The Everything Feed - All Packet Pushers Pods

One dark day, Ivan Pepelnjak stopped labbing. He just couldn’t make himself yet again go through assigning addresses, building links, putting devices in place, setting up OSPF, BGP, VXLAN, EVPN, etc. before even being able to start whatever simulation or test he wanted to do. But from that darkness arose netlab. Ivan created netlab to... Read more »

It’s rare for strategists, executives, and technologists to all get on the same page in order to create, execute, and adjust an organization’s tech strategy, much less do it well. But it is possible. Johna and Greg discuss their experiences of seeing through some consultants’ smoke and mirrors, honestly evaluating an organization’s capability to implement... Read more »

Are you on the IPv6 hit list? Does your CPE device have Recommended Simple Security Capabilities? Are your ULA prefixes unique, but still manageable? Do you have a protection method structure or are you just hoping that the IPv6 space is so vast the bad guys will never find you? Tom Coffeen and Scott Hogg... Read more »

Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware has generated a lot of anxiety among VMware customers. In this episode, we closely analyze the situation. First, we look at Broadcom’s past acquisitions in the infrastructure sector. Then we examine the product alignment and possible new product offerings and whether the acquisition will hamper innovation and development. We also cover... Read more »

Wi-Fi increases the GDP of entire countries, yet its tech community still has a grassroots feel. The COVID-19 work-from-home trend grew residential Wi-Fi like never before, yet it is still competing with 5G inside homes. Guest Claus Hetting, CEO of Wi-Fi NOW, joins host Keith Parsons to talk about the paradoxes, successes, and challenges in... Read more »

Today we look at secrets management and privileged access management from the perspective of a network engineer. How do you and your team securely store sensitive data including passwords, SSH keys, API keys, and private certificate keys, while still being able to work nimbly? What Privileged Access Management (PAM) practices can help put guardrails in... Read more »

The days of network cowboy heroism are over… or at least they need to be. It’s time for network engineering to grow up and standardize how networks are built. Not only will this make life easier for all of us as we inherit networks when we move from company to company, but it’s the only... Read more »

What are we talking about when we are all talking about private clouds? On-prem? Hybrid? Virtualization? Where does hardware fit into it all– and would younger engineers even know what to do with a physical piece of hardware? Driven by Broadcom’s acquisition of VMare and the anticipated rising costs of VMare licenses, enterprises are exploring... Read more »

Hi, I’m Eric Chou, and welcome to the Network Automation Nerds podcast, the newest addition to the Packet Pushers family. This is your audio destination for network engineers and infrastructure professionals who are on a mission to build stronger, more resilient systems through the art of network automation. Join us as we connect with a... Read more »

It’s time to make the switch from WPA2 to WPA3. We cover how to do it and what migration challenges to be prepared for no matter what WLAN you are dealing with (open, passphrase, or 802.1x) . We also discuss what features make WPA3 an improvement over WPA2, particularly the replacement of PSK with SAE.... Read more »

AI and automation are hot topics in telco, but not all projects are created equal in terms of the bottom-line value. We dive into how to calculate total value, and discuss why the area of assurance looks set to generate the most value. We provide key questions to ask when considering what AIOps to add... Read more »

Hackers access a casino’s network through a fish tank thermometer. No, this isn’t Ocean’s Eleven, this is the reality of IoT/OT risks to enterprises today. Through its AI/ML-powered system, Palo Alto Networks takes a multi-pronged approach to these threats: Device identification, risk assessment, segmentation in zero trust policies, intrusion prevention, and automated security workflow. Kalyan... Read more »

Take a Network Break! We start with an FU on return-to-office policies, and then dive into some announcements from Cisco Live in Amsterdam. Cisco is rolling out rack and blade servers with Nvidia Tensor chips, and Cisco is adding new features to its Digital Experience Monitoring capabilities. Verizon hopes to utilize its MPLS network as... Read more »

Yale’s efforts to load-balance RADIUS servers is a case study in system design for resiliency. First, there was a lone, redundant PSN. Next, F5s load balancers entered the picture. Then the network team realized a feature in IOS-XE was the answer… and brought Cisco along the learning journey with them. Hear it all from the... Read more »

A round-up of IP address news to start the new year: Eric Vyncke of the IETF has created an RFC 6724 website that is an excellent time-saving tool for figuring out source destination address selection processes. AWS announces more IPv6 features and support, and adds a new charge for public IPv4 use. State actors, including... Read more »

Chaos engineering is all about resilience and reliability… it just takes the harder path to get there. By injecting random and unpredictable behavior to the point of failure, chaos engineers observe systems’ weak points, apply preventative maintenance, and develop a failover plan. Matt Schillerstrom from Harness introduces Ned and Ethan to this wild corner of... Read more »

Welcome, trailblazers and visionaries! Today, I’m thrilled to unpack a treasure trove of wisdom that zooms into the exhilarating realm of strategy architecture and the craft of sculpting strategy roadmaps on a shoestring budget. The Thrill of Resourcefulness In this episode, my esteemed co-host Johna and I dove headfirst into a challenge that plagues countless... Read more »

To understand the newest standard, Wi-Fi 7, it helps to look back at Wi-Fi 5 and 6, and even forward to Wi-Fi 8. What’s the reasoning behind the updates? How have they been experienced at the ground level? Who should make the change and when? Host Keith Parsons and Wi-Fi expert Srikanth Subramanian touch on... Read more »

Wi-Fi 7 is the latest iteration of the wireless standard from the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi 6 brought significant increases in throughput and performance. Wi-Fi 6e made the 6Ghz spectrum available (at least in the US). What does Wi-FI 7 bring to the table, and is it worth going through an upgrade? Our guest is Chris... Read more »

This week on Network Break we discuss Dell terminating its resale agreement of VMware as Broadcom looks to streamline OEM agreements, a new Wi-Fi AP and cloud-managed switches from Extreme, and the fits and starts in US chip manufacturing. A new study finds Return-To-Office (RTO) mandates don’t improve productivity or company performance, but do drive... Read more »

Guest Dinesh Dutt introduces his newest creation, SuzieQ. It’s a network observability platform application that has both a free, open source version and an enterprise version. Lightweight, fast, and platform-agnostic, SuzieQ’s use cases include network documentation, troubleshooting, fabric-wide visibility, network refresh and redesign, low/no code validation, audits and compliance, and proactive health checks. Hosts Ethan... Read more »

Hi, I’m Jennifer Minella and I’m excited to finally share with you all that I’ll be co-hosting a new podcast on the Packet Pushers network. It’s called Pocket Protector, a podcast exploring the intersection of networking and security. Each week, we’re drilling into topics, from wired and wireless network security to access control and zero... Read more »

Cloud repatriation: Is it a good idea? Guest Marino Wijay, an OSI and networking open source advocate, joins hosts Ethan Banks and Ned Bellavance to discuss the recent interest in cloud repatriation. They cover the intricacies of moving workloads from the cloud back to on-premises or edge environments, and question if it is possible to... Read more »

Let’s say you’ve built a set of automations for your network infrastructure, and now you want teams or departments within your organization to use those automations. Our Tech Bytes sponsor NetOrca offers a service catalog that provides a simple front-end to make it easy for internal customers to come and consume those capabilities you’ve worked... Read more »

This week we discuss new products from Juniper including synthetic testing software for its Mist wireless networks and its first step toward integrating its Apstra data center software with AI. VMware clarifies its product strategy as customers face rising prices, and undersea cables in the Red Sea face potential threats. Nokia and Chinese mobile device... Read more »

Remote and hybrid work means network engineers have to grapple with lossy residential networks such as home wireless that your work-from-home folks are using to access company resources. Their Wi-Fi sucks, and so their use of corporate resources sucks. Sure, you’ve got them plumbed into a SASE fabric, but that doesn’t fix their user experience... Read more »

These days, most network devices can speak both IPv4 and IPv6. A dual-stack approach can smooth the transition from one protocol to the other because organizations can get comfortable with IPv6 without having to make a hard cutover. However, they may get so comfortable that they never fully commit. In this episode Ed, Scott, and... Read more »

Today we’re talking about Python. If you’re new to Python and want to add it to your toolkit, this is the show for you. This episode offers a broad perspective on all the approaches and plug-ins that Python includes. Our guest Michael Kennedy is a Python enthusiast and Python instructor. We discuss: Why you should... Read more »

Host Keith Parsons and guest Kelly Burroughs from iBwave discuss the crucial need for collaboration between Wi-Fi engineers and architects to ensure optimal wireless connectivity in building designs. They explore the use of BIM file formats for better integration and the importance of considering wireless as a utility in the architectural process. The conversation addresses... Read more »

Hosts Greg Ferro and Johna Till Johnson reflect on the technological advancements of 2023 and discuss the trends for 2024. In this wide-ranging conversation, they chat about the rise of AI, tech consolidation, and the impact of automation on infrastructure. They also explore the geopolitical impact on supply chains, the move away from Chinese manufacturing,... Read more »

Today on the Tech Bytes podcast we talk about accelerating dynamic content to improve application performance and the user experience. The increase of remote and hybrid workers, and more applications being delivered from the cloud, can complicate IT’s efforts to measure and improve application performance. Today’s sponsor, Palo Alto Networks, shares its approach to accelerating... Read more »

This week’s Network Break examines why Cisco bought eBPF startup Isovalent (hint: it’s about cloud-native networking), why Broadcom is cranking up pressure on VMware resellers and customers (hint: it’s about money), and why Google Cloud is sort of dropping fees for customers who want to exit the cloud (hint: it’s about getting out ahead of... Read more »

On today’s episode, we discuss networking sources of truth. That’s right, sources of truth, because you’re likely to have more than one depending on your environment and your point of view. On LinkedIn, Ethan Banks quoted someone at the AutoCon0 conference who essentially said that the network itself shouldn’t be used as a source of... Read more »

We talk with Tim Banks about a wide range of topics including career development, how to stand out as an interview candidate, building a resume, finding your blind spots, diversity in tech (or lack thereof), and more. Let’s get into all the things with Tim! Episode Guest: Tim Banks | Lead Developer Advocate at Dell... Read more »

Take a Network Break! On today’s show we spend most of the episode talking about HPE’s $14 billion bid for Juniper Networks. We discuss reasons for the deal, product overlap, potential upsides, challenges to integrating these two companies and their product lines, and more. We also talk about a successful test by Starlink to send... Read more »

At AutoCon0 in November 2023, guest Jeremy Schulman delivered a talk from the main stage about delivering network assurance. If the term “network assurance” doesn’t mean anything to you, think about how you prove after an install or a change that the network is doing what it’s supposed to be doing. If you’re doing it... Read more »

We kick off 2024 with a new limited series called “IPv6 Basics” for those listeners who might be new to this protocol or would like a refresher. Ed and Scott start with why IPv6 was needed and how it is different (and the same) as IPv4. Topics discussed include: Early drivers for IPv6 development IPv6... Read more »

Johna and Greg discuss service-oriented networking and the challenges of defining and delivering network services. They explore the negative impact of siloed organizational structures on service delivery and the importance of continuous adaptation in infrastructure management. They debate the perception of services by users, using metaphors like sidewalks and electricity, and the importance of defining... Read more »

While it’s easy to find technical content and make professional connections online, in-person interactions are still valuable for learning, forging business and personal connections, and career development. On today’s Day Two Cloud we discuss how and why to build local tech communities. Guest Laura Santamaria is a developer, developer advocate, and longtime community builder. We... Read more »

Wi-Fi consultant Rowell Dionicio shares his experiences and insights on building a successful consulting practice. He discusses the importance of niche specialization, creating educational content, and using his podcast and blog as marketing tools. Rowell highlights the need for continuous learning, effective communication, and networking. He also addresses the business side of consulting, including handling... Read more »

Take a Network Break! We start the new year by examining major themes and trends that we think will affect IT and networking in 2024. Topics include: AI beyond LLMs Whether open source can remain a viable model in a predatory tech environment Cisco vs. everybody Why IT can’t ignore geopolitics for strategic planning What... Read more »

Autonomous Digital Experience Management (ADEM) provides detailed visibility into end user device and application performance. On today’s sponsored episode, we talk with Palo Alto Networks about how it uses AIOps with ADEM to help IT and help desk teams quickly identify and respond to problems for a distributed workforce. We also discuss synthetic transactions, and... Read more »

At NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, patients are the priority. That focus on patient care extends to the hospital’s campus network, data center, wireless network, and SD-WAN. These networks are instrumental for delivering medical applications and connecting medical devices. On today’s Heavy Networking, we talk with network architects and engineers at NewYork-Presbyterian about their use of automation to... Read more »

Today’s show explores platform engineering. Guest Chad McElligott has thought a lot about the practice of platform engineering, and a blog post and talk he gave about the subject inspired us to reach out and have a conversation. Chad describes platform engineering as “the application of a Product Mindset to supporting your engineering organization’s software... Read more »

On today’s Day Two Cloud podcast we talk about a cloud project where things didn’t go as planned. There were people problems, technical problems, and regulatory problems. Our guest Jonah Andersson shares lessons learned and how they can inform your own cloud strategies. We also talk about how to identify your project goals to determine... Read more »

The difference between training and education is signficant and technology industry often conflates these terms. They are vastly different ways to providing learning and we dive into why we need more education and less training.

Today on the Tech Bytes podcast, sponsored by Fortinet, we dive into Fortinet Advisor. This is a new generative AI offering designed to act as an assistant to SoC analysts and security teams by providing context-aware event summaries, potential impacts, and recommended responses while also keeping humans in the loop. Episode Guest: Kevin Faulkner |... Read more »

Broadcom’s VMware has announced an end to perpetual licensing, network automation provider Anuta Networks is adding generative AI capabilities to its Atom platform, and high-end firewall revenues dip but campus switch sales soared in Q3 2023. The Open Networking Foundation, which oversaw open projects around software-defined networking, is closing its doors and folding its projects... Read more »

SD-WAN is evolving to encompass more features and capabilities around security, application performance, network visibility, and more. On today’s Heavy Networking, sponsored by Palo Alto Networks, we look at how SD-WAN has transformed from a simple network connectivity solution to a comprehensive networking and security system. We discuss the limitations of legacy branch routers and... Read more »

This is part two of a special edition of Day Two Cloud we’re calling Security KubeConversations. I spent two days in the Windy City, attending KubeCon Cloud Native Con Chicago 2023. I had the opportunity to speak to a wide array of vendors and open source maintainers about what’s happening on the security front in... Read more »