The Hedge

If you advertise routes into the default free zone (or global Internet), you might struggle with seeing and understanding what they look like “on the other side.” While there are many manual tools to help operators with this process, bgproutes.io gives you visibility in the global routing table through interfaces like BMP. Listen to this episode of the Hedge to learn more.   You can find bgprotues.io here.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-307.mp3   download

Synchronizing information across the Internet, at an initial glance, looks like a fairly simple problem to solve. Just copy a file to a host and create a magic protocol, right? Not really. Each kind of data has a fairly unique set of requirements–and RPKI data, used to provide security information for BGP, is no different. Job Snijders joins Tom and Russ to talk about ERIK, a protocol developed to synchronize RPKI records.   For more information, check out Job’s web site and the IETF draft.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-306.mp3   download

We don’t often hear the stories of those who move from some other IT career field into network engineering. Ayush Mishra, a student at University of Colorado Boulder, joins Tom and Russ to discuss why he moved from security to network engineering.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-305.mp3   download

If you’ve ever been curious about what an advanced degree in network engineering looks like, you’ll want to join us for this episode of the Hedge. Levi Perigo from the University of Colorado at Boulder joins Tom and Russ to talk through what earning a Master’s in Networking involves and what kinds of things you would learn.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-204.mp3   download

In this roundtable episode of the Hedge, Eyvonne, Tom, and Russ hang out and talk about data centers–why are we building all these things again? Our second topic is the FCC’s ban on non-US made home routers. Was this the right thing to do? Was it the wrong thing to do? Were there any other policy options?   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-303.mp3   download

What does biology have to do with computer networks? Much more than you might think. Communications systems, after all, need to solve the same problems–and they often use the same kinds of tools. In this episode of the Hedge, Emily Reeves and Joe Deweese join Russ and Tom to talk about a recent paper comparing computer communications to biological communications.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-302.mp3   download

What are networking fundamentals, and why are they important? Join us for this repost of a classic Hedge discussion with Ethan, Eyvonne, Tom, and Russ.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-030.mp3   download

What’s the deal with SONiC? Is it easy to build and use, or hard? Is it something you should be looking at? Jeff Doyle joins Russ and Tom to look at the SONiC operating system, ecosystem, and deployment.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-301.mp3   download

It’s episode 300, and it’s roundtable time. In this episode, Tom, Eyvonne, and Russ talk about how systems can be designed to prevent injection attacks, and then the perennial unpleasantness of layoffs.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-300.mp3   download

As we discussed in the prior episode, the 6G hype is building. What’s in 6G, though, and how realistic is it that a new wireless technology is going to radically change the world? In this episode of the Hedge, George Michaelson joins us from Australia to discuss the ins and outs of 6G.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-299.mp3   download

It’s 2026, and it’s time for a new cellular telephone hype cycle: 6G! Doug Dawson from CCG joins Russ and Tom to talk about why 5G is really 4.5G, the proposed changes for 6G, and the challenges higher frequency ranges and bandwidths face in the real world.   It’s definitely worth following Doug’s daily post about the telecom and wireless worlds over at Pots and Pans.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-298.mp3   download

Has MPLS really “died” because of SD-WAN services? Scott Robohn joins Tom and Russ to talk about the past and future of MPLS.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-297.mp3   download

AS-SETs (not that kind) were originally designed to simplify filtering at eBGP peering points–but they seem to have gone horribly wrong. Job Snijders and Doug Madory join Tom and Russ to discuss the history, use, problems, and (hopeful) demise of AS-SETs.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-296.mp3   download

Should network engineers focus on specializing in one technology, vendor, or solution, or should they think about building a diverse skill set? Eyvonne, Tom, and Russ discuss the advantages of each, how these options relate to the future of network engineering, and skill diversification.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-295.mp3   download

The future of network design and architecture is–based on current trends–is going to be working with and around resource constraints. How would resource constraints impact the way we design and manage networks? Mike Bushong joins Tom, Eyvonne, and Russ to ponder network engineering in a resource constrained world.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-294.mp3   download

Is there an interaction between Moore’s Law and network computing? If so, what is the relationship? How do advances in silicon capabilities and network speeds and feeds rely and drive one another. Geoff Huston joins Russ on this episode of the Hedge to look at a bit of the history.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-293.mp3   download

The cost of building and maintaining a data center is rising rapidly–and not just in financial terms. George Michaelson joins Tom and Russ to discuss the wider costs of data centers.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-292.mp3   download

Nash King (@gammacapricorni) joins Russ White and Tom Ammon in a wide ranging discussion of ethics in IT, including being comfortable with standing up and saying “no” when asked to do something you consider unethical and the virtue ethic.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-009.mp3   download

As the Internet centralizes and gets “big,” standards are often being sidelined or consumed. What are the possible results of abandoning standards? Is there anything “normal network engineers” can do about it?   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-291.mp3   download

In this Hedge roundtable, Eyvonne, Tom, and Russ discuss The Amoeba and the Mathematician   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-290.mp3   download

In this episode of the Hedge, Geoff Huston joins Tom Ammon and Russ White to finish the discussion on the ideas behind DNS over HTTPS (DoH), and to consider the implications of its widespread adoption. Is it time to bow to our new overlords?   This is part two of a two part series. This is a “best of the Hedge” repost.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-006.mp3   download

In this episode of the Hedge, Geoff Huston joins Tom Ammon and Russ White to discuss the ideas behind DNS over HTTPS (DoH), and to consider the implications of its widespread adoption. Is it time to bow to our new overlords? https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-005.mp3 download

If you are struggling with building labs on lighter weight systems–or if you’re just interested in what Containerlab is and does–join Rick, Roman, and Russ for this discussion of what Containerlab is, what it does, and where its going. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-289.mp3 download

Sometimes we just like to talk about “life issues” as they relate to network engineering and technology career fields. Loneliness seems to especially plague network engineering and other “small” IT fields, where communities are small, change is rapid, and stress is high. Loneliness expert Lucy Rose joins Eyvonne, Tom, and Russ to discuss loneliness. Check out the Cost of Loneliness here. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-288.mp3 download

Do planned economies, like China, have an advantage in deploying IPv6? What do the numbers on the DFZ show? George Michaelson joins Russ and Tom to discuss. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-287.mp3 download

It’s time again for Tom, Eyvonne, and Russ to talk about current articles they’ve run across in their day-to-day reading. This time we talk about WiFi in the home, how often users think a global problem is really local, and why providers have a hard time supporting individual homes and businesses. The second topic is one no one really cares about … apathy. What causes apathy? How can we combat it? Join us for this episode of the Hedge … if you can bring yourself to care!   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-286.mp3   download

Is quantum really an immediate and dangerous threat to current cryptography systems, or are we pushing to hastily adopt new technologies we won’t necessarily need for a few more years? Should we allow the quantum pie to bake a few more years before slicing a piece and digging in? George Michaelson joins Russ and Tom to discuss. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-285.mp3 download

We all know netops, NRE, and devops can increase productivity, increase Mean Time Between Mistakes (MTBM), and decrease MTTR–but how do we deploy and use these tools? We often think of the technical hurdles you face in their deployment, but most of the blockers are actually cultural. Chris Grundemann, Eyvonne, Russ, and Tom discuss the cultural issues with deploying netops on this episode of the Hedge.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-284.mp3   download

We network engineers often find ourselves without a viable plan–our plans always seem to go awry, to the point that many network engineers just give up on planning. Is “giving up” the right solution? Or can we learn to be better planners? Jonathan Adams and Tim McConnaughy join Russ to discussion planning for network engineers. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-283.mp3 download

On this episode of the Hedge, Anil Varanasi joins Russ to talk about the complexities of network operations and what Meter is doing in this space.   note: even though this is a more product-heavy episode of the Hedge than usual, it is not sponsored   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-282.mp3   download

Multicloud is all the rage — but is this always an intentional state of affairs, or do companies just “fall into” multicloud? Security in multicloud and certifications round out this episode of the Hedge, where we are joined by Joe Cozzupoli. You can get in touch with Joe through twitter at @jcozzupo24150. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-004.mp3 download

What is the relationship between blockchain technologies and network engineering? Is blockchain “just another application,” or are there implications for naming, performance, and connectivity? Austin Federa joins Tom and Russ to discuss the intersection of blockchain and networks.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-281.mp3   download

When you think of careers in network engineering, you probably think of being a console jockey, racking and stacking and configuring boxes. There is, however, much larger than just these things. Ethan Banks joins Eyvonne and Russ to talk about the broader world of careers in network engineering.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-280.mp3   download

Returning to a thread here at the Hedge, Rick Graziani joins Tom and Russ to discuss a college professor’s perspective on why network engineers should learn the theory, and not just the configuration. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-279.mp3 download

“Advocate for yourself!” What does this mean, and how can you do it? Alexis Bertholf joins Tom and Russ to discuss practical strategies to advocate for yourself.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-278.mp3   download

From time to time, I like to dive into the archive and find a show that’s worth repeating. Forthwith, Derrick Winkworth and automation.   Network automation efforts tend to focus on building and maintaining configurations–but is this the right place to be putting our automation efforts? Derick Winkworth joins Tom Ammon and Russ White at the Hedge for a conversation about what engineers really do, and what this means for automation.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-003.mp3   download

What is the relationship between humans and machines? Do we adapt to machines, or do we adapt machines to humans? Does technology drive culture, or does our culture drive our technology? Join Mark Prosser, Eyvonne, Tom, and Russ as they discuss what a sociotechnical system is and how it impacts our lives.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-277.mp3   download

Requests for proposals (RFPs) are a little understood part of running a network–or any other IT system. What are some common mistakes, and some things engineers should think about, when building and executing RFPs? Andreas Taudte joins Tom and Russ to discuss RFPs. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-276.mp3 download

What is Jevon’s Paradox? Tom, Eyvonne, and Russ discuss how this famous paradox impact network engineering.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-275.mp3   download

What is DNS Delegation and what is it used for? What is new in the Delegation world, and what impact does it have on DNS security and operations? George Michaelson joins Tom Ammon and Russ White for a discussion about DNS DELEG in this episode of the Hedge. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-274.mp3 download

Many of us old timers (and a lot of young timers) worry about the future of networking. What if the future isn’t a technology, or even AI, but a change in focus? Mike Bushong joins Tom and Russ to argue for operations as the future of networking.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-273.mp3   download

Are you stressed? Everyone in IT seems to be continuously stressed–but what can we do about it? Sonia Cuff joins the Hedge to talk about stress. https://content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-001.mp3 download From time to time we like to repost episodes of significance–this week we’re reposting episode 1.

Is the CLI the best way to configure, manage, and troubleshoot routers and other networking gear? Or should we move past the CLI towards automation and (possibly even) GUI-based tools? Mark Posser joins Russ and Tom to discuss on this episode of the Hedge.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-272.mp3   download   For more reading on this topic, please check out this post by Chris Grundemann.

AI chatbots and image creators are all the rage right now–we are using them for everything from coding to writing books to creating short movies. One question we do not ask often enough, though, is how this impact human creators. How will these tools shape creativity and thinking skills? https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-271.mp3 download

Password hygiene drives IT professionals crazy–people forget their passwords, will not change them often enough, and choose weak ones. But are IT folks immune to these problems? What is the psychology behind passwords, and how do we do better? Karl Buhl joins Tom and Russ to talk about passwords.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-270.mp3   download

Yes, we took an (unintentional) three-week break for medical reasons … but we’re back with a new episode. What is Web 3.0, and how is it different from Web 2.0? What about XR, AI, and Quantum, and their relationship to Web 3.0? Jamie Schwartz joins Tom Ammon and Russ White to try to get to a solid definition of what Web 3.0 and how it impacts the future of the Internet. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-269.mp3 download

One of the “great fears” advancing AI unlocks is that most of our jobs can, and will, be replaced by various forms of AI. Join us on this episode of the Hedge as Jonathan Mast at White Beard Strategies, Tom Ammon, and Russ White discuss whether we are likely to see a net loss, gain, or wash in jobs as companies deploy LLMS, and other potential up- and down-sides.   https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-268.mp3 download

Solving technology problems often involves breaking a problem into multiple smaller problems, build interaction surfaces between the pieces, and glue the pieces back into a larger system. We also know every technology problem is actually a people problem–whether in the past, the present, or the future. Given these two points, can we say something like: “If technology and people problems are interchangeable, we should be able to solve people problems the way we solve technology problems–via modularization?” Join us as Tom, Eyvonne, and Russ discuss how this might–or might not–apply to the real world. The second trend we’re discussing on this episode of the Hedge is the apparent movement towards government telling data center operators to “bring your own power.” https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-267.mp3 download

When most people think of segment routing (SR), they think of SRv6–using IPv6 addresses as segment IDs, and breaking the least significant /64 to create microsids for service differentiation. This is not, however, the only way to implement and deploy SR. The alternative is SR using MPLS labels, or SR/MPLS. Hemant Sharma joins Tom Ammon and Russ White to discuss SR/MPLS, why operators might choose MPLS over IPv6 SIDs, and other topics related to SR/MPLS. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-266.mp3 download You can find Hermant’s recent book on SR/MPLS here.

Out of band management networks were once more common than they are today. Should we go back to building out of band management networks? Should out of band management networks be virtual or physical? How can we sell out of band management networks to the folks paying the bills? Daryll Swer joins Tom Ammon and Russ White to discuss the importance of OOB management. https://media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-265.mp3 download