The exam was probably the best Cisco exam I've ever taken.  Of all the exams I've taken in the last few years, this is the only one that didn't have questions with huge misspellings or grammatical errors.  I was really taken aback at that since a good portion of the questions from some of my recent CCNP exams were plain unreadable.  I think I remember leaving a comment on one IIUC question about the word "an" being left out of a description, but that was no big deal.  I'm not that obesessive-compulsive.

The exam wasn't that difficult, either.  There were some questions that I wound up reading over and over again because the answer was just so obvious to me, and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss something.  There were a good number of questions on the CCA which I didn't enjoy one bit.  Those are the questions that ask "what tab do you select to do X?"  Those, in my opinion, are pointless memorizations since, outside of the exam, I can just click around to figure out what's being asked.  On that same vein, I did get a simulation to configure a UC500 to meet requirements, but that was pretty trivial.  The most difficult questions dealt with connecting your CME to either the PSTN or PBX; I actually focused my studies on that specifically, but I still blew it.  Oh, well.

Now that voice is finished, I'm back on the R&S track and am studying for the CCIE written.  I'll get around to marking the calendar for my attempt, but, for now, I'm going to take a few days off and enjoy some cigars.

Send any Gilligan's Island episodes questions my way.

Audio commentary

Aaron Conaway

I like to lean my head to the left, hit it with the palm of my right hand, and document what knowledge falls out.

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T:  Represents anywhere from 0 to 32 digits

destination-patter 9T  <- matches a 9 followed by 0 – 32 other digits

Period : Represents a single digit

destination-pattern 3…   <- matches a 4-digit number that begins with a 3
destination-pattern 91802…….   <- Matches a 12-digit number starting with 91802

Plus : Matches from 1 to 32 instances of the previous digit or pattern

destination-pattern 85+   <- matches an 8 followed by 1 to 32 5s
destination-pattern 1+  <- matches 1 to 32 instances of the digit 1

Percent or question mark :  Matches from 0 to 32 instances of the previous digit or pattern

destination-pattern 74%   <- matches a 7 followed by 0 to 32 4s
destination-pattern 84

Brackets : Matches a range or group of digits

destination-pattern [2-4]…   <- matches a 4-digit number that begins with 2, 3, or 4
destination-pattern [159]…   <- matches a 4-digit number that begins with 1, 5 or 9

Parenthesis :  Groups digits together to match with a +, ?, or %

destination-pattern (61)+   <- matches 61, 6161, 616161…up to 32 61s
destination-pattern(555)+   <- matches 555, 555555…up to 32 555s

Remember to think about digit stripping if you're using these on POTS dial peers.  The directive no digit-strip may help you out.

Aaron Conaway

I like to lean my head to the left, hit it with the palm of my right hand, and document what knowledge falls out.

Website - More Posts

I blasted through the first of half working on my CCNP, but I slowed way down since I didn't have a deadline to meet.  I studied up for my ham radio technician license, but that fell through when I couldn't find a volunteer to proctor the exam.  After I gave up on that, I started on my CCNA Voice so I could talk semi-intelligently about VoIP.  Of course, that hit a huge roadblock when I couldn't find a testing center open (they're all at schools which are closed for the holidays and for student testing at the end of the semester).  Now we're at the start of another year, and I met very few of my goals for 2010.

I hate it when I let things get out of control like that and I'm not going to let that happen this year.  To help me stay on track, I'm actually going to publish my certification goals for the year.  Since they're all public, people can mock me when I don't hit my own mark.

Very simple, really.  Finish up what I started and move heavily into the CCIE R&S studies.

• Finish my CCNA Voice
• Pass my CCIE R&S written exam
• Decide on a training provider for the lab
• Schedule the lab
• Optionally, take the lab

I hope that 2010 was a good one for you.  I wish you all the best in 2011.  Here's to making it the best yet!

Some stats for the site in 2010:

• New Visitors:  34,396
• Top Visiting Countries (besides the US):  UK, Australia, Canada, India, Germany
• Most Popular Visitor OSes (besides Windows):  Mac 10.6, Linux 2.6.32
• Top Article by Landings:  ASA 8.3.1 – Smart Tunnel and NAT Changes
• Top Page by Landings: Reasons I Hate Comcast (retired)
• Most Referrals:  packetlife.net
• Most Popular Search Term That Lead People Here:  "rspan"  <- Really?  That's odd.

Aaron Conaway

I like to lean my head to the left, hit it with the palm of my right hand, and document what knowledge falls out.

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CCNA Voice

Circle 28 February 2011 on your calendars.  That's when the CCNA Voice track gets a shakeup.  The IIUC (640-460) exam will be no more, and passing CVOICE (642-436) will no longer be a valid way to get the cert.  After the big day, you'll have to take ICOMM (640-461).  This seems to be a much broader exam instead of having the enterprise and commercial focuses in CVOICE and IIUC, respectively.  Look out for both CME- and CUCM-based topics including a troubleshooting section. 

See also:  

Wendell Odom's blog at NetworkWorld

CCVP

The CCVP is now known as the CCNP Voice.  There are still five exams to get the certification, so it's not that different.  The QoS exam is gone, but the new CVOICE (642-437) exam includes QoS, so keep studying those queueing methods.  The TUC exam is replaced by TVOICE (642-427), which, on the surface seems to be just an update.  The CIPT1 (642-447), and CIPT2 (642-457) exams also look like they're simply updated, but you'll have to ask a Voice guy since I don't really know the differences here..  The last exam is CAPPS (642-467), and covers Unity, VPIM, and Presence.  Fun stuff.

See also:  

Wendell's blog again

CCSP

Like the Voice track, the CCSP gets a name change and is now known as the CCNP Security.  There are still four tests like the old track, but the content is updated.  You have to take the SECURE (642-637), FIREWALL (642-617), VPN (642-647), and  IPS (642-627).  Word on the street is that the new VPN exam eliminates the inconsistencies with VPN deployment methods taught in SNAF and SNAA.  

See also:

Wendell's blog again

Can someone explain why CCSP and CCNP Security are both still listed on the professional cert page at Cisco, but the CCNP Voice gets a "formerly known as" moniker?

Aaron Conaway

I like to lean my head to the left, hit it with the palm of my right hand, and document what knowledge falls out.

Website - More Posts

Below is a list of requirements for configuring a router as a call processor.  In a lab or in your head, configure the router to support the features as listed.  This isn't a contest or anything like that.  If you get it right, a virtual thumbs up is all I can afford to give you.  There are some licensing issues for running this stuff in GNS3/dynamips, so I can't help you out on that.  I'll just hint that GNS3 and dynamips will bind to real networks and that copies of a compatible IP softphone are available.

Here we go.

• Telephony
  • Maximum of 10 DNs
  • Maximum of 5 ephones
  • DHCP server that provides the appropriate DHCP scope option for getting the phones online
• Phones
  • Phone 1
    • Sales Phone A
    • Button 1: extension 1001
    • Button 2: intercom to phone 3 labeled as "Lackey"
    • Pickup Group 3001
  • Phone 2
    • HR Phone A
    • Button 1: extension 1002
    • Pickup Group 3001
  • Phone 3
    • Sales Phone B
    • Button 1: extension 1003
    • Button 2:  monitor button 1 on phone 1
    • Button 3: intercom to phone 1 labeled as "Boss" that answers unmuted
    • Pickup Group 3002
• Paging
  • Each department should have its own paging group.
  • All phones should be in a paging group for broadcasting emergencies to all employees.
• Call Parking
  • 2 call parking DNs
  • 1 CP DN should be dedicated to phone 2
• Music on Hold
  • MOH should play when a user is on hold or in a park slot
• After-hours
  • After hours should be Mon – Fri from 7pm to 7am
  • No one should be able to dial 1003 after hours
  • No one should be able to dial 1002 any day at any time

I'll get my own answer together and post the consensus result in a few days.  In the meantime, let me know how terribly I did.

Send any unlicensed CIPC phones questions my way.

Aaron Conaway

I like to lean my head to the left, hit it with the palm of my right hand, and document what knowledge falls out.

Website - More Posts

Here are some more notes from my IIUC studies.  As always, corrections requested.

• Broadcasts messages to a group for a one-way communication
• Paging groups are used to limit which phones get the broadcast
• Paging can be unicast or multicast
  • Unicast groups limited to 10 members
  • Multicast requires mcast support on the network
• Paging configurations can be unicast, multicast, or multiple-group

!  Unicast Paging
!  When 1044 is dialed, ephone 1 is paged
R1(config)#ephone-dn 44
R1(config-ephone-dn)#number 1044
R1(config-ephone-dn)#paging
R1(config-ephone-dn)#exit
R1(config)#ephone 1
R1(config-ephone)#paging-dn 44

!  Multicast Paging
!  When 1045 is dialed, ephone 2 is paged
R1(config)#ephone-dn 45
R1(config-ephone-dn)#number 1045
R1(config-ephone-dn)#paging ip 239.1.1.100 port 2000
R1(config-ephone-dn)#exit
R1(config)#ephone 2
R2(config)#paging-dn 45

!  Multiple Group Paging
!  When 1046 is dialed, both ephones 1 and 2 are dialed
R1(config)#ephone-dn 46
R1(config-ephone-dn)#number 1046
R1(config-ephone-dn)#paging group 44, 45

• There is a limit of 10 DNs in the paging group.

After-hours Call Blocking

• Allows you to configure time ranges and patterns that cannot be called during those ranges
• Three steps
  1. Defines days and/or hours that are considered after-hours
  2. Specify patterns to be blocked
  3. Create exemptions

R1(config)#telephony-service
R1(config-telephony)#after-hours day mon 18:00 07:00 <- afterhours = 6pm to 7am
R1(config-telephony)#after-hours day tue 18:00 07:00
R1(config-telephony)#after-hours day wed 18:00 07:00
R1(config-telephony)#after-hours day thu 18:00 07:00
R1(config-telephony)#after-hours day fri 18:00 07:00
…
R1(config-telephony)#after-hours date Dec 25 00:00 00:00 <- Christmas is after hours
…
R1(config-telephony)#after-hours block pattern 1 91900……. 7-24 <- Pattern index 1 blocks 900 numbers 7day/24hours
R1(config-telephony)#after-hours block pattern 2 91………. <- Pattern index 2 block all long distance after hours
…
R1(config-telephony)#login timeout 15 clear 18:00 <- Allows logins for entering a PIN for after-hours exemption; times out in 15 minutes and clears at 18:00
R1(config-telephony)#exit
R1(config)#ephone 1
R1(config-ephone)#after-hours exempt <- the boss's phone can call anywhere except the 7-24 patterns
R1(confg-ephone)#ephone 2
R1(config-ephone)#ping 1234 <- Your phone can log in with this PIN for after-hours access

• Phones have to be restarted or reset for the Login key to be enabled.

Call Accounting

• It's important to see who is calling international numbers every day at lunch.
• Call Detail Records (CDRs) record who called what number when for how long plus more stuff.
• CME logs CDRs to the logging buffer, syslog, or both.
• Logging buffers clear when a router loses power, but it may be better than nothing.  <- Don't do this ever!  Get a syslog server!

R1(config)#logging buffer 512000 <- Set the logging buffer size to 512000 bytes
R1(config)#dial-control-mib retain-timer 120 <- Roll records out in 120 minutes
R1(config)#dial-control-mib max-size 100 <- Only keep last 100 records

• Sending to syslog allows you to keep more records

R1(config)#gw-accounting syslog
R1(config)#logging 192.168.0.2 <- Log to this server

• Account codes are used for billing.
  • Each department or unit can enter a code that appears in the CDR for use later.
• Users press the Acct key when the call is ringing or connected to enter their code.

Music on Hold

• Do I have to explain what MoH is?
• WAV or AU file in flash
• Files must be G.711 or G.729
  • G.711 is recommended since it is of higher quality
• Can be delivered via unicast or multicast

R1(config-telephony)#moh piratedmusic.au <- Plays a local audio file as MoH
R1(config-telephony)#multicast moh 239.1.1.15 port 2001 <- multicast the MoH

Aaron Conaway

I like to lean my head to the left, hit it with the palm of my right hand, and document what knowledge falls out.

Website - More Posts

Local Directory

• Allows users to look up names
• Allows names to show up when dialing or receiving a call
• Most phones have a directory button; some have a menu options for the directory

R1(config)#ephone-dn 1
R1(config-ephone-dn)#name Roger Smith

• Directory entries can be added manually

R1(config-telephony)#directory entry 1 1700 Corporate Fax
R1(config-telephony)#directory entry 2 1701 HR Fax

• By default, sorting is done alphabetically by first name.
• Sorting can be changed

R1(config-telephony)#directory last-name-first

Call Forwarding

• Can be done by the user or through CLI
• User presses CFwdAll button, enters a number, and #; pressing CFwdAll again cancels forwarding.
• CLI forwarding is more flexible

R1(config-ephone-dn)#call-forward busy 1800
R1(config-ephone-dn)#call-forward noan 1800 timeout 25 <- if no answer after 25 seconds
R1(config-ephone-dn)#call-forward max-length 0 <- disabled forwarding
R1(config-ephone-dn)#call-forward max-length 4 <- restricts forwarded number to a length of 4 digits

• H.450.3: A voice gateway redirects the forward to another gateway instead of using the phone as a proxy
  • Direct path from originator to destination
  • Frees up network resources by keeping path direct
  • Keeps latency and jitter down by avoiding long looping paths and a hairpin turn at the phone
• Forwarding patterns can help restrict where calls can be forwarded

R1(config-telephony)#call-forward pattern 1… <- allows forwarding to a 4-digit number starting with 1

Call Transfer

• H.450.2: A voice gateway redirects transfers to another gateway instead of using the phone as a proxy.
  • The user doing the transfer is dropped from the conversation after transfer is complete.
• Generically, there are two types of forwarding.
  • Blind: sends the caller to the number blindly
  • Consult:  allows you to talk to the endpoint before transferring the call
• CME has three types of forwarding.
  • full-blind:  blind transfers using H.450.2 or SIP REFER
  • full-consult:  consult transfers using H.450.2 or SIP REFER if second line is available; if not, fall back to full-blind
  • local-consult:  Cisco-proprietary method for full-consult

R1(config-telephony)#transfer-system full-consult
- or -
R1(config-ephone-dn)#transfer-mode consult

• Transfer patterns work similarly to forwarding patterns

R1(config-telephony)#transfer-patter 1…

Call Park

• Call parking allows a user to retrieve a call from any phone by "parking" the call to an extension.
• The call can be picked up from any phone able to dial that extension.
• Park numbers can be assigned randomly or manually.

R1(config-ephone-dn)#park-slot <- makes this DN a park slot

• Call parking has several options.
  • reserved-for dn:  Only that DN can use this park-slot
  • timeout seconds:  Ring the phone phone that parked the call after that many seconds to remind them of the park
  • limit count:  After that many timeout intervals, drop the call.  Not good for customers.
  • notify dn [ only ]:  Notify that DN when a timeout is reached
  • recall:  Sends the call back to the original phone when the timeout is reached
  • transfer dn:  Sends the call to this DN when the timeout is reached
  • alternate dn:  If the DN in the transfer command is not available, go here
  • retry seconds:  Try to transfer again after this many seconds
• The phone must be reset for call parking to take effect.

Call Pickup

• Allows users to pick up other ringing phones
• Best to use pickup groups so the sales guys don't pick up support calls by accident

R1(config-ephone-dn)#pickup-group 5000

• There are three methods to pickup a call.
  • Directed pickup:  A user picks up a ringing phone by pressing PickUp followed by the target DN.
  • Local group pickup:  A user picks up a ringing phone in his pickup group by pressing GPickUp then *.
  • Other group pickup:  A user picks up a ringing phone in another pickup group by pressing GPickUp then the other group number.

Intercom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P2dbwrT_fQ

• Technically is a speed dial and auto-answer combination
• Intercom button is pressed, which dials a DN bound to another phone; that phone automatically answers on mute.
• The DNs involved usually (?) can't be dialed.
  • e.g., A101

R1(config)#ephone-dn 99
R1(config-ephone-dn)#number A99
R1(config-ephone-dn)#intercom A98 label "Boss"
R1(config-ephone-dn)#exit
R1(config)#ephone-dn 98
R1(config-ephone-dn)#number A98
R1(config-ephone-dn)#intercom A99 label "Lackey"
R1(config-ephone-dn)#exit
R1(config)#ephone 54
R1(config-ephone)#button 5:99
R1(config-ephone)#restart
R1(config)#ephone 73
R1(config-ephone)#button 5:98
R1(config-ephone)#restart

• Other options
  • barge-in:  Places existing calls on hold on the other end and barges n
  • no-auto-answer:  Rings instead of auto answers
  • no-mute:  Doesn't mute when auto answering.  Can you say spying?

Aaron Conaway

I like to lean my head to the left, hit it with the palm of my right hand, and document what knowledge falls out.

Website - More Posts

Switchport Configuration

• switchport mode access:  This config makes the port an access port that carries the primary and voice VLAN traffic
• switchport mode trunk:  This config akes the port a trunk unconditionally, but it will still send DTP messages
• switchport nonegotiate:  This config keeps the port from sending DTP messages.
• switchport mode dynamic auto:  If the port receives DTP messages, it will become a trunk.  If not, it will be an access port.
• switchport mode dynamic desirable:  The port actively sends DTP messages trying to become a trunk.  This is the default configuration on a Cisco switch.

Cisco IP Phone Boot Process

1. Phone connects to an Ethernet switch and gets power if needed
2. Switch tells the phone the correct voice VLAN through CDP
3. Phone sends DHCP request for its voice VLAN
4. DHCP offer includes the TFTP server from which to download the config
5. Phone downloads the config from the TFTP server
6. Phone contacts the call processing server as dictated in the config file

DHCP Settings on a Cisco Router or L3 Switch

R1(config)#ip dhcp pool MYPOOL
R1(dhcp-config)#network 192.168.0.0 255.255.255.0
R1(dhcp-config)#default-router 192.168.0.1
R1(dhcp-config)#dns-server 192.168.0.10
R1(dhcp-config)#option 150 ip 192.168.0.20  <– Tells the phone to download the config from this TFTP server
R1(dhcp-config)#exit
R1(config)#ip dhcp excluded-address 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.100  <– Don't use these IPs when handing out DHCP

NTP

Why should you use NTP for a CME setup?

• Phones display correct time
• Voicemails have the correct time
• CDRs are timestamped accurately
• Router logs are timestamped accurately
• Time-based access worked predictably

R1(config)#ntp server 1.1.1.1
R1(config)#clock timezone MYTZ -5  <– Sets the timezone to a zone called MYTZ that's 5 hours behind UTC

Aaron Conaway

I like to lean my head to the left, hit it with the palm of my right hand, and document what knowledge falls out.

Website - More Posts

An ephone is a representation of a phone.  It's basically a structure of features that a phone will have. 

Configuration in CME:

R1(config)#ephone 34  <– This is just a tag and has nothing to do with an extension or phone
R1(config-ephone)#mac-address 1111.2222.3333    <– Assigns this ephone to the phone with that MAC address

An ephone-dn is a directory number that can be assigned to one or more phone.  This is usually your extension and/or DID number.

Configuration in CME:

R1(config)#ephone-dn 18   <– Again, just a tag
R1(config-ephone-dn)#number 1000  <– the extension

Ephone-dns (i.e., extensions) are assigned to ephones through the button directive under the ephone setup.  You can have more than one assignment per button command.

Configuration in CME:

R1(config)#ephone 34
R1(config-ephone)#button 1:18   <– Assigns extension 1000 (through ephone-dn 18) to button 1

The colon (:) in the button line is a separator that means that this is a normal ring phone – when someone dials that extension, your phone rings and lights up.  There are other separator characters.

Configuration in CME:

R1(config)#ephone 34
R1(config-ephone)#button 3m15  <– Monitors ephone-dn on button 3
R1(config-ephone)#button 4s82  <– Assigns ephone-dn 82 to button 4 but nothing will ring
R1(config-ephone)#button 5f31  <– Assigns ephone-dn 31 to button 5 with a triple ring

Aaron Conaway

I like to lean my head to the left, hit it with the palm of my right hand, and document what knowledge falls out.

Website - More Posts