[Prince Bjork Zappa]( “bozhidar@gmail.com”) - Aug 3, 2014 http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/08/internet-routers-hitting-512k-limit-some-become-unreliable/ Nick Buraglio - Aug 3, 2014 “I would like to say that it will help the adoption of IPv6, because it may bring some attention to the fact that IPv4 addresses are being exhausted, but IPv6 has completely failed to take off,” Cowie said. “If anything, it really shows you that IPv4 has really never been healthier.” I’d like to think that this is a true statement, but history has shown that people only try to prolong the inevitable IPv6 deployment.

I’ve blathered on about BGP forever. Say what you will about the venerable protocol, it runs the interwebs, is reliable, extendable and well documented. I’ve also espoused”) ad nauseam about IPv6, so none of this [admitted] rant should really be a surprise coming from me. As of 8/12/2014, according to the CIRD report (and many mailing lists), the default free global ipv4 routing table has reached 512k routes. This is a milestone from many perspectives, but more importantly, it solidifies the fact that there is a great deal of equipment in critical points in the internet that is out of date and cannot perform as intended in its current configuration or function.

Technology Short Take #44 - blog.scottlowe.org - The weblog of an IT pro specializing in virtualization, networking, cloud, servers, & Macs - Sep 3, 2014 […] I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before (sorry if that’s the case), but I’m liking this “NIX4NetEng” series going on over at Nick Buraglio’s site (part 1, part 2, and part 3). […]

IP addressing and subnetting is a common interview subject. I assert that memorizing these things is useful for learning the concepts but ultimately futile in that it is time consuming and inefficient use of engineering time when tools can be utilized to accomplish the same goals in less time with fewer errors. Honestly, I gave up doing this kind of work manually around 10 years ago and have never regretted it, and in actuality, I’d probably struggle to do it at this point because it’s a repetitive process better suited by code.

With the recent announcement of Cisco Systems intent to purchase tail-f, proponents of a multi-vendor environment are waiting with baited breath to see how the networking giant will deal with support of competitor hardware and CLIs. Yang is here to stay, there is no doubt about that. As is netconf. Both of these are good things for the industry as a whole, having a standard way to communicate with network hardware [that isn’t openflow] is necessary and immeasurably useful.

[SilentLennie]( “disqus@consolejunkie.net”) - Jun 0, 2014 I actually use the DNS version, not the whois versions of the Cymru tools like frequently: dig +short AS$ASN.asn.cymru.com TXT dig +short $REVIP.origin.asn.cymru.com TXT dig +short $REVIP6.origin6.asn.cymru.com TXT In case I use it with some small automated script it at least gets cached. Technology Short Take #44 - blog.scottlowe.org - The weblog of an IT pro specializing in virtualization, networking, cloud, servers, & Macs - Sep 3, 2014

I don’t care what your vendor alignment of choice is, Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, Alcatel….it doesn’t matter. At one point or another you’re going to need to bird dog an address to see where it’s coming from, who owns it, what it’s DNS name is or what path you’re taking to get to it. We’ve already talked about BGP tools, they’re a great choice for checking routes across the internet. Hunting down addresses is an interesting one, though, as address management and lookups can bleed into other aspects of networking like path selection, latency, jitter and many other things.

Many regular internet users are extremely upset about the recent proposed changes the FCC has opened for comments about the delivery and provisioning of internet services. Watch this video if you’re unaware of the high emotions it has evoked: While these are proposed rules and are not in any way finalized, there is real concern that they may become law. Where this is problematic is that it opens up the possibility of some real misuse, abuse or simple misunderstanding of needs and services.

‘NIX4NetEng #3, ip addressing tools. - Jul 6, 2014 […] isn’t really a tool as much as it’s a hack for your shell. Remember the post on dotfiles? This is something that can go right into your .bashrc and allows for the quick and easy […]

Many network engineers are also tasked with maintaining systems that provide network services, those things that make the network easier to use such as DNS and DHCP or management systems that perform useful things like monitor the network, collect flow data or bestow access to the equipment by acting as bastion or jump hosts. In many instances, robust and high availability services run on UNIX, Linux or BSD systems for stability and reliability, so those that manage these systems need to be well versed system admins as well as whatever their other job functions are.