Controversial Reading 013021: Freedom of Speech

In the past, I have blended links of a more controversial nature about culture, technology, and governance into my weekend reads posts. There has been so much, however, on the situation with social media platforms blocking prominent people, and the Parler takedown, that it seemed worth setting aside an entire post containing some of the interesting things I’ve run across on these topics. I may, from time to time, gather up more controversial sets of reading into separate posts in the future, so people can skip (or read) them if they want to.


But then I think of this comment from a recent essay by Cory Doctorow: “The one entity Facebook will never, ever protect you from is Facebook.” We need to face quite clearly the fact that these recent events serve to consolidate the power of the tech giants—tech giants who quite literally have no principles to guide them other than self-interest, though they might occasionally discover reasons to act on our behalf.


Infrastructure companies much closer to the bottom of the technical “stack”— including Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS app stores—decided to cut off service not just to an individual but to Continue reading

Weekend Reads 013021


I recently shared at a conference how a seasoned brand and fraud expert from one of the world’s largest global financial institutions lamented a major attack where multiple fraudulent websites would pop up every single day.


Every now and then we hear buzzing in the news about some egregious Big Tech privacy infringement. We are also frequently notified about all the new steps our apps are taking to further protect our privacy.


Few people would seriously dispute the advantages of a zero-trust security model, particularly in a fast-changing cloud environment with business being conducted by a dispersed workforce using a wide variety of devices. The question is how best to approach zero trust.


Silicon photonics has been proving its worth in telco and communications but there is a much brighter opportunity photonics-based computing. The energy efficiency and data movement potential is promising, especially for increasingly data-laden analytics and AI/ML applications, but the road to a diverse hardware ecosystem for compute is still long.


The designers of DNSSEC, as well as academic researchers, have separately considered the answer of “negative” responses — when the domain name doesn’t exist. In this case, as I’ll explain, responding with a signed “does not exist” Continue reading

Worth Reading: AAA Deep Dive on Cisco Devices

Decades ago I understood the intricacies of AAA on Cisco IOS. These days I wing it and keep throwing spaghetti at the virtual wall until something sticks and I can log in (after all, it’s all in a lab, and I’m interested in routing protocols not interactions with TACACS+ server).

If you’re experiencing similar challenges you might appreciate AAA Deep Dive on Cisco Devices by the one and only Daniel Dib.

Worth Reading: AAA Deep Dive on Cisco Devices

Decades ago I understood the intricacies of AAA on Cisco IOS. These days I wing it and keep throwing spaghetti at the virtual wall until something sticks and I can log in (after all, it’s all in a lab, and I’m interested in routing protocols not interactions with TACACS+ server).

If you’re experiencing similar challenges you might appreciate AAA Deep Dive on Cisco Devices by the one and only Daniel Dib.

Modernize Network Security With Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access

Prisma Access, from Palo Alto Networks, combines security and access capabilities including CASB, FWaaS, and Zero Trust into a single, cloud-delivered service. Prisma Access can help enterprises provide a secure, high-performance experience for their remote workforces.

The post Modernize Network Security With Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access appeared first on Packet Pushers.

IPv6: How to configure static and DHCP IP addressing and deal with DNS

As IP technology has matured, the range of devices that the internet protocol supports goes well beyond computers to include cell phones, entertainment systems, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which created the need for more IP addresses and the development of IPv6 to provide them.With more and more device types requiring network connectivity, the demand for addresses in an IPv4-based network is at a premium. It can provide somewhere south of 4,294,967,296 unique addresses. IPv6, on the other hand, can yield roughly 3.4×1038, which should be ample for a very long time.To read this article in full, please click here

Heavy Networking 559: Nokia SR Linux – A Hyperscaler NOS Designed For Everyone (Sponsored)

Today's sponsored Heavy Networking dives into SR Linux, a new network OS built by Nokia. SR Linux combines a microservices architecture with modern data center networking features and is designed to fit multiple use cases while also being automation-friendly and extensible. Our guest is Bruce Wallis, Senior Director of Product Management in Data Center Switching at Nokia.

Heavy Networking 559: Nokia SR Linux – A Hyperscaler NOS Designed For Everyone (Sponsored)

Today's sponsored Heavy Networking dives into SR Linux, a new network OS built by Nokia. SR Linux combines a microservices architecture with modern data center networking features and is designed to fit multiple use cases while also being automation-friendly and extensible. Our guest is Bruce Wallis, Senior Director of Product Management in Data Center Switching at Nokia.

The post Heavy Networking 559: Nokia SR Linux – A Hyperscaler NOS Designed For Everyone (Sponsored) appeared first on Packet Pushers.

Cloudflare Named a ‘Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality’

Cloudflare Named a ‘Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality’
Cloudflare Named a ‘Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality’

Today we are excited to announce Cloudflare has been named a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). This designation was earned by receiving a perfect score of 100 percent on the HRC’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index. The Corporate Equality Index (CEI) is a nationally recognized benchmarking tool that assesses the inclusivity of corporate policies, practices, and benefits for LGBTQIA+ employees.

Cloudflare’s mission is to “help build a better Internet”. An essential factor that helps us deliver on this mission is our people. When you are solving some of the toughest problems facing the Internet for users worldwide, you need talented individuals that contribute unique outlooks. We strive to build a workplace where our entire team feels comfortable and excited to bring their true authentic selves so they can do their best work.

2021 is the first year Cloudflare has been listed on the Index, but we have been paving this path for quite some time. Back in 2017 a few Cloudflare employees chartered Proudflare, Cloudflare’s first-ever Employee Resource Group (ERG). Proudflare serves as a community space for LGBTQIA+ employees and allies. Check out our Proudflare Launch blog to learn more on that process! Continue reading

The Double-Edged Grindstone

Are you doing okay out there? I hope that you’re well and not running yourself thin with all the craziness still going on. Sometimes it seems like we can’t catch a break and that work and everything keep us going all the time. In fact, that specific feeling and the resulting drive around it is what I wanted to talk about today.

People have drive. We want to be better. We want to learn and grow and change. Whether it’s getting a faster time running a 5K or learning new skills to help our career along. Humans can do amazing things given the right motivation and resource availability. I know because I taught myself a semester of macroeconomics in a Waffle House the night before the final exam. Sure, I was groggy and crashed for a 10-hour nap after the final but I did pass!

It’s that kind of ability to push ourselves past our limits that both defines us and threatens to destroy us. I’m a huge fan of reading and fiction. Growing up I latched on to the Battletech novels, especially those written by Michael A. Stackpole. In his book Lost Destiny there is a great discussion about Continue reading

Starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic

Starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic
Starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic

It has now been more than 90 days since I joined Cloudflare’s EMEA Recruiting Team as a Recruiting Coordinator based in Lisbon. In a year filled with hardships for so many people around the world, I wanted to share my journey. I hope people will relate and feel encouraged to pursue their dreams, even during these challenging times.

When 2020 started, it was not in my plans to change jobs and start working at a new company, completely remote, without ever meeting my colleagues in person or visiting the office. However, that is exactly what happened, and I am so glad I did.

Interviewing with Cloudflare

The number of interviews in the hiring process at Cloudflare may feel overwhelming for some - in my case, I met 11 people during this process. For me, I was glad to have so many chances to get to know the people I would be working with. I believe I got as much out of the conversations as the interviewers did, which is great — a recruitment process should be as much about the company getting to know you, as you getting to know the company.

A great thing about interviewing remotely is that Continue reading

Nvidia launches program for certified AI servers

Nvidia is offering a certification program to steer customers and partners to buy GPU servers specifically tailored for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads from top-tier OEMs and ODMs.The program, called Nvidia-Certified Systems, is similar to those offered by Intel and AMD. It tells customers that these servers with these configurations are best optimized for running AI workloads at peak performance and in large-scale deployments. READ MORE: How AI can create self-driving data centersTo read this article in full, please click here

Nvidia launches program for certified AI servers

Nvidia is offering a certification program to steer customers and partners to buy GPU servers specifically tailored for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads from top-tier OEMs and ODMs.The program, called Nvidia-Certified Systems, is similar to those offered by Intel and AMD. It tells customers that these servers with these configurations are best optimized for running AI workloads at peak performance and in large-scale deployments. READ MORE: How AI can create self-driving data centersTo read this article in full, please click here

Will carriers use 5G to provide edge services?

US mobile carriers see an opportunity to broaden their role in the enterprise marketplace as the rush to deploy 5G continues, but it’s unclear whether their strategy will be sufficient to achieve that goal, according to industry analysts. 5G resources What is 5G? Fast wireless technology for enterprises and phones How 5G frequency affects range and speed Private 5G can solve some problems that Wi-Fi can’t Private 5G keeps Whirlpool driverless vehicles rolling 5G can make for cost-effective private backhaul CBRS can bring private 5G to enterprises Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are cornerstones of America’s Internet infrastructure, but their role has been largely restricted to data transport for most of their history. The provide data pipelines, but efforts to monetize their networks beyond the simple provision of transport for other companies’ data have met with mixed success, at best.To read this article in full, please click here

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