Keep in mind that you can still configure routing protocols to run on ports that you’re not using for frame switching. The router we used here had an ethernet port and BRI port, and the BRI port has been configured as part of the production network. Running frame switching does not disable IP routing.

Purchasing and configuring your own frame relay switch is an invaluable part of your Cisco education. By practicing your frame commands and configuring frame connections over your own frame relay cloud, you’re polishing your Cisco skills and gaining knowledge that cannot be duplicated by simulator programs.

To your success,

Chris Bryant

CCIE #12933

Planning for success on the CCNA, CCNP, and other Cisco exams is much like taking a trip in your car. You’ve got to plan ahead, accept the occasional detour, and just keep on going until you get there. But what do you do before you get started?

Create a road map - for success.

If you were driving from one side of the country to another, you certainly wouldn’t just get in your car and start driving, would you? No. You would plan the trip out ahead of time. What would happen if you just got in the car and started driving in the hope that you would someday arrive at your final destination? You would never get there, and you’d spend a lot of time wandering aimlessly.

Don’t spend your study time and slow your progress by studying for a Cisco exam without planning the trip. Schedule your study time as you would an appointment with a client, and keep that appointment. Make sure that your study time is quality study - turn your TV, iPod, and cell off. If you hit a bump in the road and don’t get your certification the first time you take the exam, regroup and create another plan. Study until you get to the point that on exam day, you know that you are already a CCNA or CCNP and you’re just there at the testing center to make it official.

The journey to success is not a straight line. When you look at a chart that shows a company’s financial progress, the line never goes straight up. there are some ups and downs, but the overall result is success. The path to your eventual career and certification exam success may not be a direct one, but the important part is to get started - and to get any journey started, you’ve got to create a road map for a successful arrival at your destination.

The traditional approach to implementing an intranet is to purchase a software package, modify it for your needs, and install it on your system.

Over the past few years, another option has grown in popularity &ndash the implementation of a web-based solution.

As you consider the choice between installed software and a web-based intranet, here are some considerations:

1. The most important requirement of any intranet is that everyone uses it.

To assure broad-based participation, the intranet must be easy to implement, simple to use, cost-effective to maintain, and offer each individual user the power to post, access and use content in a way that serves their specific needs. In short, the intranet must have value to everyone.

Web-based intranets are designed around this concept. The interface and navigation are consistent with their use of the web &ndash an environment in which they feel in control, using familiar tools.

In contrast, the business world is littered with countless elegant and feature-rich soft-ware based intranets that have failed. Why? Because they represented an alien environment into which the user was expected to venture. Few employees had the time or the interest (or courage) to enter, rendering the intranet impotent, with the powerful tools unused.

This is the plight of traditional, out-of-the-box software solutions. Unlike web-based intranets, they force users into a constrained environment requiring in-depth training, built around rules designed for the group, rather than the individual.

2. Software intranets have unpredictable costs: in time, attention and money.

Software based solutions require extensive internal support. The ongoing expense in both staff time and money takes the focus of your IT group away from mission-critical tasks.

System integration, Implementation, maintenance, technology upgrades, training and user support are all on-going tasks that represent a significant, recurring investment. The cost can be substantial, far exceeding your initial license cost and monthly fee.

3. Web-based intranets offer a predictable cost and cutting-edge technology.

Most web-based solutions offer a fixed monthly fee that covers all maintenance, technology upgrades, training and user support. The costs are predictable, the technology evolutionary, and it’s all done with minimal involvement of your IT staff.

It’s for these reasons that companies needing broad-based participation in a changing environment are choosing web-based intranets over traditional software solutions.