Heavy Networking
Packet Pushers
Heavy Networking is an unabashedly nerdy dive into all things networking. Described by one listener as "verbal white papers," the weekly episodes feature network engineers, industry experts, and vendors sharing useful information to keep your professional knowledge sharp and your career growing. Hosts Ethan Banks & Drew Conry-Murray cut through the marketing spin to explore what works—and what doesn't—in networking today, while keeping an eye on what's ahead for the industry. On air since 2010, Heavy Networking is the flagship show of the Packet Pushers podcast network.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 6, 2024 • 1h 8min
HN748: How AI and HPC Are Changing Data Center Networks
On today’s episode of Heavy Networking, Rob Sherwood joins us to discuss the impact that High Performance Computing (HPC)and artificial intelligence computing are having on data center network design. It’s not just a story about leaf/spine architecture. That’s the boring part. There’s also power and cooling issues, massive bandwidth requirements, and changes in how we... Read more »
Aug 30, 2024 • 58min
HN747: Automate The Easy Things
Our Heavy Networking guest today is Hans Driessens, and we sat down at AutoCon1 to talk through some of his network automation projects. Hans shares his journey from a service engineer to a consultant specializing in network automation. We discuss the evolution of programming languages, the importance of foundational programming skills, and the practicalities of... Read more »
Aug 26, 2024 • 48min
HN746: Going Deep on OSPF Route Filtering
On today’s episode we delve into OSPF filtering. That is, how to filter routes from a device’s routing table in an OSPF environment. This is a tricky business, because OSPF requires an identical database on every device in an OSPF area. That means you can’t stop announcing a route from one OSPF router because you... Read more »
Aug 16, 2024 • 59min
HN745: Using Abstractions in Automation
Today’s episode of Heavy Networking comes to you from AutoCon1 in Amsterdam, recorded live on premises. In today’s network automation discussion, we cover abstraction layers with guest Jaakko Rautanen. Practically speaking, what are abstractions, and how do they help make your network automation project successful? We’ll also discuss some of our guest’s automation projects, how... Read more »
Aug 9, 2024 • 44min
HN744: How BackBox Helps You Mitigate CVEs for Network Devices (Sponsored)
Rekha Shenoy, CEO of a network automation company, dives deep into the world of CVE mitigation. She discusses how automating configuration compliance can outpace attackers and manage vulnerabilities effectively. The conversation highlights BackBox's features, showcasing its ability to streamline network management and enhance security through proactive monitoring. Rekha also emphasizes the critical balance between automation and human oversight, and the importance of real-time feedback in tackling network vulnerabilities.
Aug 2, 2024 • 49min
HN743: Leveraging AI for Network Automation at Scale (Sponsored)
AI is making its way into network automation. Maybe the thought of a hallucinating ChatGPT getting its six-fingered hands on your network makes you want to run the other way. But the story of AI for IT operations is more nuanced than the hot takes we get about the confidently dumb results that Large Language... Read more »
Jul 26, 2024 • 55min
HN742: Designing a Real-World Hybrid Cloud Network
Dive into the complexities of hybrid cloud network design, where public clouds like AWS, Azure, and GCP meet on-prem infrastructure. Discover strategies for reducing egress costs, enhancing security, and mastering traffic management. Learn about creating efficient multi-tenant configurations and the vital role of automation and collaboration in network provisioning. Explore how architecture shifts can optimize cloud connectivity while maintaining performance and security. Join the conversation on fostering teamwork to make networking more efficient!
Jul 12, 2024 • 48min
HN741: History of Networking: How Bridging Saved Ethernet
Alan Kirby, a networking expert, shares the intriguing history of the first Ethernet bridge at Digital Equipment Corporation in the 1980s. Topics include the comparison of Ethernet to other networking standards, advancements in twisted pair technologies, challenges in shared Ethernet transmissions, development of PAL design, sales progression of DEX Bridge 100, evolution of Ethernet technology, and transitions from hubs to switches.
Jun 28, 2024 • 48min
HN740: IETF’s Network Management Operations (NMOP) Working Group
When you think of IETF, you probably just think of defining protocols, but its new NMOP working group is all about helping network operators identify issues and deploy solutions, including those that pop up around automation. Mahesh Jethanandani is an Area Director (AD) for Management in IETF, which oversees the NMOP WG, and joins the... Read more »
Jun 21, 2024 • 50min
HN739: High Stakes Network Observability for High Frequency Trading
High Frequency Trading in finance demands the utmost quality and speed from a network, making flawless observability a must. Our guest today is Radu Ionco from Jump Trading, and he tells us about how they built their own custom network observability platform, even creating a monitoring system for the monitoring system. We talk through streaming... Read more »
