The Fat Pipe - Most Popular Packet Pushers Pods

Ongoing education and training is a constant in a networking career, especially if you want to advance. And certifications are a common path forward. On today’s episode, guest Andreas Baekdahl shares his journey from traditional networking to automation architect and certification instructor. Along the way, he’s had his share of challenges and failures, and he... Read more »

Public cloud networks can be a bit of a black box when it comes to monitoring and troubleshooting. Today on Day Two DevOps we talk with sponsor Cisco ThousandEyes about its Cloud Insights tool, which aims to open that box so you can see exactly what’s going on in your cloud networks, identify problems, help... Read more »

Our monthly news roundup discusses liability insurance for CISOs (if you are one, you should get it), serious intrusions of US telecom companies by Chinese state actors (according to the FBI), and a novel attack that leapt across multiple Wi-Fi networks. We also discuss significant vulnerabilities affecting Palo Alto Networks’ Expedition migration product, how fake... Read more »

Take a Network Break! We’ve got a full menu for our post-Thanksgiving episode. We start with a host of critical CVEs affecting Veritas and a couple more for QNAP. Cisco announces EOL for two version of its ACI software, Verizon runs field trials for 1.6Tbps throughput in a single wavelength (with Ciena optical transceivers), and... Read more »

System Initiative is a new product that aims to improve on Infrastructure as Code (IaC). On today’s episode we talk with System Initiative creator Adam Jacob to find out why he wanted to improve on IaC, how System Initiative works, how it compares to other platforms in the market, how it handles key features such... Read more »

Cyber insurance provides compensation if a company suffers financial loss due to a security incident such as a ransonware payment, costs of data recovery, legal expenses or fines, or damage to a company’s reputation. Today on the Packet Protector podcast, we discuss the ins and outs of cyber insurance with a policy holder. Joe Stern... Read more »

Take a Network Break! We start with a brief follow-up on our CVE coverage, and then dive into a serious one-two set of vulnerabilities being exploited in Palo Alto Networks software, VMware taking a second crack at patching a vCenter vulnerability, and notable CVEs in D-Link and HPC gear. An AI company loses a quarter... Read more »

The BGP Monitoring Protocol, or BMP, is an IETF standard. With BMP you can send BGP prefixes and updates from a router to a collector before any policy filters are applied. Once collected, you can analyze this routing data without any impact on the router itself. On today’s Heavy Networking, we talk with Bart Dorlandt,... Read more »

Hiring is never an easy process. On today’s show, guest Brian Hogan and host Laura Santamaria explore the intricacies of hiring top performers in the tech industry. Brian talks about how to set up a fair and structured interview process, including the use of rubrics to evaluate candidates consistently. He discusses the challenges of assessing... Read more »

What are the most essential topics to understand for a new networkers? Ethan Banks and Holly Metlitzky address a listener’s question about foundational topics, covering what a network is, the differences between packet-switched and circuit-switched networks, and the nature of the internet as a “network of networks.” They discuss the importance of Internet Protocol (IP),... Read more »

Traditional network monitoring was built around SNMP and logs. And while there’s still a role for these sources, network observability aims to incorporate more data to help you build a holistic picture of the network and its behavior and performance. These sources can include flows, streaming telemetry, APIs, NETCONF, the CLI, deep packet inspection, synthetic... Read more »

Surveillance is a fact of life with modern technology, be it corporate data harvesting or government snooping. If you’re thinking about personal privacy, today’s episode covers common tools for communication and Web browsing. We dig into the end-to-end encryption capabilities of the messaging tools Signal and WhatsApp, look at the capabilities and limits of the... Read more »

Take a Network Break! This week we get an update on SonicWall’s new firewall warranty. We also cover Cisco’s Wi-Fi 7 launch; in addition to new APs, Cisco also updates its branding and rolls out “simplified” licensing that bundles features you might not want. Aviatrix adds a PaaS option for its cloud networking software, but... Read more »

On today’s episode, artificial intelligence with sponsor Selector.AI. If you’re curious and maybe still skeptical about the value AI brings to network operations, listen to this episode. Selector is on the forefront of AIOps for networking, building models that are customized and specifically targeted at networks. What Selector is doing is NOT simply the low-hanging... Read more »

Today we explore Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs). This topic was prompted by a question from college student Douglas. We’ll explain the fundamental concepts of VLANs, such as their role in segmenting and managing network traffic, and the technical details for implementation. We’ll also address key topics including VLAN tags, access and trunk ports, and... Read more »

With the current cultural emphasis on AI and how that is changing our world, we often forget the human element of individuals and teams when building an effective software development team. On today’s Day Two DevOps, we explore the psychology behind software teams, psychological safety for those teams and how the advent of AI plays... Read more »

Microsoft’s Active Directory and Entra ID are valuable targets for attackers because they store critical identity information. On today’s Packet Protector, we talk with penetration tester and security consultant Eric Kuehn about how he approaches compromising AD/Entra ID, common problems he sees during client engagements, quick wins for administrators and security pros to fortify their... Read more »

Take a Network Break! This week we cover a serious Cisco vulnerability, SonicWall offering a firewall warranty, and a security advisory from ID provider Okta. Apple buys a stake in a satellite telecommunications company, Lumen and Google team up on a joint networking/AI deal, and we check on financial results from Arista Networks, Extreme Networks,... Read more »

On today’s episode, we chat with wireless ISP engineer Elijah Zeida. Elijah had an interesting connectivity challenge to solve for a remote mountain town that relies on a wireless connection for Internet access, and not much budget to solve it with. But he got it done by building his own SD-WAN using Mikrotik boxes and... Read more »

Everyone has their own hot take or bit of wisdom to share regarding technical leadership. Today, host Laura Santamaria weaves these insights on communication, collaboration, decision making and more from her guests on the first six episodes of Technically Leadership. Listen, reflect and then apply to your own leadership role. Episode Links: Laura Santamaria Packet... Read more »

Ostinato is a network traffic generator aimed at network engineers who need test traffic, whether in a lab or production, to do things such as test circuit bandwidth, determine if SD-WAN or load balancing rules are working as intended, investigate packet drops, and more. Originally released as an open-source project, Ostinato is now offered as... Read more »

We are firmly entrenched in a hybrid cloud world, from on-prem data centers to multiple cloud platforms to branch and remote offices, not to mention wandering end users connecting via VPN. While the network is the common substrate among all these locations, every cloud provider has its own network implementation. Managing, monitoring and securing all... Read more »

Security professionals often have an impulse to want to move on to the next new thing. While that can be helpful in a field that thrives on change, it can also make it hard to focus on routine tasks and mundane (yet essential) security controls and practices. Whether this impulse is due to varying degrees... Read more »

Take a Network Break! This week we discuss Google adding traffic shaping to its cross-cloud interconnect, Aviatrix bringing hybrid cloud transit to its cloud networking service, and Microsoft forcing MFA for Entra ID customers. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella forgoes $5 million in incentive pay for Microsoft security lapses, Extreme Networks adds new features to its... Read more »

Alkira provides a Multi-Cloud Networking Service (MCNS) that lets you connect public cloud and on-prem locations using a cloud-delivered, as-a-service approach. But Alkira offers more than just multi-cloud connectivity. On today’s sponsored episode of Heavy Networking, we dig into Alkira’s full set of offerings, which include networking, visibility, governance, and security controls such as firewalls... Read more »

AI is being integrated and adopted across much of the IT world, but can it work magic in transforming old legacy code into shiny modern code? When it comes to this magic trick, it’s important to look behind the curtain. On today’s Day Two DevOps podcast we discuss the reality of AI in refactoring code... Read more »

This episode was recorded live at Security Field Day (XFD) 12 in October, 2024. As delegates at the event, JJ and Drew heard presentations from DigiCert, Dell Technologies, SonicWall, and Citrix. These presentations covered topics including digital certificate management, post-quantum cryptography, supply chain security, recovering from ransomware, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and Secure Service... Read more »

Take a Network Break! This week we discuss a new ZTNA offering from NaaS startup Alkira, a serious vulnerability in Fortinet’s management software under active exploit, and a less-serious vulnerability in Cisco security software that’s also being exploited. Gluware adds new AI copilots to its network automation software, a judge orders Broadcom to continue to... Read more »

Ethernet competes with InfiniBand as a network fabric for AI workloads such as model training. One issue is that AI jobs don’t tolerate latency, drops, and retransmits. In other words, AI workloads do best with a lossless network. And while Ethernet has kept up with increasing demands to support greater bandwidth and throughput, it was... Read more »

Leadership has a huge impact on an organization’s culture, including tech teams. On the positive side, leaders can foster healthy, productive environments. On the negative side, they can build hostile, blame-centric viper pits. Today’s episode of Technically Leadership examines how to strive for the positive by shielding teams from internal politics, developing empathetic leadership, distinguishing... Read more »

Network optimization starts with observing, but how are networks observed and what tools are used? Joining the podcast today are the authors behind the book “Modern Network Observability.” Eric Chou welcomes David Flores, Christian Adell, and Josh VanDeraa to help uncover practical strategies and real-world case studies for network observability. Episode Guests: David Flores, Christian... Read more »

Enterprise data is everywhere: on prem, at the edge, and across the public cloud. Storing and managing that data involves more than just SSDs and spinning disks; it’s about building and operating a data infrastructure. On today’s Day Two DevOps podcast, host Ned Bellavance explores the idea of data infrastructure with Jeff Baxter, VP of... Read more »

Today’s Packet Protector rounds up recent security news, including revised password guidelines from NIST, a White House push to help fill infosec jobs, and potential espionage risks from Chinese-made cranes being used at US ports. We also cover a hospital data breach that leaked nude patient photos, discuss why municipal governments are rich targets for... Read more »

This week’s Network Break discusses a CISA warning that a serious SolarWinds vulnerability is being exploited, Microsoft turns the tables by discovering a MacOS vulnerability, and Amazon invests in small modular nuclear reactors to meet growing power demands and reduce carbon output. T-Mobile releases a new device using the 5G Reduced Capacity spec, Palo Alto... Read more »

AI is finding its way into more and more consumer and business applications. In particular, the widespread use of Generative AI raises a serious question: how secure is it? In this sponsored Heavy Networking episode we discuss security risks of AI tools and ways to mitigate those risks. Our guest is guest Rich Campagna, Senior... Read more »

Job hunting is never easy and on today’s Day Two Cloud, Katrina Janeczko shares her journey from college to her current role at Comcast. Katrina discusses the challenges of job hunting, the relevance of her education, and the impact of AI tools on her learning process. She also talks about the importance of networking, mentorship,... Read more »

Uzair Khan from RUSH University Medical Center is today’s guest on the Network Automation Nerds podcast. Uzair discusses the complexities of healthcare technology and the critical role of automation in enhancing operational efficiency and patient safety. He provides examples of how Itential’s automation and orchestration products have given his teams the tools they need to... Read more »

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) used to stand apart from traditional IT. But those worlds are converging, and IT pros, including infosec teams and network engineers, need to become familiar with the operational challenges and quirks of ICS/OT systems. On today’s Packet Protector, guest Mike Holcomb demystifies ICS and OT for IT... Read more »

Take a Network Break! This week we cover a new Juniper announcement and discuss how the company is bringing its security portfolio under its AI umbrella, Aryaka adding CASB to its SASE menu, and whether the FTC’s prescriptive security requirements for Marriott will actually lead to better security. Cisco invests in a GPU-as-a-Service startup, stealthy... Read more »

On today’s episode, guest James Henderson joins the Packet Pushers to discuss Cisco’s Network Service Orchestrator (NSO). NSO’s role in network automation, its declarative management approach, and the challenges it presents are some of the things James shares with the hosts. They also cover operational requirements, deployment challenges, and performance considerations, in addition to discussing... Read more »

Layoffs are a sensitive topic in the tech industry. Host Laura Santamaria discusses the emotional and practical impacts on employees and leaders. She also covers the signs of potential layoffs, and strategies for job searching post-layoff while maintaining perspective. She concludes with a tips for leaders to more effectively lead their teams through a layoff.... Read more »

Ivan Pepelnjak joins host Eric Chou to reflect on his extensive career, his decision to reduce his content creation, and offer advice for young engineers. They discuss the evolution of networking technologies, emphasizing the importance of mastering Linux and obtaining relevant certifications. Ivan highlights the significance of creating professional visibility and owning one’s content. The... Read more »

Today on the Packet Protector podcast we talk with sponsor Juniper Networks about how to simplify the complexity that affects network and cybersecurity teams alike. From tool sprawl to floods of data, complexity bedevils operations and troubleshooting. We talk about what Juniper brings to the table for networking and security professionals to help them do... Read more »

Take a Network Break! DDI specialist BlueCat is getting into network performance monitoring with its LiveAction acquisition, T-Mobile is ordered to spend almost $16 million to improve its infosec practices and get a CISO, and Cisco announced the end of life for its LoRaWAN IoT product line. Verizon recovers from a US-wide outage, security researchers... Read more »

Our topic today is digital twins. Sponsor Forward Networks offers software that creates a “mathematically accurate” copy of your network, be it on prem or in the cloud. We talk about what “mathematically accurate” actually means, and how a digital twin can support network operations including change control, network automation, visibility, and troubleshooting. We also... Read more »

Cloudflare’s transition from SysLog-NG to OpenTelemetry is the topic of discussion on this episode of Day Two DevOps. Guests Colin Douch and Jayson Cena from Cloudflare explain the reasons behind the migration, including the need for better scalability, memory safety, and maintainability. They delve into challenges such as ensuring uninterrupted customer traffic and optimizing performance.... Read more »

The terms “AI” and “machine learning (ML)” get thrown around pretty regularly in IT and cybersecurity. On today’s Packet Protector we get an introduction to AI and ML to help you ask the right questions when vendors tout their latest AI-infused products. Our guest is Jeff Crume, a distinguished engineer and cybersecurity architect at IBM.... Read more »

Take a Network Break! This week we discuss significant vulnerabilities in HPE APs and Cisco Catalyst 9K switches, the benefits of bug bounties, how HPE is adding third-party device monitoring to Aruba Central, and whether Arista can succeed at positioning CloudVision as a management platform for enterprise data center, campus, and WAN environments. Alkira’s cloud... Read more »

The Packet Pushers and guest Mason Reimert discuss strategies he’s using to prepare for the Cisco CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure lab exam. Mason shares practical tips for hands-on labbing for both established and emerging technologies like SD-WAN and SD-Access, resource management, virtualization tools, and automation. He also highlights the importance of understanding APIs, data formats, and... Read more »

The concept of psychological safety originated from research on surgical teams. Psychological safety is essential as it allows team members to voice concerns without fear of retaliation. As a leadership tool, it can help people perform at their highest levels. In this episode of Technically Leadership, guest Wesley Faulkner talks with host Laura Santamaria about... Read more »