The Everything Feed - All Packet Pushers Pods

Your network is an interconnected system. A change you make on one device has consequences beyond that device. Therefore, to do your job well, you must think about the network as a whole. That’s the big idea behind a blog post written by guest Jason Gintert. He joins Ethan and Drew to talk about how... Read more »

You can learn a lot about IPv6 from books, videos, and podcasts (such as this one), but it’s hard to beat hands-on experience. John Osmon joins our hosts to discuss how to set up your own IPv6 environment. They cover what John has done, including low-cost home lab options, how it’s impacted his thinking, and... Read more »

As a network engineer, you’ll end up with a lot of weird problems to solve. Many times, the problems will not be with the network at all, and it’ll be up to you to figure it all out. But how? Ethan and Holly discuss techniques for effective troubleshooting. Those techniques include how to gather accurate... Read more »

As AI matures, it becomes increasingly important to know how it’s performing and what it actually costs. Ned and Kyler are joined by Anuj Tyagi, Senior Site Reliability Engineer for RingCentral, to discuss the critical shift toward AI observability. AI observability is not just about costs; Anuj breaks down why observability has to include agent... Read more »

The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) is a postmortem of a year’s worth of cyber incidents and breaches, and a snapshot of how well organizations are responding to actual threats. Drew and JJ share highlights from the 2026 installment, including: For the first time, vulnerability exploits top the list for initial access What a... Read more »

The upper 6 gigahertz band is fracturing among national lines after a verdict from regulatory bodies in the UK and the EU. While the US enjoys full Wi-Fi access along the entire 1200 megahertz, the EU has decided to reserve most of the upper band for mobile services, and the UK is testing a split... Read more »

Take a Network Break! Our Red Alert covers a critical Android vulnerability that could lead to local privilege escalation to root. On the news front, we dig into Cloud Control, Cisco’s ambitious AI ops platform that spans its networking, security, compute, observability, and collaboration portfolios. We also talk about Cisco Live Protect, which provides pre-patch... Read more »

If you think Tailscale is just a VPN for the home lab, think again. On today’s sponsored episode Ethan and Drew are joined by Tailscale CEO Avery Pennarun. Avery explains how the company has evolved into an enterprise-grade connectivity and security platform. He also dives into Tailscale Aperture, their new AI gateway designed to bring... Read more »

Scott is joined by Brett Lykins, a Senior Systems Development Engineer at Amazon. Brett works with software-defined infrastructure built around SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud). Together they dig into what it’s actually like to use, maintain, and operate a network this way. They also discuss not just the architecture, but the day-to-day... Read more »

Today’s guest takes us behind the scenes of modern concert venues, which rely on wired and wireless IP networking. Michael Keith Lewis is a front-of-house engineer, tour manager, audio creator, and co-founder of Truck Packer. Michael shares his career path from starting in a church, quitting a salaried job to tour with his favorite band,... Read more »

Sif Baksh joins Eric Chou to share his professional experience and resources to help engineers get their arms around using AI in network automation. They discuss practical advantages of AI over standard Python scripts and the risks and benefits of vibe coding for prototyping. Sif also breaks down the P.E.N.E. framework, a structure for writing... Read more »

William and Eyvonne discuss recent tech news, including the growing political and community opposition to AI data centers driven by fears over power and water usage. They also analyze the “AI Chip War” as hyperscalers such as AWS and Google invest in specialized silicon for training and inference.  Episode Links: Amid backlash, O’Leary Digital CEO... Read more »

Starting an investigation—be it for troubleshooting, problem diagnosis, threat hunting, incident response, and so on—is fairly straightforward. There’s a question or thesis you’re pursuing, you have logs and data sources to check, and you have tools to deploy. But if you don’t find anything, does that mean there was nothing to find? Are you sure... Read more »

By now most organizations have AI strategies (among their other tech strategies). But how do you know when it’s time to make a midcourse correction? Better still: How can you predict when, and what kind of corrections you might need? John and Johna discuss, and tell the story of how a university prepared for technology... Read more »

Take a Network Break! We start with listener followup and a red alert affecting  ScadaBR, an open source SCADA controller. On the news front, Forward adds predictive testing to its network digital twin software, Qumulo and Cisco team up to offer cloud-bursting for file storage, and NetBrain adds new skills and other updates to its... Read more »

Drew and Ethan sit down with Tony Bourke to determine whether TradCore or EVPN VXLAN is right for your network. Tony is a seasoned instructor in automation, network design, and more. They explore the key factors for choosing a design, including scale and redundancy, operational complexity, and workload mobility. AdSpot Sponsor: Auvik Sponsor Auvik Network... Read more »

Today’s conversation centers around a new Best Current Practices (BCP) RFC draft written by Jordi Palet Martinez. Our hosts explore the document for service providers and enterprises, including prefix sizing for point-to-point links, the pros and cons of numbering choices, and best practices for prefix pool allocation. Episode Links: IPv6 Prefix Assignment to End-Sites –... Read more »

In the previous episode of N is for Networking, Jennifer “JJ” Jabbusch gave us a thorough overview of Network Access Control (NAC) for wired networks. This week we’re going wireless! JJ walks us through the major differences between wired and wireless NAC, how 802.1X is more seamless in Wi-Fi deployments, the unpredictability of web portals,... Read more »

Hosts Ned and Kyler compare notes on everything they’ve been doing with AI, including the successes they’ve enjoyed and headaches they’ve suffered building and implementing AI agents. They talk about how AI has sped up their workflows, how managing multiple AI agents is akin to raising toddlers, the necessity of using deterministic scripts for increased... Read more »

HPE has announced new features in its Juniper Mist portfolio. On today’s sponsored Packet Protector, we dig into those features, including a dry run option that lets organizations test and refine Network Access Control (NAC) policies before pushing them out, a policy validation feature that can identify shadow NAC rules, and a microsegmentation capability aimed... Read more »

Most enterprises have some kind of zero trust strategy, but a lot of them could be better described as good intentions rather than active programs being implemented. Making good on a zero trust strategy and achieving an actual zero trust architecture requires tools that embody the core precept of zero trust thinking: deny access by... Read more »

The tool does not troubleshoot your network, you troubleshoot your network and the tool just shows you what’s there. If you don’t have a method, it doesn’t matter how many tools you have, you’ll just stare at more data. Today Keith is joined by Ferney Munoz to discuss a new course: the WLAN Pros Wi-Fi... Read more »

Take a Network Break! We sound the alarm about a critical vulnerability in an on-prem Azure stack. On the news side, AI NetOps startup Selector adds public cloud observability to its portfolio, Versa Networks adds zero trust capabilities to its AI assistant, and IBM gets a billion-dollar investment to build a foundry to fabricate quantum... Read more »

Scott sits down with Avi Freedman, CEO and co-founder of Kentik, to discuss if AI has advanced enough to automate human-centric NetOps. Together they caution against vendor hype regarding closed-loop network automation despite the progress AI has made. Avi also shares his personal experiences in the industry and the hard won lessons he learned along... Read more »

Selector is extending its AI-driven network observability capabilities into public clouds. On today’s sponsored episode, we dig into how Selector gathers and analyzes public cloud network telemetry, how it integrates cloud and on-prem network data to provide end-to-end visibility, how it integrates with third-party Application Performance Monitoring (APM) systems to correlate network and application performance,... Read more »

Today’s guest is Eyvonne Sharp, a Google Cloud technical leader, Network Collective co-founder, co-host of The Cloud Gambit podcast, and former network architect at a Fortune 100. Eyvonne shares stories from her impressive career, offers advice to her younger self, and how to appreciate those “magic” moments in your career when a project fires on... Read more »

Eric Chou and guest host Drew Conry-Murray sit down with deep space networking specialist Scott Spicer. Following the Artemis 2 mission, they discuss the challenges of long-delay space communications and the essential technologies making it possible such as the Interplanetary Overlay Network (ION), Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN), and Contact Graph Routing (CGR).  AdSpot Sponsor: Meter Meter... Read more »

Today our Packet Pushers team assembles to discuss whether the grass is greener on the NetOps or DevOps side of the telemetry fence. William of The Cloud Gambit, Scott of Total Network Operations, and Ned and Kyler of Day Two DevOps discuss the difficulties and differences of getting telemetry and state from devices across different... Read more »

JJ and Drew unpack an overstuffed suitcase of infosec stories in today’s News Roundup. Microsoft’s Edge password manager stores credentials in plaintext and Microsoft says “Yup”, the Linux kernel takes a one-two punch from Dirty Frag and Fragnesia, and a new industry coalition takes critical infrastructure protection private. A Taiwanese radio enthusiast allegedly brings high-speed... Read more »

How can enterprise IT folks prepare for the age of Mythos? Anthropic says its Claude Mythos model is so much better at finding software vulnerabilities that it has delayed public release. Instead Anthropic launched Project Glasswing to give IT infrastructure and software makers early access, so they can have some lead time to address vulnerabilities... Read more »

Every wireless vendor has an AI story. What actually matters now? Efficacy. Recorded live at Mobility Field Day, Keith sits down with HPE’s Bob Friday right off the show floor to discuss how HPE’s announcements are driving toward an autonomous network and what features are the key to truly making a difference in day-to-day life... Read more »

Take a Network Break! In this week’s Red Alert we suggest an audit of your Azure environment after Microsoft says it patched four critical vulnerabilities. On the news front, Nvidia has brought the Multipath Reliable Connection (MCR) protocol to the Open Compute Project, AT&T rolls out quantum-resistant SD-WAN services, and HPE introduces new Wi-Fi automation... Read more »

Today’s episode covers buffers, the space between ingress and egress where a packet might have to live for a fraction of a second if the egress port is tied up transmitting other packets. This topic came courtesy of John Howard who joins Drew and Ethan as a co-host to discuss buffers with guest Rob Sherwood. How... Read more »

Why is IPv6 so much more complicated than IPv4? Could a newer version such as IPv8 be the solution? Guest Brian Carpenter joins our hosts to explain that many of IPv6’s complications are mathematical necessities. They point out that IPv6 has a 30 year head start on any IPv8 proposal that would struggle with many... Read more »

Today’s topic is Network Access Control (NAC) for a wired network. To help walk us through it all is Jennifer “JJ” Jabbusch, a network security architect, public speaker, book author, and co-host of the Packet Protector podcast. JJ and our hosts break down the terms and protocols behind NAC, and explain why the architecture was... Read more »

Ned and Kyler are joined by Dr. Cat Hicks to discuss her new book “The Psychology of Software Teams.” They talk about software development from a psychological perspective, including how negative stereotypes of developers can lead to them being treated simply as “brains in jars” in toxic environments. They also point out the pitfalls of... Read more »

Network teams are being asked to move faster than ever as automation and AI-driven workflows increase the volume and frequency of network changes. In this episode, sponsored by Cisco, we explore how modern network operating systems make zero-downtime, zero-stress updates possible, even at machine speed. We’ll break down three key capabilities: Atomic Config Replace (ACR),... Read more »

ThreatLocker takes an opinionated approach to Zero Trust. The company, our sponsor for today’s episode, starts with application control. It uses endpoint software that runs on PCs and servers to allow or deny applications to run. It can also monitor and control the behavior of allowed applications. ThreatLocker has extended its platform to include network... Read more »

Guest Nick Turner joins Keith to discuss the technicalities of Wi-Fi validation survey file structures. Nick has spent a lot of time deep in the weeds of .ESX files, and he’s here to share workflows and utilities you can use to help navigate, migrate, back up, and operationalize .ESX files. If you’ve ever wondered exactly... Read more »

Take a Network Break! There’s a Red Alert for Apache Polaris with four CVEs that could enable unauthorized read/write access. On the news front, Lumen is spending $475 million in cash for Alkira to extend its NaaS offering across public clouds.  Extreme Networks announces Wi-Fi 7 APs and new features in its Platform ONE management... Read more »

Scott Robohn is joined by networking legend Jeff Doyle to help us understand SONiC: Software for Open Networking in the Cloud. SONiC is an open-source network operating system and has been adopted by hyperscalers to run some of the world’s largest data centers. But SONiC can also be used by enterprises and service providers. Jeff... Read more »

A Mastercard survey reveals that 46% of small and medium businesses have experienced a cyberattack, and nearly 20% of those that suffered an attack were then forced to file for bankruptcy or close their business. Ethan and Drew along with guest Shivam Srivastava discuss a new offering from today’s sponsor, Palo Alto Networks: Prisma Browser... Read more »

Alexis and Kevin sit down with Linda Haviv, an AI/ML Engineer and founder of Coding Crystals. Linda is known for making AI infrastructure accessible, and for a career path that went from philosophy student to professional singer to self-taught developer to AI engineer. Together they discuss the difference between AI infrastructure and AI engineering, the... Read more »

Eric Chou talks with Adrian Iliesiu aka NetGru, a seasoned CCIE veteran and community leader known for his work to simplify network automation and make it accessible to network engineers. He focuses on helping network teams navigate the transition into AI and vibe coding while maintaining their core technical skills. Adrian shares insights and practical... Read more »

Eyvonne and William sit down with Joseph Nicholson, a Network Operations Engineer with NTT DATA, to share how public speaking transformed his career and technical experience. Joseph went from a terrifying ten minute lightning talk at AutoCon 2 to presenting 45-minute sessions at conferences like NANOG. Together they discuss how conversations in conference halls influenced... Read more »

In this sponsored episode, brought to you by Cisco, Keith sits down with Mark Rodrigue of Room & Board and Dan Davis of Cisco. They discuss Room & Board’s network and how their three-person networking team manages over 700 access points with the help of Meraki Cloud Management. Room & Board’s story is a great... Read more »

In theory, a zero trust initiative seems straightforward: you just need the right tools and maybe some whiteboard sessions to work out the architecture. In practice, our guests note that zero trust “unfolds inside organizations filled with legacy systems, political friction, budget constraints, and competing priorities.” Without accounting for those complications, a zero trust project... Read more »

Enterprise strategists need to worry about securing their environments against AI-powered attacks. John and Johna discuss what cybersecurity and IT leaders need to consider in developing a cybersecurity strategy that addresses AI-augmented threats as well as how to use AI defensively … and why AI attacks can be like a duckbilled platypus. AdSpot Sponsor: Meter... Read more »

Take a Network Break! It’s a busy show this week. We start with follow-up on Anthropic’s Project Glasswing, router bans, and end-of-engineering/end-of-support date changes for Fortinet’s FortiOSv7.4. Our Red Alert warns of 13 critical CVEs in the Linux kernel (all of which can be addressed by updating to version 7). On the news front, Cisco... Read more »

Dijkstra’s algorithm is the foundation of shortest path calculations for link state routing protocols. But researchers have developed a new algorithm that improves on this decades-old approach. Today’s Heavy Networking welcomes Dr. Bruce Davie to discuss the potential of this new algorithm to unseat Dijkstra. After thoughtful consideration, and consultation with others, his opinion is... Read more »