Sorry I have not updated this page in awhile but here is a new entry. All is well and I have just finished up getting my Juniper Networks Certification JNCIA-E and also my Security+ Cert.  I was able to get two certs in two weeks so as you can tell I have been very busy with studying and preparing for the test but now it's over and I got the certs. I am unsure of what the next cert I will go after will be yet. In coming weeks I will be assisting with some Cisco 10012 UBR PRE2 upgrades and if anything new comes up I will post it here. So far the biggest issue I have seen is the "invalid Magic numbers" error which is basically a file system issue. to fix it  you have to format the flash card. The reason this error shows up is that the older PRE1 can use an older file system than the PRE2 so if that older file system is present then you will have to format the flash before the PRE2 can read the card. Other issues are more of a "make sure you read the notes" and follow procedures. Anyway I hope to post again soon.

Well as I have been working with my companies different cable systems I have seen a small trend of the Cisco 10012 UBR Router having issues. This is more of a procedural issues than an IOS issues but its important to note it here in the hope this can save others time and stress. Now this issue can pertain to a lot of different Cisco routers so this is what we seen. When upgrading the PRE 1's to PRE 2's (this is the processors) we see an error after the reboot with the new PRE. The error is "device dose not contain a valid magic number" what this means is that the router is unable to read the format on the flash card. Now there can be different reasons for this but we have found that the routers supported an older format style and with the PRE upgrade the new PRE only supports flash cards formatted in it's file system. To fix this you just have to re-format the flash card. Now the down side is that when you reformat you lose al data on the current card so I recommend copying the start-up config to a TFTP server prior to the upgrade of the PRE just to make sure you have the current config and are ready if any issues arise. The only other thing we have seen is an issue with upgrading or replacing the MC5X20S cards with MC5x20U cards. If you replace the "S" cards with "U" cards you will need to copy the running config to a notepad or TFTP and then run this command "cable power off <slot/port>" this will power down that slot so you do not risk damaging the $80,000 5x20 line card. Once you have installed the new card run this command "cable power on <slot/port>" and go in and make sure your config is still intact and if it is not go back to the config info you saved prior to the upgrade. I hope this info can save someone some pain and maybe a cal to Cisco's TAC. Well..... that's about it for now I will post more info as I see interesting things to pass along.

This week was not too bad... Well I did take off Monday and Tuesday so I really have only been at work for a few days but it has not been to bad. I am still working with one of the CMTS vendors to get stable code but the other vendors platforms have been really solid. As a technical FYI, I would like to include something I have found that helps me allot. Below is the explanation of the different field a cable modem goes though to come online on a CMTS.

Here are a few very Useful commands and explanations on what they do:

Shows sample output for the summary option for all enabled cable interface line cards:

I have been real busy supporting all the different cable systems with technical advice and design. I have found myself the hub of answers lately and I am very happy to say I have been able to answer almost all the request my fellow engineers have asked of me. I have had question regarding OSPF on Cisco 10012 routers in conjunction with Juniper edge routers. I have also been providing answers to  questions on the Motorola BSR & Bigband Cuda CMTS routers. It is amazing how similar the different vendors routers really are... I have also been working on technical documentation to assist the sites with maintenance procedures. Other good news is that we have been authorized head count to hire another engineer and I hope to hire a past co-worker. I am not sure if he will be hired as the choice will be the best candidate but I feel he is so maybe I will get to work with him again. anyway the only downside lately has been the commute I make to get to work. In other news I had a chance to add another article to ezinearticles.com  here is a link to it. Well I hope to soon post something more interesting than me just talking about being happy about my job. As always if you have any CMTS kind of questions feel free to e-mail me slimjim100@slimjim100.com :)

Well it's time for a little trip. I got word that I will have to fly to Boston area to visit one of my company's vendors to look over there lab and the test processes they use prior to releasing code to us. We have had issues lately with one of the CMTS vendors we use and I was asked to go out to there lab and see what testing they do and compare it to our Q&A process. I will also ask them to assist me in making technical procedure documents I can give out to the field engineers to make sure there is no question on the proper ways of doing certain kinds of maintenance. All this work should help to build stability and reliability in our network. I think I will be on site for 2 days and then I will fly back home. Soon I will build a local intranet portal so all my site engineers will have a forum to speak about issues they have seen to help other sites find faster fixes and maybe allow us to become less dependant on the vendors support. Now I know we will always have to have maintenance contracts for RMA's and software updates but it is best if we can share internal knowledge to save time and stress from the site engineers and allow them the chance to network with there peers from the other systems. I will post back here soon with how my little trip goes.

Latest news is an ongoing battle with one of our vendors to get stable code for a CMTS line. We have had meetings with there upper management and gotten a lot of promises but soon time will tell if we get reliable code. My company is not a 1 vendor shop so we have many different CMTS vendors and out of the top 3 we use one of them is not delivering stable code. This is causing issues/outages in some of the systems and that is just not acceptable with you are selling voice services. I hope this vendor fixes the issues soon or we might be face with hard decisions. I have also had the fun of hearing I might need to fly out to some of the cable systems to assist in upgrading a few of there routers as they are so busy and need a newer code to support some up coming features we plan to push. I do not like to travel to much but it will be nice to get out and meet some of the system engineers I chat with on the phone. I think I have at least 3 site I need to visit so I should be a little busy here soon. Well I will try to post again soon.

Got some interesting news. I now have a better idea of all the platforms I have to support as a DOCSIS Engineer. At this time I have to be the Subject Matter Expert on Cisco, Motorola, Arris, & BigBand CMTS's. This may not sound to hard at first but once you think about the fact I am supporting over 200 routers on an average cost of $250,000 each and they support over 20,000+ broadband (data & Voice) customers per CMTS. The picture starts to from that this is a job for more than one person. Now please don't take this as I am the only engineer supporting the devices as every local cable systems has Engineers but I am the support for the system engineers once they can not figure out the issue or if they need help researching things. Well more or less I look into it and if I am not able to ID the issue real quick I engage the vendor and make sure this issue is escalated correctly. I also have to track the Firmware on all the different routers and insure that all functions the local system need are supported. I have also been engaged a lot lately working with one of our CMTS vendors to fix a lot of bugs our systems have been running into. I am also in the middle of  different departments and offices with this role. I have to balance the local systems needs to marketing request, Engineering request, and operational needs to sustain customer reliability. With all the different groups involved we still have to make sure we communicate our demands to the vendors to get the support and features we need. I really feel this is going to be a challenge but I am up for it and this can only make me stronger (or kill me). Till next post...

So far this new job is going good. The group I am working with is newer and our mission is still being made. This makes my job real fun as I am helping to design what my job role will be in the end. From what I have learned so far I will be supporting over 20 cable systems with millions of users. My role is assisting the local systems with Engineering support by verifying configs, software, setup, trouble shooting issues and providing procedures for equipment maintenance. I like the fact that my boss is very responsive to my skills and dose not try o micro manage me. Currently I am looking at a plan to visit all the systems I will support and meeting the engineers I will support and getting there input on what my group can do to better help them do there job and maintain there local systems. As I have said before the worst thing about this job is my commute which is over 230 miles and that is my fault for not wanting to move closer to my new work place. Anyway I hope to keep this blog posted with how this new job works out.

I guess I will try to keep this blog going but it has now taken a different turn with my new job. I am now a "DOCSIS Support Engineer" for all of my companies cable systems. My new role will have me focusing my time on CMTS's, Modems, EMTA, and the vendors to make sure there code and devices are working as they should. I guess this new role makes me less hands on with the day-to-day running of the CMTS's but I gain the aspect "The Big Picture" and strengthen my operational skills. I hope to post on the new changes I will face. One challenge I face now is a 4 hour commute to work every day but that was my decision. Wish me luck and hopefully I will have something worth while to post soon. Right now I am just adjusting to my new role and trying to learn the ropes with the new corporate stuff I have. 

Well I took the new Job in Atlanta so this might be one of my last post to this blog or at least it will be updated  allot less. IF you have any MSO, CMTS, or ISP like questions feel free to e-mail me and we can chat. Wish me luck on my fun commute to work everyday and I might just end up moving closer to Atlanta soon.