Cisco Live 2024

[Otanx]

Starts this weekend. Anyone else going? If so we can try to do a forum meet somewhere. I am also a local so if you have questions about what to do or where to go feel free to ask.

-Otanx

[config t]

We sent a contingent but I wasn't on the list. Would have been great to chat!

[Otanx]

It was pretty good, but not as good as pre COVID years. Still worth going, but my biggest complaint was the keynotes. The keynotes are not interesting for me. I don't care what Tom Brady has to say, but they don't offer anything else to do during the two keynotes. No sessions, no vendor hall, just the keynote. So both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings there isn't much to do besides breakfast until about 10AM. I went out to the Casino and found somewhere to sit for the first one, and ended up chatting with a Cisco employee who was also avoiding the keynote. I ended up learning some interesting items from him, but going to be vague so he can't be identified, and get in trouble for skipping the keynote. It would have helped with some stuff I did at the previous job, and I am going to find the tech notes now that I know what to search for, and send em over to my old coworkers.

Other than the keynote blocks the sessions were really good. I did a bunch of automation and security stuff. Only made it to the DevNet hall once, but that is pretty normal for me. It is usually packed, and standing room only. One session I had I was expecting a high level demo on how to use NDFC, but instead got a deep dive on proper architecture on VXLAN multi site deployment which was awesome. Then at the end a quick demo that shows as long as you had the architecture right you used NDFC and it deployed your design. I really liked that as it covered the NDFC tool, but also showed that while NDFC can fix simple issues with a design it can't fix everything, and if you have a bad design it will just deploy a bad design.

World of Solutions seems to be growing again. The last few years they didn't have many vendors. This year it was a good size. The one vendor that I noticed that was absent was VMWare. Nutanix had a booth, and I had a good talk with one of their engineers on some road map items they are working. Chatted with the Netbox Labs team for a little as well. I am a big supporter of source of truth and automation so it is nice to see more options in this space. Not much swag being given out. I got a mug and a friend got a pair of socks. Overall I felt I got some good info out of the vendors. It wasn't just sales people in the booths, and I was able to have good technical discussions about the products.

Failed my exam, but that was expected. I treat the free test attempt as just that, and didn't study. However, I think I can get it next time. About 3/4 of the way through the test was a question that made me realize I had mixed up two things in my head which made me answer 3 or 4 questions wrong. Also a few other items on the exam I didn't know would be tested for that I have never touched. I should have at least read the exam blueprint.

Finally the customer appreciation event was good. Never going to get a chance to see Sir Elton John in concert so took the wife. They had a really good turn out for the concert. More that previous years. We left after Rocket Man because I had to get up early for my exam.

Next year is in San Diego so hopefully I will be able to make it. I guess the rumor I heard was wrong that they were only going to do Vegas for the US date.

-Otanx

[deanwebb]

I'd listen to a keynote speaker if the speaker was someone that would normally do a session.

Tom Brady: I'm already as motivated as I can be from what I know of him and avocado ice cream. I'm good to go, there.