As promised, here is a list of the Smart Call Home groups and the commands that they execute.
All commands start with SHOW, I have left that out due to spacing constraints.

Group         Description           Commands
------------  --------------------- -------------------------------
Cisco TAC     All critical alerts   Executed commands based on the
              from the other groups alert group that originates the
                                    alert

Configuration Periodic events       module
              related to configs    running-configuration vdc-all all
                                    start-configuration vdc-all
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
                                    version
Diagnostic    Events generated by   diagnostic result module all detail
              diagnostics           diagnostic result module number detail
                                    hardware
                                    logging last 200
                                    module
                                    sprom all
                                    tech-support gold
                                    tech-support platform
                                    tech-support sysmgr
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
                                    version
EEM           Events generated by   diagnostic result module all detail
              by Embedded Event     diagnostic result module number detail
              Manager               module
                                    tech-support gold
                                    tech-support platform
                                    tech-support sysmgr
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
Environmental Events related to     environment
              power, fan, etc       logging last 200
                                    module
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
                                    version
Inventory     Inventory status      inventory
              that is provided      license usage
              when a unit is is     module
              cold booted or FRU    system uptime
              inserted or removed   sprom all
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
                                    version


License       Events related to     license usage vdc all
              to licensing          logging last 200
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
Linemodule    Events related to     diagnostic result module detail
 hardware     standard or smart     diagnostic result module number detail
              switching mods.       hardware
                                    logging last 200
                                    module
                                    sprom all
                                    tech-support ethpm
                                    tech-support gold
                                    tech-support platform
                                    tech-support sysmgr
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
                                    version
Supervisor    Events related to     diagnostic result module all detail
 hardware     the supervisor        hardware  
                                    logging last 200
                                    module
                                    sprom all
                                    tech-support ethpm
                                    tech-support gold
                                    tech-support platform
                                    tech-support sysmgr
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
                                    version
Syslog port   Events generated      license usage
 group        syslog PORT facility  logging last 200
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
System        Events generated      diagnostic result module all detail
              by a failure of a     hardware
              system that is        logging last 200
              critical to the       module
              units operation       sprom all
                                    tech-support ethpm
                                    tech-support gold
                                    tech-support platform
                                    tech-support sysmgr
                                    vdc current
                                    vdc membership
Test          This group is for     module
              user generated test   vdc current
              messages              vdc membership
                                    version

CallHome feature is not anything new, it has been around for quite some time now.  I remember hearing about it when the Sup720 years ago.  Believe it or not, I never really bothered to configure it or really tinker with it as our corporate support contract is through a VAR and not direct with TAC.
Well, with our Nexus switches I figured it was time to take a good look at this feature and configure it for internal use as well as for connectivity to our VAR.  Since I am configuring this feature, figured it was a good time to blog on how to!
This excert is taking directly from Cisco’s website on what Smart CallHome is:
Cisco® Smart Call Home is an award-winning, embedded support feature available on a broad range of Cisco products. Smart Call Home enabled devices continuously perform proactive diagnostics on their own components to provide real-time alerts and remediation advice when an issue is detected.
So, without future ado, here is how to configure Smart CallHome on the Nexus 7000:

Before we release our Nexus 7000’s to the productions packets, we are upgrading to a newer version of code.  Since we are doing this, I figured it would be a good opportunity to  document the ISSU upgrade process.
The Nexus 7000 has two images in order to run.  The first is a Kickstart image and the second is the actual System image. The  Kickstart image contains the Linux kernel, basic drivers,   and initial file system. The System Image contains the system  software and infrastructure code.
I prefer to use FTP to transfer large files; you can also copy  them via TFTP or USB if you wish.  For this post, I will  demonstrate FTP.
1.  Start your local FTP server (or place files on common FTP  server). In my case the IP of the FTP server is 10.1.3.11
2.  On the Nexus 7000, execute the following command to copy the kickstart image using the management VRF in this example:
N7K1# copy ftp://nexus@10.1.3.11/n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin bootflash://sup-local/_
_ Enter vrf (If no input, current vrf ‘default’ is considered): management
Password: nexus
[##                       ]         4.15MB
This is the progress indicator bar that shows you transfer status
***** Transfer of file Completed Successfully
3. Now you can copy the NXOS code to the bootflash:
N7K1# copy ftp://nexus@10.1.3.11/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin bootflash://sup-local/
Enter vrf (If no input, current vrf ‘default’ is considered): management
Password: nexus
[##                       ]         4.15MB
_ Transfer of file Completed Successfully ***** _
4.  Now that you have the files on the Active supervisor, copy them to the standby supervisor:
N7K1# copy bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin bootflash://sup-2/
Copy progress 100% 107430KB !This is the progress indicator bar that shows you transfer status
N7K1# copy bootflash:/n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin bootflash://sup-2/
Copy progress 100% 24522KB
5.  To validate that you have successfully copied to the standby supervisor, you should also attach to it and check the directory.
N7K1# attach module 6
Attaching to module 6 …
To exit type ‘exit’, to abort type ‘$.’
Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software
TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (c) 2002-2010, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
The copyrights to certain works contained in this software are
owned by other third parties and used and distributed under
license. Certain components of this software are licensed under
the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or the GNU
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1. A copy of each
such license is available at (SNIP)
N7K1(standby)# dir
3610    Jul 14 20:37:16 2010  aaa_cnv.log
16384    Jan 13 12:40:30 2008  lost+found/
100118021    Jan 14 11:11:23 2008  n7000-s1-dk9.4.2.4.bin
107369112    Jul 14 19:58:04 2010  n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.2a.bin
107430217    Aug 10 14:14:19 2010  n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin
24727552    Jan 14 11:11:37 2008  n7000-s1-kickstart.4.2.4.bin
23613440    Jul 14 19:56:49 2010  n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.2a.bin
24522752    Aug 10 14:21:11 2010  n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin
4096    Jan 13 14:29:21 2008  vdc_2/
4096    Jan 13 14:29:21 2008  vdc_3/
4096    Jan 13 14:29:21 2008  vdc_4/
Usage for bootflash://
513769472 bytes used
1296130048 bytes free
1809899520 bytes total
N7K1(standby)#
6.  Now you can return to the active supervisor by typing exit
N7K1(standby)# exit
rlogin: connection closed.
N7K1#
7.  Before continuing, make sure that all your configs are saved and backed up to an external device.  I suggest copying them to a TFTP server for disaster recovery.  A rollback will automatically be created when you perform the upgrade, but an added insurance policy is suggested.
N7K1# checkpoint file bootflash:081010_MainVDC.cfg
Done
N7K1# switchto vdc coreSwitch1
Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software
TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (c) 2002-2010, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
The copyrights to certain works contained in this software are
owned by other third parties and used and distributed under
license. Certain components of this software are licensed under
the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or the GNU
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1. A copy of each
such license is available at
(SNIP)
N7K1-CoreSwitch1# checkpoint file bootflash:081010_VDC1.cfg
Done
N7K1-CoreSwitch1# switchback_
N7K1#_
8.  Prior to the upgrade of the code, I highly recommend checking the impact of the upgrade.  This is a good command to run
when you are preparing your Chance Controls as you can validate the file as well as the impact.
You can do this by using the following command:
N7K1# show install all impact kickstart bootflash:n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin system bootflash:n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin

Verifying image bootflash:/n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin for boot variable “kickstart”.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Verifying image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin for boot variable “system”.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Verifying image type.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “bios” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “system” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “kickstart” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “cmp” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “cmp-bios” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Performing module support checks.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Notifying services about system upgrade.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Compatibility check is done:
Module  bootable          Impact  Install-type  Reason
——  ——–  ————–  ————  ——
2       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
3       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
4       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
5       yes  non-disruptive         reset
6       yes  non-disruptive         reset
7       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
8       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
9       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
10       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
[==== Output Omitted ====]
N7K1#
Note: The key piece of information here is the Impact column.  As you can see here,
this upgrade is non-disruptive (call it minimal) to traffic.  The only two modules
that need to be reset are the Supervisors (Mod 5 and 6)

9.  Once you have validated the images, you can now proceed with the upgrade.  To upgrade the images, use the install command.
N7K1#  install all kickstart bootflash:n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin system bootflash:n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin

Verifying image bootflash:/n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin for boot variable “kickstart”.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Verifying image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin for boot variable “system”.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Verifying image type.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “bios” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “system” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “kickstart” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “lc1n7k” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “cmp” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Extracting “cmp-bios” version from image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Performing module support checks.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Notifying services about system upgrade.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Compatibility check is done:
Module  bootable          Impact  Install-type  Reason
——  ——–  ————–  ————  ——
2       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
3       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
4       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
5       yes  non-disruptive         reset
6       yes  non-disruptive         reset
7       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
8       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
9       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
10       yes  non-disruptive       rolling
Images will be upgraded according to following table:
Module       Image                  Running-ersion(pri:alt)           New-Version  Upg-Required
[===== Output Omitted ====]
_
Note: As you can see, it does the impact analysis for you anyways when you do the install.
You will now need to confirm if you do want to do the upgrade by entering Y
Do you want to continue with the installation (y/n)?  [n] y
Install is in progress, please wait.
Performing runtime checks.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Syncing image bootflash:/n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin to standby.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Syncing image bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin to standby.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Setting boot variables.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Performing configuration copy.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 2: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 3: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 4: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 5: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 6: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 7: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 8: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 9: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 10: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
2010 Aug 10 15:22:34 N7K1 %PLATFORM-2-MOD_REMOVE: Module 6 removed (Serial number JAF14XXXXXX)
2010 Aug 10 15:26:43 N7K1 %CMPPROXY-STANDBY-2-LOG_CMP_UP: Connectivity Management processor(on module 6) is now UP
Module 6: Waiting for module online.
— SUCCESS
Notifying services about the switchover.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
“Switching over onto standby”.
2010 Aug 10 15:33:55 N7K1 %$ VDC-1 %$ %CMPPROXY-STANDBY-2-LOG_CMP_UP: Connectivity Management processor(on module 5) is now UP
Module 2: Non-disruptive upgrading.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 3: Non-disruptive upgrading.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 4: Non-disruptive upgrading.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 7: Non-disruptive upgrading.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 8: Non-disruptive upgrading.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 9: Non-disruptive upgrading.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Module 10: Non-disruptive upgrading.
[####################] 100% — SUCCESS
Install has been successful.
User Access Verification
N7K1 login:
_
10. And just like that, both supervisors have been upgraded and are running the new code:

N7K1# sh ver
Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software
TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (c) 2002-2010, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
The copyrights to certain works contained in this software are
owned by other third parties and used and distributed under
license. Certain components of this software are licensed under
the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or the GNU
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1. A copy of each
such license is available at
(SNIP)
Software
BIOS:      version 3.22.0
loader:    version N/A
kickstart: version 5.0(3)
system:    version 5.0(3)
BIOS compile time:       02/20/10
kickstart image file is: bootflash:/n7000-s1-kickstart.5.0.3.bin
kickstart compile time:  7/12/2010 18:00:00 [07/24/2010 11:47:30]
system image file is:    bootflash:/n7000-s1-dk9.5.0.3.bin
system compile time:     7/12/2010 18:00:00 [07/24/2010 13:21:35]

History:
I was configuring our production Nexus 7000 today and was also moving some modules around in order to accommodate better cabling options.  The one problem that I had with our Nexus switches initially was insufficient 110 power leads in our lab to power them fully.  Today I was able to resolve that by acquiring C19 pigtail cables to power al the power supplies on just 8 outlets (needed 12 to run all the power supplies). 
Philosophical:
What I have also done was move a few modules around in the chassis that where originally powered-down in order to run the chassis.  What I noticed on the Nexus 7000 now is that you are able to poweroff a module even though a module in not installed:
     N7K2# sh run | inc power
     poweroff module 1
     power redundancy-mode combined force
     N7K2# sh module 1
     N7K2#
As you can see there is no card installed in Module 1 but yet the power is disabled to that module. 
I am trying to figure out if it is a safer option to keep the module powered-off for security and sanity or is it better to leave power to that slot.
**Current Direction:
** For now, I am going to leave the power-off to that slot in order to
     1) Prevent anyone from adding a module in the future
     2) Also prevent a sudden power draw that could have a negative impact in the future (exceed power requirements)
     3) Keep people honest – ensure a change will be submitted if more capacity is ever needed

A few weeks ago t I blogged on the iPhone FaceTime application and how the communication worked.  Since I did the data capture on the Cisco ASA via CLI, I thought I would share the basics on how to do that.  Capturing data right on you ASA makes it much easier to troubleshoot as well as support new applications where you are unsure of how they are working.  Honestly though, we know that good documentation comes with all in-house application development, right?
For this blog, the inside IP that I wanted to capture information for was 192.168.0.128 to any outside IP address.
1.  Create the appropriate access-list on your ASA for the interesting traffic. Below I am capturing any traffic to and from my iPhone (IP Address 192.168.0.128)
access-list capture_iphone extended permit ip host 192.168.0.128 any
access-list capture_iphone extended permit ip any host 192.168.0.128
2. From the Enable prompt, you then create the capture.  In this case I am creating a capture called iPhone against access-list created in the last step of capture_iphone with a buffer of 1m bytes and a packet length of 2000, on the inside interface and set to overwrite when the buffer is full.
capture iPhone type raw-data access-list capture_iphone buffer 1000000 packet-length 2000 interface inside circular-buffer
3. Once the capture file is running, you can view it by using the command sh capture iPhone , or my preference is to download it from the ASA in PCAP format:
https://ip_address_of_asa/admin/capture/capturename/pcap
or in this example:  https://192.168.0.1/admin/capture/iPhone/pcap
4. After you d/l the capture file, just open it in Wireshark and you are good to go!
There is another way to view the capture and that is from the CLI. Below are the command options and their Cisco explanation.
FryGuyFW-ASA# sh capture iPhone ?
access-list    Display packets matching access-list
count          Display of packets in capture
decode         Display decode information for each packet
detail         Display more information for each packet
dump           Display hex dump for each packet
packet-number  Display packet in capture
trace          Display extended trace information for each packet
|              Output modifiers

Well, did not hear it until today – but they are canceling the CCIE SP Bootcamp next week at the CCIE Expo hosted by CCIE Flyer. Eman did all he could (and then some)  to get me into another SP class in August, but sadly they are canceling that one as well.  Guess I will be doing some heavy study on my own for the next few weeks – I have the material, just need to make the time.
Guess I can now use that money for some good rack time – or I am sure the Mrs will find a good use for it 😉

Well, one more week until I am attending the CCIE Expo down in Wilmington, DE with the CCIE Flyer man, Eman. 
If you are not aware, Eman is hosting what they are calling a “CCIE Expo” where he will have CCIE Training for R&S, SP, Voice, and Security.  The price for this class and the hotel stay where too hard to pass up – especially when you consider that it is about a 2 hour drive from where I live in PA.  I know I am not as ready as I wanted to be, so I have a few days to refresh my memory and get ready.  Whatever happens next week, the one thing that I know is that it will be a learning experience.
I will learn my strengths and weaknesses – and once I am sure of them I know where I need to focus.
If you want to read more on the Expo, here is a link to the CCIE Flyer Article or to the CCIE Agent site
In case you where wondering who is leading the classes there, below is the list:
Ringmaster
**Eman Conde
**  CCIE Agent™ known to many CCIEs around the world will play ring master to an historic and memorable week of training and networking
** **
Serivce Provider
CCIE #14856 Paul Negron
Paul is a CCIE Service Provider with over 12 years of networking experience and numerous published works on topics such as MPLS Paul is a giant in the Cisco networking arena.
In his own words
The changes in our industry have motivated me to improve the CCIE Service Provider Track to help with the various issues that come up in deployment as well as preparing for the lab exam. I want people to leave my class knowing they got more than they expected. I approach this responsibility with much humility and I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with the people I have so far. I can’t wait to help more of them.
With the goal of helping others in mind I have been finishing off the labs that are a part of my SP boot camp in Colorado this March.  The SP track is a more significant certification these days and interest in professionals with this certification and skills becoming more valuable.  Training is one of my passions and I am humbled by the way many of the students I have tutored have responded to my approach.
Security
**CCIE #19860 Piotr Matusiak
** Piotr is a dual CCIE R&S and Security with over 10 years experience in the field.  His work is interesting and focussed on security architecture and risk management in complex enterprise class networks. 
Advice on preparing for the Security CCIE lab
As the Security is a very broad topic there is no chance to go through everything from the beginner level. Hence, all students should have at least CCSP level of knowledge. This does not mean you must have CCSP certificate but an equivalent level of knowledge and two years of experience will help a lot. Of course I will be teaching core topics from scratch but some of the topics will be touched on at the higher level. Moreover, I highly recommend subscribing to Group Study mailing list as this is the place where someone can learn a lot and dispel any doubts.
The most important thing is that I will use Narbik’s philosophy of teaching using only a whiteboard and markers, without trying to bore the students through PowerPoint. This approach is much better and current Narbik students, including myself, like it a lot
Routing and Switching
CCIE #12410 Narbik Kocharians
Narbik is a triple CCIE R&S, Security and SP with over a dozen years of experience.  His training background is a history of who’s who in the Cisco certification training arena.  His textbooks have been used by these companies as he developed his art.  As the brain trust of Micronics Training he has been personally responsible for mentoring some of the brightest in the industry.
Thoughts about obtaining a CCIE certification
Believe it or NOT, the CCIE cert is NOT hard at all. As a matter of fact, it is ridiculously easy, but its so easy its hard. Let’s just say my grand mother could do it. But she is a dual CCIE (just kidding).  On a serious note, you need to study thoroughly.  You need to study very hard and know every topic and sub topics.  Cisco wants their CCIEs to know their material. If you look at the blueprint and go over each item one at a time, you will pass. It is as simple as that. There are some “007” configurations that you may have to perform, but all in all its NOT that bad.

Just figured I would post a quick blurb on the Star Wars switch – The Cisco 4948. (Actually I think the whole 4500 series is Star Wars related).
Why do I say Star Wars Switch? Easy.  Here are two SHOW VERSIONS from two Cisco 4948s that we have.
Cisco 4948 w/4 SFP
Cisco IOS Software, Catalyst 4500 L3 Switch Software (cat4500-ENTSERVICESK9-M), Version 12.2(31)SGA11, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2010 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Fri 08-Jan-10 16:44 by alnguyen
Image text-base: 0x10000000, data-base: 0x118C04CC
ROM: 12.2(31r)SGA1
Dagobah Revision 226, Swamp Revision 5
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Cisco 4948 w/10GE
Cisco IOS Software, Catalyst 4500 L3 Switch Software (cat4500-ENTSERVICESK9-M), Version 12.2(54)SG, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc3)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2010 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Sun 27-Jun-10 00:29 by prod_rel_team
Image text-base: 0x10000000, data-base: 0x123F21AC
ROM: 12.2(31r)SGA4
Pod Revision 0, Force Revision 31, Gill Revision 19
Dogabah?  Swamp? Pod? Force?
I also have spoke with TAC engineers and they said that the CIsco 4500 team is into Star Wars like midi-chlorlians where to Ani.
So, now that I have that out of the way – my gripe on the Cisco 4948 out of the box.
When you receive one of these switches, the config-register is set to 0x2101 by default.  Now, most people will not notice this until then want to upgrade the IOS code.  What the 0x2101 on the 4948 does is tell the switch to load the first IOS image loaded into bootflash, not the one you configure in the boot variable.  When you boot with 0x2101, here is the message that is flashed on the console:
_**\* The system will autoboot now ****
_
_config-register = 0x2101
Autobooting using the first file from bootflash…..
_
So, even if you load an newer IOS image in the system and configure the bootvar, the switch will not load that image.  Below is a SHOW BOOTVAR showing the config-register of 0x2101 as well as the boot variable for the other IOS image in flash
4948-1#sh bootvar
BOOT variable = bootflash:cat4500-entservicesk9-mz.122-54.SG.bin,1;
CONFIG_FILE variable does not exist
BOOTLDR variable does not exist
Configuration register is 0x2101
4948-1#
So, when you change the config-register to 0x2102, the system will boot with the image file specified in the config.
_**\* The system will autoboot now ****
config-register = 0x2102
Autobooting using BOOT variable specified file…..
Current BOOT file is — bootflash:cat4500-entservicesk9-mz.122-54.SG.bin
_
Below is the bootvar after changing it as well as the config fil:
_4948-1#sh bootvar
BOOT variable = bootflash:cat4500-entservicesk9-mz.122-54.SG.bin,1;
CONFIG_FILE variable does not exist
BOOTLDR variable does not exist
Configuration register is 0x2102
_
While this is not really a big deal, it is enough to drive someone nuts in the middle of the night doing an upgrade.  Just think, you uploaded code, checked the boot statement, but you IOS did not load.  It is enough to drive a person crazy at times.
Just wanted to share…

I know that there are quite a few how-to’s for configuring your Cisco Console server, but I figured I would throw my hat in the ring and add a twist.  You see, when I connect to my console server I am presented with a MENU, and from there I can select the device that I want to connect to.  Now normally you would not use this, but when you want to share your rack with others – a menu makes it easier for them to connect to the devices without knowing what is where and what it is called.
Here is the menu that I am presented with when I connect to the console server:
_************************
**     Cisco :: Terminal Server for Access to CCIE SP Lab      **
************************
**[1]        Connect to R1                                                             [10] Connect to FR
[2]        Connect to R2                                                            [11] Connect to ATM
[3]        Connect to R3                                                            [12] Connect to BB1
[4]        Connect to R4                                                            [13] Connect to BB2
[5]        Connect to R5                                                            [14] Connect to BB3
[6]        Connect to R6
[7]        Connect to R7
[8]        Connect to R8
[9]        Connect to R9                                                            [99] Exit to CLI
_**
Selection:
In order to configure this, here is what you have to do!
1.  Create a loopback address with an arbitrary IP address – Here I am using 1.1.1.1/32
interface Loopback0
ip address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255
2. Create host entries for each device that is connected to your console server.
To break down the first-line, 2033 is the port on the console server and _1.1.1.1 i_s the loopback IP address of the console server
_ip host R1 2033 1.1.1.1
ip host R2 2034 1.1.1.1
ip host R3 2035 1.1.1.1
ip host R4 2036 1.1.1.1
ip host R5 2037 1.1.1.1
ip host R6 2038 1.1.1.1
ip host R7 2039 1.1.1.1
ip host R8 2040 1.1.1.1
ip host R9 2041 1.1.1.1
ip host BB1 2042 1.1.1.1
ip host BB2 2043 1.1.1.1
ip host BB3 2044 1.1.1.1
ip host FR 2062 1.1.1.1
ip host ATM 2063 1.1.1.1
3.  Create the menu commands – here the menu is called CONSOLE
**
menu CONSOLE command 1 resume R1 /connect telnet R1
menu CONSOLE command 2 resume R2 /connect telnet R2
menu CONSOLE command 3 resume R3 /connect telnet R3
menu CONSOLE command 4 resume R4 /connect telnet R4
menu CONSOLE command 5 resume R5 /connect telnet R5
menu CONSOLE command 6 resume R6 /connect telnet R6
menu CONSOLE command 7 resume R7 /connect telnet R7
menu CONSOLE command 8 resume R8 /connect telnet R8
menu CONSOLE command 9 resume R9 /connect telnet R9
menu CONSOLE command 10 resume FR /connect telnet FR
menu CONSOLE command 11 resume ATM /connect telnet ATM
menu CONSOLE command 12 resume BB1 /connect telnet BB1
menu CONSOLE command 13 resume BB2 /connect telnet BB2
menu CONSOLE command 14 resume BB3 /connect telnet BB3
menu CONSOLE command 99 menu-exit
4.  Create the menu title and text:
_menu CONSOLE title %
************************
_**          Cisco :: Terminal Server for Access to CCIE SP Lab             **
**********************
%
menu CONSOLE text [1] Connect to R1                [10] Connect to FR
menu CONSOLE text [2] Connect to R2                [11] Connect to ATM
menu CONSOLE text [3] Connect to R3                [12] Connect to BB1
menu CONSOLE text [4] Connect to R4                [13] Connect to BB2
menu CONSOLE text [5] Connect to R5                [14] Connect to BB3
menu CONSOLE text [6] Connect to R6
menu CONSOLE text [7] Connect to R7
menu CONSOLE text [8] Connect to R8
menu CONSOLE text [9] Connect to R9                [99] Exit to CLI
menu CONSOLE clear-screen
_
5.  Under your VTY 0 4 interface use the autocommand interface to run the menu console command when a user connects.
line vty 0 4
autocommand menu CONSOLE
That is it!
Note: You could easily make 99 a hidden option and just enter 99 to enter the CLI.

Well, just figured I would post up real quick to say that the CCIE SP Rack has been reacabled in IPExpert fashion.  The rack was previously cabled for INE session, but since I have completed their workbook I felt it was time to recable and prepare.  Did not get any studying done today – but getting the rack completely recabled in one day is a win for me.
Now to reconfigure the frame-relay switch with all the new ports and I am set.  Tomorrow will prove to be an interesting day!