CablesAndKits Blog

Today’s Topics: Julia Child, what an interesting woman | Stay Connected with our 1080P HD Streaming Webcam | Reasons to Buy a Refurbished Server | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Friday!

Happy World Nutella Day! Are you a fan of this delicious hazelnut spread? Today is the perfect day to create or try a new recipe! Don’t have any? Well, here are a few you can try! Nutella Banana Bread – Nutella Bread Pudding – Nutella Mocha Latte

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Random thought for you today: Julia Child, what an interesting woman. 

Julie & Julia is one of those movies that I wouldn’t say I loved, but I’ve found myself watching it multiple times in a sort of fascinated way, wondering about the real life of Julia Child. Recently in random conversation with a friend I was told that Julia was once a spy. I had to learn more, so I looked her up. Turns out that’s a simplified way of stating it, but she did in fact work as an intelligence officer in the office that was the predecessor to the CIA. Julia also was the executive assistant to a scientist who developed a shark repellent. 

A secretary turned intelligence officer with top security clearance, an American living in Paris, author of one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time, a pioneer in the television cooking show arena; what an interesting life she lived. I’m fascinated by people like her who are seemingly fearless enough to take chances and in return live rich, adventurous lives.

Life is short, yet there is opportunity for many adventures if one can take a chance. Have a great weekend, friends!

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

Happy Friday everyone! I wanted to pass along some good news that our brand new 1080P HD Webcam is on SALE! We know that quality webcams are hard to come by these days which is why we wanted to add this product to our catalog! In a world full of virtual meetings, it is more important than ever to have a webcam that delivers on video & audio quality! This webcam is perfect for all of your video conferencing needs! It works seamlessly with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime, Skype, YouTube and more! It seriously has it all! 

• 1080P Full HD quality for a clear, crisp, lifelike picture
• Built-in Noise Reducing Microphone to cut out the unwanted distractions from background noise
• 90 degree Wide View Angle to give you the wide view you’re looking for
• Plug & Play to make it easy to use! Ready to go in less than 1 minute!

Reasons to Buy a Refurbished Server – CK Learning Center

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As your company’s IT manager, you are required to make many decisions when it comes to selecting which technology you will utilize to best fit the needs of your company. One of the decisions you will be faced with is selecting a server that fits your needs for both price and performance. When it comes to shopping for servers, the options and price ranges are nearly endless. You might become overwhelmed and begin to think that you will have to sacrifice either price or performance, however we’ve got good news. You can have the best of both worlds by going with a refurbished server. Here are some reasons this might be the best choice you could possibly make!

Price

Of course, price is an important factor to consider when you are working within a tight budget. Although new servers may have ever-so-slight advantages over refurbished ones in term of performance, most often the differences in performance are minor but the price difference is great. Buying a refurbished server can see you save 10, 20, or even 50 percent per unit. As a smart shopper, you want to get the most out of each dollar and buying a refurbished server allows you to do just that, which means you have more money left over for other IT needs.

Performance

There is a misconception that the refurbished servers‘ performance is inferior to new ones. The truth is that the performance of a server is based on the configuration (drives, memory, processors, etc) of the particular server. A new server with the same configuration as a refurbished server should perform exactly the same. 

Most IT departments replace their servers, not because they are damaged but because of schedules that they follow or agreements with manufacturers. Consequently, it is possible to get a refurbished server that in excellent shape and can be used for another 5 to 10 years without any issues. Next time you need to replace your server, contact us for a refurbished server that may even see you achieve better performance, and for a fraction of the price.

Maintenance

Maintenance cost is an important consideration when buying a new or refurbished server. One major benefit of going with a server that is one or two generations behind the new ones is the availability of spare parts. Getting replacement parts for refurbished servers can be easy and affordable, reducing maintenance cost and stress that comes with trying to find the correct replacement parts.

Warranty

Many people go for new servers because they trust the brand of the server and they feel confident that they can rely on the warranty (assuming one is provided). However, most warranties offered by other companies are limited to 2-3 years and, in many cases, they even cost you extra money. We’ve got your back, though. Here at CK we offer an industry-best lifetime warranty on all of our servers. That means that if you experience trouble with the server or components in the server, we will make it right!

In Conslusion

Newer isn’t always better. We are huge advocates of refurbished servers because of the many advantages they bring. When you throw in our lifetime warranty, there’s really nothing to lose! We can help you replace your servers stress-free.

This article is from the CK Learning Center.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• As of this morning, in the US, there are 9,755,273 active COVID cases, 17,031,629 have recovered and there have been 466,988 deaths.
• Johnson & Johnson applied for an emergency use authorization from the FDA for its coronavirus vaccine. The company released data last week showing it was about 66% effective in protecting against the virus. If J&J’s application is approved, it would be the third Covid-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use in the U.S. being those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. 
• As Covid-19 cases spike around the country, so does the demand for s’mores in American homes. Chocolate and candy sales have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic as people are cooped up inside their homes searching for every small occasion to celebrate. Chocolate sale were 40% to 50% higher in areas with an increased number of Covid-19 cases than areas that were lower, reported Hershey. 
• Demand for Peloton’s at-home fitness equipment has surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, and customers’ deliveries are being delayed due to backlogs. Peloton says it’s making investments to be able to offer customers more clarity on when their cycles and treadmills might arrive. 
• Health tech company, Clover Health Investments responded to allegations made by short-seller firm Hindenburg this week. Clover acknowledged that it did not disclose inquiries made by the Department of Justice about its business prior to its IPO through a SPAC backed by Chamath Palihapitiya, but characterized the inquiries as standard practice. Clover also said it received a letter from the SEC following Hindenburg’s report and said it would cooperate with the agency. 
• Iceland, like much of the world, has embraced Disney’s popular streaming service, Disney+, since it arrived there late last year, with characters from Mickey Mouse to Mulan now available to watch on demand in homes across the country. But there is a problem, the government says: None of the moves or shows are dubbed or subtitled in Icelandic. The country’s education minister sent a letter of complaint to Bob Chapek, The Walt Disney Company’s chief executive, this week, urging the company to cooperate in the country’s efforts to preserve its language. 

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Today’s Topics: Charades for Kids | Cisco Compatible USB to RJ45 Console Cables, When DB9 is not an Option | Can I Buy or Sell a House in 2021? – Dave Ramsey Blog | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Thursday!

Happy National Thank a Mail Carrier Day! I think all of our mail carriers deserve lots of “thank yous” for surviving the holiday season! Let us know how you show your mail carrier some love throughout the year!

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Hey, friends. I hope you enjoyed Jason’s message yesterday. So many people we know are moving right now. The real estate market is very active, due in no small part to interest rates being so low. I love seeing people get into new homes.

How’s your week been? I had a really productive day yesterday, which felt great. Hoping for more of those as February rolls on.

We decided to go on our camping trip this weekend. It is going to be cold and maybe windy, but no rain. We decided we could deal with that for some quality time with great friends. I’m looking forward to a change of scenery for a couple of days.

Our daughter’s birthday celebration was fun! She and her sister dressed up like princesses for cake (after sister followed through and woke her up by singing Happy Birthday), and she loved her gifts. One of her gifts was Charades for Kids. I have to tell you, it is doubly funny playing charades with an early reader. “Baby bottle” becomes “baby battle” and you wonder what in the world your child is doing, haha. Great memories being made!

Wishing you a happy Thursday.

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

Today’s Product Spotlight brings you to the CAB-CONSOLE-USB-RJ45 Cable. This is a USB to RJ45 console cable that essentially replaces the older DB9 to RJ45 console cables. Most laptops and PCs today don’t even come with DB9 ports and in the past, you had to end up cobbling together a bunch of adapters or a USB to DB9 and a DB9 to RJ45 Console cable together. Once connected you would say a small prayer and cross your fingers in hopes that it might work. Well with this cable you can leave those worries behind. We essentially eliminated the need for adapters and combined the RJ45 and USB connectors into one unit. This will allow you to interface with your switches, firewalls, and routers with ease. Did we mention this cable is plug-and-play? It doesn’t require any drivers to work, no more tiny CDs or searching endlessly on the web for the right download!

One reviewer said this cable “Works like magic!” Check out their review and the other glowing reviews here!

Need to learn more about Console Cables and what they are used for? Check out our console cable guide!

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Can I Buy or Sell a House in 2021? – Dave Ramsey Blog

So you want to buy or sell a house, but, well . . . coronavirus. This pandemic has probably kept you from doing a lot of things you want to do: You can’t go to a concert, you can’t watch sports live (in most places), you can’t travel for fun (without quarantining)—you can’t even hug your grandma!

If you’ve already got all your ducks in a row and don’t want to put your housing goals on hold for yet another year, all those restrictions might have you asking, Can I buy or sell a house this year?

The quick answer is yes. Before the start of 2021, the number of home sales across the country hit nearly 7 million in one month—that’s over 25% more sales than the year before! So did those home buyers and sellers experience any challenges you should prepare for? We’ll walk you through what to expect.

Buying or Selling a House this Year

It’s true that the pandemic outbreak caused many buyers and sellers to hit pause on their housing plans in 2020. In fact, existing home sales dropped to their lowest point of the year during what’s usually the hottest time for real estate—by May 2020, home sales took a plunge of nearly 27% compared to May 2019!

On the bright side, it was only a temporary drop. By the end of 2020, there was such a surge of home sales that it more than made up for the number of losses during the spring. Crazy, right? It was probably thanks to real estate agents learning how to practice social distancing guidelines, which eased buyer and seller worries. And now, the housing market forecastshows no sign of home sales slowing down in 2021.

Takeaway: If you’re determined to buy or sell a home this year, there’s a really good chance you can make it happen.

Home Prices During COVID-19

Let’s get right down to it. While some might have expected home prices to drop in the wake of the coronavirus, that hasn’t been the case. In fact, as of December 2020, the national median home price actually went 13% from last year to $340,000. And experts believe2021 home prices will grow by 8% overall.

So, whether you’re buying or selling, it seems like prices are holding steady. But there’s still a lot that can happen, especially in different areas of the market. That’s why it’s so important to know how to find a real estate agent who has experienced the ups and downs of market changes so you can get the best deal whether you’re buying or selling.

Mortgage in 2021

The good news for home buyers right now is mortgages are being offered at rock-bottom interest rates. For example, the annual average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate conventional loan in 2020 was only 2.61%—the lowest it’s been since Freddie Mac started reporting nearly 30 years ago!

But keep in mind, dozens of factors go into how a lender decides what interest rate you qualify for—there are no guarantees. At the height of the pandemic, some lenders raised their down payment and job history requirements. That’s why you might’ve heard how some buyers were pulling teeth just to get approved last year. Lenders had to be extra careful to avoid taking on too much risk. In fact, some lenders might still request proof of a buyer’s job security as late as one day before closing so they can cancel financing if the risk is too high.

Don’t let a strict lending requirement get you down—it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sure, you might want to buy a house ASAP, but if your job and income aren’t stable, you still have debt, or you don’t have a down payment of at least 10–20%, buying a house isn’t a good idea—coronavirus or not.

Viewing a home during the Pandemic

Forcing us to wave to grandparents from behind a window isn’t the only way social distancing has interrupted our lives. It’s also added some new challenges to buying and selling a home.

In fact, in the spring of 2020, a few real estate agents said social distancing made home buying and selling nearly impossible or that it was postponing deals from getting done. But most agents said wearing masks and gloves or doing remote deals worked just fine. Again, your situation might be different. But if you’re determined to buy or sell right now, there are ways to close the deal while still following social distancing efforts. Here are some tips:

Selling Tips

Last year, most home sellers made changes to how people interacted with their home—including stopping open houses, doing virtual showings, or requiring buyers, home inspectors, and appraisers to pretty much put on a hazmat suit before entering. Then again, some sellers went the traditional route, despite the coronavirus frenzy. So your experience will really depend on what you’re comfortable with and where you live.

Buying Tips

As a buyer, you might have the option to view inside a house through a virtual showing. Watching a video tour has become a popular way to work around social distancing efforts during home deals. And with easier access to video technology, this pandemic might just make virtual showings the new norm as a no-hassle resource when searching for a home you love.

As you get ready to make an offer on the perfect house, you might also come across a COVID-19 addendum. In response to the crisis, some home deals include addendums that allow the buyer and seller to extend the closing process or cancel the contract if issues related to the coronavirus make it impossible or unlikely to close. No harm, no foul.

When it’s time to close the deal, don’t be surprised to find yourself doing a “drive-by closing” where you pull up to the curbside of a title company’s office as if you were ordering takeout. A legal professional will probably come out to you decked in a mask and gloves to drop off a mountain of paperwork for you to sign in your car for a few hours. (Again, this may be different depending on where you live.)

This article is from the Dave Ramsey Blog.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• As of this morning, in the US, there are 9,781,749 active COVID cases, 16,906,778 have recovered and there have been 461,930 deaths.
• Apple is close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia to manufacture an Apple-branded autonomous electric vehicle at the Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia. Chung has made it clear, mobility is the future of the company. That’s important because that Apply Car will be fully autonomous. 
• Toyota will air a 60-second ad titled “Upstream” in the second quarter of Sunday’s game to tell the story of Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long. The company said it wants to share an “uplifting message of hope and strength.”
• Merck CEO Ken Frazier will retire effective June 30, the company announced on Thursday. Frazier will be replaced by the company’s CFO Robert Davis and will continue to serve on Merck’s board of directors as executive chairman. 
• Amazon unveiled new renderings of its northern Virginia headquarter, which included plans for a 350-foot-tall tower dubbed “The Helix.” The tower is part of Amazon’s proposed development plans for the second phase of HQ2, which the company hopes to complete in 2025. HQ2 plans submitted to Arlington County, Virginia, to provide a closer look at what the new campus could look like. Check out a video of the building design here.  
• Zoom has come up with a way to let people visiting offices check in with a receptionist without physical contact. It involved starting a Zoom call. The development shows Zoom recognizes it must make sure its products remain valuable after people return to the office, after a month of working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Today’s Topics: Homes, Appraisals & Minimalism | Open Frame Wall Racks: For the times when space is at a premium | Tips for Maintaining Your Server | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Wednesday!

Happy National Carrot Cake Day! They say you should have 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Carrot cake has about three cups of carrots in it! A good way to get your veggies in??…I think so! Check out this delicious recipe here!

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Good morning! Well, we are halfway through the week, but to be honest, yesterday felt like it should have been Friday. It has been a long week already. 

I have mentioned a couple of times before when I had the opportunity to write to y’all about selling my house and building a new one. I wanted to give you a quick update on where things are with it and what’s been going on.

So, the last time we spoke the home inspection was about to take place. Well, that went SUPER smooth and there were no surprises or any crazy things. The buyer did ask for a few smaller things and we settled on a dollar amount for those items and we were good to go. Whew! Praise God! Since then I have been packing like a madman! So, I am trying to adopt this mentality of “minimalism” and clean out a lot of the “things” that I haven’t used, needed, or even seen in a year. A buddy of mine (Mike, in the video above) introduced me to the concept a while back and I have watched his family thrive since they started on the adventure. Sometimes less is more. I think it will feel good going into my new house with a clean slate and less “junk.”

So today, around Noon, the final step before closing will take place. I have my home appraisal. Would appreciate your prayers for this to go smoothly and the appraisal to come back great. (And the appraiser to wake up on the right side of the bed and have a good morning before they get here…haha!) You know from past updates, I struggle with anxiety, so as you can imagine, it has been very heightened this week. I keep trying to remind myself that God is in control and He has brought me this far in the process without any issues so He will see me through the appraisal and closing as well. I have done my part so I need to let Him do His part. I am sure I will take a very deep breath after the appraiser steps out my door today. Haha! Then of course the waiting game to find out the amount begins.

I will let you know how everything goes later this week or next week when I get to write to y’all again. I appreciate the prayers!

Have a great Wednesday and a great rest of your week.

Jason

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

For Today’s product spotlight, we wanted to showcase some excellent wall mount racks from our partners, Kendall Howard. We specifically wanted to highlight the Kendall Howard Open Frame Wall Racks.

Whether it’s A/V equipment, networking gear, or other IT accessories, the Kendall Howard Open Frame Wall Rack is a solid solution for your mounting needs. The open-frame design is perfect for airflow and easy access and is a great solution where space is at a premium. You can mount this rack easily in a small closet or inconspicuously on the wall in a room. The unit comes in two sizes: a smaller 8RU version and a larger 15RU version and each can handle up to 130 lbs in weight. The 18” depth is perfect for most equipment and the 19” width meets the standard for ITequipment. These units (like all Kendall Howard units) are made in the USA and come backed by a lifetime warranty.

Now if you’re going to buy a rack, you’re going to need some racking accessories to get things in order. Here’s what pairs well with the Open Frame Rack:

• Got gaps in the front of your rack that you want to hide? Don’t worry these spacer blanks will get the job done. 
• Every rack needs some sort of cable manager… if you don’t have one it’s like wearing shoes without any socks… your rack will end up smelling. 
• Speaking of shoes, maybe lacing is more up your alley? We also recommend these awesome lacing shelves to handle those unruly cables. 
• Hinged brackets are in… trust us, it’s going to be a thing in 2021. For easy access to your patch panels try this hinged patch panel bracket.
• Velcro is always a solid option when managing cables. Try these pre-cut Velcro straps.
• If Velcro is not your thing, we also have the old standby of nylon cable ties.
• And last but not least, why not have some extra rack screws on hand for those times when they get dropped and roll behind that desk or server rack?

Let us know if we’ve missed anything from this list? Do you like open frame racks or do you prefer enclosures? We’d love to hear your opinion!

Did you know we’re a Premier Partner of Kendall Howard? Read more about our partnership and other Kendall Howard products here.

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Tips for Maintaining Your Server – CK Learning Center

Servers are powerful in every sense of the word, in fact, they can hum for 24 hours a day, seven days a week without having any issues. However, their efficiency can be reduced drastically or even cut short completely if they are deprived of proper maintenance. You can avert server failure or a major disaster by simply having a regular check-up on them. Hiring a server management solution is the easiest and worry-free way to go. However, if you choose to do it yourself, here are a few maintenance tips to follow:

Ensure the backups are in good working order

One of the best things you can do is to maintain server backups. There are several options for backing up your server. You can utilize a local backup (internal or external hard drives, magnetic tape drives, etc) or you can utilize a remote backup (offsite). There are pros and cons to each, however, maintaining an offsite backup is oftentimes a higher security option because being in a separate location is protected against natural disasters. Prior to making any changes, ensure that the backups are working. Check to see that the backup location is right. Run some test recoveries just to be double sure.

Check how the disk is used

When you start to use up too much space on your disks, it can quickly begin to affect performance and can even prevent critical backups from running. It is important to monitor disk usage and to take proactive steps to help free up disk space. Space-saving ideas include deleting old mails, logs, and unused software versions. If you have more than 90% disk usage, get additional storage or reduce usage. A 100% server usage will cause it to stop responding, cause corruption of data tables and result in lost data.

Regular Update of OS

Linux systems often release updates and staying on track with them can be a challenge. It is, therefore, critical to use patch management tools as well as have monitoring that alerts you of a system update. You may miss vital security updates if you choose to do manual or no updates at all. If automatic updates are not possible, then it would be best for you to create scheduled updates. Failing to update regularly could leave you exposed to hackers, malware, and potential loss of important data.

Clean your server regularly

Some people make the mistake of thinking that simply because their servers are in a closed cabinet they don’t get dirty. Nevertheless, even servers in proper environments can inhale dust and dirt. This may adversely affect their performance and reliability after some time.

Today’s powerful CPUs and GPUs require properly functioning fans to enhance air circulation. When the fans get exposed to dust and dirt for long, they may fail to function as expected. However, you should be careful when cleaning the fans not to cause any damage.

Check For Errors in the Hardware

Review the logs for detection hardware problems. Network failures, disk read errors, and overheating notices may be early signs of possible hardware failure. Look into these and more so, if the system has had a history of not working within the expected range.

Change Password

It may seem like a small thing, but it is critical that you change your password at least twice a year, especially if passwords have been given out previously for maintenance purposes. Remember that passwords should be long and complex and should contain a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters if possible.

Test UPS Batteries

UPS’s have experienced tremendous improvements recently. However, that does not mean that they don’t lose capacity with time. Test your UPS’s at least annually to establish how long they will sustain a server. This may help you to identify the best time to replace them, especially when you find that their runtime has reduced drastically.

Check Security of the Systems

Use remote editing tools to review the security, auditing the server security, check on the OS updates, configuration of the system, and other possible risks. This should ideally be done monthly, however, if that is not possible it should at least be done quarterly.

Update Control Panel

If you are using a server or hosting control panel, it needs to be updated. This may also require the software controlled by the panel to be updated as well

RAID Alarms Monitoring

RAID should be used in all production servers and hence, the RAID status should be monitored. A single disk failure can end up in a total system failure. This can cause the need for a simple drive replacement to result in a disaster recovery scenario that takes several hours to restore.

Server Utilization Check-Ups

Check the utilization of the network, RAM, CPU, and disk. If you are about to reach the limits, consider getting additional resources or even migrating to another server.

This article is from the CK Learning Center. 

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• As of this morning, in the US, there are 9,818,915 active COVID cases, 16,750,647 have recovered and there have been 457,868 deaths.
• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will leave his post later this year, turning the helm over to the company’s top cloud executive, Andy Jassy. Bezos said he will stay engaged in important Amazon projects but will also have more time to focus on the Bezos Earth Fund, his Blue Origin spaceship company, The Washington Post, and the Amazon Day 1 Fund. 
• The latest prototype of SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket launched successfully on Tuesday but exploded on impact during an attempted landing. Starship prototype Serial Number 9, or SN9, aimed to fly as high as 10 kilometers, or about 32,800 feet altitude. While the rocket flew successfully, it hit the ground explosively on its return, just as the SN8 flight did in December. 
• Robinhood, which has found itself in the center of an uproar after restricting trading on equities last week, will run its first Super Bowl ad. The ad will kick off what the company says is its largest-ever brand campaign. The stock trading app has faced a public relations crisis as angry customers hit back at restrictions on the trading of some high volatility stocks. 
• The U.S. will increase its weekly supply of Covid-19 vaccines to states by 5%, providing at least 10.5 million doses for the next three weeks. That bump comes a week after the White House said it would increase supply to states by 16% over the next three weeks. The federal government will also turn on its first phase of a federal partnership to send doses directly to retail chains beginning February 11th. 
• Amazon has begun testing electric delivery vans from Rivian on routes in L.A. Amazon agreed to buy 100,000 Rivian electric vehicles as part of its pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Rivian has raised about $8 billion since 2019 from investors including Amazon via its $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund. 

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Today’s Topics: A Good Day of Birthday Celebrations | SFP-10G-LR | Your Guide to Cisco Catalyst Switches | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Tuesday!

Happy Groundhog Day! Are you hoping the groundhog will see its shadow today or are you ready for 6 more weeks of winter? I’m sure some people are tired of shoveling snow!!

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Happy Monday, friends! Oh wait it’s Tuesday, right?! Just kidding, mostly. I have to say this week has been like that and it IS only Tuesday!

Our daughter’s 5th birthday is today, so we’re taking some time to celebrate her this week. Birthday cake for breakfast, five gifts for five years old, great friends coming to visit on Thursday, and (hopefully) camping for the weekend. She is so excited to turn five, and it is adorable. Big sister made her a “birthday queen” throne yesterday and promised to wake up earlier than her today to sing her awake with happy birthday. Those are the best memories for sure. Today will be a good day! 

Now I have to tell you, yesterday I thought I was heading into a meeting that is actually happening today, my birthday girl opened my Amazon boxes (for the first time ever) and discovered all of her presents, and the weekend weather is shaping up to be pretty darn wet and cold. Camping may not happen, her gifts won’t be surprises, and I guess I’m extra prepared for my meeting today. But, despite all of the blunders of the week so far, today will be a good day. 

I hope YOUR day is wonderful, no matter what your Monday looked like. Carpe diem!

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

For today’s product highlight, we’ll be taking a look at a familiar and popular product, the SFP-10G-LR! This 10G transceiver module was designed for long-range transmission. It supports 10 Gbps data transfer rates over a distance of 10 kilometers (that’s 6.2 miles!) using single-mode fiber. This hot-swappable SFP+ transceiver is a fantastic option for satisfying connectivity needs in large data centers, enterprise wiring closets, large campuses, and more! 

We offer 3 versions of the module: 

• Cisco Original – Factory Sealed
• Cisco Original – Refurbished
• CK Branded (Cisco Compatible) – Factory Sealed

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Your Guide to Cisco Catalyst Switches- CK Learning Center

A network is only as effective as its weakest link. When you have heavy demands, you need good options to meet and exceed those demands. Cisco has been providing top-quality options for every network design for decades. This overview will introduce you to some of the most common, versatile, and widely-used switches Cisco has to offer.

Cisco Catalyst 2960-S

Cost-effectiveness is the name of the game with 2960-S switches. These Gigabit Ethernet switches are designed for enterprise applications in a stackable form factor that provides wired connections for reliable, adaptable network designs. These switches include all of the basics:

• 4 to 48 Gigabit Ethernet ports
• Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) up to 30W
• USB Interfaces
• Stackable up to four switches

Cisco Catalyst 2960-X

Some switches are designed for a wide range of applications. The 2960-X switches live up to that promise. These stackable, Gigabit switches are built for jobs ranging from simple device management to campus network management. The Cisco IOS software makes configuration, troubleshooting, and monitoring as easy as possible, and Layer 2 and Layer 3 features ratchet up the possibilities of what can be accomplished with a single switch design. True versatility comes from the following features:

• Up to 48 Gigabit Ethernet ports
• 4 SFP uplinks or 2 10 Gigabit SFP+ uplinks
• PoE+ up to 740W and Perpetual PoE
• Device management via web UI, Bluetooth, Command-Line Interface, Simple Network Management Protocol, RJ-45 console access, and USB access

Cisco Catalyst 3560

Speed doesn’t always have to come at the cost of power. This fast Ethernet switch features ports that get up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections on a power-saving design that provides more finite control over total power consumption. A variety of select models can provide impressive features:

• Up to 50 access points and 1000 clients with each stack
• Up to 48 100 Mbps ports and multiple 10 Gbps ports
• PoE ports providing up to 60W per port
• Up to 160 Gbps of throughput per stack

Cisco Catalyst 3560-X

This switch series expands on its predecessor by expanding security, adding services, and further improving on energy efficiency. The switch offers robust design improvements:

• Security enhancements including Flexible NetFlow, MACsec Layer 2 encryption and TrustSec access control
• Simplified means to deploy LAN, configure, and troubleshoot networking elements
• Hot-swappable cooling fans, modules, and power supplies
• Up to 48 PoE+ ports that support 60W per port

Cisco Catalyst 3750

Every switch has a purpose. For the 3750, the purpose is resilience and scalability. The stackable design is built around Layer 3 and EnergyWise technology. In all, it combines ease of use with exceptional capacity and expandability. More specifically, it packs the following:

• Up to 48 Gigabit Ethernet ports
• Up to 4 SFP uplinks
• Self-managing and self-configuring stacks
• StackWise technology for improving efficiency in multicast applications

Cisco Catalyst 3750-X

Energy efficiency and scalability are standard demands on modern switches. The 3750-X takes those demands and adds ease of deployment and quality of service to the equation. It’s designed to more easily create secure networks for campus and branch networks. These are the tools used to make it happen:

• Up to 4 10 Gbps uplink modules
• 32 Gbps interconnect that stacks up to 9 switches
• MACsec hardware-based encryption
• PoE+ up to 30W per port

Cisco Catalyst 3850

Build on Wave 2, this is a stackable switch that provides multi-gigabit wired and wireless connections. Max speeds get up to 10 Gbps, and the optional switches provide up to 48 ports of raw networking power. The marriage of GE and wireless in a stackable switch makes for faster networking and improved quality of service. If ever there was a one-size-fits-all switch, this is it. A few of the impressive features include the following:

• Up to 40 Gbps wireless capacity
• 480 Gbps of throughput per stack
• 50 access points and 2,000 wireless clients per stack

While there are plenty more switches available from Cisco, these are popular for a reason. They get the job done. After reading this overview, you can see that the best switches have common features. Keep that in mind as you shop for equipment. Skimping on key features will never help a network meet its demands or goals.

This article is from the CK Learning Center. 

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

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• As of this morning, in the US, there are 9,827,632 active COVID cases, 16,629,530 have recovered and there have been 454,213 deaths.
• Apple is testing new iPhone software that will let you unlock your iPhone with an Apple watch while wearing a mask. Currently, Apple users either need to enter a passcode or slide their mask down to unlock iPhones without the older Touch ID fingerprint recognition system.
• Disney is adding another TV show to its already stacked slate of Marvel content in development for Disney+. On Monday, the company announced that it had struck a five-year deal with “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler and Proximity Media to create television programming exclusively for Disney.
• Monday night General Motors unveiled two new performance Cadillac sedans, including the 2022 CT5-V Blackwing. The car is powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine rated at an eye-popping 668 horsepower and 659 pound-foot of torque. It has an estimated top speed of more than 200 mph, according to the company.
• Facebook just announced plans to help users allow tracking of their iPhones and iPads to deliver personalized ads. A prompt will tell users that providing access to their activity will give them personalized ads and will support businesses that rely on ads to reach customers. The move comes as Apple begins to roll out privacy changes to iOS 14 that will require users to opt in to allow this kind of tracking.​