What Are the Requirements For CCDP Certification Programs?

Cisco certified design professional is one of the Cisco's certification programs where candidates from the information technology background will show interest in studying this certification in order to have a job change as soon as they complete. CCDP certified candidates can able to design the switched as well as routed networks that involve LAN, WAN etc.

Requirements for CCDP certification:

For certifying with this certification, candidates should have some prerequisites. A candidate should have passed valid CCNA certification or associate level CCDA certification in order to write this certification examination. Once the prerequisites are met, candidates can select any one of the examination options

available from Cisco. They are:

1) Three exam options: 642-901 (BSCI), 642-812 (BCMSN) and 642-871 (ARCH)
2) Two exam options: 642-892 (composite BCSI and BCMSN- combined examination) and 642-871 (ARCH)

Candidates can select any one option from the above for certifying with MCSE certification program.

Job roles involved for CCDP certification:

Candidates can get several job roles after they successfully complete their CCDP examinations in all over the world. EP lead consultant, Enterprise infrastructure architect and LAN engineer are some of the job roles involved from this certification. Candidates with MCSE certification mentioned in the resume will be given first preference from the IT companies at their time of recruitment. This is one of the advantages of CCDP certified holders.

Average salary for CCDP holders:

As on 2007, average salary for this CCDP certification is about 56,000 USD/ year. Salary differs in candidate's experience, performance level as well as in GPA. If the performance is very good and also if candidate has got some minimum of 5 years of experience then the salary can range up to 98,000 USD/ year or even more.

How Do I Become a Certified Computer Technician?

You may be following the trends in the Information Technology industry and the explosion in Internet usage. Advances in technology and consequent reduction in component prices have brought down the cost of computers, resulting in a tremendous increase in the proliferation of personal computers. It is not uncommon to find a home with more than one computer connected in a Local Area Network (LAN).

The number of computer buyers is increasing, but very few computer owners are tech-savvy, and once they run into problems with the functioning of their computer, they need a trained professional who can troubleshoot their PC.

You may have decided to follow a career as a computer technician by recognizing this need in the market. You may have either trained yourself or studied to become a computer technician. However, this is not enough. What you need to recognize is that the industry wants certified professionals to meet their requirements.

Certification ensures a certain level of expertise and a company can be secure in the knowledge that their problems are being taken care of by trained professionals. For you, professionally, certification means that you can command a higher salary in the market compared to an uncertified professional and have many more options available.

How can one obtain certification? There are online certification exams you could opt for - Brainbench is one such certifying agency. Many of these certifications can be viewed by an employer online but a hard copy of the certification would probably have to be paid for. Alternatively, you could go to professional bodies like CompTIA that award certifications to professionals. These are much valued in the industry and could give you the winning edge over your competitors in winning a contract or a project.

Before you go in for a certification exams, make sure your basic knowledge is in place - it might be better to revise your knowledge of:

- Computer hardware components

- BIOS, Power supplies, ports and expansion slots

- IDE, SCSI and Bus architectures

- Processor - Interrupts, memory

- Basics of PC Repair

- Display cards and other peripherals like printers

- Computer vendor-specific design features

Once you have these fundamentals in place, you are ready to take that certification exam!

How to Buy Networking Hardware

Buying networking hardware may be difficult as it requires a lot technical knowledge. Therefore before you go out shopping for your networking needs, it is important educate yourself about basic networking hardware. The following information may be of help to you.

Wireless access points are hardware devices which act as central transmitters and receivers of WLAN and radio signals. They come with built in network adapters, antennas and radio transmitters.

Wireless Ethernet bridges convert a wired Ethernet device for use on a wireless computer network. However, for larger LAN segments and richer management capability you may consider buying switches.

SFP Transceiver modules make the fiber optic network or fiber-Ethernet network easier to upgrade or maintain

Network drivers are needed to allow application software to communicate with the adapter hardware.

Print servers or printer servers can accept print jobs from the computers and send the jobs to the appropriate printers. This is a particularly useful device for large networks with huge printing requirements.

A wireless router is a router and an access point rolled into one. It allows wireless access to internet or a computer network.

Internet security devices are little boxes which act as security guards for all systems on the network. These devices generally come packed with key security features like network protection, firewall protection, virus protection, spyware protection, spam blocker, identity theft protection etc.

Digital multimedia receivers move high-definition media directly from your PC to your TV. This device is particularly useful for those in the business of production, design and animation etc.

You can choose the networking hardware you want to buy based on you needs and budget.

Successful Telephony - A Best Practice Guide

Start with what you have

A spot check on your existing telecoms strategy and current infrastructure will focus you on what you have now, and lead you onto what you need to do next. Design a simple scale (for example poor, average, good and excellent) and use it mark the three areas of licence compliance, safety and security - score each element. Then look at how your infrastructure supports your telecoms strategy and score it too, followed by a list of the benefits you currently get from your telecoms (refer to the list of telephony applications later on) and score each one - use a scoring scale of very useful, quite useful or not useful. Finally, check each benefit against your business goals. Your simple scoring system will help you see if your current strategy and infrastructure is
o fit for purpose,
o aligned to your business goals
o delivering results

Any scores below excellent or very useful are areas for review and improvement.

Once you have completed your spot check, take a moment to consider your organisation's business-telephony profile. Can you define it? Your organisation may have several telephone profiles, and each telephone profile may need different technology features. Telecoms strategies depend on how intensively the telephone is used and you need to have defined your profiles to position your telecoms strategy supportively. Understanding your current setup and your use of technology today you can then decide which communications tools you need to support your business profile. Do not be limited by your current configuration - your business requirements should be fulfilled, not defined by the products you use.

The summary information gleaned from this exercise highlights potential operating cost reductions or improved services to your customer, possibly without substantially changing your infrastructure, hardware or software. Opportunities for innovation and improvement are now easier to identify and pursue.

What do others have

It is tempting to think of voice messaging systems and processes as the major feature of telephony. World class organisations look beyond the obvious and consider how telephony serves their business. Consider these four problems

o People move around and maintaining contact is difficult
o Offices are fixed in one place, and have size limits
o Investment in existing technology limits your ability to change
o Workforce depend on voice mail

A holistic view of these problems will show how telephony can be part of the solution. Single contact numbers and unified messaging for people who move around; use of hot desking to make better use of limited office space with single number and VoIP technology; enhanced applications delivered over your existing technology investment, and voicemail alternatives explained to your workforce along with instructions on how to use them and why.

Running hybrid solutions consisting of IP telephony networks and PBX together is common practice as it makes economic sense. You can introduce advantages and benefits to support your business goals gradually, without writing off your existing investment in infrastructure. Look at how your competitors (or your vertical market) address areas of cost, complexity and risk. Learn from them, consider copying them (or avoiding their mistakes) and be alert to ideas to complement your strategy.

A recent study shows that enterprise does not consider network convergence (data and voice over a single infrastructure) an immediate priority, the majority of organisations prefer to work with their existing technology. VoIP and IP telephony needs to deliver improved efficiencies not just cost savings, and there is currently no killer application to the handset to give a persuasive argument for the significant cost (external knowledge and outsourcing) to converge the voice and data networks throughout the organisation. IP VPNs are preferred by IT and telecoms departments as the wide area infrastructure in larger European companies. Organisations are apparently reluctant to invest in the LAN upgrades (Quality of Service capabilities) which are essential to a successful converged network, and have serious concerns over integration, migration and security around convergence.

2. Technology review
Telephony applications
Many organisations are getting significant benefits from the deployment of applications - only a few require a VoIP infrastructure change to achieve these. Your existing voice infrastructure may support some or all of the enhanced telephony applications listed below. Use the list (not exhaustive) as a prompt, what do you already use? Could any deliver added value in supporting your business goals?

o unified mail box
o use of text to speech
o use of voice activated directories
o ability to fax back
o ability to use SMS communications
o ability for same voice services whether on landline, home or mobile
o easy to service an increasingly flexible workforce
o ability to accommodate moves and changes efficiently
o redistribute contact centre and team working techniques around the business
o measure number of calls going to voicemail
o improve use of IVR systems to increase value of customer service
o ability to pick up e-mails by voice telephony or SMS
o ability to send voice replies to e-mail messages
o publication of single number instead of multiple numbers
o automatic call distribution
o voice-mail
o integration with existing programs such as database, contact management and e-mail systems
o web-casting
o audio conferencing
o video conferencing
o call recording

Select the telephony applications to match your business requirements and don't be driven by the feature alone, for example:

o Versatility, will your applications work with others, eg, generating text messages to mobiles or incorporating web functionality such as text chat or e-mail campaigns?
o Existing handsets, is it a requirement to use your existing handsets? check they work.
o Existing PBX, if you expect to seamlessly migrate to the new capabilities over your existing PBX, check this is practical.
o End user configuration, if you intend offering a choice of location and device do you have the business processes to support and manage this?

Using the IP Data Network for Voice Traffic

VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol is the infrastructure technology to carry a piece of voice data across computer networks. It provides a low cost and efficient way to complement or replace traditional phone systems. VoIP can be used in local office networks or between sites, so you can integrate call handling with other parts of your business such as your website. Using broadband, VoIP could deliver the same telephone features to remote users and home workers as for on-premises workers.

IP telephony and IP VPNs
IP telephony delivers features and applications over an IP network. You keep on-net calls on your data infrastructure, and using intersite IP VPNs rather than using the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) where costs are still based on time and distance. But, voice over the internet has variable quality. Unless sufficient investment is made in the IP infrastructure to ensure quality of service and to maintain resilience in the network it should not be relied upon as the only solution.

You should consider moving from a traditional TDM based voice solution to an IP telephony solution if you:
o are building a new office or moving offices
o are nearing the end of a lease/support contract for PBX or Centrex services
o need to upgrade your voice network
o lack capacity on your current voice network
o have already invested heavily in a Quality of Service data infrastructure
Or you are:
o restricted by your current voice infrastructure
o spending unnecessarily on two or more networks due to mergers and acquisitions
o deploying a customer relationship solution
o using technology in back office and routine tasks to generate revenue or improve customer service.
Hybrid-IP

Enterprise tends to implement a gradual switch to a new technology such as VoIP by designing around their existing infrastructure, technology investments and contractual arrangements. They can then manage the migration of their business infrastructure steadily and cost effectively.

All change incurs a cost, some more than others. It is vital you talk to your existing supplier about your goals. A good supplier should respond positively with advice and information, and recommend ways for you to enhance your telephony applications to support your business objectives.

Mobile technologies
Mobile technologies free your workforce from their desk and allow them to be increasingly mobile. Two driving forces for mobile technology are the suppliers who are investing heavily in it, and the users in the field, typically sales people and engineers who are target or quota driven. Both are invaluable idea sources when considering business objectives and your supporting strategy.

To get measurable value from your mobile technology requires a clear initial strategy, well communicated to your mobile workforce. The strategy will include what is available, how easily changes can be introduced, and how you will maintain, support and update the technology. Without it, your workforce are likely to divert your resources away from your original IT and telecoms strategy to resolve their mobile issues. You need to set your work expectations and constantly revisit them to ensure you retain control of your strategy, and demonstrate you support their business objectives. Unless you do this, mobile workers become potential "resource thieves", diverting your resources to support their innovative ideas, and creeping costs appear as equipment purchased and claimed through expenses.

High profile mobile technologies are

GPRS
General Packet Radio Service technology supports most current mobile phones and allows access to e-mail, SMS messaging and internet. With data transfer rate up to 171Kbps GPRS phones and PDA's are good at sending small bursts of data like e-mail and web browsing, and multimedia messaging containing a combination of text, sounds and images.

3G Third generation phones are always on, with no waiting time to access the web and data transfer rates of 144Kbps to 384Kbps, making it possible to use for video messaging. The quality is not good enough to replace formal meetings, but good for face to face communication. The camera features help you get an immediate second opinion from support colleagues, improving customer service.

Bluetooth Based on a low-cost, short-range radio link, Bluetooth technology can connect many types of digital devices without cables. To establish a connection, two devices with Bluetooth wireless technology simply have to come within a 10 meter range of each other. Because it uses a radio-based link, it does not require a line-of-sight connection in order to communicate

WiFi WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) is a type of WLAN - a wireless network operating over a short distance. WiFi is built to standards drafted by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). WiFi is developing fast which means there are a number of standards in use with similar names, not all of which are compatible with each other. Typically a wireless access point can cover up to 100m and support up to 256 users, depending on specification of equipment. WiFi technology is increasingly built into many laptops and PDAs. WiFi lets you work remotely wherever there is a 'hotspot', from a coffee shop to a library or a park. WiFi has no quality of service so cannot provide guarantees for voice or video quality. Businesses see security and quality issues, users see mobility and ease of access improvements.

3. Moving forward
Now we have explored the technologies and the business benefits, you need a clear plan of what your telecoms strategy needs to deliver, and how you will apply this to your organisation.

Healthcheck
A healthcheck for your telecoms system tests that it is fit for purpose, aligned to your business goals and delivering results. Collect clearly documented information about your current system from your telecommunications team to review any obvious problems (such as lack of maintenance service or out of date versions). Any bugs or irritations should be logged and insist they are fixed by your supplier and monitor progress. Information about your system should include the date you purchased the product, details of licence numbers and agreements, including termination information and costs, costs and details of service agreements and upgrade arrangements, and details of your current version and which additional modules or added value services you own. If this information is not easily available internally, your supplier should be able to provide it.

Perform technical diagnostic and benchmark checks and tests, either done by your own telecommunications team or your supplier, but ideally involve both.

4. A best practice review

Share and compare
Best practice stems from the experience of others. All businesses and industries are different, but best practice principles are often the same across vertical markets. Sitting down for a friendly and open discussion on improving profitability with your biggest competitor is unlikely, but it is reasonable to look for opportunities to talk to similar businesses not directly competing with you, and to exchange advice and ideas. You could approach your provider and ask for introductions to other companies' similar situation to your own.
How do I find out my industry best practice?

At the highest level there are many good quality providers of best practice studies who have gathered detailed, specific information about your particular industry or organisation to compare yourself against. You can pay for a study which then measures you against detailed database information (your details will be added anonymously to improve future comparisons) or, with preparation, planning and resource you can do it yourself. It may not take as much time as you think.

General areas of best practice are your people and their skills; increasing productivity through internal process reviews; and searching for time saving practices by changing the way you work and use your system, often facilitated by discussions with suppliers and partners. Systems bought by committee and implemented for users inevitably lose some of the essence of the original decision process. A best practice study realigns the original reasons for purchase with the actual implementation and use. Best practice can help you reduce costs and become more efficient, by learning how others have achieved improved workforce skills and used technology more effectively.

Best practice sample test
Here is a simple best practice test. Design a general customer inquiry based on a familiar inbound call. Listed below are five of the most irritating things you can do to a caller. Create a scorecard, decide on your rating scheme and rate one or more of your competitors. Repeat the test on your own organisation. Compare and analyse the results

o Did the person who answered the phone understand their business and whom they worked for?
o If you were transferred - did you get through to the right person?
o In the case of an automated attendant, did your selections get you to the right place, or did you end up looping in circles?
o Were you given another telephone number to call?
o Were you accidentally cut off?
Your analysis should highlight weaknesses and strengths - if your competitors did well or badly, what can you learn from them? Did you feel confident the agent understood your call? Did their operatives use the technology effectively, did you feel the technology they used was well-designed and helped the call? Were the people you spoke to enhancing your experience, if so how? Best practice offers a potential short cut to identifying good processes. Ultimately, how you use this knowledge depends on what is right for your organisation.

5. Cost benefits and return on investment
Potential profitability improvements:
o Reduce call costs using alternative carriers and/or the internet for your phone traffic
o Free calls between your sites using existing infrastructure and/or the internet
o Single number to simplify contact details
o Reduce abandoned calls by avoiding long wait times for caller - how?
o Avoid outbound call backs by connecting callers first time to the right person
o Call queuing, intelligent routing and distribution without human intervention to connect callers quickly to the right person, saving time
o Logging calls, inbound and outbound, and recording them if necessary allowing effective monitoring of your procedures and workforce skills
o Linking to existing computer databases, e-mail systems and address books to dial with a single mouse click saving time
o Presence, knowing when someone is on line and available for calls, whether customers, teams or members of a distributed workforce
o e-mail, voice-mail and fax-mail all delivered to one place and known as unified messaging, could improve the time it takes your workforce to deal with and prioritise communications more practically and efficiently
o Pop customer details on screen at the same time as the incoming call to improve customer service, perception of speed and efficiency
Potential customer service improvements:
Areas where you might improve customer service should be high priority and under constant review. Bad experiences - especially if they are consistent - cause customers to seek new suppliers.
o Don't frustrate the customer by keeping him holding on to an apparently endlessly ringing phone: decide on how many rings to answer is acceptable and achievable - and set this up automatically in your telephone system before routing him elsewhere.
o Incoming callers could can be directed to an informed alternative person or another team member before passing the call to voicemail.
o Voicemail greetings should always tell your caller how to breakout of voicemail - if this option is chosen make sure it doesn't loop back into more voicemails.
o Daily voice mail greetings give confidence to the caller, increasing the likelihood of a message or giving direction to the customer's efforts to make contact.
o Using SMS or e-mail notification when voicemails are received should be used to increase the speed of response to your customer.
o Limit the spread of IVR menus so they are obvious and do not confuse or irritate the customer.
o Monitor call volumes so you are alerted immediately to increased volumes or trends, and take appropriate actions to limit potential delays (add more agents to the lines; use emergency message techniques to explain to customer potential problem).
o Each call is a transient asset - if you don't catch the call when it comes in you may lose it forever to a competitor. Route calls to the correct skill level with the correct urgency and keep the customer.
Greater efficiency
o Workforce are not disturbed or distracted by phones ringing unnecessarily.
o IVR menus are simple to use, maintain and update, because you have limited them (eg to no more than two wide and three deep).
o Change is expected, not a surprise. Statistics help you understand your call volumes and workforce patterns and behaviour. Results are analysed for individuals, teams and IVR call flows - both real time and historic. Reviewed regularly they identify areas for change or improvement in advance.
o Solution is vendor and technology independent, and works with existing infrastructure supporting IP telephony giving flexibility to adopt future technologies.
Reduced costs
Every incoming call has a cost to the organisation, by categorising calls into different value levels and using planned handling techniques for each category you can improve use of resources. Align your telephone solution to your organisation; reduce the cost of ownership of your telephone system by improving efficiencies in use and capitalising on features that switch on cost savings.
6. Continual improvement
When you know you have a healthy system and best practice has highlighted areas of improvement and potential innovation, do not forget to schedule continual planned reviews to ensure you maintain your competitive advantage. Continually review:
o Your formal strategy for workforce connectivity. Whether you chose broadband, DSL, Voice over IP or something else, decide on and plan for a strategy. If you have not decided your strategy, learn from benchmarking in a similar industry.
o If you have a requirement or intention to converge data and voice together over your network infrastructure, and if you have two separate teams for data and voice networks, plan ways to bring them together to benefit from internal convergence and avoid duplicated effort.
o Your security should be technically tested and benchmarked, and supported by clear instructions for use by your office, mobile and homeworkers. Constantly check that your mobile workforce understands how to minimise security risks to your organisation's data.

7. Conclusion
Implementing a successful IT and Telecoms strategy is a big responsibility. There is the potential to deliver significant benefits to your organisation from increased productivity through to large cost savings. But, before implementing a successful strategy business objectives need to be clearly defined and technology aligned to deliver benefits to support the objectives. And everything must be measurable.

Introduce best practice to put you in a position of strength. Decide on the tools, products and solutions you need to improve your business, use benchmarking to measure your best practice goals and practice continual improvement. This will set you apart as a successful organisation which doesn't stand still, but constantly looks for ways to improve efficiency, competitive edge and profitability, and measures business practices and performance to demonstrate it's achievements.

A Practical Approach to Selecting the Best Gaming Motherboard

When it comes to configuring your own gaming computer, most people emphasize on how you need fast video cards, an efficient processor, or extremely responsive memory modules. In order for these components to utilize all their core features, the motherboard they are situated with must be able to handle all these specifications accordingly. With that, all three of those components are actually directly connected to the motherboard and believe it or not, the system board is one of the least appreciated parts! Who would have thought?! Though we can't give all the credit to just a single components actions, as a gaming PC consists of multiple hardware parts working in an effective manner. To help you select one of the best gaming motherboards, we have compiled a few key specifications to help you decide on a candidate that meets your needs.

You should always begin this process by choosing a compatible processor. It seems somewhat odd, but the motherboard is where the processor is stationed. The reason this formal spec. is so crucial relates to the CPU socket located on the motherboard, which by default is the best way to selecting a suitable logic board. Let me give you an example. Say you have an Intel Core i7 processor and a motherboard with a 775 socket. This will not work because this particular socket was built for Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad Core gaming processors. A Core i7 processor must use an LGA 1156 (Socket H) or LGA 1366 (Socket B) socket.

Which brings us to another detail that is extremely important not to overlook. The type of processor you choose limits you to the motherboards you can purchase. There are two major processor manufacturers you have to choose from. Either Intel or AMD. Both use different sockets to house their processors, including the paired chipset that the processor was implemented to interact with. Just ensure that you check this specification before you make a purchase. If you have any questions, you can refer to the OEM or re-seller of that product.

Another important aspect that motherboards determine are the memory modules. Gaming computers require a large amount of RAM to help process data as quickly as possible. This can be figured by the amount of slots a gaming motherboard is equipped with, including each slots capacity and overall maximum capacity. This will also help you establish the type, speed (frequency), and an appropriate bandwidth, specifically relating to the operating frequency of the FSB. There are nice combinations for motherboards and memory modules featured on various sites across the web, its just a matter of deciding which set is right for you, thats if you go with this option, though we do recommend purchasing each component individually.

You may think that the video cards are the most relevant to this selection process, but they actually don't require you to select a specific card, unless you are considering multiple video cards. If you are going to install more than one video card, then you need to check the compatibility of that specific card and if it is SLI (Nvidia chipset) or CrossFire (AMD chipset) ready. These two technologies allow motherboards to recognize any additional graphic cards, which allows them to operate simultaneously. This is especially important for gaming computers, as vivid graphic quality is a tendency for these systems.

Your games obviously need a place to be stored and accessed as well, especially in fast paced environments. Gaming computers usually have a fast hard drive equipped, which requires that the disk controller on the motherboard complies with the SATA 2.0 standard at least, seeing how SATA 3.0 was recently introduced into the market. Majority of gaming motherboards and associated devices support the 2.0 standard, which is what we suggest you purchase regarding this specification. If you are considering a RAID setup, ensure that there are enough SATA interface connectors located on the motherboard.

Just to note, there is one more type of storage drive that is drawing considerable attention. Solid State drives are newer storage devices using a flash based memory, replacing any moving mechanisms that existed in previous devices, hard drives being a perfect example. The price is higher for these drives, but well worth it. If you can supply a gaming computer with this type of storage drive, then your system will load any form of program with ease, especially 3D games.

A few other important qualities not to bypass would be any additional peripherals, including 5+ USBs, 1-2 Firewire, built-in LAN connector, display ports, etc. Plus, since gaming computers typically need every last bit of performance, overclocking your processor should be taken seriously, in some instances. This can be done by manipulating the system BIOs, usually most gaming motherboards allow this behavior, in which changing the CPUs current voltage and adjusting the system bus to a faster operating frequency is a common practice.

When it comes to integrated components, do not waste your time with on-board video and sound controllers, as purchasing separate video cards and a sound card will provide your gaming computer with more clarity and enjoyment when encountering various scenes throughout the games you experience.

Well we are ending this short article after summarizing a few major details pertaining to qualities based off of the best gaming motherboards, though you can find more details about gaming motherboards on our best gaming motherboards page. For further discussions and articles about the best gaming computers configurations and hardware part specifications, you can refer to our home page at your leisure.

Mobile Computing - The Car Computer (Carputer)

Want to access the internet internet on the go? Use bluetooth to tether your phone and get internet where ever you have signal. Lost? Use a bluetooth GPS module and GPS software to navigate your way out. Just want to play music and videos? No problem, install a front end like Centrafuse and have at it.

Hardware

The setup I have right now consists of an AMD Geode 1.4GHz processor with 256MB DDR RAM and a 30GB 2.5? hard drive. The screen is a 7? Liliput motorized touch screen and the power supply is a 120W Opus. The whole setup can also be mounted in my glove compartment. The motherboard is a mini-ITX form factor board and the dimensions are 7? x 7?. The power supply sits right next to the motherboard and hard drive power is supported by small angle into the slot. Then there is a USB 2.0 hub to connect your Bluetooth-powered, wireless keyboard, etc.

Operating System

The operating system is TinyXP Rev. 06thTinyXP is basically an inferred from Windows XP. The entire installation takes up only 400MB and uses only 40MB of RAM. Even with only 256 MB of memory, the computer still boots incredibly fast. From the post on the Windows desktop, it takes less than 15 seconds! Watch the video below for a demonstration.

Peripheral / Addons

To receive the internet, usually strap my phone to Carputer via Bluetooth. I am using a Treo 755p with PdaNet installed, connect to the Carputer.Throughput is pretty good while tethering using the Sprint EVDO network, but it's nothing close to spectacular. Web pages will take an extra 2-3 seconds to load, but nothing major.

For navigation, I use a bluetooth TomTom MKII receiver with the SirfStar III chipset. The software side includes iGuidance v4 which uses Navteq maps. The GPS navigation system is pretty accurate and comes with a ton of POI.

Wireless 802.11 communication is handled by a Zonet ZEW-2500P USB 2.0 card. It has a Ralink chipset which can inject packets and is therefore compatible with many of the wireless penetration tools available today. Eventually, I will replace that wireless card with a Fonera that will stay on 24/7 running in client-mode with AutoAP. That way, the Fonera will automatically find open wireless networks (there never fails to be a shortage of em), connect to them, and allow me to remote control the Fonera from the internet. I could then use wake on LAN (WOL) to turn on the carputer. Furthermore, I plan to use a USB switch module to control different functions of the car such as remote start, alarm arm/disarm, lock/unlock, etc. That means that the car can literally be controlled from the internet!

Want to listen to music or watch movies? No problemo. Front ends like Centrafuse present the user with a nice interface with big buttons that compliment the touchscreen and fat fingers :). Within the interface, you can play music, watch movies, check the weather, launch a web browser, and more.

Input is handled by a MadCatz wireless keyboard which is generally used with PS3s. However, there is nothing special about the setup and it works fine when used with a computer. I like it because I don't have to carry a bulky keyboard around and it can be hidden very easily.

Cisco vs Nortel vs ? - Who Would You Choose And Why?

Here's the scenario..... you've been tasked with a design and installation of the network infrastructure for a new location in your company. For the purposes of this question your choices for equipment at the new site are between Cisco and Nortel and ?? (routers, switches, hubs, etc.) .... and the network backbone will be DS3 bandwidth with connectivity to other company locations (WAN). Note: you can substitute OC3 bandwidth if it's more applicable to you .... but realize it changes the network equipment configurations for the scenario somewhat due to the application of SONET technology.

For a general philosophy ..... when you need business critical spend the money and make it perfect (Cisco). When at the edge and not business critical, (e.g. you can afford a little downtime if needed) buy solid products that compete directly with Cisco but cost a bit less.

In one case a friend uses HP at the edge and in wireless situations where uptime is not critical. They use Cisco at the core and with wireless where uptime is essential. All that being said, the HP performs just as well, costs about 25%-50% less and has a lifetime guarantee. So to answer the question, in this case I would suggest vendor three (HP) for all the switches, hubs, etc... and Cisco at the core, but if you only have two choices, then really I think you only have one, Cisco. They're the biggest in the U.S. for a reason.

Here's a tip ..... take a look at the ProCurve product line from HP. Another friend recently switched from a mix of Cisco and Netgear to all HP and had no failures. When they needed support, their question was answered the same day from a very knowledgeable service representative. They did have one piece of equipment that was DOA but had a replacement the next day.

As far as backbone connectivity - the Cisco MGX 8800 Series switch is a superior product to the Nortel 15K WAN switch,.but that is only aplicable if you are using ATM or FR as a layer 2 transport protocol in the core. If you are using MPLS or some other protocol over IP I would suggest one of the Cisco 12 K routers running IOS XR - Nortel dosent even have a comptable product (Juniper however does but that is outside the scope of this discussion.

The difference between Cisco HTTS support and Nortel Support is night and day - that should influence your decision right there.

As far as LAN switching - the Cisco 6500 Catalyst platform is the winner hands down against the Nortel 8600. Thee 8600 is easier to configure but is simply not for the enterprise never mind a carrier class soloution. The 6500 is faster, but much more complex, but out performs the 8600 and is infinitely more flexible as far as module options. The 6500 series also has the edge as far as max number of Gig-E ports.

As far as hubs - get a switch or otherwise segment the broadcast domain.

If I were looking for a voice switch or anything capable of Connecting with the world of TDM voice, I would go Nortel Cisco ... If these were my only two options.

Although Nortel has loud equipment, policies and procedures are not very customer friendly.

Cisco has a better support the needs of data-centric, I would definitely go with Cisco.

If I were building a VoIP network, should I use for my core of Cisco's routing, but I would like for my Cisco softswitch and Nortel Media Gateway.

Now supports NortelMPLS networks and has been engaged in supporting standardization in MPLS before 1998.

A recent article shows that the Nortel ERS 8300 bests the Cisco 4500 ...... showing between 75%-301% higher forwarding rate and 12% greater power efficiency.

Of course, there's the fact that the New York Stock Exchange runs on a Nortel data network (4 year old Nortel press release).

While I feel I could probably spec out a dozen network designs that would lean towards Nortel, there are clearly good reasons to go Cisco, such as if you implement a Cisco Call Manager. Likewise, there are reasons for which you would clearly choose Nortel (being power efficient is one of them).

I will opine that you well always get a sub-optimum outcome if you select a vendor first and sort out the product selections and configurations subsequently. Unless you have almost no time to do so, write up a specification which everyone except Americans know as a request for tender and issue it to the suppliers concerned, and I don't see why you wouldn't include Avaya and others in there as well. Word the specifics definitively (e.g. the system shall be able to operate for a minimum of four hours following the loss of mains power. Comply/does not comply/partially complies), include a scope of works and get vendors to respond with compliance statements, warranties (i.e. FREE maintenance for six months), maintenance contract proposals and pricing. Not only can you compare the various systems feature by feature (features you have listed because they are important for your business) but it's amazing how much pricing tends to be reduced when vendors know there's genuine competition.

Regarding these two, part of Cisco's strategy is to make it very inconvenient to attempt to integrate any non-Cisco components into a Cisco network. One of your requirements could be interworkability.

Cisco is the best and the least risk for you from a long-term perspective. I have Cisco switches are found to be extremely stable, had some switches I've seen you have been for four years without a reboot. With Cisco, you also have the advantage of the excellent documentation and a lot of qualified people to support or information online. At the level of L3 Cisco switch his peers as the code used on the switch routing platforms based on their legend.

If Cisco is too expensive or if you want to diversify, look Foundry or HP. Or better yet, use CiscoYour core and L3, and distribute the HP chassis switch for user connections. HP switch chassis are similar to other manufacturer of overlapping solutions cheap, and come with a lifetime warranty and free software updates. The CLI is very Cisco-like.

Faced with a choice of two, say, Cisco, only by a corner support - support both from the point of view of the supplier, and the recruitment of qualified personnel (permanent or contract) to support in-house. CCNA / DA, CCNP / DP, CCIE - thestreets are littered with them, but Nortel-accredited engineers are few and far between, and consequently a more expensive commodity.

In terms of features, functionality and performance, I would say it was too close to call, that specific model ranges would have to compared directly (port densities, PoE and multi-Gbps support for example). Besides Cisco, Nortel, and HP you could also make various cases for more cost-effective solutions from the likes of Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, Foundry etc.....

To boil it all down ..... this is a religious question. Those of us who have been around long enough remember this "No one was ever fired for buying IBM". This was a marketing strategy that IBM used for quite a while. It worked! Cisco is using this same strategy now.

Cisco makes some amazing products, and they support them amazingly well. There are several other manufacturers of fabulous equipment on the market too though. HP, 3com, Extreme, and Nortel are a few. Here is what I believe. 3com and HP both make great equipment, Extreme equipment is on par with Cisco as far as capabilities, and Nortel is good.

I love the 3com 5500 series stackable switches, and they are only about ½ the price of comparable Cisco switches. HP also has great stackables, but I don't feel the quality is quit up to par with 3com. Extreme isn't Cisco but is considered to be very high end. I believe Nortel to be an also ran.

If you need to call the factory for tech Support often buy Cisco period. Technical support is the best in the industry. They are based in a location the design and operation of a network of industry-standard protocols, to figure things out for themselves, 3Com and HP now good.

Nobody ever got fired for buying Cisco. (I hope that one day these changes, as it did for IBM. But it's still true today).

Whatever you choose, the sense of similar situations with your company ..... or if you selected and lookfor a local vendor ..... you can get help finding the right fit for local support from multiple vendors including Cisco, Nortel, HP et al at Broadband Nation.