Tuesday, May 31, 2011
HP shows off optical ethernet switch backplanes
http://etherealmind.com/hp-optical-backplanes/
http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/interop-2011-superfast-switches-everywhere
http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/interop-2011-superfast-switches-everywhere
NetworkWorld says "Leading FCoE server company? It ain't Cisco"
This surprised me! (pleasantly)
http://m.networkworld.com/community/node/74307
http://m.networkworld.com/community/node/74307
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Practical Analysis: IT Pros Don't See Cisco's Claimed TCO Advantage
Please read this interesting article that Information Week put out:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/229402768
http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/229402768
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Want to Demo HP IMC ?
You can download a 60day trial here:
http://h17007.www1.hp.com/legacy/solutions/enterprise/infrastructure/index.htm
http://h17007.www1.hp.com/legacy/solutions/enterprise/infrastructure/index.htm
Gartner says FCOE benefits are a myth
Well..if you have an account, you can view the details:
Myth: A Single FCoE Data Center Network = Fewer Ports, Less Complexity and Lower Costs
http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=clientFriendlyUrl&id=1319413
Myth: A Single FCoE Data Center Network = Fewer Ports, Less Complexity and Lower Costs
http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=clientFriendlyUrl&id=1319413
My favorite new Lab toy
http://cgi.ebay.com/IP-9258T-Internet-LAN-Reboot-access-AC-Power-Controller-/120725382559?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1bcb259f#ht_4582wt_1139
Its cheap...works well...and saves me a ton of power.
Its cheap...works well...and saves me a ton of power.
MSR Wireless WPA Config
here's a sample config for WPA using wifi on HP MSR router:
port-security enable
#
wlan service-template 1 crypto
ssid msrwireless
cipher-suite tkip
cipher-suite ccmp
security-ie rsn
service-template enable
#
interface WLAN-BSS1
port-security port-mode psk
port-security tx-key-type 11key
port-security preshared-key pass-phrase 12345678
#
interface WLAN-Radio2/0
channel 1
max-power 14
service-template 1 interface wlan-bss 1
Networktest.com tests Cisco & HP Interop
Nice job guys! I love the fact that you shared all your configs. You've really made it easy for everyone!
http://networktest.com/hpiop/
http://networktest.com/hpiop/
Monday, May 16, 2011
HP Hires Two Cisco Certified Architects
I just love watching the movement of people between companies... it says more about whats going on than anything else.
See the following:
http://www.bradreese.com/blog/5-13-2011.htm
See the following:
http://www.bradreese.com/blog/5-13-2011.htm
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Cisco Systems is the most unloved stock in the Dow Jones industrial average.
The press and the stock market is just treating CSCO like a punching bag!
http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/10/technology/thebuzz/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/10/technology/thebuzz/index.htm
Network World comments on FlexNetworking
http://www.pcworld.com/article/227453/hp_counters_cisco_with_new_switches_architecture.html
BTW.. On Tuesday morning I googled FlexNetwork and it had about 3,800 references. Just a minute ago, I googled and it was up to 60,000 references. Everyone is talking about HP Networking!
BTW.. On Tuesday morning I googled FlexNetwork and it had about 3,800 references. Just a minute ago, I googled and it was up to 60,000 references. Everyone is talking about HP Networking!
ICSI Netalyzer
I really dont need to say anything.. just try it... its my new favorite test tool:
http://netalyzr.icsi.berkeley.edu/index.html
http://netalyzr.icsi.berkeley.edu/index.html
Problem with Analysts & Stock Reports
I find it really sad that small time investors are battled with, honestly, what is bad information. What do I mean? I certainly am not talking about insider trading the Raj the big hedge fund investor that recently got his hand slapped.
What I'm talking about his analyst expectations. You see it all the time, XYZ company beats expections by $0.01. What does this mean? Well... analysts all predict prior to the end of the quarter that XYZ is going to have this much revenue, this much profit. And they typically report this as a ratio of either of those numbers to the # of shares outstanding. Say XYZ company has 100M shares and they expect a profit this quarter of a $1m, then the street expects $0.01 per share. Say the company announces $2M, the they beat the street by $.01.
So..how do analysts come up with revenue numbers. Most of the time, they get it from the company themselves. XYZ hosts analysts meetings they give the analysts a view into the numbers long before the end of the quarter. This is called guidance and its very common. Some analysts take the numbers and use them without any checking. Some do their home work... they called "expert firms" and talk to experts on that company and ask them their opinion. Others do whats called channel checks...they call up resellers of that product (if there is one) and ask them how sales are doing. If its a retail product, they even get weirder and have people count customers going in the door.. I've even heard of some analysts using satellite imagery and counting cars in the parking lots of stores and comparing it over time. Crazy!
Here's the issue and my point... generally the number that analysts have is already given to them (its typically a range) by the company itself. So.. technically..its rigged. If I want things to sound great at my company...I guide the analysts to a lower number than i actually think I'm going to hit...then when earnings come out... I beat the estimates.
So..this is totally bogus...and its just Newspaper title generating information. One recent was Cisco. Articles entitled "Cisco Beats Estimates" were over the news. But... dig into the numbers and you see that Profit actually dropped 16% and that their biggest profit maker, network switches, saw a revenue decline of 9%.
Avoid the headlines and actually look at the data!
What I'm talking about his analyst expectations. You see it all the time, XYZ company beats expections by $0.01. What does this mean? Well... analysts all predict prior to the end of the quarter that XYZ is going to have this much revenue, this much profit. And they typically report this as a ratio of either of those numbers to the # of shares outstanding. Say XYZ company has 100M shares and they expect a profit this quarter of a $1m, then the street expects $0.01 per share. Say the company announces $2M, the they beat the street by $.01.
So..how do analysts come up with revenue numbers. Most of the time, they get it from the company themselves. XYZ hosts analysts meetings they give the analysts a view into the numbers long before the end of the quarter. This is called guidance and its very common. Some analysts take the numbers and use them without any checking. Some do their home work... they called "expert firms" and talk to experts on that company and ask them their opinion. Others do whats called channel checks...they call up resellers of that product (if there is one) and ask them how sales are doing. If its a retail product, they even get weirder and have people count customers going in the door.. I've even heard of some analysts using satellite imagery and counting cars in the parking lots of stores and comparing it over time. Crazy!
Here's the issue and my point... generally the number that analysts have is already given to them (its typically a range) by the company itself. So.. technically..its rigged. If I want things to sound great at my company...I guide the analysts to a lower number than i actually think I'm going to hit...then when earnings come out... I beat the estimates.
So..this is totally bogus...and its just Newspaper title generating information. One recent was Cisco. Articles entitled "Cisco Beats Estimates" were over the news. But... dig into the numbers and you see that Profit actually dropped 16% and that their biggest profit maker, network switches, saw a revenue decline of 9%.
Avoid the headlines and actually look at the data!
street.com "hp batters cisco"
HP -- Cisco's Worst Enemy?
TheStreet, 05/11 , James Rogers
Embattled Cisco,(CSCO_) which reports its third-quarter results after market close, is starting to feel the switching strain as one-time partner HP(HPQ_) continues its attack against Cisco's core networking business.
"It is very obvious that HP is gaining market share in the switch business," said Kaushik Roy, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan, in an email to TheStreet. Roy said that HP competes aggressively with Cisco on price of core gear. "Many customers are comfortable buying switches from HP because of the HP brand and support, even if these switches don't have all the bells and whistles of a Cisco switch."
Cisco's networking gear is widely lauded, particularly when it comes to handling with high-volume enterprise traffic.
But rivals -- specifically HP -- are eroding Cisco's market share. HP estimates that it gained 2.3% of switch revenue share in 2009 and 2010, and the trend looks set to continue. Revenue from HP's enterprise servers, storage and networking division climbed 22% during the company's recent fiscal first-quarter results, with HP noting particular strength in its networking products.
At the same time, Cisco's struggles in the consumer market signal that strength in its core networking products is more important than ever. Switch sales accounted for about 40% of Cisco's revenue during its recent fiscal second quarter, but they dipped 7% year over year.
Tech Giant Frenemies
Relations between Cisco and HP soured rapidly after Cisco unveiled its UCS server technology more than two years ago, effectively stomping on its partner's toes. HP, like a spurned Silicon Valley lover, hooked up with switch maker 3Com in a $2.7 billion deal, and started to throw resources at its own ProCurve products, clearly a move to get back at Cisco.
HP's latest jab at Cisco occurred earlier this week, when it unveiled its FlexNetwork architecture. FlexNetwork is a way for customers to build highly flexible, open source networking infrastructures, part of HP's broader tech services push to move customers away from Cisco.
Wedbush Morgan's Roy told TheStreet that HP can happily take gross margins of more than 30% in its switch products because the company's overall corporate margins are at around 24%. "HP has lot of room to cut prices on the switches, without hurting its overall corporate gross margins," he said. "On the other hand, Cisco has been enjoying fat gross margins in the 60s -- it is harder for them to take gross margins in the 50s or 40s."
Even Cisco CEO John Chambers acknowledged his company's switch travails during the recent Wells Fargo technology conference. "Switching is our challenge, it's going to be a tough market for us," he said, adding that unnamed competitors are attacking Cisco on price while others are taking a leaf from Cisco's book and using their own silicon to build switches.
This is a key issue, particularly at a time when companies like Juniper(JNPR_) are also hitting Cisco's key market. "It's not only HP, but Brocade(BRCD_) and Juniper that are putting pricing pressure on Cisco," said Brian Marshall, an analyst at Gleacher & Company, in an email to TheStreet.
Cisco, which is now frantically attempting to resolve its execution problems and revive its flagging share price, can hardly be welcoming this type of distraction.
Despite holding the lion's share of the enterprise switching and routing market, Cisco has launched a major offensive in an effort to reorganize, and is undergoing some major internal changes.
Earlier this week, the company said that David Yen, who led development of Juniper's acclaimed QFabric switch technology, has joined Cisco. In his new role, Yen will head up Cisco's UCS and Nexus server access switching businesses.
As for UCS, Cisco says that the technology is gaining rapid traction among enterprises, with the product's annual run rate increasing to $650 million at the end of the second quarter, up from $500 million in the first quarter. The big question remains whether UCS sales can continue to ramp up quickly enough to offset HP's networking onslaught.
At this stage, though, particularly with Cisco scrambling to get its house in order, the jury is still out on whether the decision to retaliate against HP was a wise one.
In terms of third-quarter metrics, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect Cisco to quarterly revenue of $10.86 billion and earnings of 37 cents a share, compared to $10.4 billion and 42 cents a share in the prior year's quarter.
Investors will also be watching Cisco's June quarter outlook, which analysts expect to come in at 42 cents a share on $11.67 billion in revenue.
TheStreet, 05/11 , James Rogers
Embattled Cisco,(CSCO_) which reports its third-quarter results after market close, is starting to feel the switching strain as one-time partner HP(HPQ_) continues its attack against Cisco's core networking business.
"It is very obvious that HP is gaining market share in the switch business," said Kaushik Roy, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan, in an email to TheStreet. Roy said that HP competes aggressively with Cisco on price of core gear. "Many customers are comfortable buying switches from HP because of the HP brand and support, even if these switches don't have all the bells and whistles of a Cisco switch."
Cisco's networking gear is widely lauded, particularly when it comes to handling with high-volume enterprise traffic.
But rivals -- specifically HP -- are eroding Cisco's market share. HP estimates that it gained 2.3% of switch revenue share in 2009 and 2010, and the trend looks set to continue. Revenue from HP's enterprise servers, storage and networking division climbed 22% during the company's recent fiscal first-quarter results, with HP noting particular strength in its networking products.
At the same time, Cisco's struggles in the consumer market signal that strength in its core networking products is more important than ever. Switch sales accounted for about 40% of Cisco's revenue during its recent fiscal second quarter, but they dipped 7% year over year.
Tech Giant Frenemies
Relations between Cisco and HP soured rapidly after Cisco unveiled its UCS server technology more than two years ago, effectively stomping on its partner's toes. HP, like a spurned Silicon Valley lover, hooked up with switch maker 3Com in a $2.7 billion deal, and started to throw resources at its own ProCurve products, clearly a move to get back at Cisco.
HP's latest jab at Cisco occurred earlier this week, when it unveiled its FlexNetwork architecture. FlexNetwork is a way for customers to build highly flexible, open source networking infrastructures, part of HP's broader tech services push to move customers away from Cisco.
Wedbush Morgan's Roy told TheStreet that HP can happily take gross margins of more than 30% in its switch products because the company's overall corporate margins are at around 24%. "HP has lot of room to cut prices on the switches, without hurting its overall corporate gross margins," he said. "On the other hand, Cisco has been enjoying fat gross margins in the 60s -- it is harder for them to take gross margins in the 50s or 40s."
Even Cisco CEO John Chambers acknowledged his company's switch travails during the recent Wells Fargo technology conference. "Switching is our challenge, it's going to be a tough market for us," he said, adding that unnamed competitors are attacking Cisco on price while others are taking a leaf from Cisco's book and using their own silicon to build switches.
This is a key issue, particularly at a time when companies like Juniper(JNPR_) are also hitting Cisco's key market. "It's not only HP, but Brocade(BRCD_) and Juniper that are putting pricing pressure on Cisco," said Brian Marshall, an analyst at Gleacher & Company, in an email to TheStreet.
Cisco, which is now frantically attempting to resolve its execution problems and revive its flagging share price, can hardly be welcoming this type of distraction.
Despite holding the lion's share of the enterprise switching and routing market, Cisco has launched a major offensive in an effort to reorganize, and is undergoing some major internal changes.
Earlier this week, the company said that David Yen, who led development of Juniper's acclaimed QFabric switch technology, has joined Cisco. In his new role, Yen will head up Cisco's UCS and Nexus server access switching businesses.
As for UCS, Cisco says that the technology is gaining rapid traction among enterprises, with the product's annual run rate increasing to $650 million at the end of the second quarter, up from $500 million in the first quarter. The big question remains whether UCS sales can continue to ramp up quickly enough to offset HP's networking onslaught.
At this stage, though, particularly with Cisco scrambling to get its house in order, the jury is still out on whether the decision to retaliate against HP was a wise one.
In terms of third-quarter metrics, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect Cisco to quarterly revenue of $10.86 billion and earnings of 37 cents a share, compared to $10.4 billion and 42 cents a share in the prior year's quarter.
Investors will also be watching Cisco's June quarter outlook, which analysts expect to come in at 42 cents a share on $11.67 billion in revenue.
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