The $2.3 million home lab of Scott Morris, Quadruple CCIE

Brain_PowerBrain_Power Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 163
in CCNA & CCENT
Brad Reese on Cisco: The $2.3 million home lab of Scott Morris, Quadruple CCIE
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  • xbuzzxbuzz Member Posts: 122
    In before the wiring police. ;)
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  • petedudepetedude Member Posts: 1,510
    Yikes. Simply, yikes.

    One must have an extremely understanding spouse to pull something like that off, even if it is over time.
    Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
    --Will Rogers
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  • JasionoJasiono Member Posts: 896 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Man come on. Take some pride and make it look good at least. Sheesh.
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  • YFZbluYFZblu Member Posts: 1,462 ■■■■■■■■□□
    petedude wrote: »
    Yikes. Simply, yikes.

    One must have an extremely understanding spouse to pull something like that off, even if it is over time.

    Quadruple CCIE = Probably no spouse
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  • spicy ahispicy ahi Member Posts: 413 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Holy Moses...
    Spicy :cool: Mentor the future! Be a CyberPatriot!
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  • ptilsenptilsen Member Posts: 2,835 ■■■■■■■■■■
    $2.3 million on a lab and he can't invest a few hundred on color-coded, managed cabling? Eh...
    Working B.S., Computer Science
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  • spiderjerichospiderjericho Registered Users, Member Posts: 896 ■■■■■□□□□□
    Mr Morris was on one of the recent Packet Pushers about the new CCIE Security and CCDE.

    I also saw his lab last year on Hardforum, which has a great picture thread of network ****. Now, I'm putting two and two together. He's definitely heavily invested in his craft (even throwing Juniper and other vendors in there) and a boss (4XCCIE and JCIE, CISSP).
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  • SomnipotentSomnipotent Member Posts: 384
    He is no joke. If there were such a thing as a Cisco God, Scott would be the God that he worships.
    Reading: Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols, and Architecture (D. Comer)
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  • cyberguyprcyberguypr Mod Posts: 6,928 Mod
    Can someone send him a link to Monoprice? icon_smile.gif
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  • onesaintonesaint Member Posts: 801
    The man practically speaks binary. I caught one of his lecture on subnetting IPv4/v6. It was brilliant.

    As a 4x CCIE/JCIE I'm sure there is much more to focus on than color coding your lab.
    Work in progress: picking up Postgres, elastisearch, redis, Cloudera, & AWS.
    Next up: eventually the RHCE and to start blogging again.

    Control Protocol; my blog of exam notes and IT randomness
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  • zenhoundzenhound Member Posts: 93 ■■□□□□□□□□
    I imagine the wiring sucks because he's constantly changing topologies. Why do all the extra work just to tear it apart in a week?
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  • oli356oli356 Member Posts: 364
    Jesus Christ! Would all that be worth 2 million though :o?

    I don't understand one thing. I just watched a video of Scott talking at Cisco Live and he said the exactly same thing as I've heard Jeremy Cioara say "Once you become a CCIE, you find out how much you don't know."

    If these experts don't know loads of things.. who does :s?
    Lab:
    Combination of GNS3 and Cisco equipment if required.
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  • Ltat42aLtat42a Member Posts: 587 ■■■□□□□□□□
    I wonder if his local power company has to engage their power boost when he fires that lab up!
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  • spiderjerichospiderjericho Registered Users, Member Posts: 896 ■■■■■□□□□□
    oli356 wrote: »
    I don't understand one thing. I just watched a video of Scott talking at Cisco Live and he said the exactly same thing as I've heard Jeremy Cioara say "Once you become a CCIE, you find out how much you don't know."

    If these experts don't know loads of things.. who does :s?
    That's the thing about certs, there more of establishing a baseline. Technology is ever changing, and there are many out there, just because you're a CCIE doesn't certify you know everything. It's not even real world. There is theory versus real world.

    As a quad CCIE (and it looks like he's going after Voice and CCDE) and 2X JCIE, Brocade, etc, he's what everyone on this site hopes to attain, so comments about his $2 million lab's wiring are so inconsequential. The dude is running the Internet in his house.
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  • IristheangelIristheangel Mod Posts: 4,133 Mod
    Oh, this guy knows how to wire beautifully. He just doesn't need to on the home lab because of it's constant topology changes. Check out his page on how wiring is done: Better Cable Management!
    BS, MS, and CCIE #50931
    Blog: www.network-node.com
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  • Uber-GeekUber-Geek Member Posts: 18 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Thank you Iris... Saves me from pointing it out!

    Yes, there is a time and place for everything. And in an environment that is relatively static and stable (and/or a showcase), then yes, one would spend time dressing the cables properly. But if it is something designed by definition to change, I have better things to do with my time. At this point in my career, I don't need any more practice on cabling, so I don't try to dress it up all that much. :)

    As for the monoprice thing... Yeah, well, keep in mind that what was referenced is an article from a couple of years ago, and also that's looking at list prices not actual paid prices. I may be crazy, but not insane... Much...

    Everyone's lab needs to be personal. It needs to be geared towards what they are trying to accomplish and/or need to do. Mine solves both personal goals and business needs, so that's why it's a bit more "over the top" than most people's home labs.

    Always remember, that I haven't accomplished anything that isn't attainable by anyone else also. I'm just a normal guy (well, sorta...). I've just been at this a little while longer than most! :)

    Cheers,

    Scott
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  • SettSett Member Posts: 187
    Wow. Didn't know that Scott Morris is posting here :D
    Non-native English speaker
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  • cyberguyprcyberguypr Mod Posts: 6,928 Mod
    Scott has a good point, it's a personal thing. There's definitely no right or wrong regarding cable management in a lab. Some of us are obsessive-compulsive and would never be able to have a single wire unmanaged for risk of losing what's left of our sanity. Whatever works for you is definitely the way to go.
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  • Uber-GeekUber-Geek Member Posts: 18 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Sett wrote: »
    Wow. Didn't know that Scott Morris is posting here :D

    As you can tell from my ranking member level here, I don't post all that often, but do drop in from time to time. Nothing wrong with this forum, I just don't have nearly enough free time these days to keep up with the plethora of forums out there!

    If anyone knows a good way to clone, let me know! :)

    Scott
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  • alan2308alan2308 Member Posts: 1,854 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Its every bit as impressive today as it was the first time I saw those pics years ago.
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  • NOC-NinjaNOC-Ninja Member Posts: 1,403
    Wow! I listen to your CCIE RS INE audio's everyday! icon_thumright.gifbowing.gifbowing.gifbowing.gif I think Ive listened to the whole set 5x now.
    Props to your lab and everything you've accomplished. A lot of people here look up to you and I'm one of them. :D I'll be happy to get 1 CCIE. icon_cheers.gif

    As for cabling, cabling changes depending on that persons topology. You guys shouldnt care about the cabling.
    Uber-Geek wrote: »
    As you can tell from my ranking member level here, I don't post all that often, but do drop in from time to time. Nothing wrong with this forum, I just don't have nearly enough free time these days to keep up with the plethora of forums out there!

    If anyone knows a good way to clone, let me know! :)

    Scott
    www.cliwarriors.com
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  • SomnipotentSomnipotent Member Posts: 384
    not surprised that Scott lurks these pages, like most other IT authors and pros do... it's actually pretty dang cool and one of the reasons why i love this forum so much :)
    Reading: Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols, and Architecture (D. Comer)
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  • RoguetadhgRoguetadhg Member Posts: 2,489 ■■■■■■■■□□
    icon_exclaim.gif
    6d58f5bc-6ec3-4d50-9577-b74f43996739.jpg

    The best use of 2 million dollars. Im sure he can't turn all of that on at once.
    In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.
    TE Threads: How to study for the CCENT/CCNA, Introduction to Cisco Exams

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  • bigdogzbigdogz Member Posts: 881 ■■■■■■■■□□
    @Uber-Geek: It really is an impressive lab, not to mention your credentials. I can see where the cabling would not be as clean because of constant changes. I just wonder how you pay the electric bill or do you use solar panels to generate some juice?

    As being part cable monkey I can see where he uses the telecom/AT&T standards from the 70's in the pics provided by Iris. I think most people should understand those are still used as opposed to zip ties where one or both ends of a zip tie could potentially cut or splice a another cable while it is in the process of being run. Heck, I do it myself from time to time. IMHO I just would use Velcro where the cable management is located. I don't want to make the opportunity for me to use my sausage fingers to cut into another cable.
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  • zrockstarzrockstar Member Posts: 378
    Wow that is crazy! But seriously, if you can afford that much gear, at least finish your basement...just sayin!
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  • IristheangelIristheangel Mod Posts: 4,133 Mod
    Those pictures are 6 years old. I'm sure he's completed whatever home improvement projects but that doesn't have anything to do with his awesome home lab and his certifications. :)
    BS, MS, and CCIE #50931
    Blog: www.network-node.com
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  • veritas_libertasveritas_libertas Member Posts: 5,746 ■■■■■■■■■■
    Love it. Ah to have the money to build me lab up some more...
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  • petedudepetedude Member Posts: 1,510
    ptilsen wrote: »
    $2.3 million on a lab and he can't invest a few hundred on color-coded, managed cabling? Eh...

    Bet it's 2.3mil retail, 230K used on eBay. :D
    Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
    --Will Rogers
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  • networkjutsunetworkjutsu Member Posts: 275 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Didn't know Scott lurks here. :)
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  • KelkinKelkin Member Posts: 261 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Makes you wonder what his lab looks like now :)
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