Will Commands in Cisco devices live together with devices of other vendors ?

[pvanvu]

HI everyone , I'm now taking the CCNA course , and the most commands apply to Cisco devices . But I know that in the workplace , I'm going to work with many devices come from other vendors .

So my questions : Can I apply the Cisco commands to the network devices (such as : Router , Switch ...etc ) from other brand (such as : HP , Juniper , Dell ...etc ) ?
Or All the Network Devices compatible to each other by using the same commands provide by Cisco ?

+Are there any difference between (a Company selling Network devices like HP , DELL) and (a Network company like Juniper , Cisco... etc ) ?


Thanks

 

[dave_the_nerd]

No. Other devices have their own config languages, if they have a CLI at all. (Some are webUI-only.)

Some Dell switches license Cisco iOS, but for the most part, you will have to learn a new set of commands for every platform/vendor you work with.

It's not as hard as it sounds. Just remember that the CCNA courses are where you learn how networks work. You design the networking config in your head or on paper first, anyway, (Requirements Documents!!!) and look up the specifics of what you need to know when you need to implement it.

I know I want to configure a VLAN, so how do I do that on this system?
:age through the manual::
Oh, here it is. **tappitytappity**
Done!
::forget everything, because the next time you need to configure a VLAN, it'll be on a different router with a different OS::

You WILL have to have all this stuff memorized when you take the cert exams, though.

IMHO, the switch stuff in CCNA3 is a little more useful day to day, for somebody with a general-purpose IT job. And knowing about the general ways that routes/subnets work is very, very useful for troubleshooting. But the router config stuff? Meh. The only guys who know that stuff off the top of their heads are contractors who are implementing a new client network every couple weeks from scratch, or guys who work for ISPs/telcos and do nothing but that.

 

[pvanvu]

No. Other devices have their own config languages, if they have a CLI at all. (Some are webUI-only.)

Some Dell switches license Cisco iOS, but for the most part, you will have to learn a new set of commands for every platform/vendor you work with.

It's not as hard as it sounds. Just remember that the CCNA courses are where you learn how networks work. You design the networking config in your head or on paper first, anyway, (Requirements Documents!!!) and look up the specifics of what you need to know when you need to implement it.

You WILL have to have all this stuff memorized when you take the cert exams, though.


IMHO, the switch stuff in CCNA3 is a little more useful day to day, for somebody with a general-purpose IT job. And knowing about the general ways that routes/subnets work is very, very useful for troubleshooting. But the router config stuff? Meh. The only guys who know that stuff off the top of their heads are contractors who are implementing a new client network every couple weeks from scratch, or guys who work for ISPs/telcos and do nothing but that.

Thank DAVE a lot .
BTW , Is that possible to only work with Cisco Network devices in the workplace ? Or I have to work with other Network Devices at the most of the time ?

Sorry for asking something silly , I just want to have a concept and gain more knowledge about the place where I'm going to work in the future . I once think about just working on the Cisco Network devices for more convenience , but after reading some threads , there are so many people working on other Network devices after taking CCNA , CCNP
I'm so worry about that , I learn Cisco IOS commands and wonder how can I config a Router or a Switch ? my god , then I asked you guys about this matter

 

[Gryz]

The question mark key and the tab key are your friends.

Those are the keys in most CLIs for help and command-completion.

If you know what you're doing (and not only what command to type in) then it is relatively easy to figure out what command to type on any box. All routers (and most serious switches) have the same concepts of an interface or a port, a routing protocol, tty or ssh access, etc. They just use slightly different syntax. Question mark and tab will help you find out quickly what you need.

E.g. on a Nokia router you type "admin display-config" in stead of "show running-config". But when you configure BGP, you still type "router bgp" and "neighbor 1.2.3.4". (BTW, Nokia routers are the former Alcatel-Lucent routers. High-end routers, used by providers, not so much be enterprise networks).

There might be places where they use only cisco equipment in the network. But I don't think there are that many places. Most ISPs, and I think also many enterprise networks too, prefer to use a "second source". Meaning that even when they are happy with products from vendor X, they still want products from a second vendor, vendor Y too. Otherwise vendor X might not give them any discounts. Or it might become impossible to switch to another vendor in a few years if it turns out vendor X's products don't have the necessary features or performance (compared to other or new vendors).

And even if you work with only cisco equipment, cisco has 3 major Operating Systems. IOS-XE for enterprise routers, IOS-XR for provider routers and Nexus-OS for data-center routers/switches. And then there are the catalyst switches which have their own OS. All the CLIs are slightly different. You might have to get used to all 4. And then it is not so hard to get used to Juniper's, Nokia's or Huawei's CLI syntax too.

Don't worry about your CCNA, CCNP, etc. Those will be very valuable. If you have those certificates, and have that knowledge, you can use it to quickly convert to other devices too. Try to understand the technology and the protocols and how they are used. Don't memorize the exact commands. You have question-mark and tab for that.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Thank DAVE a lot .
BTW , Is that possible to only work with Cisco Network devices in the workplace ? Or I have to work with other Network Devices at the most of the time ?

A few shops are Cisco-only, and part of the reason Cisco aggressively markets CCNA and CCNP certs is to get a critical mass of people in the industry to be predisposed to their (very expensive) gear.

But Gryz is right. Most places are a mix, and you can't count on only being asked to maintain/configure Cisco stuff. It's pretty common to use Cisco stuff as core and cheaper hardware as edge routers/switches.

The community college where I took my CCNA classes was the other way around - they had a bunch of installed Cisco switches and routers, but the main routers and firewalls for the campus were brand-new Junipers, because it cost them 1/3rd what the vendor wanted for comparable Cisco equipment. (They actually had to get an exemption from the State to get anything other than Cisco too.)

Incidentally, because of the way(s) government contracting works, state agencies and public sector IT is more likely to be locked into a single vendor/brand. (Although that vendor/brand may change once in a while, so you can still get a mix of equipment in the field.)

Also, if you work for a company that makes the stuff (**HI MOM!!!**), then you have to "eat your own dog food."

 

[pvanvu]

thank Gryz and DAVE a lot to give me the concepts of the Network marketplace , so I won't feel strange , and wonder why I'm studying Cisco , but working on Network devices from other brand ^^!

I still have a few questions that I'm curious about :

1) Buying Network Devices stuffs for (customers , my partners , my company ... etc) are my jobs too , or someone else who manages Network Hardware to do that job ?

2) I am always asking myself that If I work for ISP , or Telecommunication but their Network system should be configured completely by other technician before , so What am I going to do if I work for them while their Network system is done ? just keep maintaining their system or will they need me to install a Network system somewhere for their partners , their customers ?

3) Am I supposed to know everything when I start working ? I'm afraid when I deal with a complicate Network that I don't know , I will need some helps .

4) when setting up a Network system for a customer , or other company , or anything relate to Network setup . Are we going to work with our colleague , or by ourselves alone ?

I know my job is maintaining , deploying and troubleshooting the Network system or anything relate to Network , but actually I have no clue what they want me to do .

I'm so sorry for asking too much , just because I'm worrying about my future , I just want to know and prepare some important knowledge for myself in order to deal with these situations when I work

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Most of those just depend on the company where you work and what your job is.

1) Buying Network Devices stuffs for (customers , my partners , my company ... etc) are my jobs too , or someone else who manages Network Hardware to do that job ?

Completely dependent on your position in the company. Purchasing decisions are rarely a one-person decision in any case, but entry level network engineers (where you'll likely start, with a CCNA and little or no prior experience) are almost never the ones deciding that. Although some managers might ask your opinion.

2) I am always asking myself that If I work for ISP , or Telecommunication but their Network system should be configured completely by other technician before , so What am I going to do if I work for them while their Network system is done ? just keep maintaining their system or will they need me to install a Network system somewhere for their partners , their customers ?

Ongoing maintenance is actually a fair amount of work. New or replacement hardware needs to be configured from scratch to meet the existing network/security specifications. Networks grow, too. It's the 80/20 rule, I think - 80% of your work will use 20% of your knowledge and training.

3) Am I supposed to know everything when I start working ? I'm afraid when I deal with a complicate Network that I don't know , I will need some helps.

Nobody sane expects anybody to know everything. Doing the research, and asking the right questions of the right people is how most IT people get their job done most of the time. (A lot of people joke about their job being "professional google searcher.")

4) when setting up a Network system for a customer , or other company , or anything relate to Network setup . Are we going to work with our colleague , or by ourselves alone ?

Depends on the company/organization, size, and budget. For smaller installs, (say, upgrading/replacing the switch and network for the cash registers in a Starbucks or McDonalds) probably alone. (Although maybe 2 people if there's a narrow time window.) For larger data center deployments, you'll usually have 2+ people racking equipment and configuring systems.

I know my job is maintaining , deploying and troubleshooting the Network system or anything relate to Network , but actually I have no clue what they want me to do .

I'm so sorry for asking too much , just because I'm worrying about my future , I just want to know and prepare some important knowledge for myself in order to deal with these situations when I work

Not at all - these are reasonable questions. Heck, the community college I mentioned before actually has an entire semester long class covering stuff like this. "Intro to IT." It's a prereq for the 2-year-degree people. Basically answers all these sorts of questions and gets people thinking about career strategy.

 

[Harrod]

Adtran is the closest thing that I've seen that has CLI commands most similar to Cisco's stuff.

 

[pvanvu]

Thank DAVE and Harrod a lot , I will keep in mind these precious information !^-^!

 

[fiberst]

it seems not. Cisco commands are not compatible with other vendors' devices.

 

[Fallen Kell]

There are other switches out there that use a similar command line interface, such as Brocade/Ruckus FastIron. It is around 90% similar in commands and syntax as CISCO. There are some differences, but they can be looked up.