Latest Posts

I’ve been thinking about the types of network abstractions that SDN might enable ever since I saw Scott Shenker’s Gentle Introduction to SDN. In that presentation Scott said that we [...]

It is no secret that I am interested in network management. Every time I start working in a large network, I get frustrated with the lack of tools to see [...]

I just posted a blog at nojitter.com titled Monitoring a Software Defined Network, Part 1. In it, I discuss the basic network monitoring functions that will be needed. Most of these [...]

Well, now that some time has elapsed, I have some more thoughts -- after-thoughts -- about Application Centric Networking (#ACI). And I'd like to share them. I include some thoughts about VMware NSX for comparison. (#NSX). For those who missed my prior blogs about the ACI Launch: The Cisco ACI Launch,…

This is the second of at least two blogs about Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI). The first covered the broad set of announcements with a focus on the hardware, and can be found at https://netcraftsmen.com/blogs/entry/the-cisco-insieme-aci-launch-part-1.html. It contained a set of links about ACI and the launch. This one focuses more…

I'm writing this at and after the Cisco / Insieme #ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure)  launch today in New York City. There's much to cover! Recall that in some prior blogs I threw out a bunch of guesses in a prior blog, and a couple of things I hoped for. I'm…

If you think about it, one problem in networking is that there are too many applications, and too little time. I greatly enjoyed a recent blog by  @RealLisaC, seasonally titled The Ghost of Application-Aware Networking. Excellent reading! It can be found at http://theborgqueen.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/the-ghost-of-application-aware-networking/. The following blog represents various thoughts that it and my…

This is just a short post inspired by one of my colleagues. He wanted to know how to tell whether a Nexus 5548 contained a Layer 3 I/O module or a Layer 2 I/O module. It's pretty easy, I told him - use the show module command. L3-5K2# sh module…

I keep seeing use case discussions where SDN magically solves bandwidth problems. I am very interested in them. I do wish the authors would take the time to explain the network topology and their assumptions. Frankly, this does not add up for me, at least not without some additional information.…

I've been watching for additional tidbits of information about Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), prior to Cisco's big announcements expected on November 6, 2013. This blog summarizes some new information about ACI and related matters. A New Cisco Blog Gary Kinghorn of Cisco just posted a new blog about ACI. Key…

Well, I intended to write about IWAN, then Cisco and Akamai crept into the picture with a partnership announcement. Here's what that's all about... IWAN If you haven't run across the Cisco acronym "IWAN", expect to hear more about it. IWAN, as in Internet as WAN.  The Cisco ISR G2…

Have you heard about the Cisco 4451-X ISR router? Have you taken a look at it? I'm asking because I try to stay aware of new Cisco products, and somehow the 4451-X announcement slipped by me (around June per Google search of Cisco blogs -- probably that frenetic sleep-deprived week…