Bits in Flight (Page 2)

First (OH)NUG Virtual Event

First (OH)NUG Virtual Event

Due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we were forced to change the Ohio Networking User Group aka (OH)NUG meeting to be a virtual meeting that we hosted on Zoom July 31st, 2020. Despite this, we carried on (with beer, of course) and for the last time

VXLAN + EVPN in Campus Switching?

VXLAN + EVPN in Campus Switching?

I recently received some Arista 720XP PoE Campus Switches [https://www.arista.com/en/products/720xp-series] a key component of Arista’s Cognitive Campus efforts. While reviewing the datasheet, noticed something I found interesting: VXLAN + EVPN support. For those unfamiliar with VXLAN & EVPN here are some resources to check out.

(OH)NUG Fall Event 2019

(OH)NUG Fall Event 2019

What a fun event this past Ohio Networking User Group meeting was in Cleveland! I joined 120 other Ohio networkers at the Brew Garden in Strongsville for what turned out to be an extremely fun and insightful event. The (OH)NUG membership and events have grown substantially since our first

Maintenance Windows: Keep it short or use it all?

Maintenance Windows: Keep it short or use it all?

So I heard about an interesting encounter which started a debate with our team. An engineer on our team was working through a maintenance window and was prepared for the event with all of his configs and the order of operation to complete the maintenance as quickly as possible. This

Making the Business Case for SD-WAN

Making the Business Case for SD-WAN

There are many things to consider for businesses to adopt a new technology into their environment. SD-WAN has emerged as a better way to build the WAN for organizations as it improves performance, adds greater redundancy and many times can reduce cost. I was fortunate to work with the Packet

Connecting the Cloud: SDN, SD-WAN and Multicloud

Connecting the Cloud: SDN, SD-WAN and Multicloud

On the tail of a new report that details how SDN & SD-WAN are becoming a mainstream consideration within many organizations, we have been pondering on why SD-WAN and cloud based network solutions have struck such a chord. 2017 was an incredible year of transformation in the network industry and 2018

How Software Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) Provides Reliable Voice and Video Services Over the Internet

How Software Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) Provides Reliable Voice and Video Services Over the Internet

For as long as organizations have tried to make real-time services like voice or video work over Internet Protocol (IP) network pipes, there have been very basic requirements in order to make said services operate effectively. The first requirement for these sensitive applications was a dedicated, business class network line

Five Use Cases for SD-WAN

Five Use Cases for SD-WAN

A lot of folks I speak with about Software Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) are trying hard to understand how this rapidly emerging technology works and the places where it can fit with their clients or within their own network. As we acquire more experience with deployments inside many different

Should your telecom provider manage your SD-WAN strategy?

Should your telecom provider manage your SD-WAN strategy?

As interest in software defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) grows, many traditional telecommunications providers are jumping on the bandwagon to bundle their data and voice service offerings. I would caution those exploring their options with SD-WAN as a potential technology solution for their business to think carefully about going this

Why I left my job to co-found a managed SD-WAN services company

Why I left my job to co-found a managed SD-WAN services company

I left my job of 13 years to found a new company. It’s the end of an era for me and it was not an easy decision to make. The reason? I believe a new technology space known as Software Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) is one of the

The Service Provider IGP Question: OSPF or Integrated IS-IS?

The Service Provider IGP Question: OSPF or Integrated IS-IS?

(Moved from my old blog, http://packetrancher.com, which I decided I didn’t have the time for so shuttered in 2011. This was one of the few blogs posts worth saving from it.) I had a choice to make recently in the decision of which open standards based IGP