Cisco announced the CCIE Emeritus program on June 21, 2010. It is a program that has been requested and discussed a number of times at the CCIE NetVet luncheon/reception with John Chambers for several years. Many of the more senior members of the CCIE community have been moving into jobs that are less...

CiscoLive 2010 is the premier event for anyone who uses Cisco products. There is a lot to see and people to talk with at this conference. There are Cisco staff who explain their offerings and future direction. And there are Cisco partners who are showing their products. The attendance this year was a...

CiscoLive offers me the chance to renew my CCIE every year by allowing attendees to take a free test. It is a great way to get a $350 rebate on the conference fee, available by entering a discount code from your CiscoLive registration. I always schedule my tests for Monday afternoon, the day that I typically...

I just passed my CCIE recertification exam, so my number will be active for two more years. Like last time, I used the CCIE written test at NetMaster Class ( www.netmasterclass.com ) to help prepare. I'm working back into a technology role through consulting at Chesapeake Netcraftsmen ( netcraftsmen...

Stuart Biggs, who was awarded CCIE number 1025, was able to track down the original CCIE lab's number plaque and get a picture (see below). I asked where it was currently located: They moved it to bldg K - ground floor where the elevators are. Stuart Stuart noted that the frame's glass makes...

In Brad Reese's Cisco Subnet blog , Robert Williams of CertGuard commented on the article about my recertification: I'm sure many "professionals" in his position would have opted to take the easy road and just "study to pass"... There are a bunch of 'study guides'...

Well, I'm now recertified; having passed the written (350-001) this morning. My challenge, like many of the long-term CCIEs, is that my job is far removed from daily operations, which is what the CCIE test measures. I had not kept up with several of the newer technologies, so I had a fair amount...

Cisco announced the Cisco Certified Design Expert today. This is an excellent program that extends their certification programs. The Design Expert program is more about understanding network designs than about the nitty-gritty of network operations, which is where the CCIE applies. Cisco's press...

A lot of people have misconceptions about the CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) program and its numbering. I was consulting at Cisco in 1993 when I first heard about the program and inquired about participating. Brad Wright was the program manager and he knew what I had been doing with Cisco...

I’m studying for my CCIE recertification and was reading up on Rapid Spanning Tree (RSTP) operation. Cisco has a really nice white paper on its operation, with a lot of good pictures and excellent description of how it works and how it interoperates with the older 802.1d STP protocol: Understanding...