Heavy Networking

Fiserv is one of the largest payment processors in the world, In 2023 it handled more than 35 billion transactions worth $2.03 trillion US dollars. Its network is critical to the business. The organization knew it needed network automation, but early attempts got some things wrong. On today’s Heavy Networking we talk about how Fiserv... Read more »

Matt Horn built a data center network through automation, remotely. This is the future of network engineering. Matt shares how his team did it technically: Terraform, a little Ansible, leveraging pipelines, etc. But he also shares the processes and culture that made it happen: Management and peer buy-in, tight enforcement based on user access, and... Read more »

Explore the complexities of network devices with discussions on how switches and routers work, RIB and FIB, CAM tables, line rates, and port-to-port latency. Discover the significance of understanding network device functionality for troubleshooting and equipment selection, delve into the components inside data center switches, and explore the evolution of network devices from configuration to forwarding states. Learn about programming network devices with P4 language and distinguishing between hardware and software forwarding in networking devices.

Exploring the need for a universal network automation framework, developing it like Legos, streamlining complex processes, evolving network automation frameworks with templates and version control, and involving business stakeholders in design decisions for creating a collaborative automation approach.

Ivan Pepelnjak created NetLab to streamline networking lab setup, automating tasks like IP assignments, routing protocols, VLANs. The podcast discusses challenges faced, flexibility of creating custom data models, and creating plugins for BGP and RIP behaviors. It also covers setting up lab environments with storytelling through code comments, repurposing old equipment, and leveraging NetLab for streamlined configurations. Platforms supported by NetLab include VPTX and Nokia SR Linux, emphasizing community involvement in contributions.

The podcast discusses the need for standardization in network engineering, the importance of networking and community, adopting DevOps for network operations, the impact of being seen as a rock star in the workplace, capturing information and routinizing processes in network management, and adopting Total Network Operations in network operations.

Yale’s efforts to load-balance RADIUS servers is a case study in system design for resiliency. First, there was a lone, redundant PSN. Next, F5s load balancers entered the picture. Then the network team realized a feature in IOS-XE was the answer… and brought Cisco along the learning journey with them. Hear it all from the... Read more »

Guest Dinesh Dutt introduces his newest creation, SuzieQ. It’s a network observability platform application that has both a free, open source version and an enterprise version. Lightweight, fast, and platform-agnostic, SuzieQ’s use cases include network documentation, troubleshooting, fabric-wide visibility, network refresh and redesign, low/no code validation, audits and compliance, and proactive health checks. Hosts Ethan... Read more »

Remote and hybrid work means network engineers have to grapple with lossy residential networks such as home wireless that your work-from-home folks are using to access company resources. Their Wi-Fi sucks, and so their use of corporate resources sucks. Sure, you’ve got them plumbed into a SASE fabric, but that doesn’t fix their user experience... Read more »

On today’s episode, we discuss networking sources of truth. That’s right, sources of truth, because you’re likely to have more than one depending on your environment and your point of view. On LinkedIn, Ethan Banks quoted someone at the AutoCon0 conference who essentially said that the network itself shouldn’t be used as a source of... Read more »