2.18.2014

Spanning Tree Protocol CCNA Practice: Challenge 1

Want to brush up on those CCNA skills? I've oddly found it fun to figure out spanning tree diagrams. Here's a STP challenge for you. Try to determine the root bridge, designated ports, root ports, and blocked ports. Good Luck! [Click here to check your answers.]



2.08.2014

VMware does the time go?

After a year and a half and the time has finally arrived! In this, my program's final semester, I have embarked on the epic journey that is our Emerging Technologies VMware course! We have been slowly training to use VMware technology throughout our classes. We learn to use Workstation quite a bit up until now, as virtualized labs makes things a lot more practical. This, combined with taking the VMware Certified Associate exam has done a great job in familiarizing me with the concepts of virtualization so that I'm not running blindly into the course. Which, as my instructor has bluntly stated "is going to be one of the hardest subjects in our program".  After all the time I've spent in the last few days learning new things, and realizing there's still tons more to know, I don't doubt it.

Workstation combined with taking the VCA exam has done a great job in familiarizing me with the concepts of virtualization...
   
This weekend however, I decided to really get down to it and start playing with vSphere in a small virtual lab at home. I combined part of our previous school lab and then started veering off from there.  Immediately, I was grateful for the previous exposure to Workstation as well as our extensive server classes. Where as previously Workstation was typically used to create extra servers and clients,  I now see how using a type 1 hypervisor requires much more comfortable levels of binding everything we've ever learned together.

I started off simple. Just creating a couple of hosts and a vSphere client on a Windows 2008 server. Then from there I just kept bouncing to the next thing that peaked my curiosity. Can I clone a VM without the use of vCenter? Can I get these VMs to talk on a different network than the management network? How do I create a virtual switch? I decided I would just explore all these questions and stumble around until I figured them out. Since the class is just starting I'll leave the "best practices" to the course and for now just familiarize myself with anything that seems interesting so far. I gotta say, this is very exciting! I'm going on about 15 hours straight here in this lab I'm really excited about just what these virtualized environments are capable of! I can't wait to see what's next.