Handling OOB Network Changes

In this blog I would like to showcase the power of Ansible Content Collections to build powerful abstractions. Collections are a distribution format for Ansible content that can include playbooks, roles, modules and plugins. For this blog post, let us address an Infrastructure as Code(IaC) use case for network configuration management of BGP. We will walk through examples for both Cisco IOS and Arista EOS devices.

First, let us define a data-model that encapsulates the vendor-agnostic configuration.

bgp_global:
    as_number: '65000'
    bgp:
        log_neighbor_changes: true
        router_id:
            address: 192.168.1.1
    neighbor:
    -   activate: true
        address: 10.200.200.2
        remote_as: 65001
bgp_address_family:
    address_family:
    -   afi: ipv4
        neighbor:
        -   activate: true
            address: 10.200.200.2
        network:
        -   address: 10.25.25.0
            mask: 255.255.255.0
        -   address: 10.25.26.0
            mask: 255.255.255.0
        -   address: 10.100.100.0
            mask: 255.255.255.0
        -   address: 10.200.200.0
            mask: 255.255.255.0
        -   address: 172.16.0.0
        -   address: 192.168.1.1
            mask: 255.255.255.255

As you might have observed, this data-model matches exactly the input expected by the <vendor>.bgp_global and  bgp_address_family modules within the IOS and EOS Continue reading

IBM updates its storage-systems portfolio

IBM announced a pair of additions to its storage portfolio designed to improve the access to and management of data across hybrid-cloud environments and offer faster, higher capacity.The first is container-native software defined storage (SDS) called IBM Spectrum Fusion that’s due out in the second half of 2021. It will initially come in the form of a container-native hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) system that integrates compute, storage, and networking. Next year, IBM plans to release an SDS-only version of Spectrum Fusion.To read this article in full, please click here

IBM updates its storage-systems portfolio

IBM announced a pair of additions to its storage portfolio designed to improve the access to and management of data across hybrid-cloud environments and offer faster, higher capacity.The first is container-native software defined storage (SDS) called IBM Spectrum Fusion that’s due out in the second half of 2021. It will initially come in the form of a container-native hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) system that integrates compute, storage, and networking. Next year, IBM plans to release an SDS-only version of Spectrum Fusion.To read this article in full, please click here

Next-gen networks: Feds have cash for good ideas

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is not inclined to wait for next-generation (NextG) networks. And who can blame it? NextG promises faster cellular, Wi-Fi, and satellite networks, all of which can be used to enhance data streaming, wireless communications, analytics, and automation.For the NSF, this translates into improved national defense, education, public health and safety, transportation, and digital infrastructure. For enterprises, NextG means greater efficiency, flexibility, business insights, and more opportunities to replace human workers with robots. (I’m just sayin’.)To read this article in full, please click here

Tech employers focus on training for IT pros

IT teams are dealing with rapid technology changes with increased retraining and skill development, according to a report by trade association CompTIA.Seven in 10 HR professionals surveyed who work with IT personnel said they plan a substantially increased effort to help workers re-skill in the coming year, with larger firms reporting a particularly strong emphasis in that area. Nearly 80% of IT HR professionals employed at such companies rated re-skilling or up-skilling as “more important” for the coming year, in contrast to 68% at medium-sized firms and 52% at smaller businesses.Network training 2021: Businesses grow their own expertise These numbers mark a changed relationship between employers and tech, according to CompTIA director of education and ed tech Stephanie Morgan, adding that the pandemic helped force companies to rethink the way they deal with their workers. “Businesses have realized they have to talk about people like they’re people, not like they’re assets,” she said.To read this article in full, please click here

Feedback: Microsoft Azure Networking

Azure and AWS have decent documentation (I always found it relatively easy to figure out what they’re doing), but what they implemented is sometimes so far away from what we’re used to that it’s hard to bridge the gap. Here’s how Olle Wilhelmsson solved that challenge:

I would just like to send a huge thank you, I’ve been a fan of your appearances on tech field day as a voice of reason, and different podcasts all around. Happy to finally be able to contribute and purchase an IPspace subscription, and was not disappointed.

This series on Azure networking was fantastic, it’s been frustrating to find any kind of good material on this topic. Even if Microsofts documentation is generally good, they really don’t have any resources to compare it to “regular” networking in physical equipment. So just a huge thank you, this has definitely saved me countless hours of reading and googling questions!

Feedback: Microsoft Azure Networking

Azure and AWS have decent documentation (I always found it relatively easy to figure out what they’re doing), but what they implemented is sometimes so far away from what we’re used to that it’s hard to bridge the gap. Here’s how Olle Wilhelmsson solved that challenge:

I would just like to send a huge thank you, I’ve been a fan of your appearances on tech field day as a voice of reason, and different podcasts all around. Happy to finally be able to contribute and purchase an IPspace subscription, and was not disappointed.

This series on Azure networking was fantastic, it’s been frustrating to find any kind of good material on this topic. Even if Microsofts documentation is generally good, they really don’t have any resources to compare it to “regular” networking in physical equipment. So just a huge thank you, this has definitely saved me countless hours of reading and googling questions!

Weekend Reads 050121


Attacks on virtual private networks, like those this week targeting a trio of known vulnerabilities in Pulse Secure appliances, have intensified in recent months along with the increase in remote and hybrid work environments since the outbreak of COVID-19.


Over the last couple of years, policy-making institutions have been putting greater focus on the study of various aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This doesn’t come as a surprise.


Forty-six percent of all malware uses the cryptographic protocol to evade detection, communicate with attacker-controlled servers, and to exfiltrate data, new study shows.


One position I think more people should be aware of is a CISO. What does this actually mean – besides being made redundant when a breach is announced? I have personally worked within a CISO-as-a-Service position, but I wanted to get some more insight from those who are working in the trenches daily in an in-house CISO position.


According to Help Net Security, organizations in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors witnessed a 50% increase in digital attacks between 2019 and 2020. It appears that at least part of those attacks originated from nation-state actors who specifically sought to steal COVID-19 vaccine research.


As further proof of this, new research Continue reading

VyControl – Web UI for VyOS Firewall

VyControl project is a single frontend interface to manage a single or multiple VyoS servers. It was developed by Roberto Berto and is written in Django/Python. It currently supports firewall and static routes configuration. Additional features are planned such as IPSEC, openvpn and basic dynamic routing. My goal is to provide easy-to-reproduce installation steps so […]
Continue reading...

RFC 7868: The Definitive EIGRP Guide

Seventeen years after I started working on my EIGRP book, the reverse engineering days were over: RFC 7868 is the definitive guide to modern EIGRP (I’m not familiar with at least half of the concepts mentioned in it).

Just in case you’re interested in a bit of historical trivia:

  • My EIGRP deciphering history started a few years before the book was published. In mid-1990s I was asked (as an external trainer) to create an EIGRP course for Cisco EMEA Training.
  • I’ve never seen any internal EIGRP documentation or code – everything I knew about EIGRP I’ve learned from trying out crazy stuff and deciphering debugging messages.
  • Two of the RFC authors (Russ White and Don Slice) were the technical reviewers for my EIGRP book. Russ copiously rewrote my pidgin English into something understandable – if you like reading my blog posts today, you should (also) thank Russ.

RFC 7868: The Definitive EIGRP Guide

Seventeen years after I started working on my EIGRP book, the reverse engineering days were over: RFC 7868 is the definitive guide to modern EIGRP (I’m not familiar with at least half of the concepts mentioned in it).

Just in case you’re interested in a bit of historical trivia:

  • My EIGRP deciphering history started a few years before the book was published. In mid-1990s I was asked (as an external trainer) to create an EIGRP course for Cisco EMEA Training.
  • I’ve never seen any internal EIGRP documentation or code – everything I knew about EIGRP I’ve learned from trying out crazy stuff and deciphering debugging messages.
  • Two of the RFC authors (Russ White and Don Slice) were the technical reviewers for my EIGRP book. Russ copiously rewrote my pidgin English into something understandable – if you like reading my blog posts today, you should (also) thank Russ.

Fast Friday Thoughts from the Woods

I’m at camp this week helping put on the second weekend of the Last Frontier Council Wood Badge course which is my idea of a vacation. I’m learning a lot, teaching a lot more, and having fun. But that does’t mean I’m not working too. Lots of fun conversations that make me recall the way people consume information, communicate what they know, and all too often overlook the important things they take for granted.

  • Why is IT one of the few disciplines that expects people to come in fully trained and do the job instead of learning while doing it? Is that because hiring managers don’t want to train people? Or is it because senior people are less likely to impart knowledge to protect their jobs? I don’t have a good answer but I know what the result looks like and it’s not something that’s positive, either for the people doing the job or how it’s perceived outside of IT.
  • There is a ton of value in doing something for real instead of just planning it and calling it good. DR plans need to be tested. Network changes need to be mocked up. No matter what kind of critical thing Continue reading

Member News: Chapters Respond to Proposed Internet Regulations

Big, big data: Several chapters of the Internet Society have joined the debate over proposed government Internet regulations. The Israeli Internet Association, for example, has raised concerns about a Ministry of Communications proposal to require all communications companies in Israel, including cellular, Internet, and television providers, to regularly give the ministry detailed information on the […]

The post Member News: Chapters Respond to Proposed Internet Regulations appeared first on Internet Society.

10 Reasons to Attend DockerCon LIVE 2021

DockerCon Live 2021 is almost here and it’s going to be one to remember. Our one-day, all-digital event on May 27 will be jam-packed with the application development technology, skills, tools and people you need to help solve the problems you face day to day — all for free.

Designed for developers by developers, this year’s event is all about modern application delivery in a cloud-native world. At DockerCon, you’ll learn how Docker helps you grow your development capacity and community connections so you can accelerate how you build, share and run your applications, and spend more of your time actually coding the next great application.

Ten Reasons to Attend

  1. Get the scoop. Be the first to see the latest Docker innovations, features and technology updates.
  2. Hear from industry leaders. In addition to Docker’s executive team, the speaker lineup includes AWS, Cockroach Labs, Instana, Mirantis, Accurics, Snyk and other companies that will share how Docker is an integral part of their software supply chain.
  3. Get up close. See live, on-demand technical demos.
  4. Connect. Network with peers and a vibrant community of developers, and connect with Docker Captains and Community Leaders.
  5. Learn. Attend tutorials on how to get started with containers Continue reading

Stuff The Internet Says On Scalability For April 30th, 2021

Hey, HighScalability is back!

This channel is the perfect blend of programming, hardware, engineering, and crazy. After watching you’ll feel inadequate, but in an entertained sort of way.

 

Love this Stuff? I need your support on Patreon to keep this stuff going.

 

Do employees at your company need to know about the cloud? My book will teach them all they need to know. Explain the Cloud Like I'm 10. On Amazon it has 285 mostly 5 star reviews. Here's a 100% bipartisan review:

Number Stuff:

Don't miss all that the Internet has to say on Scalability, click below and become eventually consistent with all scalability knowledge (which means this post has many more items to read so please keep on reading)...

Boosting Education and Research during COVID-19

When COVID-19 struck in 2020 and higher education institutions closed, National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) in Southeast Asia, instantly stepped up to ensure the continuity of education and research. We want to shine the light on how NRENs via collaboration have risen to the COVID-19 challenge of and demonstrated their commitment and creativity in […]

The post Boosting Education and Research during COVID-19 appeared first on Internet Society.

Heavy Networking 576: Deception And Canaries In Network Security

Today's Heavy Networking examines the role of deception and "canaries" in network security. A canary sits on a network segment (or multiple segments) and sounds the alarm if it comes under attack. Is this an effective security tool? How is it deployed and operated? What are the drawbacks? We discuss with guest Haroon Meer.

The post Heavy Networking 576: Deception And Canaries In Network Security appeared first on Packet Pushers.

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