I really dig writing code. I always have since I wrote my first "Hello World" I was hooked like a Bass on someone else's rod-reel. I have been a huge fan of Cisco AXP for awhile now. The AXP is a module that fits in the ISR and gives a code jockey a Linux environment to develop applications in. It supports C,JBoss,Java,Python,Perl so we have quite a few opinions to code in. But REAL coders code in C...
You can learn more at http://www.cisco.com/go/axp
Anyway, the coolest thing about the AXP is it's dual nature. I can write applications that can directly interface with the ISR API's. Currently, Cisco supports interaction with Information,Configuration,Trigger and Packet API's. So now you can mine data directly from these sources. I have wrote some traffic shaping and intercept applications utilizing these API's and they work very well.
The other cool factor is the AXP's ability to host an application. This is a great feature for branch/satellite sites that I may not want to deploy server hardware at BUT I already have a ISR router there so adding a module is not a big deal. I have wrote some code for a point of sale application that prints those coupons you get at the register after a purchase. (Your Welcome! 10% Off you next TechWiseTV tshirt...)
Cisco has now decided it is time to man up and put some cash on the line for all the code jockey's out there today. They announced a developers contest called; "Think Inside The Box" and they have put up 100,000 bucks (USD) for the best application to be developed on the AXP. You can check out the contest here:
http://www.cisco.com/web/solutions/axpdev/index.html
Now, for us folks that think this is a great idea, but do not have the cash to shell out for a ISR and a AXP module, Cisco has solved that little problem by offering a free AXP Virtual Machine ISO that we can run inside of VMWare and start developing for no cost! How mega cool is that!!
100,000 bucks can pay down some serious college tuition or buy that ZR1 Corvette or that MegaBass Destroyer Fishing Rod. This contest is open to all takers 18 years and older. So jump on the website, read the rules, register as a developer with Cisco (cool braggin' thing to tell your fellow geeks..."Yeah, I am a registered Cisco Developer") Download the AXP SDK and the VMware AXP image and let your imagination do the talking! The sky is the limit here!
Let's hear it! Y'all plan on entering this contest? What do you like to code in? For me it's C and Perl and XML if forced under pressure....
Jimmy ray
Jimmy Ray Purser is the technical co-host for Cisco's TechWise and BizWise TV. Jimmy Ray also conducts advanced training for engineers across North America and Europe and regularly speaks at industry conferences such as VON, CeBIT, N+I, and Networkers. As a field engineer, Jimmy Ray experiences networking first hand behind the console or in the rack. He is an active member in the IEEE and the Ethernet Alliance and has designed, installed and tested numerous networks for Fortune 500 companies, the United States military and other institutions worldwide. He holds 3 U.S. patents for Ethernet security algorithms with two others pending and one defensive publication, as well as numerous other vendor certifications in networking and security.
Purser holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University is currently pursuing a master of science degree in electrical engineering.
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Looks like an interesting contest. I look forward to your blog every week. Your writing and sense of humor is a breath of fresh in this industry. By the way, Assembly is real coding!!
Grammer
It is "I have written" ... not "I have wrote". First time i thought it was a typo. Second time I knew a correction was needed. I hope you don't take any offense as I do enjoy your articles.
Thank you!
Not at all! I am always grateful for any chance to improve on anything!! Thank you for the feedback!
Respectfully
Jimmy Ray