When scripting UCCX call center queues, it's common to put a caller on hold for a defined period of time, then do something with them.  Then, put them on hold again.  This could be to hear a "Thanks for holding.  We'll get with you shortly" every 2-3 minutes with hold music in between. Basic For example, here, you will see a basic call loop.  A call gets queued if...
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So, I purchased a Cisco ASA 5505 to build a VPN Tunnel from a remote office to my main office. Really simple to do, when you are using Easy VPN . Anyway, I wanted to turn on SSH. So, I enabled SSH on the ASA, and tried to access it: [apaxson@netutil ~]$ ssh -l username 1.2.3.4 ssh_exchange_identification: Connection closed by remote host   Hmmmm..... let's do a debug,...
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Had an interesting issue today.  I enabled AAA Authentication on a used Cisco 3560 switch.  I then created a user with privilege 15.  But, every time I used either telnet or SSH, I was always getting User Mode.  I wanted Priveleged Mode. Since the highest level of privilege commands is 15, I should be getting full permissions if my user is ALSO set at privilege 15,...
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I finally figured out, albeit late, on how to do the old "PIX" 'alias' command on a Cisco ASA. For those that remembered, the 'ALIAS' command would basically do a DNS rewrite.  If you have a webserver on your DMZ with a static ip on an outside address, your internal users wouldn't be able to access it.  DNS would return your outside IP, but because the address is on the outside...
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Just got asked the question on how I collected and graphed the number of active IPSec VPN Tunnels on my Cisco ASA with the HP IMC (Intelligent Management Center).  The OID I am collecting on is the number of active Phase1 IKE Tunnels:  .1.3.6.1.4.1.9.9.171.1.2.1.1.0 Here is a screenshot of my Performance Index that I'm collecting:   After that, click the...
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There are always “gotchas” when working with Cisco Unified Communications systems, and they are not always obvious. UCCX (Contact Center) is no exception. PROBLEM : A VPN Call Center Agent receives a call from the Contact Center. Upon answering the call, it either just drops with dead air, or the agent hears a fast busy. ENVIRONMENT : The Agent uses IP Communicator to answer calls...
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I had a Cisco UC upgrade project recently completed.  The move from UC 5.x to 8.x left me with a decision... do I keep with the old MCS hardware (of which are Proliants, which I love), or move to the new Cisco UCS systems. Well, being a techno-geek, I couldn't pass up learning something new.  And with the full backing of Cisco support, you can't go wrong. Today, we had an...
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ip default-route vs ip route Ran into a small problem yesterday, where a sub-contractor dispatched a technician to provision a new DSL line (on a Cisco 851) for me at one of our retail stores. It really was not a huge change. Mostly, just changing the ip address and default route. After 3 hours, the technician calls me back saying it’s not working, and if I gave him the right...
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I'll start off by saying, I'm not an analyst.  I'm not going to quote or link you to analytical articles or mention Gartner's Quadrants (oh crap, I just did!).  What I am going to write about, is my personal opinions on where Cisco is going with their data networking in the enterprise, and why.  I do make many generalizations in this post, so please comment on...
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