Cisco works

They make great platforms and truly rule 80% of the Internets
platforms.. but why is their management platform a complete lame duck?
A clutch of java bugs on an overly top heavy overly complicated piece
of evolved bugged software that runs like a fat pig bloated on
marshmellows tied to a donkey?

I hate it. It is truly carp. Please Cisco have someone out there
reading these posts and say to yourself "My God! He's right! The
emperor is naked!"

I heard a rumour that it is a half hearted cobbled together piece of
second thought software designed to assist the pre sales teams
negotiate better hardware sales..

Said in a very Nasaly voice - " yeth thir, if you take these 12 6000
serieses and all 150 3700'th we will thwow you in two fwee lithenthes
for Thithko workth!! Thatth whight thir! Fwee!"

It makes sense for the sales teams.. but someone out there should step
back and try and redeem some pride back from this sloth.

My sister could write better code and she only shell scripts.

traust

traust wrote:
> They make great platforms and truly rule 80% of the Internets
> platforms.. but why is their management platform a complete lame duck?
> A clutch of java bugs on an overly top heavy overly complicated piece
> of evolved bugged software that runs like a fat pig bloated on
> marshmellows tied to a donkey?


Well said, my friend.. Well said..

-mike

delgrun...@gmail.com

[DarbyWeaver]

Contrar my friend.

I do not like the Java platform and I do think it a dog.

I would like things faster.

But CiscoWorks in the hands of someone with the proper training and experience is a site to behold.

Example:

I consider myself a mid-level CiscoWorks Admin. By this I mean I have complete about 4 courses now and have one to go. I have pursued the Certifications for CiscoWorks and did not get them before they expired.

Etc.

I have a lot of good experience with SNMP, RMON, NetScout, Visual Networks, Network Management in general, MRTG, Perl Scripts, IP SLA and SAA.

Basically, I know a few tools to get the job done both effectively and efficiently.

I came upon a network a couple of years back that had a Ciscoworks deployment mid-way deployed but not being used - HP-OV was the preferred platform.

I quickly analyzed the network, made a few tweaks here and there to ensure that all devices were pointing to the CW Server and within a week or so, found myself the proud owner of a powerful Network Management Solution.

I was able to run reports to determine a lot of nifty things about the network that I immediately went about fixing, such as:

Broken VLANs
Native VLAN mismatches
IOS upgrades
Syslog Reporting
Physical Cabling issues (my telecom team sees a light, they say good, I use udld and CiscoWorks and I say otherwise).
Configuration standardization and Management.


Just to name a few choice items that made a horrendous difference in the amount of hours I actually got to go to sleep at night.

My manager's hands stopped shaking convulsively and he was was promoted to Asst. Director and then to Director...

Having a working network is fun.

I got to go to more advanced CCIE Training, my partner chose SANS.

We all got huge raises probably as a direct result of our efforts.

Nope - I like dogs and I like this dog. I'd recommend it and its newest compliment (I have not used it yet) - MARS to mostly anyone.

I'm enjoying my Cisco-Powered Career.

So maybe I'll pass my CCIE Lab next time...

Later

Darby Weaver
darbyweaver (@) yahoo (.) com

DarbyWeaver

[rat]

DarbyWeaver paints a pretty rosey picture, but my experience with CiscoWorks has been very different.
I have identical skills, without the 4 CiscoWorks classes that would cost thousands of dollars extra (possibly tens of thousands, if training is not local). CiscoWorks has needed pretty constant babying, tweaking, and upgrading to keep it from rapidly deteriorating. We run the LMS package. The different modules keep unique inventory device databases, which continually slip out of synch. CW has lots of great features and reports, but I have little faith in the accuracy of the reports because of the unreliable device databases.
I run several NMS systems, and none of them give me the kind of headaches that CW does, although they are more niche products that don't try to do everything under the sun like CW.
In short, CW is a constant heachache for me. I feel that if we could afford a full time NMS person we could make it sing, but that's just not a reality.

rat

[DarbyWeaver]

Originally Posted by rat

DarbyWeaver paints a pretty rosey picture, but my experience with CiscoWorks has been very different.
I have identical skills, without the 4 CiscoWorks classes that would cost thousands of dollars extra (possibly tens of thousands, if training is not local). CiscoWorks has needed pretty constant babying, tweaking, and upgrading to keep it from rapidly deteriorating. We run the LMS package. The different modules keep unique inventory device databases, which continually slip out of synch. CW has lots of great features and reports, but I have little faith in the accuracy of the reports because of the unreliable device databases.
I run several NMS systems, and none of them give me the kind of headaches that CW does, although they are more niche products that don't try to do everything under the sun like CW.
In short, CW is a constant heachache for me. I feel that if we could afford a full time NMS person we could make it sing, but that's just not a reality.

Hah! I can't disagree about those statements.

However, I just inherited a CiscoWorks 2000 LMS installation that at first appearances appreared broken and pretty much out of touch. 1-2 guys had used it at all and one of them like a year ago to fix something.

It was given up for dead.

After spending a week or too with AT&T, Cisco SEs, TAC, and my internals teams + purchasing - I confirmed that we had managed to purchase and upgrade without Smartnet. I still am in denial.

Well anyway - I'm considering some tools to help out like NetMRI or maybe even RANCID till the money comes through...

But wait... I know a little about CW2000 - right?

So... I had taken a look earlier and found the root of the problem to be an error with the Java Subsytem - not uncommon but no immediate fixes available on the Internet to speak of and with no Smartnet... I'd be better off rebuilding the World Trade Center one brick at a time.

Hmmm...

What to do?

Well... Ok - I give in - I'll tell you.

I started with RME - Resource Manager Essentials - Since this is where my Syslogs are and where my Device Inventory are stored.

Sure enough - it was out of date - so I figured out which devices are no longer there and narrowed it down to only one device that actually had a problem - and probably after I upgraded the backup the DS3 on it a couple of months ago...

Yippee!!! So now I got my little baby back up and operational... So I start running reports and boy this puppy has some stories to tell.

Now I'm going to spend the next weeks making CiscoWorks... do some "Cisco Work" for me...

I'm still rebuilding the install on the CMS box and then I'll rebuild the CMS on the LMS box.

Just me - I like to use this stuff cradle to grave and I still have the Java error - BTW - Someone probably installed the wrong version of Java... no biggie.

I still rebuild the box and take ownership....

We have an install of Orion that taking off up north and we are to decommission Concord's eHealth.

DarbyWeaver