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Feedback: ipSpace.net Materials

Andy Lemin sent me such a wonderful review of ipSpace.net materials that I simply couldn’t resist publishing it ;)

ipSpace.net is probably my favorite networking resource out there. After spending years with other training content sites which are geared around certifications, ipspace.net provides a totally unique source of vendor neutral opinions, information, and anecdotes – the kind of information that is just not available anywhere else. And to top it off, is presented by a wonderful speaker who is passionate, smart and really knows his stuff!

The difference between an engineer who just has certs versus an engineer who has a rounded and wide view of the whole industry is massive. An engineer with certs can configure your network, but an engineer with all the knowledge this site provides, is someone who can question why and challenge how we can configure your network in a better way.

Feedback: ipSpace.net Materials

Andy Lemin sent me such a wonderful review of ipSpace.net materials that I simply couldn’t resist publishing it ;)

ipSpace.net is probably my favorite networking resource out there. After spending years with other training content sites which are geared around certifications, ipspace.net provides a totally unique source of vendor neutral opinions, information, and anecdotes – the kind of information that is just not available anywhere else. And to top it off, is presented by a wonderful speaker who is passionate, smart and really knows his stuff!

The difference between an engineer who just has certs versus an engineer who has a rounded and wide view of the whole industry is massive. An engineer with certs can configure your network, but an engineer with all the knowledge this site provides, is someone who can question why and challenge how we can configure your network in a better way.

Lesson Learned: The Way Forward

I tried to wrap up my Lessons Learned presentation on a positive note: what are some of the things you can do to avoid all the traps and pitfalls I encountered in the almost four decades of working in networking industry:

  • Get invited to architecture and design meetings when a new application project is starting.
  • Always try to figure out what the underlying actual business needs are.
  • Just because you can doesn’t mean that you should.
  • Keep it as simple as possible, but no simpler.
  • Work with your peers, and explain how networking works and why you’re facing certain limitations.
  • Humans are not perfect – automate as much as it makes sense but no more.
Watch the video
You’ll need a Free ipSpace.net Subscription to watch the video.

Lesson Learned: The Way Forward

I tried to wrap up my Lessons Learned presentation on a positive note: what are some of the things you can do to avoid all the traps and pitfalls I encountered in the almost four decades of working in networking industry:

  • Get invited to architecture and design meetings when a new application project starts.
  • Always try to figure out what the underlying actual business needs are.
  • Just because you can doesn’t mean that you should.
  • Keep it as simple as possible, but no simpler.
  • Work with your peers and explain how networking works and why you face certain limitations.
  • Humans are not perfect – automate as much as it makes sense, but no more.
Watch the video
You’ll need a Free ipSpace.net Subscription to watch the video.

Do a Cleanup Before Automating Your Network

Remington Loose sent me an interesting email describing his views on the right approach to network automation after reading my Network Reliability Engineering Should Be More than Software or Automation rant – he’s advocating standardizing network services and cleaning up your network before trying to deploy full-scale automation.

I think you are 100% right to start with a thorough cleanup before automation. Garbage in, garbage out. It is also the case that all that inconsistency and differentiation makes for complexity in automation (as well as general operations) that makes it harder to gain traction.

Read more …

Do a Cleanup Before Automating Your Network

Remington Loose sent me an interesting email describing his views on the right approach to network automation after reading my Network Reliability Engineering Should Be More than Software or Automation rant – he’s advocating standardizing network services and cleaning up your network before trying to deploy full-scale automation.

I think you are 100% right to start with a thorough cleanup before automation. Garbage in, garbage out. It is also the case that all that inconsistency and differentiation makes for complexity in automation (as well as general operations) that makes it harder to gain traction.

Read more …

Worth Reading: The Network Does Too Much

Tom Hollingsworth published a more eloquent version of what I’ve been saying for ages:

  • Complexity belongs to the end nodes;
  • Network should provide end-to-end packet transport, not a fix for every stupidity someone managed to push down the stack;
  • There’s nothing wrong with being a well-performing utility instead of pretending your stuff is working on unicorn farts and fairy dust.

Obviously it’s totally against the vested interest of any networking vendor out there to admit it.

Worth Reading: The Network Does Too Much

Tom Hollingsworth published a more eloquent version of what I’ve been saying for ages:

  • Complexity belongs to the end nodes;
  • Network should provide end-to-end packet transport, not a fix for every stupidity someone managed to push down the stack;
  • There’s nothing wrong with being a well-performing utility instead of pretending your stuff is working on unicorn farts and fairy dust.

Obviously it’s totally against the vested interest of any networking vendor out there to admit it.

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