Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Cisco IOS Tidbit

When testing a SNMP configuration for Cisco switches, I wanted to use a named access list to give SNMP v2c access a bit security. I started with an extended IP ACL.

When I configured an SNMP community string:
snmp-server community blahblah ro acl-snmp-read-only
The switch accepted that command.

But when I then do a "show running-config", my configuration is not there.

It seems that Cisco IOS doesn't really allow extended access list. But it doesn't tell you either. The "snmp-server community" command is simply silently dropped. This seems to be the case with code version from 12.2(55)SE4 on a C3750 to 03.01.01.SG on a Catalyst 4500 L3 switch.

Fun with Comcast begins -- Cable TV is Dead!


Fun with Comcast begins.

Over the holiday season just passed, I finally changed my ISP from ATT Uverse to Comcast. When paying my first bill online, I noticed a $39.99 charge that was labeled "miscellaneous charge". So I called Comcast's customer service. Twenty some minutes later, I got a rep on the phone and was told that was a charge for a "Technician visit".

I told him I never ordered a "technician visit", nor did a technician visit my house.

He told me to hold the phone. Two minutes later, he returned and told me that the charge had been removed.

That was pretty quick. But the fun part was yet to come.

When we finished the business about my first bill, I mentioned to the rep that I received a TV set top box that I was not going to use, so I would like to know if I could just drop it at a local Comcast office.

I was really surprised then, when I was told that I could not "not use" the TV set-top box, that I had to activate it, or the service bundle would be revoked and I would have to pay more.

I asked, so even if I paid for the bundled services and I decided to not use part of it, I could not do that?

"No", the service rep replied. "We would not be able to prove that we provided the bundled services to you. So you would have to pay the unbundled price."

Hmm, I didn't buy that, but I didn't want to make that into an argument. So I just said "Interesting!" and let it go.

The Comcast device is still in its cardboard box. I do not intend to use it. I have no interest in cable TV programs.

CABLE TV IS DEAD! I guess Comcast don't want to accept that. We'll see.