Tag Archives: networking

What is BGP?

TL;DR BGP wins in modern networks because it scales policy, not topology. Use communities to encode intent once and enforce it at the right boundaries; use iBGP with route reflection to distribute reachability cleanly; and reserve local-pref as your go-to knob for deterministic traffic engineering. For overlapping IPs (hello, mergers), communities plus a staged renumber/NATContinue reading “What is BGP?”

Bridging the Divide Between Developers and Network Engineers

In a recent episode of The Art of Network Engineering podcast, hosts Andy Lapteff and Jeff Clark welcomed Erika Dietrick—known online as “Erika the Dev”—to tackle a long-standing cultural and technical divide in IT: the disconnect between network engineers and software developers. Erika, a former Developer Advocate at Cisco with roots in both software developmentContinue reading “Bridging the Divide Between Developers and Network Engineers”

Fork Yeah! Git in Network Engineering

Git has revolutionized software development over the past two decades, but many network engineers still view it as a tool exclusively for developers. This mindset creates an artificial barrier between networking professionals and powerful tools that could dramatically improve their workflows and productivity. As we explored in our recent episode of The Art of NetworkContinue reading “Fork Yeah! Git in Network Engineering”

Firewall Fluency: What Networking Pros Need to Know

For much of our careers, many of us in network engineering have lived comfortably in the lower layers of the OSI model. Layer 2? We speak it fluently. Layer 3? That’s our bread and butter. But what about Layer 7—or even just understanding what’s happening at Layer 4 and beyond in today’s security landscape? TheContinue reading “Firewall Fluency: What Networking Pros Need to Know”

The Resistance to Network Automation: Understanding the Psychological and Practical Barriers

Network automation has long been heralded as the game-changer that would revolutionize networking. It promises easier management, fewer errors, and more time for strategic, high-value work. Yet, despite these clear advantages, adoption rates remain surprisingly low, with estimates hovering around just 20-30%. Why is this shift, which seems so inevitable, still met with such resistance?Continue reading “The Resistance to Network Automation: Understanding the Psychological and Practical Barriers”

Ethernet vs. InfiniBand: The Battle for AI Networking Supremacy

As artificial intelligence (AI) advances at a frantic pace, so do the demands placed on network infrastructure. The age-old debate between Ethernet and InfiniBand is taking center stage once again, particularly as AI workloads push the boundaries of performance, scalability, and efficiency. In our latest podcast episode, industry experts dive into this very topic, exploringContinue reading “Ethernet vs. InfiniBand: The Battle for AI Networking Supremacy”

How ‘telnet’ and similar tools help you troubleshoot

In Episode 110 of the Podcast there was a brief discussion of “telnet” as a troubleshooting tool (starts around 22:00). The question arose about why telnet is a troubleshooting tool, what it can (and can’t) do – and I thought I would use this opportunity to detail why this works, how far up the OSIContinue reading “How ‘telnet’ and similar tools help you troubleshoot”

Top 10 Book Recommendations by Network Engineers, For Network Engineers

In our Discord Server – It’s All About the Journey – we’ve got a book club where all of our server members share books that have helped them throughout their journey. We’ve compiled a list of the Top 10 books recommended by Network Engineers, for Network Engineers. It’s composed of tech and non-tech books alike.Continue reading “Top 10 Book Recommendations by Network Engineers, For Network Engineers”

CCNA Series – Automation and Programmability

In this article, we are going to discuss several parts of Section 6 – Automation and Programmability of Cisco CCNA Syllabus. Programmability and Automation are two huge and very hot topics in the world of Networking. Having Programmability and Automation skills is practically a requirement – so many organizations are adopting it. This article hopesContinue reading “CCNA Series – Automation and Programmability”

Gift Giving Guide for Network Engineers

There’s no denying that network engineers can be a tricky group to shop for, especially if you aren’t a network engineer yourself. This year-round guide can help you shop for the network engineer in your life, regardless of the occasion. Use this list for some inspiration to help make their work lives a little bitContinue reading “Gift Giving Guide for Network Engineers”