Automate When You Can, Program When You Must

I’ve had a general thought I’ve wanted to write about for quite some time now and after just seeing Matt Oswalt’s latest post Learn Programming or Perish(?), the thought finally makes it to paper so to speak in this post. The thought I want to expand on is something I say quite a bit as I talk about network automation. It is automate when you can, program when you must.

After reading Matt’s post, I’ll re-phrase to automate when you can, script when you must specifically targeting network engineers (note: even though this is what I mean, the word script makes it a bit clearer). This is a twist on the network industry’s old saying of switch when you can, route when you must.

Automate When You Can

Automate when you can is saying use some form of tooling when you can to do network automation. Why re-invent the wheel when you don’t have to? I’m a little biased these days, but this means using some form of extensible tooling, preferably open source, that does automation. Some of my favorites right now are Red Hat’s Ansible and Extreme’s StackStorm. However, this could just as well be other open Continue reading

Automate When You Can, Program When You Must

I’ve had a general thought I’ve wanted to write about for quite some time now and after just seeing Matt Oswalt’s latest post Learn Programming or Perish(?), the thought finally makes it to paper so to speak in this post. The thought I want to expand on is something I say quite a bit as I talk about network automation. It is automate when you can, program when you must.

After reading Matt’s post, I’ll re-phrase to automate when you can, script when you must specifically targeting network engineers (note: even though this is what I mean, the word script makes it a bit clearer). This is a twist on the network industry’s old saying of switch when you can, route when you must.

Automate When You Can

Automate when you can is saying use some form of tooling when you can to do network automation. Why re-invent the wheel when you don’t have to? I’m a little biased these days, but this means using some form of extensible tooling, preferably open source, that does automation. Some of my favorites right now are Red Hat’s Ansible and Extreme’s StackStorm. However, this could just as well be other open Continue reading

News at Last: It’s Extreme

We have news at last: Extreme Networks is acquiring Brocade’s Data Center Networking business. This includes the SLX, VDX and MLXe routing and switching product lines, Network Visibility and Analytics products, and most importantly, my team: StackStorm.

Extreme Networks has been around a long time - they were founded in 1996, the same year as Foundry, which was acquired by Brocade in 2008, and became my business unit. They’ve had ups and downs over the years, but business is going well right now. Their share price is up, and they have been on an acquisition spree recently, acquiring Zebra Wireless, and 3 weeks ago announcing their intention to acquire Avaya Networking.

This gives them all the pieces to provide end-to-end IP networking solutions, and gives them scale to compete.

The deal is expected to close 60 days after Broadcom completes its acquisition of Brocade, which is scheduled to happen by July 30. Until then we will continue to operate as separate businesses. We don’t know exactly what it will mean for my team, but given that network automation was explicitly mentioned in investor call, we should find a good home.

The legal nature of the company means that it Continue reading

News at Last: It’s Extreme

We have news at last: Extreme Networks is acquiring Brocade’s Data Center Networking business. This includes the SLX, VDX and MLXe routing and switching product lines, Network Visibility and Analytics products, and most importantly, my team: StackStorm.

Extreme Networks has been around a long time – they were founded in 1996, the same year as Foundry, which was acquired by Brocade in 2008, and became my business unit. They’ve had ups and downs over the years, but business is going well right now. Their share price is up, and they have been on an acquisition spree recently, acquiring Zebra Wireless, and 3 weeks ago announcing their intention to acquire Avaya Networking.

This gives them all the pieces to provide end-to-end IP networking solutions, and gives them scale to compete.

The deal is expected to close 60 days after Broadcom completes its acquisition of Brocade, which is scheduled to happen by July 30. Until then we will continue to operate as separate businesses. We don’t know exactly what it will mean for my team, but given that network automation was explicitly mentioned in investor call, we should find a good home.

The legal nature of the company means that it Continue reading

April Fools from the tech industry

There’s nothing like a giant, powerful technology company really letting its collective hair down with a goofy April Fools’ announcement. Do you think that we’re fooled, giant, powerful technology companies? We see you there, lurking behind your jolly masks. Anyway, here’s the 2017 installment of this collective exercise in well-choreographed image management. Enjoy.The iFixit micro toolkit The specialist tools that iFixit uses for its widely watched teardowns of most major smartphone and tablet releases are neat, without question – so here’s a teeny little set of them, meant for use by hamsters. No, really. Watch the video.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google April Fool’s jokes for 2017 – graded for additional humor

Tech companies like to get into April Fool’s day – those whimsical titans of capitalism – and nobody gets into it in a bigger way than Google, which rolls out a solid handful of gags every year, some of which are even interactive.This year is no exception, as the search titan deploys its finest humor modules to delight us for a day before going back to trying to manage all the information on earth in a totally non-creepy way.ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD:  White House to issue commemorative solar eclipse safety glassesTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5 ways you can lower data center TCO

To build an affordably scalable data center network, we believe that disaggregation with Cumulus Linux is the ideal networking solution (for obvious reasons). If you haven’t made the jump to open networking, we recommend you read our total cost of ownership (TCO) report, which covers how our customers saved up to 60% by making the switch. For the rest of you that have already come to the light (we prefer calling it the green), we’ve put together a few tips for optimizing your data center network for increased efficiency and lower data center TCO.

1. Optimize your cables and optics
   The cost of optics varies greatly. If you’re running high-cost optics, we recommend doing your research and seeing if there is a lower-cost option that will suit your needs. As switches become denser, the optics and cables can actually cost more than the switches themselves — especially with proprietary, locked-in options from traditional vendors. Most traditional vendors source their optics from third-party manufacturers and then add a premium. When open optics are sourced directly from ODMs, you can reduce the cost of cables and optics by 50% to 70%.
2. Automate like a boss
   Most organizations are doing some form of Continue reading

Amazon Prime members get 20% off of Mass Effect Andromeda – Deal Alert

If you're an Amazon Prime Member (or have a free trial -- get one here) you'll see the price drop an extra 20% on Mass Effect Andromeda (PC, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One). Price drop activates when you add it to your cart, and sinks the price from $59.99 to $39.99.Mass Effect: Andromeda takes players to the Andromeda galaxy, far beyond the Milky Way. There, players will lead our fight for a new home in hostile territory as the Pathfinder-a leader of military-trained explorers. This is the story of humanity's next chapter, and player choices throughout the game will ultimately determine our survival.  See the discounted Mass Effect Andromeda on AmazonTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Now through April 7th Amazon Will Pay You $4.99 To Buy a Dash Button For $.99 – Deal Alert

Now through April 7th, to celebrate the Amazon Dash Button's 2nd birthday, you can buy a Dash Button for $0.99 and receive a $4.99 credit after your first button push to place an order. My math skills are rusty, but that appears to be a good deal if you're thinking of trying one out. Amazon Dash is a simple Wi-Fi connected gadget that lets you order your favorite things with just the push of a button. Keep it by your washing machine, your pet food, or in the bathroom closet. When you notice you're running low, just press the button and Amazon ships it right out. Each button gets tied to a specific product from Amazon's library of over 200 brands, in categories such as (click each category to see samples) household supplies, beverage & grocery, health & personal care, beauty products, pets, kids & baby, and more. Access this deal on Amazon and use code DASHBDAY at checkout. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

White House to issue commemorative solar eclipse safety glasses

The White House announced Friday that come this summer it will be issuing commemorative safety glasses in anticipation of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, an extraordinarily rare event that will cast a rolling 60-mile wide swath of daytime darkness from Oregon cross-country to South Carolina.Emphasizing the danger of viewing a solar eclipse without protective eyewear (NASA explains), these safety glasses will come emblazoned with the slogan, “Make America Safe Again,” the choice of which need not be explained.The glasses will cost $9.95, with “100% of the proceeds going to charity,” according to a White House press release that included a photo of President Trump modeling a pair (above).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

White House to issue commemorative solar eclipse safety glasses

The White House announced Friday that come this summer it will be issuing commemorative safety glasses in anticipation of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, an extraordinarily rare event that will cast a rolling 60-mile wide swath of daytime darkness from Oregon cross-country to South Carolina.Emphasizing the danger of viewing a solar eclipse without protective eyewear (NASA explains), these safety glasses will come emblazoned with the slogan, “Make America Safe Again,” the choice of which need not be explained.The glasses will cost $9.95, with “100% of the proceeds going to charity,” according to a White House press release that included a photo of President Trump modeling a pair (above).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

White House to issue commemorative solar eclipse safety glasses

The White House announced Friday that come this summer it will be issuing commemorative safety glasses in anticipation of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, an extraordinarily rare event that will cast a rolling 60-mile wide swath of daytime darkness from Oregon cross-country to South Carolina.Emphasizing the danger of viewing a solar eclipse without protective eyewear (NASA explains), these safety glasses will come emblazoned with the slogan, “Make America Safe Again,” the choice of which need not be explained.The glasses will cost $9.95, with “100% of the proceeds going to charity,” according to a White House press release that included a photo of President Trump modeling a pair (above).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Fibre Channel of Things (FCoT)

The “Internet of Things” is well underway. There are of course the hilarious bad examples of the technology (follow @internetofshit for some choice picks), but there are many valid ways that IoT infrastructure can be extremely useful.  With the networked compute we can crank out for literally pennies and the data they can relay to process, IoT is here to stay.

Hacking a dishwasher is the new hacking a gibson

But there’s one thing that these dishwashers, cars, refrigerators, Alexa’s, etc., all lack: Access to decent storage.

The storage on many IoT devices is either terrible or nonexistent. Unreliable flash storage or no storage at all. That’s why the Fibre Channel T19 working group created a standard for FCoT (Fibre Channel of Things). This gives small devices access to real storage, powered by arrays not cheap and unreliable local flash storage.

The FCoT suite is a combination of VXSAN and FCIP. VXSAN provides the multi-tenancy and scale to fibre channel networks, and FCIP gives access to the VXSANs from a variety of FCaaS providers over the inferior IP networks (why Continue reading

Cloudflare Apps: Develop Features for Everyone

CC-BY 2.5 image by Hans Braxmeier

Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a faster and more secure Internet for everyone, but sometimes sites often lack the accessibility features critical to allowing all Internet users to enjoy their content and perspective. Cloudflare Apps, which power the add-ons featured here, can allow developers to enhance any website. Get notified for the developer preview >>

The team at Cloudflare is excited to announce the release of two performance-enhancing features that makes the Internet more usable for two underrepresented demographics on the Internet: cats and Australians.

Feline Mode

The modern internet is full of content which challenges our perspectives. Often though, we are not interested in being challenged, we are interested in cats. To use the internet, to be a member of this incredible cultural fabric, is to find the most feline part of yourself. A love of sleeping, of curling up on a soft pile of destroyed clothing, a love of distracting and bothering others. Often though, websites just fail to recognize this critical part of our identity.

Australia Mode

We believe access to the internet is a basic human right. It’s not enough to just be able to access it Continue reading

All Of Ethan’s Podcasts And Articles For March 2017

Packet Pushers Community Blog

• Future Of Networking Summit 2017 Preview: Orchestration
  
• Webinar With Citrix – Load Balancing Cloud-Based Applications

Packet Pushers News

• cPacket Cx4100 Brings Line Rate Packet Analysis To 100G

Packet Pushers Weekly Podcast

• Episode 329 – The NBASE-T Alliance & 2.5/5.0 Gigabit Ethernet
• Episode 330 – Inside Aryaka’s Global SD-WAN (Sponsored)
• Episode 332 – Don’t Believe The Programming Hype
• Episode 333 – Automation & Orchestration In Networking

Datanauts Podcast

• Episode 73 – Inside The Software Engineering Silo
• Episode 74 – Understanding Data Models And Why They Matter
• Episode 75 – AWS Warts And All
• Episode 76 – Understanding AWS vs. Azure
• Episode 77 – Transitioning To A Less Technical Role

Priority Queue Podcast

• Episode 107 – The Applicability Of Machine Learning To Networking
• Episode 109 – A Look Inside DMEVPN

Citizens of Tech Podcast

• Episode 65 – Robots Wearing Your Skin
• The CoT team has struggled to record lately. I’ve been on planes, Eric has been dealing with family stuff. April looks much more promising.

Video

• cPacket Cx4100 100G Announcement 5:25

NetIntro Book

• I finished the first draft of a chapter on QoS, which I am possibly going to turn into a 2-3 hour webinar with Ivan Pepelnjak Continue reading

Latest WikiLeaks dump exposes CIA methods to mask malware

WikiLeaks may have dealt another blow to the CIA’s hacking operations by releasing files that allegedly show how the agency was masking its malware attacks.On Friday, the site dumped the source code to the Marble Framework, a set of anti-forensic tools that WikiLeaks claims the CIA used last year.The files do appear to show “obfuscation techniques” that can hide CIA-developed malicious coding from detection, said Jake Williams, a security researcher at Rendition InfoSec, who has been examining the files.Every hacker, from the government-sponsored ones to amateurs, will use their own obfuscation techniques when developing malware, he said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Latest WikiLeaks dump exposes CIA methods to mask malware

WikiLeaks may have dealt another blow to the CIA’s hacking operations by releasing files that allegedly show how the agency was masking its malware attacks.On Friday, the site dumped the source code to the Marble Framework, a set of anti-forensic tools that WikiLeaks claims the CIA used last year.The files do appear to show “obfuscation techniques” that can hide CIA-developed malicious coding from detection, said Jake Williams, a security researcher at Rendition InfoSec, who has been examining the files.Every hacker, from the government-sponsored ones to amateurs, will use their own obfuscation techniques when developing malware, he said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Privacy is key to reinforcing user trust on the Internet

How virtualizing BLE Beacons will change the indoor mobile experience

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.Thanks to cellular GPS, the days of pulling your car over to ask for directions are long gone. It has never been easier to find your way from point A to B and to track down nearby points of interest like restaurants or gas stations.But, what happens when you walk indoors? The “blue dot” navigation experience doesn’t exist. When inside a mall, conference center, or office complex, you are back to stopping and asking for turn-by-turn directions when needed. There is enormous demand for an indoor location experience that is on par with outdoor cellular GPS. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is an exciting technology that promises to satisfy this demand. The major mobile device manufacturers have put their weight behind BLE beaconing standards and a robust BLE ecosystem has emerged to develop indoor location solutions. But two things have held BLE indoor location services back to date:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How virtualizing BLE Beacons will change the indoor mobile experience

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.Thanks to cellular GPS, the days of pulling your car over to ask for directions are long gone. It has never been easier to find your way from point A to B and to track down nearby points of interest like restaurants or gas stations.But, what happens when you walk indoors? The “blue dot” navigation experience doesn’t exist. When inside a mall, conference center, or office complex, you are back to stopping and asking for turn-by-turn directions when needed. There is enormous demand for an indoor location experience that is on par with outdoor cellular GPS. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is an exciting technology that promises to satisfy this demand. The major mobile device manufacturers have put their weight behind BLE beaconing standards and a robust BLE ecosystem has emerged to develop indoor location solutions. But two things have held BLE indoor location services back to date:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here