We're all doomed. Techweek reports Cisco CEO John Chambers plans to be
working with his programmers on New Year's Eve. Anyone who has ever worked
on a software project knows what kind of code gets produced by programmers
while the CEO is hanging around 
http://www.techweek.com/articles/6-28-99/countdow.htm
On to something a little more serious, although its going to sound a
bit strange. Imagine you had a special phone which always worked and
can call any number in the world. It has just one limitation. The
phone has only 9 speed-dial keys. And no cheating, you can't call the
AT&T/MCI/Sprint/etc operator to dial a number which wasn't pre-programmed,
and no third-party call forwarding.
What Internet specific resources would you like to have access?
Assume police, fire, medical, telephone repair, generator repair, etc are
already handled.
Here was my list:
   - Cisco TAC (Have you paid your IOS service contract yet?)
   - MFS (MAE-East tech on duty)
   - Merit (Route Server, Gated)
   - Internet Software Consortium (Have you paid your BIND service
        contract yet?)
   - UUNET NOC (if the 800lbs ISP falls over, we're all going to feel it)
   - Sendmail, Inc (after TCP/IP, mail is something all NOC's depend on)
   - Sun Microsystems (for those not running Linux)
   - ARIN (assuming APNIC and RIPE are mirrored)
   - My home phone (Family is important too)
I went through my old tickets, and besides telephone repair, its remarkable
how infrequently most of the Internet stuff we depend on breaks. So I
based my list not on how likely something would break, but on how bad it
would be if it did break.
Nothing may happen, but assuming such a list affected the setting of
priorities, any changes to my list and why?
I think that your local pizza/sub place should be on that list, too....ya
hafta eat!
We're all doomed. Techweek reports Cisco CEO John Chambers plans to be
working with his programmers on New Year's Eve. Anyone who has ever worked
on a software project knows what kind of code gets produced by programmers
while the CEO is hanging around
http://www.techweek.com/articles/6-28-99/countdow.htm
Who are you gonna call gets worse on some products, like the 5300 in voice
applications. As I've been reading the documentation, a song was singing
at the edge of my consciousness.
OK. It supports H.323 Gatekeepers.
It also supports AAA with RADIUS and TACACS+, allowing cryptographic user
authentication...cryptography....ah....keys....yep...the AAA server is the
Keymaster.
So we have a product that supports the Gatekeeper and the Keymaster. Want
to get your NOC slimed?
How about direct dial numbers (not toll-free). What would happen if you could
not dial a toll free number, but could call directly. How many people know
the Cisco TAC direct number in the US?
Another question -- how many people would be totally screwed if their phone suddenly LOST all their pre-programmed speed dials and their connectivity problems didn't allow them on-line access to find out what the numbers were...
D
This is why PalmPilots are selling so well.
Are you sure your PalmPilot will work? How about a good old piece of paper?
Which can be lost/burned/etc.
REAL admins have impotant numbers tatooed on their arm and backed up on their
leg.
Seriously, though, there comes a point when you have to just trust in
something. The chances of one's phone and palm both going out at the same
time are fairly remote, I would expect.
Jamie
I was pointing out that you should keep non-electric backups of important
contacts.
Seriously, though, there comes a point when you have to just trust in
something. The chances of one's phone and palm both going out at the same
time are fairly remote, I would expect.
  ...unless your phone and your PDA are the same box.
  One of my favorite techniques is to make sure that the NOC
  has as much information as possible, and that there's more
  than one way to contact them. This also offers side perks
  like being able to call up and say "hi, Jamie, can you find
  me some directions on mapsonus?" *grin*
---------========== J.D. Falk <jdfalk@cybernothing.org> =========---------
  > "The First Amendment was designed to protect offensive speech, |
  > because nobody ever tries to ban the other kind." |
  > -- Mike Godwin, staff counsel, EFF |
----========== http://www.cybernothing.org/jdfalk/home.html ==========----
I think what you guys are going to do is use this forum and discussion to
improve upon or maybe make an additional list like the nice one on
http://puck.nether.net/netops/nocs.cgi ... and everyone is going to print
it out and keep it in a safe place, as well as storing it on their phones
and on computer somewhere. Not only that but friendly noc's are going to
call or email their peers/friends/... and ask them if they've got the list
and printed it out, ...
... not only that, but we'll live in harmony, every network will peer
nicely with each other without complaining and the Internet will work perfectly
all of the time ... NOC's/backbones will be nice to people big and small,
dial-up/Leased Line/Fibre/Cable or whatever and will fix their networks when
they are broken or under-max-load-capacity-capable without making excuses
that you are not their customer, or you are a weeny on a modem you don't have
a VPN or a Leased Line. (Think again ... that little guy on the modem at home
can very well have an OC3 somewhere, and other T-1/T-3's somewhere, and come
morning you will be talking to them as a customer).
(well I can dream can't I??? 