HW020: How We Got to Wi-Fi 7 and Where We Go From Here
To understand the newest standard, Wi-Fi 7, it helps to look back at Wi-Fi 5 and 6, and even forward to Wi-Fi 8. What’s the reasoning behind the updates? How have they been experienced at the ground level? Who should make the change and when? Host Keith Parsons and Wi-Fi expert Srikanth Subramanian touch on... Read more »BGP Labs: Use Multiple AS Numbers on the Same Router
Can you use BGP to connect to the global Internet without having a public BGP AS number? Of course, assuming your Internet Service Provider is willing to run BGP with a network using a private AS number. But what happens if you want to connect to two ISPs? It’s ridiculous to expect you’ll be able to persuade them to use the same private AS number.
That’s one of the many use cases for the local-as functionality available in most BGP implementations. You can practice it in the Use Multiple AS Numbers on the Same Router lab exercise.
BGP Labs: Use Multiple AS Numbers on the Same Router
Can you use BGP to connect to the global Internet without having a public BGP AS number? Of course, assuming your Internet Service Provider is willing to run BGP with a network using a private AS number. But what happens if you want to connect to two ISPs? It’s ridiculous to expect you’ll be able to persuade them to use the same private AS number.
That’s one of the many use cases for the local-as functionality available in most BGP implementations. You can practice it in the Use Multiple AS Numbers on the Same Router lab exercise.
On Writing Complexity
I’ve been on a bit of a writer’s break after finishing the CCST book, but it’s time to rekindle my “thousand words a day” habit. As always, one part of this is thinking about how I write—is there anything I need to change? Tools, perhaps, or style?
What about the grade level complexity of my writing? I’ve never really paid attention to this, but I’m working on contributing to a site regularly that does. So maybe I should.
I tend to write to the tenth or eleventh-grade level, even when writing “popular material,” like blog posts. The recommended level is around the eighth-grade level. Is this something I need to change?
It seems the average person considers anything above the eighth-grade reading level “too hard” to read, so they give up. Every reading level calculation I’ve looked at essentially uses word and sentence length as proxies for complexity. Long words and sentences intimidate people.
On the other hand, measuring the reading grade level can seem futile. There are plenty of complex concepts described by one- and two-syllable words. Short sentences can still have lots of meaning.
Further, the reading grade level does not tell you if the sentence makes sense. Continue reading
Tech Bytes: Breaking Through The Noise With Wi-Fi 7 (Sponsored)
Wi-Fi 7 is the latest iteration of the wireless standard from the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi 6 brought significant increases in throughput and performance. Wi-Fi 6e made the 6Ghz spectrum available (at least in the US). What does Wi-FI 7 bring to the table, and is it worth going through an upgrade? Our guest is Chris... Read more »IT Teams Are Not Prepared for 90-Day Digital Certifications
90-day digital certificates are a fast-approaching reality. While they will bring security benefits for businesses and help ensure digital trust across the web, they will also be a burden for unprepared IT managers.NB465: Dell Terminates VMware Resale Deal; Return-To-Office Orders Backfire Says Study
This week on Network Break we discuss Dell terminating its resale agreement of VMware as Broadcom looks to streamline OEM agreements, a new Wi-Fi AP and cloud-managed switches from Extreme, and the fits and starts in US chip manufacturing. A new study finds Return-To-Office (RTO) mandates don’t improve productivity or company performance, but do drive... Read more »A Tale Of Three Cloud Builders, All Seeking Dominance
While Amazon Web Services has first mover advantage when it comes to building a compute and storage cloud, it would be a mistake to believe that the division of the world’s largest online retailer can rest on its laurels. …
A Tale Of Three Cloud Builders, All Seeking Dominance was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.
Using NAT Instances on AWS with Pulumi
For folks using AWS in their day-to-day jobs, it comes as no secret that AWS’ Managed NAT Gateway—responsible for providing outbound Internet connectivity to otherwise private subnets—is an expensive proposition. While the primary concern for large organizations is the data processing fee, the concern for smaller organizations or folks like me who run a cloud-based lab instead of a hardware-based home lab is the per-hour cost. In this post, I’ll show you how to use Pulumi to use a NAT instance for outbound Internet connectivity instead of a Managed NAT Gateway.
For a bit more about why Managed NAT Gateways aren’t ideal for larger organizations, I’d recommend this article by Corey Quinn. For smaller organizations or cloud-based labs, data processing fees probably aren’t the main concern (although I could be wrong); it would be the ~$32/mo per Managed NAT Gateway. Since many tools configure a Managed NAT Gateway per availability zone, now you’re talking more like $96/mo—and you haven’t even spun up any real workloads yet! Running your own NAT instance can dramatically reduce but not eliminate this expense.
Now that I’ve established why running a NAT instance can be beneficial, let’s review what you’ll need to have installed in Continue reading
5G RedCap Promises Nirvana for IoT Deployments Globally. But Can it Deliver?
Keeping IT’s attention as 5G Reduced Capacity (RedCap) services emerge will require rising above competitive solutions.HN719: Meet SuzieQ, The Network Observability Application
Guest Dinesh Dutt introduces his newest creation, SuzieQ. It’s a network observability platform application that has both a free, open source version and an enterprise version. Lightweight, fast, and platform-agnostic, SuzieQ’s use cases include network documentation, troubleshooting, fabric-wide visibility, network refresh and redesign, low/no code validation, audits and compliance, and proactive health checks. Hosts Ethan... Read more »Join Us For Packet Protector, A New Cybersecurity Podcast
Hi, I’m Jennifer Minella and I’m excited to finally share with you all that I’ll be co-hosting a new podcast on the Packet Pushers network. It’s called Pocket Protector, a podcast exploring the intersection of networking and security. Each week, we’re drilling into topics, from wired and wireless network security to access control and zero... Read more »5 Things You Can’t Automate In Your Data Center
Data center automation is a hot topic, but some key areas still require a human touch. Find out which data center operations are resistant to automation – for now.The Retail Edge Needs Resilient IT
COMMISSIONED: Retailers are using edge computing for a variety of use cases, collecting data from sensors, cameras and other devices and crunching the numbers with advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the customer experience and drive efficiencies. …
The Retail Edge Needs Resilient IT was written by Martin Courtney at The Next Platform.
Segment Routing IPv6 (SRv6) with VyOS
In this post we take a look at configuring Segment Routing IPv6 (SRv6) using VyOS. For those unfamiliar, VyOS is an open-source routing platform built on top of Debian Linux and features a commit-based configuration system similar to Juniper’s JUNOS. It originated as a fork of Vyatta Core in late 2013 after Brocade stopped development. If you are new to VyOS, it is recommended to read the quick start guide before continuing.Hedge 211: Learning About Learning
How much have you thought about the way you learn–or how to effectively teach beginners? There is a surprising amount of research into how humans learn, and how best to create material to teach them. In this roundtable episode, Tom, Eyvonne, and Russ discuss a recent paper from the Communications of the ACM, 10 Things Software Developers Should Learn about Learning.