How to push security earlier into the dev process

A new crop of products is emerging that aim to implant security best practices and compliance checks as early and often as possible when new infrastructure is spun up in the cloud or when new applications are launched in a rapid development environment.The idea behind these products is that security should be incorporated into the entire life cycle of resources being used or applications being developed. Some vendors contend that too often security assessments are either not performed, or they’re done too late in the process of managing resources and apps. Tools from companies like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Chef are all aiming to ensure security best practices are automatically enforced as early on in the process as possible.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to test and fix IPv6 fragmentation issues

In an earlier blog post, I discussed the issues associated with IPv6 packet fragmentation. Of particular significance, IPv6 fragmentation relies extensively on the computer sourcing packets being able to receive ICMPv6 “packet too big” message type 2 sent from any intermediate device in the route to the packet’s destination. The capability to confirm that an […]

How to test and fix IPv6 fragmentation issues

In an earlier blog post, I discussed the issues associated with IPv6 packet fragmentation. Of particular significance, IPv6 fragmentation relies extensively on the computer sourcing packets being able to receive ICMPv6 “packet too big” message type 2 sent from any intermediate device in the route to the packet’s destination.

The capability to confirm that an end user in a network will correctly receive the packet-too-big ICMPv6 message has been added to the test-ipv6 mirrors, including http://test-ipv6.arbor.net. This new capability allows a user to identify if the packet-too-big message is being discarded between the user’s computer and the web site.

In the “Tests Run” tab of the main test-ipv6 mirror page, the “Test IPv6 large packet” test documents the IPv6 fragmentation behavior. If further information is desired, one can click on the “Technical Info” link.

If the “Test IPv6 large packet” test is failing, the packet-too-big ICMPv6 message is likely being dropped. This indicates issues within the user’s computer, enterprise network or elsewhere along the path to the test-ipv6 mirror.  The problematic device may be a router or firewall device, although it may even be the “firewall” software configured on the user’s computer.

Any device in the Continue reading

It’s a Switch! It’s a Router! It’s a Server! It’s a new product platform – NFX250

Today marks a very special day for me at Juniper. A brand new product line that I’ve managed from the very beginning has been announced. The NFX250 is a unique platform that actualizes the concepts of Network Functions Virtualization we’ve all heard so much about, but hardly see encompassed in an end-to-end solution. The NFX250 is a Distributed … Continue reading It’s a Switch! It’s a Router! It’s a Server! It’s a new product platform – NFX250

CCIE Recertification + Certification News 2015

The last time I re-certified, it took me three times to pass the CCIE R&S written exam. While that exam is a challenge that many people fail to pass the first time out, I felt like I was getting rusty on some fundamentals. Three times was not the end of the world, but the effort felt forced. I wanted a refresher.

Many US enterprises still running XcodeGhost-infected Apple apps, FireEye says

Dozens of U.S. enterprises are still using Apple mobile apps seeded with malware for a clever hacking scheme revealed last month known as XcodeGhost.The computer security firm FireEye said Tuesday it has detected that 210 enterprises that are still using infected apps, showing that the XcodeGhost malware "is a persistent security risk," according to a blog post.Last month, more than 4,000 applications were found to have been modified with a counterfeit version of Xcode, which is an application development tool from Apple.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Speaking Notes: The Data Center Network Evolution

I will be presenting at the Cisco Connect Canada tour in Edmonton and Calgary on November 3rd and 5th, respectively. My presentation is about that three letter acronym that everyone loves to hate: SDN :-)

I will talk about SDN in general terms and describe what it really means; what we’re really doing in the network when we say that it’s “software defined”. No unicorns or fairy tales here, just engineering.

Next I’ll talk about three areas where Cisco is introducing programmability into its data center solutions:

  • Application Centric Infrastructure
  • Virtual Topology System
  • Open NX-OS

Below are the notes I made for myself while researching these topics and preparing for the presentation. At the bottom of this post is a Q&A section with some frequently asked questions.

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How to use application-defined automation tools to successfully deploy cloud apps

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.

The cost and scalability benefits of cloud computing are appealing, but cloud applications are complex. This is because they typically have multiple tiers and components that utilize numerous technologies; as a result, applications can end up scattered across a variety of execution environments. To ensure successful cloud application deployment and management, the key is to use application-defined automation tools.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here