Does a network engineer need to now do software development? Is that the direction the industry is going? Jason Edelman weighs in.
@Mierdin
SDN: Integration over Manipulation
Matt Oswalt of Keeping It Classless comments: I’d like to briefly express a sentiment that I pondered after listening to another one of Ivan’s great podcasts, specifically regarding the true value of a software-defined network approach. The statement was made that ACLs are terrible representations of business policy. This is not inaccurate, but the fact remains […]
Go Go Gadget Networking Lab!
Matt Oswalt of Keeping It Classless comments: For the last few years, if you wanted to set up a virtual network environment (for testing purposes, or setting up a lab, etc), it was more or less a manual process of installing software like the CSR 1000v from an ISO or OVA. Rinse and repeat. If […]
Automating SAN Zoning with Schprokits
Matt Oswalt of Keeping It Classless comments: I’m always on the lookout for ways to simplify the configuration of integrated systems through automation. I also currently work for a systems integrator, and I take any opportunity I can get to automate a process, a la “assembly line”, creating a consistent, predictable outcome. One particular task that both […]
Storage Traffic Magic with OpenFlow – Keeping It Classless
Matt Oswalt of Keeping It Classless writes: I was told by several impressed delegates about a talk by Andy Warfield of Coho Data, where he described how they used OpenFlow to steer storage traffic intelligently to and from various nodes in a distributed storage array. For the majority of the discussion, he talks at length […]
5 Dev Tools for Network Engineers
Matt Oswalt of Keeping It Classless comments: I’d like to write about five things that you as a hardcore, operations-focused network engineer can do to evolve your skillsets, and take advantage of some of the methodologies that have for so long given huge benefits to the software development community. I won’t be showing you how […]
[SDN Protocols] Part 2 — OpenFlow Deep-Dive
Matt Oswalt of Keeping It Classless comments: This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series SDN Protocols In the last post, I introduced you to the concept of control plane abstraction, specifically the OpenFlow implementation. I talked about how OpenFlow allows us to specify the flows that we want to be programmed into […]
What is Unidirectional Automation?
Matt Oswalt of Keeping It Classless comments: I was pleased as punch to wake up the other day and read Marten Terpstra’s blog post on getting over the fear of using automation to make changes on our network infrastructure. He illuminated a popular excuse that I’ve heard myself on multiple occasions — that automation is […]
The Evolution of Network Programmability
Matt Oswalt of Keeping It Classless writes: Most of my readers would consider themselves network engineers — folks that live and breathe networking and everything that’s required to build them. Folks like you and I don’t really need to hear what’s wrong with networking, as we live it every day. However, for the sake of […]
The Foundation of Network Programmability
Matt Oswalt of Keeping It Classless comments: Ever since I entered this field, I’ve been interested in this concept of “network programmability”. Forgetting for a second what we’ve been talking about in the past few years since the advent of the “SDN tsunami”, even the ability to automate simple infrastructure tasks at a small scale […]