[vcf-midatlantic] OT: free Cisco managed router/switches

[Joseph Oprysko]

Dave, I've always worked on large corporate networks, as well as doing
network security, so it's always been greatly complicated networks I've
worked on.  Yes, I agree the device as a service is ridiculous.  It makes
general administration much easier, as for the licensing, every company
I've worked for would usually have the maintenance or service contracts on
their hardware while it was in use.

I don't like that once the contracts on the Cisco Meraki hardware expires
that it ceases functioning.  But in a production environment, having the
contracts is part of the cost of running/maintaining the network.  Since
there is no "local" way to manage the hardware, the used hardware once
they're taken off a production network, has significantly less value on the
back end.  But also helps to control 'loss/theft' of said hardware, since
each device talks to and is managed centrally.

On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 12:49 PM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <
vcf-midatlantic at lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:

> On 10/18/2016 09:40 AM, Joseph Oprysko via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
> > The Cisco IOS is really too complicated for people without cisco
> training..
> > and with tends to be confusing at best.
>
>   I couldn't disagree more.  I mean, it's a different story if you have
> to deal with more complicated/dangerous stuff like BGP peering etc, but
> just getting a basic switch or router up and running is dead simple.
>
>   But the best part about IOS is that people who know it can practically
> be found on every block. (or on every mailing list)  The community
> support, due to extremely widespread use, just cannot be beat.
>
> > I have a Cisco Meraki MX64, AP18,
> > and MS220-8P for my home network.  The Meraki product line is all cloud
> > based (which means once the license expires, they become doorstops).
> But I
> > got them all for free with 3 year licenses, so I'm good until 2019.. :)
>
>   Yay, turn every product into a service.  Why get them to pay once,
> when you can get them to pay over and over!  Suits make me sick anymore.
>
>                -Dave
>
> --
> Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
> New Kensington, PA
>



-- 
Normal Person: Hey, it seems that you know a lot.
Geek: To be honest, it's due to all the surfing I do.
Normal Person: So you go surfing?
Normal Person: But I don't think that has anything to do with knowing a
lot...
Geek: I think that's wrong on a fundamental level.
Normal Person: Huh? Huh? What?