Cisco Network Positioning System

Cisco’s NPS:The Cisco Network Positioning System (NPS) provides and manages virtual cloud-based services and other network applications from the network. It is built on advanced network features and the intelligence inside next generation networks (NGN), and further aggregates the data center resources and services to ease multi-tenant cloud provisioning.

Today's virtualized cloud-based services require:

• New levels of automation, mobility, and scale from the network
• Control and speed to match the availability of virtual resources within the data center

To meet these requirements, Cisco has introduced the Network Positioning System. This system exposes the underlying intelligence in the network to cloud-based applications and management solutions.

Applications often have little knowledge of IP topology, and can be deployed into sub-optimal locations from a network point-of-view. This can result in:

• Excessive consumption of network resources
• Diminished application performance
• Added costs to the network provider

Cisco Network Positioning System locates and uses the best resources from the cloud. This system:

• Helps provision and manage virtual cloud-based services and other network applications
• Is built on advanced network features
• Uses the intelligence inside the Cisco Intelligent Network
• Further aggregates data center resources and services to simplify multi-tenant cloud provisioning

The Cisco Network Positioning System provides real-time information about the network, including:

• Proximity
• Performance
• Capabilities

The Cisco Network Positioning System understands which capabilities are available across the network and connected data centers. This real-time information, used in conjunction with a provisioning and orchestration solution, helps distribute workload and best use resources in the cloud.

NOTES: PDF file of Cisco NPS

When provided access to multiple data centers with the identical service, Cisco’s NPS correctly chose the best performing option for user traffic.

If cloud services are so important, than so too must be the availability of cloud services, which will require cloud providers to use multiple data centers to tackle issues involving scale, reduction in application latency based on geographical proximity, and resource distribution.

If the existence of multiple data centers is a given, resource distribution and customer experience optimization becomes a critical business concern: Will the data center operators distribute load across the data centers? Will they provide customers with the data center that will give them the best experience based on network proximity or performance?

Cisco says it can arm the network with the intelligence to make these decisions. This is the idea behind Cisco's Network Positioning System (NPS). To see NPS in action we needed two data centers and, as luck would have it, our test setup came equipped with two data centers.

Our intention was to verify that when the same customer requests a service, NPS makes the decision as to where that request would go -- Data Center 1, or Data Center 2. When we discussed this idea with Cisco, were prepared to have NPS work based on proximity, but they also explained that NPS was built as a customizable tool. We felt it would be more relevant to see NPS chose data centers based on performance -- delay, for example. Cisco agreed with us and got to work.

The NPS system database was incorporated into our customer-facing CRS-1. Cisco then set up an ASR 1002 as a Customer Edge router (CE) to be the NPS client. The CRS-1's central purpose in the NPS setup is to always know which data center is the optimal match for the defined metrics. The ASR 1002 polls the CRS-1 with the preferred metrics and uses the CRS-1's response for the customer traffic. In our test case, Cisco set up their IP-SLA measurement probes between an ASR 9010 in each data center, and our customer edge NPS client to constantly measure and report the delay to the CRS-1.

Cisco installed two simple video servers in each data center. We connected a laptop client to our ASR 1002, and began requesting video through a Web portal Cisco had setup. In the beginning, the Web portal would almost randomly choose different data centers each time we refreshed. We found this was because the latency measurements were extremely close, and mildly fluctuating. No problem, this meant both video servers were working. Also, we came prepared. We connected Ixia's new shiny ImpairNet impairment generator between the customer edge ASR 1002 and its upstream CRS-1. This was the customer's link to both data centers, but, by using a filter on the impairment generator, we could add delay to all packets for a given destination. We toggled back and forth between adding 50 milliseconds on all the IP-SLA measurement packets to Data Center 1, and then disabling it and adding the delay to Data Center 2. Each time, we observed that when the video client was refreshed it was showing video from a different data center according to the path with the lowest latency.

Impairments Illustrated

In addition we verified that NPS would not include data center options that didn't run a service all together. We used "CPU hog" on Data Center 1 to disrupt the video server. The ASR 9010 detected the failure for this virtual server to respond, and signaled the CRS-1 not to include Data Center 1 as a viable option for this video service. We refreshed our browser and were consistently directed to Data Center 2.

For service providers offering cloud services the ability to optimize the customer experience when accessing geo-redundant or distributed data centers could well be a competitive edge, especially when the cloud services begin to be commoditized. It is impressive to see that functions that required complicated traffic engineering knowledge in the past have been simplified and repackaged for general consumption.

---Original resource from lightreading.com-CarstenRossenhövel

More News: CloudVerse: Cisco Storms into the Cloud Market

MORE NOTES:

The Cisco Network Positioning System (NPS) provides and manages virtual cloud-based services and other network applications from the network. It is built on advanced network features and the intelligence inside next generation networks (NGN), and further aggregates the data center resources and services to ease multi-tenant cloud provisioning.

The fundamental role of the NPS is to receive and respond to inquiries that seek the support of specified services and capabilities. Such services and capabilities might include, for example, computing power, storage capacity, and network services such as firewall and load balancer. NPS responds to an inquiry with a ranked list of network devices, which might specify the virtual data center to support the requested services, and the Provider Edge (PE) routers to provide network transport.

more info:

1941 cisco products, 1921 cisco products, cisco 1900 product, cisco 1900 products

What Router-switch.com Prepared for Its 10th Anniversary?

Router-switch.com is ten years old, happy 10th Anniversary! It is a vital phase for all router-switch.com staff in 2012. How to celebrate its 10^th anniversary? What Router-switch.com Prepared for Its tenth birthday to thank its regulars and new clients? Let’s have a look!

Router-switch.com, ten years old, happy birthday! 2012 marks the tenth anniversary of router-switch.com, which is an exciting moment for all router-switch’s staff and clients.

What Router-switch.com Prepared for Its 10^th Anniversary?

In 2012, router-switch.com welcomes its 10^th anniversary. For router-switch.com, it has been a worldwide leading Cisco supplier during the past 10 years. To celebrate 10 years, it prepares big gifts for its regulars and new clients, such as Cisco AIR-AP1131AG-A-K9, limited edition T-shirts and 20PC U disk. Some popular Cisco products(including Cisco routers: Cisco 2900&3900 Routers, Cisco switches: Catalyst 3560x Series, Cisco Catalyst 3750x Series, Catalyst 3560V2/3750V2, Cisco firewall, Cisco Access Points and network cards) will have big discounts (up to 75% off).The activity date is from September to October. Wow, if you wanna buy Cisco equipment, don’t miss it.

Router-switch.com has become a world’s leading Cisco supplier over the past ten years with the help of its staff and customers. To celebrate its 10 years, router-switch.com offers some activities for all the old and new clients, for example, big discount (save up to 75% off) for the popular Cisco items (including Catalyst 3560x Series, Cisco Catalyst 3750x Series, Catalyst 3560V2/3750V2, Cisco 2900&3900 Routers, Network Cards, etc.), fill out a simple survey to win a big gift (Cisco AIR-AP1131AG-A-K9, limited edition T-shirts and 20PC U disk). The activity date is from September. 01. 2012 to October. 31. 2012. Wow, if you are a Cisco buyer, don’t miss this chance. Let’s join the party to celebrate the 10^th birthday together.

Ethernet LAN Cable vs Ethernet Crossover Cable

What is the difference between an ethernet cisco cable and an ethernet "crossover" cable? I would like to wire my two computers together so that data could be transferred. Both computers have an available ethernet port. I have additional ethernet cables available. How do these cables differ from the crossover variety? How much should I expect to spend on a crossover cable? ---Q from Yahoo answers

If you have a computer network in your home, there is a good chance that at least one ethernet lan cable is involved. It might connect your computer to a router, a modem, a wall socket, or even hook a wireless router up to the outside world. Whatever it does, your ethernet cable is a vital part of your network. However, there is another similar type of cable that is known as a crossover cable. While it has many similarities with an ethernet cable, the exact purpose of it can be unclear.

Similarities Between Crossover and Ethernet

Crossover cables and ethernet cables, despite their functional differences, have many similarities. In fact, it is easy to mistake a crossover cable for an ethernet cable if you do not know where to look. This is because crossover cables are designed to use the same port as an ethernet cable. They have the same number of pins, and the same general appearance. Because of their similarity, it can be hard to tell exactly what the difference between a crossover cable and an ethernet cable is.

Differences between Crossover Cable and Ethernet Cable

There are many functional differences between crossover cables and ethernet cables. For one thing, crossover cables have their pins configured differently than ethernet cables, even though they have the same number and connect to the same port. This difference is not very obvious, but it is possible to tell between a crossover cable and an ethernet cable by examining their connectors. This is because the different pins are labeled by color, so the different configuration between ethernet and crossover cables is made clear visually.

The difference between configuration of crossover and ethernet cables has an important function. Ethernet cables are for connecting two different types of devices. However, crossover cables are used for networking two similar devices directly, without using hubs or routers. Trying to use an ethernet lan cable in place of a crossover cable will simply not work, and vice versa.

Uses for Crossover Cables

Crossover cables, because they are designed to connect two similar devices, serve many purposes that ethernet lan cables cannot. For example, you can use crossover cables to connect two network hubs together. This allows you to share information between the hubs, and gain extra ports that are all on the same network. This is a great way to connect many computers or external devices together, particularly ones without wireless capabilities.

However, crossover cables cannot perform the numerous functions of ethernet lan cables, which are all very important.

Uses for Ethernet Cables

Ethernet cables, unlike crossover cables, are for connecting two different types of devices. This is a much more common type of connection, which you will see in almost every network. For example, an ethernet cable could be used to connect a computer to a modem. Alternatively, it could connect a computer to a splitter, which connects to several external devices, such as printers. Ethernet cables are very useful and more common than the specialized crossover cable.
read more: cisco memory hardware, Cisco Flash hardware, Cisco Power Supply hardware

Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960 Series Switches With LAN Lite

Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960 Series Switchesfor Intelligent Small Business Network

Enhanced Network Security, Availability, and Manageability for Intelligent Small Business Network

The network is an increasingly critical component of today’s small business. Built with the right foundation components, your network should be an important part of building value and success.

The Cisco Catalyst2960-S and 2960 Series Switches with LAN Lite software provide the security and performance that your business applications demand and are scalable to support your continually evolving network environment. By providing these capabilities in your network foundation, you can improve the availability of your critical applications, protect your business information, more easily accommodate expanding services, and optimize your network bandwidth to more effectively deliver information and applications.

A solid network foundation will give you:

•  The performance needed to support demanding applications and services 24/7.

•  Enhanced security to protect business assets and comply with regulatory requirements.

•  Basic network intelligence to more smoothly handle dataintensive IP voice and video traffic.

•  Create a highly scalable network foundation that can be easily managed and centrally controlled with choice of management tools.

•  Support advanced technology deployments such as IP telephony and wireless LANs.

•  Improved employee productivity and customer responsiveness by preserving the availability of essential business applications and supporting advanced IP voice and video services.

Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960 Switches with LAN Lite Software for Base-Line Function

* Each dual-purpose port has one 10/100/1000 Ethernet port and one Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) based Gigabit Ethernet port, one port active at a time.

Cisco Limited Lifetime Hardware Warranty

Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960 Series Switches come with a limited lifetime warranty that includefree software updates. The Catalyst 2960-S warranty is enhanced with 90 days of Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support during normal business hours and next-business-day hardware replacement.  

Service and Support

To help you realize the most value from your Cisco network investments, Cisco provides award-winning technical support services. With a Cisco technical services contract, you can gain access to Cisco technical experts, as well as industry-leading Cisco tools and resources to help you increase your operational efficiency, control costs, and maintain optimal network performance and reliability.

To support your Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960 Series Switches, you can choose from the following options:

• Cisco SMARTnet Service: Cisco SMARTnet Service is an award-winning technical support service that provides direct, anytime access to Cisco engineers, as well as extensive technical resources. The service provides rapid issue resolution, flexible device-by-device coverage, and premium service options to help you improve your operational efficiency and get the most from your Cisco investment.

• Cisco Smart Care Service: The Cisco Smart Care Service combines technical support and maintenance for your entire Cisco network with ongoing network monitoring and proactive network assessments. These proactive monitoring and assessment capabilities increase your visibility into the health and security of your network, protect the availability of your critical applications, and reduce the time and effort required to ensure your network is running optimally.

• Cisco Smart Foundation Service: Designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses, the Cisco Smart Foundation Service provides easy, cost-effective network support to improve operational reliability, contain costs, and protect investments in Cisco networking solutions. The technical service offering provides access to Cisco technical engineers who are specially trained to assist small businesses that do not have a dedicated networking staff.

PDF File: Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960 Series Switches With LAN Lite: Enhanced Network Security, Availability, and Manageability for Intelligent Small Business Network

http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/solutions/small_business/products/routers_switches/catalyst_2960_series_switches/docs/C2960-Switches-LAN-Lite-slick-v2.pdf

Data Sheet: Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960 Series Switches with Lite Software

http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/solutions/small_business/products/routers_switches/catalyst_2960_series_switches/docs/Catalyst_2960_Series_Switches_LAN_Lite_DS_FINAL.pdf

WS-C2960S-48TS-L , WS-C2960S-24TS-L, WS-C2960S-48FPS-L, WS-C2960S-48LPS-L, WS-C2960S-24PS-L

Network Security: Types of Network Threats and Attacks

Where there is a network, wired or cisco wireless; there are threats. Some people are easily put off setting up a home or office network with the fear that anything stored in their hard drive could be accessed by neighbors or hackers. The types of potential threats to network security are always evolving.

If the cisco security of the network is compromised, there could be serious consequences, such as loss of privacy, and theft of information.

When it comes to network security, the main concern is making sure that any wireless connections are protected against unauthorized access.

Most business transactions are done over the Internet, In addition, the rise of mobile commerce and wireless networks demands that security solutions become flawlessly integrated, more transparent, and more flexible.

The Internet has grown over the years and still growing, this is due to the flexibility of its design. Network attack tools and methods have evolved. Back in the days when a hacker had to have sophisticated computer, programming, and networking knowledge to make use of rudimentary tools and basic attacks. Nowadays, network hackers, methods and tools has improved tremendously, hackers no longer required the same level of sophisticated knowledge. People who previously would not have participated in computer crime are now able to do so.


Types of Network Threats and Attacks
As the types of threats, attacks, and exploits grow, various terms have been used to describe the individuals involved. Some of the most common terms are as follows:
i. White hat- These are network attackers who looks for vulnerabilities in systems or networks and then reports these vulnerabilities to the owners of the system so that they can be fixed. They are ethically opposed to the abuse of computer systems. A white hat generally focuses on securing IT systems.

ii. Hacker- This is a general term that is used to describe a computer programming expert. These are normally used in a negative way to describe an individual that attempts to gain unauthorized access to network resources with malicious intent.

iii. Black hat or Cracker- The opposite of White Hat, this term is used to describe those individuals who use their knowledge of computer systems and progremming skills to break into systems or networks that they are not authorized to use, this of course is done usually for personal or financial gain.

iv. Phreaker- Thisterms is often used to describe an individual who manipulates the phone network in a bid to perform a function that is not allowed. The phreaker breaks into the phone network, usually through a payphone, to make free or illegal long distance calls.

v.Spammer- This is often used cisco to describe the persons who sends large quantities of unsolicited e-mail messages. Spammers often use viruses to take control of home computers and use them to send out their bulk messages.

Vi.Phisher- Uses e-mail or other means to trick others into providing sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or passwords. A phisher masquerades as a trusted party that would have a legitimate need for the sensitive information.



read more:cisco network hardware

How to configure static routes on Cisco routers?

You can cisco configuration two types of routing on the router- static and dynamic to send the traffic to destination. Static route tell the network devices about exact location (hard-coded destination). Static routers can work well with small network but in large scale network dynamic routing is the best choice. Configure static routes between routers to allow data transfer between routers without the use of dynamic routing protocols.

From the global configuration mode, configure the hostname then configure the console and enable passwords on each router.

To configure static routes, first enter global configuration mode to run the following commands.

Configure the Static Routes on Router A. 
First run the cisco command show ip route to view the IP routing table for router A before defining static routes
RouterA#configure terminal                (enter in global configuration mode) 
RouterA(config)#ip route 15.0.0.0  255.0.0.0 10.1.1.2     (define static routing on Router A)
RouterA(config)#ip route 193.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.1.1.2       (define static routing on Router A)
RouterA(config)#ip route 193.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 20.1.1.2       (define static routing on Router A)
RouterA(config)#exit
RouterA#

Now run the command show ip route on router A to view the IP routing table (directly connected + static routes) detail.

Configure the Static Routes on Router B.
First run the command show ip route to view the IP routing table for router B before defining static routes
RouterB#configure terminal                (enter in global configuration mode)

RouterB(config)#ip route 20.0.0.0  255.0.0.0 10.1.1.1     (define static routing on Router B)
RouterB(config)#ip route 193.168.1.0 255.255.255.0 10.1.1.1       (define static routing on Router B)
RouterB(config)#ip route 193.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 15.1.1.2       (define static routing on Router B)
RouterB(config)#exit
RouterB#

Now run the command show ip route on router B to view the IP routing table (directly connected + static routes) detail.

Configure the Static Routes on Router C. 
First run the cisco software command show ip route to view the IP routing table for router C before defining static routes
RouterC#configure terminal                (enter in global configuration mode) 
RouterC(config)#ip route 10.0.0.0  255.0.0.0 15.1.1.1     (define static routing on Router C)
RouterC(config)#ip route 193.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 15.1.1.1       (define static routing on Router C)
RouterC(config)#ip route 193.168.1.0 255.255.255.0 20.1.1.2       (define static routing on Router C)
RouterC(config)#exit
RouterC#

Now run the command cisco download show ip route on router C to view the IP routing table (directly connected + static routes) detail.

Cisco ASA5505-50-BUN-K9, Necessary for Network Safety

As a core component of Cisco Borderless Networks, Cisco asa5540 enables businesses to deploy strong security throughout the Secure Borderless Network. The appliances integrate network firewall, application security, and attack protection into a convenient appliance form factor that delivers proven performance and reliability. Cisco ASA appliances can be extended with numerous advanced security features for remote access, intrusion prevention, content security, unified communications, and botnets.

Cisco ASA5505-50-BUN-K9 (Cisco ASA 5500 Series) provides proactive threat defense that stops attacks before they spread through the network, controls network activity and application traffic, and delivers flexible cisco asa 5550 ssl vpn price connectivity. The result is a powerful multifunction network security appliance family that provides the security breadth and depth for protecting home office, branch office, small and medium-sized business, and enterprise networks while reducing the overall deployment and operations costs and complexities associated with providing this new level of security.

Details of Cisco ASA5505-50-BUN-K9

Device TypeSecurity appliance

LicenceQty50 users

Enclosure TypeExternal

Dimensions (WxDxH)20 cm x 17.4 cm x 4.4 cm

Weight1.8 kg

RAM Installed (Max)512 MB

Flash Memory Installed (Max) 128 MB Flash

PortsQty8

Data Link Protocol Ethernet, Fast Ethernet

Network / Transport ProtocolIPSec

PerformanceFirewall throughput : 150 Mbps ¦ VPN throughput : 100 Mbps

CapacityIPSec VPN peers : 10 ¦ SSL VPN peers : 2 ¦ Concurrent sessions : 10000

FeaturesFirewall protection, DMZ port, power over Ethernet (PoE), VPN support, VLAN support, and wall mountable

Power over Ethernet (PoE) SupportedYes

PowerAC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz)

Price and Purchasing Info of cisco asa5520 aip10 k9

Product detail: ASA 5505 Security Appliance with SW, 50 Users, 8 ports, DES, Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewall Edition Bundles

Conditions: New Sealed

List Price: US$845.00

Wholesale Price: US$401.00

You Save: US$444.00 (52.54% OFF)

Supplier:YejianTechnology (RouterSwitch.com)

Tel: +852-3174-6166 (Hong Kong)

Fax: +852-3050-1066 (Hong Kong)

Email: cisco@router-switch.com (Sales Inquiries)

webmaster@router-switch.com (Technical Inquiries)

MSN: cisco@router-switch.com

Related:Router-switch.com is the World's Leading Cisco 5520 Supplier, founded in 2002.  We provide network equipment that reduces the cost of network infrastructure, and is renowned for their customer service and huge supply of robust, cost-effective products. Also we buy used surplus network & Telecom equipment. Our Network Liquidators Provides Hong Kong used Cisco and Network Liquidation Services.