
At Cloudflare we’re accelerating web assets in a number of different ways. Part of this is caching, by storing the response given by the origin server directly within our 151+ global data centers. This will dramatically improve the delivery of the resources as the visitor will directly get them from the data center closest to them, instead of waiting for us to fetch the request from the origin web server.
The subject we’re gonna cover today is the concept of Edge-Side-Includes. And what’s better than a real use-case to introduce what it is used for? Let’s take a website where all pages are including advertisements at the head and bottom. Could we consider these pages static? We couldn’t as at least part of this page is dynamic. Could we consider caching it? That’s a no again as it would mean the first dynamic part rendered will be cached and served for the other visitors trying to get the page. It would be a catastrophe if the advertisements are user-specific.
So the issue here is that we can’t cache the page. That’s quite a shame as it means that we’ll fetch Continue reading
Tom Hollingsworth published a great blog post summarizing Cloud Field Day presentation by Ben Sigelman.
TL&DR: You’re not Google, you don’t have their problems, and so you’re probably not a good match for their tools.
While this shouldn’t come as a surprise to regular readers of my blog (here’s what I wrote on the topic in 2016), it’s refreshing to see it spelled out so eloquently (and by an ex-Googler).

Looking back at our historical data, we realized how much the Internet and Cloudflare grew. With more than 150 datacenters, 10 percent of web-based applications, customers everywhere around the world, from the tiny islands in the Pacific to the big metropolises, we have an Internet landscape of almost every country and continent.
Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a better Internet. To do that we operate datacenters across the globe. By having datacenters close to end user we provide a fast, secure experience for everyone. Today I’d like to talk about our datacenters in Africa and our plans to serve a population of 1.2 billion people over 58 countries.
Internet penetration in developed countries skyrocketed since the 2000s, Internet usage is growing rapidly across Africa. We are seeing a 4% to 7% increase in traffic month on month. As of July 2018, we have 8 datacenters on the African Continent:
VMworld 2018 is a week away; are you attending? Want to learn more about NSX Networking and Security in VMware Cloud on AWS, how you can easily deploy and secure workloads in the cloud, or how to build hybrid cloud solutions with the familiarity and capabilities of vSphere? Make sure to attend the below sessions at VMworld 2018. We will go into a deep dive of all the functionality and show how VMware Cloud on AWS is being used by customers. Continue reading
Michael Wood took another emerging technology vendor, VeloCloud, to the top of the SD-WAN market. Apstra wants him to do the same for its company and intent-based networking.
Announced in AWS Summit in New York last month and also briefly mentioned on the prior blog, Announcing General Availability of VMware NSX-T Data Center 2.2.0, NSX-T networking and security is now available in Preview Mode for new SDDC deployments on VMware Cloud on AWS. Please reach out to your sales/SE contact for more information. In this blog post, I give an overview of the advanced networking and security functionality provided by NSX-T within VMware Cloud on AWS. Continue reading
Hybrid cloud computing for high performance computing is quickly becoming commonplace, but there are certain challenges that CIOs must overcome in order to reap all the benefits.
This course covers the basics of implementing inter-VLAN routing by explaining the theory behind two common methodologies, as well as their implementation on Cisco routers and switches. By the end of this course students will be able to explain the differences between “Router-On-A-Stick” and “Switched Virtual Interfaces,” as well as how to implement inter-VLAN routing using either of these techniques.
Why You Should Watch:
Virtually all organizations that implement VLANs into their switched networking topologies also need to know how to route IP traffic between those VLANs. Knowing the techniques available to accomplish this kind of routing is essential whether you are managing a network, or simply pursuing a networking certification (like the Cisco CCNA).
Many learners are confused about the differences between VLANs and SVIs (Switched Virtual Interfaces) as well as their inter-relationship. This course is meant to clarify any confusion you may have between those differences, and teach you both the theory and implementation (utilizing Cisco IOS software) of Inter-VLAN Routing.
Who Should Watch:
This course is intended for anyone wanting to learn about inter-VLAN routing with an emphasis on the techniques to do so using Cisco routers and switches. A basic familiarity with the Cisco IOS command Continue reading
Too many IXPs (and networkers in general) are using horrible outdated methods of graphing data. These are an ugly eyesore, and should be updated to something from this century. Big IXPs in particular have no excuse: they have the resources to do better.
Two years ago Dave Temkin from Netflix presented at NANOG 67, talking about The Real Cost of Public IXPs (warning: PDF).
This caused a bit of a stir. As El Reg put it:
[According to Dave Temkin] The internet exchange industry is ripping customers off, charging too much for features people don’t need, and spending millions on staff salaries, unnecessary marketing and social events.
You can argue amongst yourselves as to how much IXPs should invest, how closely their port prices should track transit costs, etc. Or maybe you just like all the free drinks, dammit.
I think that if they’re going to spend money rather than reduce prices, they should spend it on something I care about: Data visualization. Most IXPs traffic graphs are an eyesore, they’re outdated, and it’s time they were fixed.
Here’s some typical traffic graphs from some of the biggest IXPs in the world:
Too many IXPs (and networkers in general) are using horrible outdated methods of graphing data. These are an ugly eyesore, and should be updated to something from this century. Big IXPs in particular have no excuse: they have the resources to do better.
Two years ago Dave Temkin from Netflix presented at NANOG 67, talking about The Real Cost of Public IXPs (warning: PDF).
This caused a bit of a stir. As El Reg put it:
[According to Dave Temkin] The internet exchange industry is ripping customers off, charging too much for features people don’t need, and spending millions on staff salaries, unnecessary marketing and social events.
You can argue amongst yourselves as to how much IXPs should invest, how closely their port prices should track transit costs, etc. Or maybe you just like all the free drinks, dammit.
I think that if they’re going to spend money rather than reduce prices, they should spend it on something I care about: Data visualization. Most IXPs traffic graphs are an eyesore, they’re outdated, and it’s time they were fixed.
Here’s some typical traffic graphs from some of the biggest IXPs in the world:
The vendor has sidled up next to Nokia and Ericsson as a dominant 5G equipment supplier to the largest carriers in the U.S.
The cloud is too big to fail. And Microsoft doesn’t want to hoard the emulation technology.
The cloud giant also launched a reference architecture that companies can code into their existing marketplace to recommend new content or products.
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If you enjoyed our previous episode about hyper-converged infrastructure, then you’re in for a real treat — the infamous Greg Ferro of Packet Pushers is back for a special BONUS episode of Kernel of Truth! We learned that once you get Greg and JR talking, it’s nearly impossible to get them to stop. So, we let them keep going and recorded an extra episode all about Voyager. Greg’s got questions about our open packet optical platform, and JR’s got answers. You’ll be impressed with how much awesome info and discussion they can fit into a mini episode!
Like what you’re hearing and want to talk about it with fellow Kernel of Truth fans? Good news! We’ve got a new Cumulus community forum for the podcast where you can chat with other podcast and networking aficionados. Be sure to check it out!
As always, you can tweet any questions, feedback or topics you want us to discuss at @cumulusnetworks and use the hashtag #KernelOfTruth — we want to hear from you, and give you content that you want to Continue reading
Oracle open sources protocol for machine learning models; IEEE publishes new fog computing standards; and Cohesity achieves AWS storage competency.