Effectiveness – Network Truths, Principles and Fallacies

I recently gave a 13-minute talk to the Irish Network Operators Group (INOG).  In this talk I argue that you can become more effective, and a happier engineer by standing back and reflecting. The talk discusses how you work –  with reference to some great truths, principles and fallacies.

I introduce The twelve networking truths and the 8 Fallacies of Distributed Computing. I then describe a handful of my own learnings and fancy terms like Chesterton’s Fence and the Gordian Knot.

Check out the video folks, I’d love your feedback.


I was quite nervous preparing for the talk, but I know myself well enough by now to recognise these small fears as opportunities. This is the same fear I faced when I started this blog.

This isn’t false modesty, I’ve done talks before in Amazon and survived, but I was still very nervous. Still, it took me hours of consideration, planning and preparation in addition to a fair bit of anxiety.

I got a real buzz from doing the talk and overcoming the fear. Upon reviewing the video, I know I’ve got a few things to work on. But, by facing a small fear, I’m now slighter better at public Continue reading

Effectiveness – Network Truths, Principles and Fallacies

I gave a 13-minute talk to the Irish Network Operators Group (INOG) recently. In this 13-minute video I argue that you can become more effective, and happier, by standing back and reflecting on how you work, leveraging existing truths, fallacies and principles. I introduce The twelve … Continue reading →

The post Effectiveness – Network Truths, Principles and Fallacies appeared first on The Network Sherpa.

Tech woes hamper jury in Oracle case aginst Google

As if the jury deciding the Oracle v. Google trial didn't have enough on its plate already. Deliberations were interrupted Tuesday when the 10-member panel ran into technical problems trying to review evidence from the case given to them on a PC. The jurors apparently wanted to look at some of the source code for Google’s Android OS and couldn’t get the large files to open. “You lawyers should not have done this to the jury; you should have tested it out yourselves,” an irritated Judge William Alsup told lawyers for the two sides, who huddled with the court’s IT specialist to try to figure out the problem.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

76% off Intel Compute Stick – Deal Alert

The Intel Compute Stick is a tiny device the size of a pack of gum that can transform any HDMI TV or display into a complete computer. This model is currently discounted 76% or a whopping $375 off its regular Amazon list price, so you can buy this neat little gadget for just $115.90. It averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon (80% rate it a full 5 stars -- read reviews). It comes loaded with Windows 10 and Android 5.1, and has both wifi and bluetooth capabilities. You'll easily connect to the internet, and peripherals such as a wireless keyboard and mouse. This is literally a full blown computer that fits in the palm of your hand. Learn more about this dramatically discounted Compute Stick from Intel at Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco’s Meraki spreads its cloud to voice

If you manage your whole LAN in the cloud, why not add in the desk phones, too?That's what Cisco's Meraki division has done. Its first phone, the MC74, can be managed on the same dashboard Meraki provides for its switches, Wi-Fi access points, security devices, and other infrastructure.Cisco bought Meraki in 2012 when it was a startup focused on cloud-managed Wi-Fi. The wireless gear remains, but Cisco took the cloud management concept and ran with it. Now Meraki’s approach is the model for Cisco’s whole portfolio.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco’s Meraki spreads its cloud to voice

If you manage your whole LAN in the cloud, why not add in the desk phones, too?That's what Cisco's Meraki division has done. Its first phone, the MC74, can be managed on the same dashboard Meraki provides for its switches, Wi-Fi access points, security devices, and other infrastructure.Cisco bought Meraki in 2012 when it was a startup focused on cloud-managed Wi-Fi. The wireless gear remains, but Cisco took the cloud management concept and ran with it. Now Meraki’s approach is the model for Cisco’s whole portfolio.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft has been conning Windows users for two months

Microsoft has been using a deceptive tactic to dupe Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users into upgrading to Windows 10 for at least the last two months, according to the company's website.An oft-revised support document that Computerworld cited in a May 16 story about Microsoft's aggressive upgrade practices spelled out the workings of a pop-up notification that Windows 7 and 8.1 users had been seeing. The notification told those customers -- primarily consumers, but also many small-to-mid-sized businesses -- that the free Windows 10 upgrade had been pre-scheduled by Microsoft.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Citrix Joins the Docker Container Crowd With NetScaler CPX

Putting load balancing capabilities directly into the developer's hands.

Verizon CEO: We Will Lead in 5G Today, 6G Tomorrow

The service provider is seeing 1.8 Gb/s speeds in 5G trial.

Worth Reading: The spam value chain

There’s much more to spam than just the email! There are three key stages – advertising, click support, and realization – supported by a whole value chain. —the morning paper

The post Worth Reading: The spam value chain appeared first on 'net work.

Did VMware vSphere 6.0 Remove the Layer 2 Adjacency Requirement For vMotion? No.

I’ve seen this misconception a few times on message boards, reddit, and even comments on this blog: That Layer 2 adjacency is no longer required with vSphere 6.0, as VMware now supports Layer 3 vMotion. The (mis)perception is that you no longer need to stretch a Layer 2 domain between ESXi hosts.

That is incorrect. VMware did remove a Layer 2 adjacency requirement for the vMotion Network, but not for the VMs. Lemme explain.

It used to be (before vSphere 6.0) that you were required to have the VMkernel interfaces that performed vMotion on the same subnet. You weren’t supposed to go through a default gateway (though I think you could, it just wasn’t supported). So not only did your VM networks need to be stretched between hosts, but so did your VMkernel interfaces that performed the vMotion sending/receiving.

What vSphere added was a separate TCP/IP stack for vMotion networks, so you could have a specific default gateway for vMotion, allowing your vMotion VMkernel interfaces to be on different subnets.

This does not remove the requirement that the same Layer 2 network exist on the sending and receiving ESXi host. The IP of the VM needs to Continue reading

Windows 7 updates have been broken for several days

If something goes wrong with a patch, it's usually a problem that emerges after people download and install the patch. But in this case, fixes issued for May's Patch Tuesday batch just plain won't install at all for some people.The most recent batch of bug fixes was issued on May 10, and within days people were complaining of problems with the installation. It's always the same problem: Windows Update runs for a long time stuck at 0% progress before finally failing to install.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Windows 7 updates have been broken for several days

If something goes wrong with a patch, it's usually a problem that emerges after people download and install the patch. But in this case, fixes issued for May's Patch Tuesday batch just plain won't install at all for some people.The most recent batch of bug fixes was issued on May 10, and within days people were complaining of problems with the installation. It's always the same problem: Windows Update runs for a long time stuck at 0% progress before finally failing to install.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco Meraki Adds Cloud-Managed Phone

IDG Contributor Network: Using IoT-enabled microscopes to fight epidemic outbreaks

Catching viruses before they spread is hard. They often originate in remote areas, and spread by insects. Further, location makes it difficult to analyze blood samples for infections in order to treat them early.The challenge is urgent. Once infectious diseases such as Yellow Plague and Ebola spread, they are much harder to contain and manage. That means it's essential to catch outbreaks quickly, especially when diseases can be spread rapidly by mosquitos. For if you can identify them quickly, you can quarantine and treat patients before they infect others.+ Also on Network World: Challenges for IoT: Connectivity, protocols, funding +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Developers cheer as Atlassian delivers continuously from the cloud

Atlassian is perhaps the quintessential example of how new companies are built. Founded in Australia, the company has scaled and is now firmly entrenched in the U.S. as a publicly listed company.The interesting thing about Atlassian, at least compared to better known SaaS companies such as Box or Salesforce, is that it has scaled without resorting to the traditional model of having high-paid, and high-pressure, salespeople. Atlassian seems to have mastered the viral approach to selling, and it has an almost rabid following within enterprise development shops.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

BGP Security and SPAM

Spam might seem like an annoyance in the US and other areas where bandwidth is paid for by the access rate—and what does spam have to do with BGP security? In many areas of the world, however, spam makes email practically unusable. When you’re paying for Internet access by the byte transmitted or received, spam costs real money. The normal process for combating spam involves a multi-step process, one step of which is to assess the IP address of the mail server’s previous activity for a history of originating spam. In order to avoid classifiers that rely on the source IP address, spammers have turned to hijacking IP address space for short periods of time. Since this address space is normally used for something other than email (or it’s not used at all), there is no history on which a spam detection system can rely.

The evidence for spam related hijacking, however, is largely anecdotal, primarily based in word of mouth and the rare widely reported incidents. How common are these hijacks, really? What sort of address space is really used? To answer this question, a group of researchers from Symantec and the Qatar Computing Research Center undertook a project Continue reading

Skeptics question Android on Chromebooks

Google's announcement last week that it will let owners of Chromebooks run Android apps was met with skepticism by analysts, who argued that it would not significantly change the market for the inexpensive notebooks that run the browser-based Chrome OS.Android apps "aren't designed for the keyboard, they're not scaled for the larger screen, so they aren't going to be ideal," said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research. "Most people will find that frustrating."The combination of Android and Chrome OS will begin rolling out to a limited number of Chromebook models next month, with more slated for support, as the year unwinds, via updates to Chrome OS. Google Play, the Android app marketplace, will be available on Chromebooks, and those apps will run on the devices' minimalist operating system, Google has promised.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Big data and analytics spending to hit $187 billion

Worldwide revenues for big data and business analytics will grow from nearly $122 billion in 2015 to $187 billion in 2019, according to the new Worldwide Semiannual Big Data and Analytics Spending Guide from research firm International Data Corporation (IDC).That's an increase of more than 50 percent over IDC's five-year forecast period. [ CIO.com and Drexel to honor 50 analytics innovators. Nominate your analytics project today! ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google taps Caesar’s casino exec to lead enterprise sales

Google is hiring the Chief Commercial Officer of the Caesar’s Entertainment to lead its enterprise sales division.Recode was the first top report the news of Tariq Shaukat, who also formerly worked at McKinsey, as Google’s newest executive. While at Caesar’s Shaukat oversaw sales, marketing, distribution, analytics, gaming and ecommerce across the company’s hotels, casinos, restaurants and nightlife. Caesar’s is a $9 billion annual revenue company.The move is just the latest expert Google has attracted to help bolster it’s enterprise sales efforts. Last year Google bought on VMware co-founder Diane Greene (check out InfoWorld’s Q&A with her here). Last year Google recruited former Red Hat CTO Brian Stevens to the Googleplex too.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here