Buying Used Cisco Gear From eBay For Your Lab
While most of the lab work I do is with virtualized networking gear, once in a while, I need actual hardware. For instance, to fully explore QoS, hardware is key. Many QoS commands won’t be available...
View ArticleIs It Illegal To Be Called “Engineer” Without Having An Engineering Degree?
Some engineers are called engineers because they went through a rigorous process recognized in their industry. The stuff they do tends to affect lives, and so the title of engineer is not awarded until...
View ArticleFree Networking Lab Images From Arista, Cisco, nVidia (Cumulus)
This post was originally published on 30-March-2021. It needs to be updated. Let Ethan know on Slack if you’d like to see this article freshened up. Here’s my current list of no cost, minimal headache,...
View ArticleWhen Stretching Layer Two, Separate Your Fate
On the Packet Pushers YouTube channel, Jorge asks in response to Using VXLAN To Span One Data Center Across Two Locations… if stretching the layer 2 is not recommended, then what is the recommendation...
View ArticleWhat Makes A Senior IT Engineer “Senior”?
Ravi asks the following… I’m trying to figure out what makes a network engineer truly a “senior” engineer. What skills, mostly non-technical, do they possess in order to bring value to the work place?...
View ArticleHow To Pass API Query Parameters In A Curl Request
If you’re using CLI tool curl to retrieve data from a remote API, you might send forth a command like so. curl -H "Authorization: Bearer access_token_goes_here" \...
View ArticleWhat Does An ‘R’ Before A String Mean In Python?
R Means ‘Raw String’ An ‘r’ before a string tells the Python interpreter to treat backslashes as a literal (raw) character. Normally, Python uses backslashes as escape characters. Prefacing the string...
View ArticleHow To Blackhole (Null Route) An IPv6 Block On Linux Using ‘ip -6 route’
If there’s an IPv6 netblock you’d like your host to stop responding to, one tactic is to blackhole the traffic. That is, send any traffic from your host destined to the troublesome IPv6 netblock into a...
View ArticleHow To Create A Python Function You Can Call From Other Scripts
Python gives you the ability to write a bit of code and the call that code as a function. You can call the function from within the same script where the function is defined, or you can save the...
View ArticleHow To Use Grep + Regex To Match Non-200 HTTP Status Codes In Apache Server Logs
When parsing Apache web server logs on Linux, I find it interesting to monitor access requests resulting in HTTP status codes other than 200s. An HTTP status code in the 200s means the request was...
View ArticleYour First REST API Call In Python
This post originally appeared on the Packet Pushers’ Ignition site on June 10, 2020. Introduction In many automation scripts, you’ll be retrieving information via some sort of interface and then doing...
View ArticleEmbedding Client IP In DNS Requests: EDNS Client Subnet (ECS)
This post originally appeared on the Packet Pushers Ignition site on December 10, 2019. DNS is sometimes used to optimize traffic between client and server. That is, a client needs to connect to a...
View ArticleHow To Reference Nested Python Lists & Dictionaries
This post originally appeared in the Packet Pushers’ Ignition site on March 10, 2020. When getting data back from API queries in Python, the data is often delivered in JSON format. Python libraries...
View ArticlePut In The Work
Would you like to stand out from your peers? Would you like to impress the people you work for, or perhaps the people you’d like to work for? Put in the work. Putting in the work to achieve a goal is a...
View ArticleFormatted CLI Data Is Not Good Enough For Automation
If you're learning to interact with Infrastructure as Code (IaC), you'll need to get accustomed to structured data, which is different from formatted data you're likely accuomsted to with the CLI....
View ArticleUnderstanding OSPF Router ID (RID) Assignment
This post originally appeared on the Packet Pushers’ Ignition site on March 24, 2020. In both OSPFv2 (IPv4) and OSPFv3 (IPv6), the router ID (RID) is a 32-bit number assigned to the router. The RID...
View ArticleMarketing Docs Are Not Written For Engineers
When reading marketing literature as an engineer, you must always be careful to parse the words correctly. For example, I was reviewing a vendor’s pitch deck on a new hardware switch. The switch was...
View ArticleSetting Up Public-Private Keys For SSH Authentication
The more pedantic in the tech community argue about the merits of public-private key authentication vs. simple password authentication when logging into an SSH host. I have no strong opinion regarding...
View ArticleImproving DNS Privacy With QNAME Minimization (RFC7816)
This post originally appeared on the Packet Pushers’ Ignition site on October 1, 2019. When a host doesn’t know the IP address for a hostname, what does it do? It asks its configured DNS server to...
View ArticleMeet FullCtl: For All Your IXP & BGP Peering Automation Needs
The Packet Pushers recently had a briefing with Chris Grundemann about startup FullCtl. FullCtl is all about network automation for internet exchanges, service providers, large enterprises, and anyone...
View ArticleCLIs Are In My Way – Abstract All The Things
Network automation: How much has actually changed over 10 years? Ethan Banks revisits his 2014 blog post about trying to move past the CLI.
View ArticleCareer Advice I’d Give To 20-, 30- and 40-Something Year Old Me
Ethan Banks gives career advice to his 20, 30, and 40 year old self.
View ArticleSD-WAN Gives Us The Best Path We Always Wanted
SD-WAN changed not only the face of wide area networking, but of networking as a whole.
View ArticlePostpone Inbox Procrastination
I think of inbox management like cleaning the catbox. Doing it every day is best. If I miss a day, it’s tolerable, but sort of gross.
View ArticleOpen Source Networking Projects: A Current List
The goal of this massive list of open source networking projects is to spread awareness of tools that might make your IT job easier. Compiled by Packet Pushers.
View ArticleClassful Routing Has Little Meaning In Modern Networking
Classful routing is a point of historical interest only. If I was preparing course material on this myself, I’d cover classful vs. CIDR in an intro module as it offers context for the terminology...
View ArticleSD-WAN, SASE, and SSE Vendors: A Reference List
Looking to compare SD-WAN vendors, along with SSE and SASE vendors? Hit up our massive reference list.
View ArticleThe Cisco Catalyst 6500 Just Ran
The Cisco of 2024 isn’t the Cisco that made the Catalyst 6500. But we remember. And many of us believe that this purchase, this gear, this time… we’ll have the 6500 back again. The new thing will just...
View ArticleThe Fat Pipe Is Going On a Diet
Packet Pushers is pulling out several of the shows we’ve been stuffing in the Fat Pipe. If you want to keep listening to these shows, subscribe to them directly.
View ArticleBriefing Report: CloudZero Makes Sure Your Cloud Spend Isn’t Wasteful
Bring engineering and finance together using a common language of unit economics to deeply analyze costs and drive more efficient solutions. How do you get this done? In part with CloudZero's SaaS...
View ArticleBriefing Report: Drut’s DX3.0 Maximizes GPU Hardware Utilization For AI...
The folks at Drut (pronounced “droot”, supply your own I am Droot jokes) have created an AI compute environment for the rest of us. Who’s the rest of us? Anyone that’s doing AI-related work–training...
View ArticleBriefing Summary: Netos Builds A Bridge Between Networking & Finance
Netos startup founder Richard Foster reached out to brief Packet Pushers about what he and his team have built. In short, Netos is a financial modeling engine for networks that rides on NetBox. That...
View ArticleBriefing Summary: Commvault’s Cloud Rewind Is More Than Data Restoration
Cloud Rewind is the new name of Appranix, which Commvault acquired in April 2024. Cloud Rewind is a key component of Commvault's "continuous business" concept. Cloud Rewind's promise is to recover your...
View ArticleDeveloping Content & Gathering Research For Your Tech Blog
I've found that writing has been the absolute best tool for me to learn a concept. There's nothing quite like trying to explain something technical in a blog that reveals the holes in my knowledge. I...
View ArticleThe Problem With Network Automation Certifications
As I’ve reviewed network automation certs, I find that they are teaching products and techniques specific to a vendor ecosystem or tool environment. There's nothing wrong with those certs. You'll learn...
View ArticleAutoCon2 Talk Summary: AI Driven Advanced Network Observability – Jeremy...
At the Network Automation Forum's AutoCon2 conference held the week of November 18, 2024, Jeremy Schulman from Major League Baseball took the stage to discuss where they are currently in their network...
View ArticleAutoCon2 Talk Summary: Comprehensive Infrastructure Automation (CIA) – Dinesh...
If network automation is a journey, are we all going to the same place? Do we want the same things? Maybe, maybe not. We need a map--a systematic way of thinking. A lexicon. Our words are not the same....
View ArticleAutoCon2 Talk Summary: Intent-Based MPLS Router and WAN Provisioning –...
At the Network Automation Forum‘s AutoCon2 conference held the week of November 18, 2024, Matthew Deibel from Southern California Edison, a large American power company, took the stage to discuss their...
View ArticleAutoCon2 Talk Summary: Step 0: Test the Network! – Danny Wade
At the Network Automation Forum‘s AutoCon2 conference held the week of November 18, 2024, Daniel Wade took on testing for network automation. Sure, you want to push a network configuration change. That...
View ArticleDrut.io’s 2500 Series Launches With Co-packaged Optics & 32×100G On A Card
Drut is answering questions about dynamic system composability and maximizing GPU utilization without overbuying. Those matter to any data center operator. But from a networking standpoint, offloading...
View ArticleAutoCon2 Talk Summary: Building The Business Case For Automation Using...
At the Network Automation Forum‘s AutoCon2 conference held the week of November 18, 2024, Alkira's William Collins took on building the business case for automation using informal channels. That is,...
View ArticleAutoCon2 Talk Summary: Everything Everywhere All At Once – Rajiv Gupta (The...
At the Network Automation Forum‘s AutoCon2 conference held the week of November 18, 2024, Rajiv G. from Genentech demonstrated his Gather tool. He kicked off the talk by observing, "It seems like a lot...
View ArticleAutoCon2 Talk Summary: The Human Factor Of Using LLMs In Network Operations –...
At the Network Automation Forum‘s AutoCon2 conference held the week of November 18, 2024, Phillip Gervasi from Kentik discussed using large language models (LLMs) in network operations. Phil’s promise?...
View ArticleAutoCon2 Talk Summary: Total Network Operations (TNOps): Navigating...
At the Network Automation Forum‘s AutoCon2 conference held the week of November 18, 2024, Scott Robohn (a NAF organizer) took the stage for an automation-adjacent talk: Total Network Operations...
View ArticleStartup Radar: Bowtie Security Delivers SD-WAN + SASE/SSE Services Without...
If you browse the Packet Pushers SD-WAN/SASE/SSE resource page, you’ll notice a repeating theme in the vendors’ offerings. Almost every product listed delivers some or all of the solution via the...
View ArticleHow To Enable YAML Linting In Vim On Ubuntu
1. sudo apt install vim-ale 2. edit /etc/vim/vimrc 3. Append packadd! ale to the " Plugins section 4. Go forth with vim linting!
View ArticleLanding Your First Network Engineering Role
Landing your first role as a network engineer isn't just about technology. It's also about your human network & broader skill set.
View ArticleWayFi Wireless Provides Seamless Cellular Coverage Via Wi-Fi Passpoint
WayFi Wireless is all about enabling your Wi-Fi network with Passpoint to create a frictionless guest network experience. No captive portal. No punching in of Wi-Fi passwords to facilitate the Wi-Fi...
View ArticleThe Signal In The Slop
I'm sick of hearing about AI, but I'm trying to find the signal in the slop. I believe it's there.
View ArticleBriefing Summary: Securing Enterprise AI With Coralogix AI Center
We’re at that point in AI’s enterprise adoption where it’s time to move from “build it as fast as possible” to “run this in production securely like we’re serious about it.” What does that mean? I...
View Article