Archive

Category Archives for "Packet Pushers Podcast"

NAN083: Cox Gets Network Automation Right, and Proves It at DEF CON (Sponsored)

Today’s Network Automation Nerds episode discusses Cox Communications’ journey to getting network automation right. We also talk about how they used network automation to support operating the network at the DEF CON hacker convention. Our guests are David Ezell, Joshua Watkins and Eric Hansen from Cox Communications. We dive into initial steps and challenges in... Read more »

D2DO263: An Anthropologist’s Advice for Improving IT Cultures

It’s tempting to run IT organizations the same way we run infrastructure: as resource units to be applied to various jobs. But people aren’t infrastructure. They have opinions. They form teams. They operate on different incentives, which sometimes clash within an organization (i.e. sales vs. product managers, or infosec vs. everybody). Today’s guest, Lianne Potter,... Read more »

NB510: CISA Says US Tech Inherently Insecure; AI Now Included in Google Workspace

Take a Network Break! Guest co-host John Burke joins Drew Conry-Murray for this week’s analysis of tech news. They discuss a string of serious vulnerabilities in Wavlink Wi-Fi routers, Fortinet taking a one-two security punch, and CISA director Jen Easterly calling out US hardware and software companies for being “inherently insecure.” Microsoft and Google put... Read more »

N4N009: High-Speed Ethernet Lanes Explained

On today’s episode, we’re explaining high-speed Ethernet lanes at the request of listener Matthew. We cover lanes, channels, and their physical representation in networking – think actual cables. We explain both 40Gb and 100Gb technologies and compare them to Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). We also have a discussion on standards and practical implications for... Read more »

PP045: Reducing the Risk of Compromised Digital Certificates with CAA and Certificate Transparency

Transport Layer Security (TLS) relies on certificates to authenticate Web sites and enable encryption. On today’s Packet Protector we look at mechanisms that domain owners can take to ensure the validity of their digital certificates. More specifically, we cover Certification Authority Authorization (CAA) and Certificate Transparency (CT). Our guest is Ed Harmoush. Ed is a... Read more »

NB509: FCC to Raise Funds for Rip-and-Replace of Chinese Telco Gear; Billionaire Space Race Takes Off

Take a Network Break! We start with serious CVEs for Perl and Ivanti. On the news front, the FCC wants to license spectrum to raise money to help US telcos rip out Chinese network equipment–even though there’s no evidence Chinese equipment led to telco intrusions by Chinese attackers. Verizon boasts of 5.5Gbps download speeds on... Read more »

HN763: You Too Can Say ‘Yes’ to Packet Analysis

Packet capture and packet analysis is incredibly useful for problem-solving and troubleshooting. Analyzing packets is also a difficult skill to master. With the incredible array of network troubleshooting tools at our disposal, including emerging networking models for artificial intelligence, do we still need to fuss around with Wireshark in 2025? Our guest Chris Greer says... Read more »

TNO012: From Hardware to Cloud: Evolving Roles for Network Operators

Cloud networking is still networking, but there are differences. In this special collaboration episode between the Total Network Operations and Cloud Gambit podcasts, Scott Robohn, Eyvonne Sharp, and William Collins dive into the contrasts between traditional and cloud networking, and how network engineers raised on hardware and the CLI can flourish in cloudy environments. In... Read more »

N4N008: What Is a Default Gateway?

Today’s topic is the default gateway, essential for routing traffic between networks. We explain its purpose, configuration, and the consequences of incorrect settings. Using home networks as an example, Ethan and Holly illustrate how default gateways enable devices to communicate with external networks. The discussion also covers routing tables, subnet masks, and the differences between... Read more »

HW043: Is OFDMA Worth It?

OFDMA, or Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access, was introduced in 802.11ax. This technology allows a radio to split a single channel into multiple sub-carriers, which in turn can be used to send data to multiple devices at the same time. OFDMA is meant to reduce congestion by allowing APs to allocate resource units among, and communicate... Read more »

D2DO262: The Science and Magic of Network Mapping and Measurement

Measuring network speed seems straightforward: send some traffic between two endpoints and see how long it took. But what path did the traffic take? Were wired or wireless networks involved? What intermediary devices stood between your two endpoints? Was there interference? Congestion? Are device limitations affecting your results? The fact is, there’s more to measurement... Read more »

HN762: A Network Automation Roadmap

Once you get past a handful of Python scripts, network automation can be…daunting. If you want to make network automation process-driven, repeatable, reliable, and something that doesn’t just rely on your scripts and the knowledge inside your head, there’s an entire landscape that opens up before you. Have you thought about network discovery? How about... Read more »