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Category Archives for "Networking"

Vyatta OSPF Designated Router Concepts

I was inspired by a (relatively) recent post by Jeremy Stretch at Packetlife.net that explained OSPF designated router configuration in Cisco IOS. I’d like to go into a bit more detail regarding the need for a designated router, and explore the same configuration steps on the Vyatta Core platform. I’ve already shown how easy it is to integrate a Cisco router with a Vyatta router using OSPF, so you can use a mix of Cisco and Vyatta gear if you wish.

Vyatta OSPF Designated Router Concepts

I was inspired by a (relatively) recent post by Jeremy Stretch at Packetlife.net that explained OSPF designated router configuration in Cisco IOS. I’d like to go into a bit more detail regarding the need for a designated router, and explore the same configuration steps on the Vyatta Core platform. I’ve already shown how easy it is to integrate a Cisco router with a Vyatta router using OSPF, so you can use a mix of Cisco and Vyatta gear if you wish.

Useful OpenFlow Resources

I wrote a post a while back introducing OpenFlow, and I informed you of my thoughts concerning this relatively new technology. Regardless of your need for a programmable network, the concept is certainly interesting and warrants some tinkering. It’s important to remember that OpenFlow itself is just a protocol definition, and until recently, there wasn’t a lot of software available that implemented it, and thus, no in-home tinkering. I’d like to point out a few new projects that are implementing OpenFlow and making it relatively easy to implement on your own.

Useful OpenFlow Resources

I wrote a post a while back introducing OpenFlow, and I informed you of my thoughts concerning this relatively new technology. Regardless of your need for a programmable network, the concept is certainly interesting and warrants some tinkering. It’s important to remember that OpenFlow itself is just a protocol definition, and until recently, there wasn’t a lot of software available that implemented it, and thus, no in-home tinkering. I’d like to point out a few new projects that are implementing OpenFlow and making it relatively easy to implement on your own.

Routing Information Protocol – Keeping It Classless Labs

Today we’ll be looking at Routing Information Protocol, or RIP. This is an easy-to-use protocol to distribute routing information around a network. We’ll explore how to configure it on a Cisco router, and some of the tweaks necessary to get it to perform well in a modern network. Download the Lab Outline Download the GNS3 Lab used in this video

IPv6 Prefix Lengths

For years, discussions regarding the appropriate prefix length for IPv6 subnets have been waged, with high profile organizations and bloggers chipping in their $0.02 for all kinds of opinions. IPv6 enthusiasts have long-adhered to their “A /64 for every subnet” approach, and they give many good reasons for this approach. There are others who recognize the sheer amount of waste from this method, and suggest much more restrictive prefixes, such as /126 for a point-to-point link, as that prefix allocates 2 addresses, identical to the /30 mask in the IPv4 world.

IPv6 Prefix Lengths

For years, discussions regarding the appropriate prefix length for IPv6 subnets have been waged, with high profile organizations and bloggers chipping in their $0.02 for all kinds of opinions. IPv6 enthusiasts have long-adhered to their “A /64 for every subnet” approach, and they give many good reasons for this approach. There are others who recognize the sheer amount of waste from this method, and suggest much more restrictive prefixes, such as /126 for a point-to-point link, as that prefix allocates 2 addresses, identical to the /30 mask in the IPv4 world.

Preparation Tips for the JNCIE-SEC Exam

Not a day that goes by since having passed the JNCIE-SEC exam that I don't receive an inquiry in one form or another regarding how I prepared for the exam.  It seems that there is an incredible amount of interest in this exam, especially from all those die-hard ScreenOS folks that are now converting to Junos.  So instead of constantly repeating myself, I figured I'd just put it up on the blog so others can benefit (leaving me more time to do other things, 'heh).

NOTE: For full disclosure, I must reveal that I am an Technical Trainer and Certification Proctor at Juniper Networks.  As such, I take EXTRA responsibility towards protecting the content and integrity of the exam and I take the certification credentials very seriously.  Not only that, I worked REALLY, REALLY hard to achieve my JNCIE certifications, and I believe everyone else should too! As such, I kindly ask that candidates refrain from asking me questions which would be considered a violation of the NDA.  Also, I should add that although I work for Juniper, the viewpoints expressed in this article are my own and may not necessarily be shared by my Continue reading

IPv6 Hacking – “thc-ipv6” [Part 2]

A while back I did a post called IPv6 Hacking - “thc-ipv6” Part 1 - it was, in fact, the first post here on Keeping It Classless. That post focused on the flood_router6 script, which unleashed a flood of IPv6 Router Advertisements (RAs) on a layer 2 network segment, bringing vulnerable operating systems like Windows 7 to their knees. The “fake_router6” script is another member of the “thc-ipv6” suite that grants a powerful weapon to a would-be attacker.

IPv6 Hacking – “thc-ipv6” [Part 2]

A while back I did a post called IPv6 Hacking - “thc-ipv6” Part 1 - it was, in fact, the first post here on Keeping It Classless. That post focused on the flood_router6 script, which unleashed a flood of IPv6 Router Advertisements (RAs) on a layer 2 network segment, bringing vulnerable operating systems like Windows 7 to their knees. The “fake_router6” script is another member of the “thc-ipv6” suite that grants a powerful weapon to a would-be attacker.

IPv6 Hacking – “thc-ipv6” [Part 2]

A while back I did a post called IPv6 Hacking - “thc-ipv6” Part 1 - it was, in fact, the first post here on Keeping It Classless. That post focused on the flood_router6 script, which unleashed a flood of IPv6 Router Advertisements (RAs) on a layer 2 network segment, bringing vulnerable operating systems like Windows 7 to their knees. The “fake_router6” script is another member of the “thc-ipv6” suite that grants a powerful weapon to a would-be attacker.

Configuring OSPF Between Vyatta and Cisco IOS

This is a guide to configuring OSPF between Cisco IOS and the open-source Vyatta router platform. I was able to do all of this on my desktop PC, by running Cisco IOS in GNS3 and Vyatta as a virtual machine. I used the guide here to bridge both virtual routers together, so that communication could be established. The Cisco side was pretty straightforward. I configured the FastEthernet interface and enabled OSPF on it:

Configuring OSPF Between Vyatta and Cisco IOS

This is a guide to configuring OSPF between Cisco IOS and the open-source Vyatta router platform. I was able to do all of this on my desktop PC, by running Cisco IOS in GNS3 and Vyatta as a virtual machine. I used the guide here to bridge both virtual routers together, so that communication could be established. The Cisco side was pretty straightforward. I configured the FastEthernet interface and enabled OSPF on it:

OSPF Won’t Redistribute My Static Routes!

I was working on some CCNP ROUTE labs, and I was attempting to rebuild a basic OSPF lab from memory. The lab included practice with inter-area route summarization, and static route redistribution. I ran across a problem that seems to be plaguing others, at least according to google, but my searches didn’t yield a solution to my specific problem, which was that the static routes I had created weren’t being redistributed by OSPF.

OSPF Won’t Redistribute My Static Routes!

I was working on some CCNP ROUTE labs, and I was attempting to rebuild a basic OSPF lab from memory. The lab included practice with inter-area route summarization, and static route redistribution. I ran across a problem that seems to be plaguing others, at least according to google, but my searches didn’t yield a solution to my specific problem, which was that the static routes I had created weren’t being redistributed by OSPF.

The Global Internet Speedup (NOT)

I recently saw posts from a few sources on a new initiative backed by a consortium that includes Google and OpenDNS to attempt to improve the overall speed of the internet by optimizing the way DNS works on the internet. If you think about it, a great deal of internet traffic is high-volume requests for things like photos, music, video, and the like. You may know, then, that content providers like Akamai have positioned themselves globally around the world to provide this content at a relatively close physical location to those requesting it.

The Global Internet Speedup (NOT)

I recently saw posts from a few sources on a new initiative backed by a consortium that includes Google and OpenDNS to attempt to improve the overall speed of the internet by optimizing the way DNS works on the internet. If you think about it, a great deal of internet traffic is high-volume requests for things like photos, music, video, and the like. You may know, then, that content providers like Akamai have positioned themselves globally around the world to provide this content at a relatively close physical location to those requesting it.