Booches.nl

Website Cisco

What is happing with Cisco’s website? Lately I am having serious problems. At a glance:

• I just cannot register 4IP as Channel Partner. The Partner Registration Database isn’t responding. There is a TAC case for this issue, but still no luck even after hundreds of mails and phone calls;
• CCO login problems. I cannot login, even after resetting my password;

I just receive the message like shown in the picture above. Even calling Cisco doesn’t resolve this problem.

Then take a look at the home page. I thought I was a the Cisco website and not on eBay.

“Do you Flip?”, Purchase a Flip Video camcorder and get a free accessory?!?!?!?!

What is wrong with Cisco? Did I miss something?!?!?

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-06

• @mramsmeets Like I said, they are just lucky. We already did the Johnny Loftis 4 years ago. #
• RT @NetGeNoten: Nieuwe NGN-blog: Wireshark Tip: mark packets http://bit.ly/7Mr5EI #
• Watching K-1 fighting…are they lucky that I'm lying on the couch! ;-) #

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GNS3 supports JunOS

A lot of you will know GNS3. GNS3 is a graphical network simulator that allows simulation of complex networks. With GNS3 you can simulate multiple Cisco routers and the Cisco PIX firewall. GNS3 allows you to emulate real Cisco IOS images, design and experiment with complex networks, connect the virtual lab to the real world and capture packets with tools like Wireshark. I often use GNS3 to test my designs for customers or use it for training and workshop purposes.

As mentioned before GNS3 only supported some Cisco routers and the Cisco PIX firewall. In GNS3 0.7RC1 the emulation of Junipers JunOS is added. Just like the emulation of the Cisco ASA firewall. This makes GNS3 even more powerful. The preparation of a JunOS image is not as straightforward as an IOS one, but GNS3 wrote this excellent article for emulating a JunOS image.

I recommend GNS3 for everyone how is playing and likes to play with Cisco routers and firewalls, and from now on also Juniper routers.

Google Public DNS

I just read an article about Google publishing a Public DNS service. Google Public DNS is a free, global DNS resolution service. Google recommends using their Public DNS server as an alternative to your current DNS servers.

To try it out:

• Configure your network settings to use the IP addresses 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as your DNS server

More information about Google’s Public DNS can be found here.

dig @8.8.8.8 www.booches.nl

; <<>> DiG 9.3.2 <<>> @8.8.8.8 www.booches.nl
; (1 server found)
;; global options:  printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 708
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;www.booches.nl.                        IN      A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.booches.nl.         900     IN      A       83.137.194.63

;; Query time: 97 msec
;; SERVER: 8.8.8.8#53(8.8.8.8)
;; WHEN: Fri Dec 04 09:03:26 2009
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 48

I will be using Google’s DNS service for testing purposes, because I cannot imagine using them as primary DNS. There are a lot of questions, like:

• Performance
• Support

Maybe I will use them as third or fourth DNS forwarders after the DNS servers from my provider.

Barracuda – Outbound SMTP Host/Smart Host in Build 3.5.12.012

When upgrading from a build older then 3.5.12.012 to a build 0.12 or above, you should pay attention to the Outbound SMTP host/Smart host configuration. This picture below shows the configuration option.

The release notes tell the following:

Fix: Now honors outbound BASIC > Administration > ‘SMTP host/Smarthost’ for mail delivery when relaying (recipient domain is not on the box). Before this, the system would only deliver quarantine messages and bounce messages to the smarthost. [34421]

When upgrading to firmware version 3.5.12.012 or higher a number of customers have been caught out by a change in the operation of the SMARTHOST setting. This option was used just to route notifications and reports from the Barracuda. On the new firmware, if you have anything entered in the smart host field ALL outbound mail will be forwarded via it.

Multiple customers entered the internal mail server in the field to deliver the notifications and reports. After upgrading the customers weren’t able to send mail. Of course the reason is simple, all outbound mail is trapped in a loop.

The internal mail server sends the mail to the Barracuda and the Barracuda, like the smart host specifies, sends the mail back to the internal mail server. You have to clear the smart host field, unless you implicitly need to use it.