Problem solve

Problem solve

Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.

• Tackling next-gen network OSS/BSS challenges

  Use OSS/BSS to help manage packet-switched, content-driven telecom networks so the right packets reach the right customers, and service providers capture the revenue. Continue Reading

• Why isn't CCNA certification enough to get me hired?

  Learn why CCNA certification won't guarantee you a job and what you can do to secure a position. Continue Reading

• Packet optical: Differing views on network elements

  Packet optical networking solutions may be the biggest new thing for replacing or migrating away from TDM-based SONET/SDH optical networks. Telecom service providers are looking at both single and multiple network element solutions, depending on ... Continue Reading

• In IPv4, do private address ranges have a default subnet mask?

  In this expert response, Silvia Hagen explains the relationship between private IP address range and default subnet masks. She also informs us about new address types coming up in IPv6 that will make subnetting and addressing easier. Continue Reading

• More remote scripting tricks: Managing Windows networks using scripts, Part 11

  Learn a remote scripting trick and how to use Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) to remotely query for local administrators in this tip from the series Managing Windows networks using scripts. Continue Reading

• How to implement VLAN switches across wireless LAN (WLAN) links

  Learn different methods of creating virtual LANs (VLANs) on a wireless LAN (WLAN) in this expert response from Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• 802.11s mesh networks

  802.11s mesh technology, currently under development by the IEEE, will bring a number of advances to 802.11 wireless networking.Continue Reading

• What does a QM FSM error signify on a VPN Concentrator?

  Learn how to solve a QM FSM error when working on a LAN-to-LAN VPN from a network security expert.Continue Reading

• Split-tunnel Cisco IPsec VPN gateway with software client

  This article covers the steps of building a Cisco router-based VPN gateway and software client using a split-tunneling traffic model in which only traffic to secured networks is encrypted and all other traffic is forwarded unsecured.Continue Reading

• Full-crypto Cisco IPsec VPN gateway with software client

  Learn how to build an IPsec VPN gateway with a Cisco router and software client using a full-crypto traffic model in which all traffic is either encrypted or processed by an internal firewall.Continue Reading

• IPsec VPN router configuration: The ISAKMP policy

  As part of building an IPsec VPN gateway on a Cisco router, readers will learn how to implement ISAKMP policies using IKE to ensure secure VPN configuration.Continue Reading

• VPN gateway router configuration using transform sets

  Implementing IPsec VPN gateways on Cisco routers involves a number of different configuration elements. In addition to the ISAKMP and IKE configuration, transform set definitions are part of configuring gateways that will support Cisco software VPN ...Continue Reading

• 3 reasons to speed legacy to next-gen network migration

  It's about revenue flow. Telecom providers have three good reasons--customer demand, economics and network equipment--to speed their transition from legacy to next-gen telecom networks. Here's how to go about it.Continue Reading

• VPN gateway router configuration using static and dynamic crypto maps

  In addition to the ISAKMP/IKE configuration and transform set definitions, static and dynamic crypto maps are part of configuring gateways that will support Cisco software VPN client connections.Continue Reading

• How does WiMAX compare to other wireless broadband services?

  Learn about WiMAX and similar WAN technologies, such as 3g, in an expert response from Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• IPsec VPN authentication: Generating and exchanging pre-shared keys

  A crucial part of implementing VPNs using Cisco routers is using ISAKMP policies. This article explains the final step of IKE and ISAKMP setup, authentication key configuration.Continue Reading

• IPsec VPN connection models: Site-to-site and client-to-site

  This article explains the two basic forms of IPsec VPN connection models: site-to-site and client-to-site topologies.Continue Reading

• IPsec protocol details for implementing VPNs

  This article provides IPsec protocol background and details for those implementing IPsec VPN gateways using Cisco routers. Learn about Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol (ISAKMP) and Internet Key Exchange (IKE) in preparation ...Continue Reading

• Avoiding private IP security risks in public networks

  A shortage of public IP addresses for new services looms, but service providers should avoid the dangers of using private IP addresses and Network Address Translations to fix the problem.Continue Reading

• How to prioritize wireless traffic

  Learn how to prioritize wireless traffic by using Wi-Fi Multimedia to give selected traffic preferential treatment and to move business applications and multimedia traffic to the network edge.Continue Reading

• How many more users will 802.11n wireless access points support?

  Learn about the upgrades in 802.11n wireless access points; including speed, data rates, and bandwidth from wireless networking expert Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• Remote scripting tips and tricks -- Managing Windows networks using scripts, Part 10

  Learn how to manage your Windows networks using scripts with these two tricks involving remote scripting using WMI scripts written in VBScript.Continue Reading

• Telecom business model transformation requires symbiotic service models

  Business model transformation is the worldwide priority of network operators. While SOA and IMS don't guarantee results, they are essential tools to create the pieces of a telecom service transformation.Continue Reading

• What security measures are recommended for each level of the TCP/IP model?

  Find out where to put security measures and what options are available in the TCP/IP model in this expert response from Michael Gregg.Continue Reading

• Accessing printers on a LAN while connected to a WLAN

  Learn how to connect printers on a LAN to users on a WLAN and IP address assignment problems between networks from wireless expert Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• How to maintain corporate VPN connection while printing to a private network

  In this advice from our wireless networking expert, learn how to maintain a corporate VPN connection while printing to a private network.Continue Reading

• How to locate the lost IP address of an access point (AP)

  Find out how to find a missing IP address for an access point (AP) from network security expert Puneet Mehta.Continue Reading

• How can I prevent collisions on my network?

  Learn about network collisions and how to prevent them with networking expert Chris Partsenidis.Continue Reading

• Inter-VLAN routing with a LAN and WAN on a single router

  Find out how to have VLAN and LAN/WAN networks on a single router from industry expert Sudhanshu Gupta.Continue Reading

• Building revenue-increasing telecom services for the future

  Telecom service providers are facing a decline of 50% or more in the revenue they make per bit, which means they have to unlock the value of the network using IMS and SOA to expand into new and profitable services.Continue Reading

• Compliance in a virtualized world: Server virtualization and NAC security

  Network security, especially NAC, is the Achilles' heel of server virtualization. With virtual servers moving around the data center, traditional access control is difficult to apply. This can be particularly challenging when organizations need to ...Continue Reading

• What makes a WAN different from a LAN and MAN?

  Learn the basics of networking in this expert explanation of the differences between WANs, LANs and MANs -- how they connect and which protocols they use.Continue Reading

• How do I increase network signal strength over a large distance?

  Learn how to establish a wireless network over a large area by incorporating access points or antennas in this expert response from Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• Limit network energy consumption with computer cooling technologies

  The more heat generated by a piece of equipment, the more electricity is being wasted. For many networks, as in the data center, reducing the amount of heat generated, and therefore the amount of electricity wasted, can lead to significant monetary ...Continue Reading

• How much harder is the CCNA from the Network+ exam?

  Learn the differences between the CCNA and Network+ exams as well as the different certification options available from Cisco certification expert David Minutella.Continue Reading

• What is a logical network? How do you improve one?

  Learn what logical and physical networks are and how to improve them, in this expert response with networking fundamentals expert, Chris Partsenidis.Continue Reading

• Securing the new network architecture: Security for distributed, dynamic networks

  A security perimeter alone can no longer secure the network in an era of distributed architectures. Learn what tools and techniques you need now to supplement network security.Continue Reading

• Understanding remote scripting -- Managing Windows networks using scripts, part 9

  It's all well and good to jump in and try things -- such as managing Windows networks using scripts -- but sometimes we hit a wall when we do this. Learning the fundamentals can often help us avoid the wall. In this tip from his series on managing ...Continue Reading

• What is 802.11n Greenfield mode used for?

  Understand what 802.11n high throughput (HT) mode, or Greenfield mode, is in this explanation from our wireless networking expert.Continue Reading

• How to set passwords on folders in Windows 2003 servers

  Learn how to configure file and folder security on a Windows 2003 server in this expert advice from Puneet Mehta, our network security expert.Continue Reading

• Does each routing protocol have a different routing table?

  Learn from our routing and switching expert, Sudhanshu Gupta, whether different routing protocols such as RIP and IGRP have different routing tables or number of columns for specifying information related to it.Continue Reading

• What are the best methods for handling rogue access points?

  Our network security expert, Michael Gregg, explains how to enforce network policy and handle rogue access points (APs) in this expert response.Continue Reading

• How can I configure 10 VLANs with 5 unmanaged switches?

  Given a Cisco Layer 3 (L3) switch and 5 unmanaged switches, learn how to create 10 VLANs from our routing and switching expert, Sudhanshu Gupta.Continue Reading

• Network planning, monitoring and management using modeling

  Networked services have become the most popular architecture for delivering enterprise services today. New demands placed on the network are forcing a change to traditional network planning, monitoring and management techniques. Network modeling or ...Continue Reading

• Configure WAN interfaces on a Layer 3 switch

  Is it possible to configure WAN protocols on Layer 3 (L3) switches? Learn about L3 switching and how it reacts in a WAN environment in this tip by expert Puneet Mehta and Dr. David Hughes.Continue Reading

• What are three vital pieces of criteria used to evaluate a network?

  Learn what to look for when evaluating a network, including common problems with architecture.Continue Reading

• How to configure Windows Server 2008 advanced firewall MMC snap-in

  Find out new features of the Windows Server 2008 Advanced Firewall -- and how to configure this powerful host-based firewall using the new MMC snap-in -- in this tip.Continue Reading

• How do I configure two leased lines in one router?

  Our routing and switching expert explains how to configure two leased lines in one router, in this Ask the Expert answer.Continue Reading

• IP address configuration to connect Layer 3 switches to ports

  Our routing and switching expert explains the IP address configuration needed to connect a Layer 3 (L3) switch to a port, in this response.Continue Reading

• How to interpret test scan results to assess network vulnerability

  Once you've run some test scans with a network tool, how do you interpret the results to assess network vulnerability? Find out in this Ask the Expert response with our enterprise network security expert.Continue Reading

• Recovering domain controllers after a server disk failure

  When recovering domain controllers after a system volume failure, it is important to remember that each domain controller in the domain shares a replicated copy of the Active Directory database. When you restore a backup of a domain controller, ...Continue Reading

• MPLS solutions: Gathering customer requirements is job 1

  Telecom service providers need to focus in on customer requirements when planning MPLS implementations to successfully decrease point-to-point connections.Continue Reading

• Network modernization in an optically dominated era

  Network planning and design needs to factor in changes in optical technology as a driver to equipment change, as well as changes in optical technology that facilitate new applications and traffic.Continue Reading

• Why are IPv6's IP addresses in hexadecimal formatting?

  Why would IPv6 use hexadecimal formatting if it's so user unfriendly, and what sort of workarounds are there to make IP addressing easier? Find out in this expert answer.Continue Reading

• Server virtualization and the network: Site consolidation's impact on latency

  Server virtualization is nearly synonymous with site consolidation -- bringing concerns about whether performance and throughput will suffer over the WAN as application servers' physical locations change.Continue Reading

• Understanding VLAN implementation and IP address assignment

  Learn how to create and configure a VLAN in this response from a network administration expertContinue Reading

• Wireless security protocols -- How WPA and WPA2 work

  WPA and WPA2 improve upon WEP's encryption methods for better 802.11 wireless security. WPA was carefully designed so that hardware upgrades would not be needed. The processing power of many early access points (APs) was quite limited. The RC4 ...Continue Reading

• Upgrade your network: Network evolution and roadmap

  Network infrastructure upgrades are essential to provide availability, reliability and security when you run voice and video on your data network. This tip provides an overview of trends currently affecting the network and the key infrastructure ...Continue Reading

• To practice for my CCNP, what's the best simulator?

  What should you use to practice on for your CCNP exam? Find out the best simulator from our Cisco certifications expert.Continue Reading

• Wireless security -- How WEP encryption works

  Inadequate wireless security can jeopardize critical company information. Encryption is an important part of wireless security -- but how does it work? In this tip, first in a two-part series on 802.11 wireless security protocols, learn how WEP or ...Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting remote scripting using Network Monitor 3.0 -- Managing Windows networks using script

  Learn how to use Network Monitor 3.0 for troubleshooting a remote scripting error in this tip originally published on WindowsNetworking.com.Continue Reading

• Short-circuiting hackers' SIP-based VoIP attacks

  Hacker attacks against SIP-based VoIP may have been rare so far, but as VoIP use grows, service providers need to be ready to secure their voice networks as they route traffic without using the public switched telephone network.Continue Reading

• Scale your backbone with core MPLS, BGP on the edge

  Using MPLS in the core network, service providers can run Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) only on the network edge to reduce memory requirements and CPU load, without compromising stability.Continue Reading

• What is NAT, and how do I know if it's taking place on my network?

  In this Q&A, our expert explains the basics of NAT (Network Address Translation), where it occurs, and what it does.Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting the Remote Desktop feature for Windows

  Remote Desktop is a Windows feature that allows you to connect to your computer remotely by using the RDP protocol, but it can sometimes be difficult to establish a Remote Desktop session. Learn troubleshooting techniques and workarounds for ...Continue Reading

• How to train intrusion detection systems (IDS)

  Learn how to train your intrusion detection systems (IDS) from network security expert Michael Gregg.Continue Reading

• Differences between Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and bridging

  Learn the difference between Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and bridging between two NIC cards from networking fundamentals expert Chris Partsenidis.Continue Reading

• How to know if you're connecting to fake or real access points (APs)

  With a wireless LAN hotspot, how do you know if you're connecting to a fake or real access point? Find out in this expert response with Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• How to debug poor WLAN performance

  Find out what the most important causes of poor WLAN performance are in this expert response with our wireless networking guru, Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• Designing large-scale BGP networks

  If you're running a large-scale IP network, you're going to need Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), but not for a fast-converging protocol to implement modern IP-based services. You need to know where and how to deploy BGP, and when to bring in help.Continue Reading

• Why IPv4 and IPv6 don't do fragment reassembly in routers

  Learn why IPv4 does not do fragment reassembly at the next router and why this is even more important in IPv6.Continue Reading

• Is time-to-live (TTL) thrown out in IPv6?

  Why is there time-to-live (TTL) in IPv4 but not in IPv6? Find out in this expert response.Continue Reading

• How asset management can benefit your network

  Asset management combines and impacts network operations that touch every part of the organization. Auto-discovery of infrastructure inventory provides an accurate accounting of what's there, frequently uncovering "lost," underutilized and phantom ...Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting the mystery error -- Managing Windows networks using scripts, part 7

  Learn how to troubleshoot a mysterious "remote procedure call failed" error received when the ChangeIPAddress.vbs script developed earlier was used to change the IP address on a remote computer. This tip is part of a series on managing Windows ...Continue Reading

• Understanding 802.11n wireless antennas

  Learn how 802.11n wireless antennas have been improved to increase network footprint, available bandwidth and resilience to problems that crippled older 802.11a/b/g access points, and how improved speed and capacity is made possible using techniques...Continue Reading

• 5 essential reasons for BGP in your IP network

  The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is considered the hardest routing protocol to design, configure and maintain, but there are the 5 major reasons you need all of that difficulty in your network.Continue Reading

• Open source network monitoring: Monitor your routers with Cacti

  Learn how to configure the open source network monitoring tool Cacti to poll your routers, gather network data, and provide graphs based on what you configured. Cacti is a free open source tool with a Web interface. Cacti can be used to complement ...Continue Reading

• Prevent unauthorized USB devices with software restriction policies, third-party apps

  In the conclusion of his series on preventing unauthorized USB device use on your network, Brien Posey discusses the pros and cons of using software restriction policies such as certificate rules, hash rules, Internet zone rules, and path rules to ...Continue Reading

• Sample job interview questions to ask network administrators

  Find sample job interview questions to ask potential network administrators in this Ask the Expert with Lindi Horton.Continue Reading

• Can users on my LAN view my computer from other machines?

  Learn how users on your LAN can view your machines from other computers in this response from network security expert Puneet Mehta.Continue Reading

• How do I calculate the time taken for a file to be transferred over a WAN link?

  Calculate the time it will take for a file to transfer over a WAN link with the help of Dr. Hughes in this expert response.Continue Reading

• What problems might we encounter moving to an all-wireless office?

  All-wireless offices can avoid the cost of pulling cables, but what problems should you expect? Learn from our wireless networking expert, Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• Can I connect to my wireless network and wired LAN simultaneously?

  Learn how to connect to a wireless network and wired LAN simultaneously in this troubleshooting advice from Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• Remote scripting first steps -- Managing Windows networks using scripts, Part 6

  Learn how to run your Windows script remotely against a remote Windows XP computer, in the interest of managing your Windows network using scripts.Continue Reading

• LAN network design considerations

  Look at these LAN network design considerations from network administration expert Lindi Horton.Continue Reading

• What is the maximum length of attenuation for twisted pair cables?

  Find out the industry standards for twisted pair cable length in this response from network infrastructure expert Carrie Higbie.Continue Reading

• Network management: Three drivers for radical change

  Traditional network management is in for vast changes due to three major drivers changing the network landscape, which can be managed if approached correctly.Continue Reading

• How do IP addresses work on Layer 2 switches?

  Learn how IP addresses work on Layer 2 switches from our networking fundamentals expert.Continue Reading

• How do you design networks to allow for future growth?

  Use these steps to allow for enough future growth in your network design.Continue Reading

• What is the procedure for assigning network addresses?

  Learn how to assign network addresses, and understand the difference between assigning IP addresses and assigning network addresses in this response.Continue Reading

• Making the case for Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs

  Offering VPN services isn't a simple Layer 2 or Layer 3 choice. If you want to implement true convergence onto a single core infrastructure, your core network should support the transport of public IP and private IP (VPN), as well as a number of ...Continue Reading

• ITIL -- What network managers need to know

  IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is an IT service management framework surrounded by industry best practices. This tip answers questions that network managers may have about implementing ITIL and explains how it can be beneficial to networking.Continue Reading

• An insider's primer: Wireless WAN technology

  Wireless WAN technologies are changing so quickly that even telecom industry pros need some help keeping the three major technology groupings straight. This tip offers a quick reference guide for wireless protocols and radio technologies on the ...Continue Reading

• How do I troubleshoot wireless access points (APs) losing connectivity?

  Learn why wireless access points (APs) commonly lose network connectivity in this expert response with wireless networking expert Lisa Phifer.Continue Reading

• How do we add wireless printer servers to our network?

  Learn how to add wireless printer servers to your network: Know what equipment you need and how to stop non-employees from using those printers.Continue Reading

• Top 3 value propositions for a winning RFP response

  Telecom service providers often end up trying to win enterprise RFPs on cost alone. In this tip, find out how to get ahead of the pack by emphasizing backbone quality, SLAs, and architecture and integration expertise.Continue Reading

• Network design: Five ways to lower your costs

  Any modern company needs a fast and efficient network to support its communications and business systems, and superior technology can sometimes provide the upper hand in a competitive market. At the same time, IT budgets are limited, requiring smart...Continue Reading

• Using Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration -- Managing Windows networks using scripts, part 4

  Learn about uses of the Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration class in this tip from the WindowsNetworking.com series on managing Windows networks using scripts.Continue Reading

• USB storage devices: Two ways to stop the threat to network security

  USB storage devices pose a significant threat to network security. Disabling USB ports is an extremely effective way of preventing USB storage devices on your network; however, these sorts of techniques also prevent the use of authorized USB devices...Continue Reading

• 10 MPLS traffic engineering myths and half truths

  To clear up misunderstandings about what MPLS traffic engineering can and can't do, this tip discusses MPLS TE myths and half-truths, addressing quality of service, network convergence and network congestion.Continue Reading