N4N051: MPLS Fundamentals

Today’s topic is Multiprotocol Label Switching or MPLS, a foundational technology that powers service provider networks and enterprise WANs all over the world. To help us break it down, we’ve invited James Bensley, a Network Tech Lead who’s spent fifteen years with MPLS. James explains what spurred the creation of MPLS and how it works... Read more »

One of the early design principles of the Internet was end-to-end connectivity: that is, every device on the Internet would be publicly addressable, and every device could share its resources or provide services. That design principle wasn’t achieved with IPv4 for a variety of reasons (including address scarcity, and many network owners not wanting endpoints... Read more »

Building a Network Source of Truth (NSoT) is only step one in an automation effort — turning it into operational automation is where outcomes happen. In this sponsored episode by Network to Code, Eric Fetty, a self-taught network engineer who literally automated his way through his CCIE lab, shares how he’s doing exactly that at... Read more »

Kyler and Ned sit down with Liz Fong-Jones, Technical Fellow at Honeycomb, to discuss the impact of AI on open-source contributions. Liz proposes shifting the script from code patch contributions to detailed bug reports. They also break down the distinction between programming and software engineering, and the critical role of OpenTelemetry in ensuring the observability... Read more »

In this sponsored episode, FluidCloud co-founders Sharad Kumar and Harshit Omar sit down with William and Eyvonne to discuss how FluidCloud tackles multi-cloud portability. They detail how FluidCloud acts as a cloning platform that scans an existing cloud or VMware environment, extracts complex infrastructure configurations (including compute and storage, as well as firewall rules and... Read more »

OpenIntent is an open-source, collaborative effort by network operators to develop a standard schema to describe the necessary information needed to deploy network equipment. Keith sits down with Jake Snyder, the developer behind OpenIntent. They discuss why he developed OpenIntent, the building blocks of the schema, and his vision for seamless Wi-Fi design interoperability. AdSpot... Read more »

On today’s news roundup we assess the White House’s new US cyber strategy (bellicose, bombastic, and boiler-plate), discuss a cyberattack attributed to Iran that used Windows to wipe thousands of devices, and dig into a Microsoft update on Entra passkeys. JJ isn’t impressed with new research that bypasses Wi-Fi client isolation, corporate spyware gets a... Read more »

Mav Turner, Chief Product Officer at Kentik, joins John Burke and Drew Conry-Murray for an in-depth conversation on the importance of deep visibility into enterprise networks. As networks grow more complex and stretch from on-prem and WAN to multi-cloud and edge locations, this sponsored discussion explores how good visibility supports everything from daily operations to... Read more »

Take a Network Break! We begin with listener follow-up on Cisco SD-WAN vulnerabilities and a report that Nvidia is investing billions to develop open-source AI models. In our Red Alert section we warn of multiple vulnerabilities in Veeam’s backup software for Windows and a couple of Chrome zero-days. We cover new features in Fortinet’s FortiOS... Read more »

Scott sits down for an in-depth conversation with Kireeti Kompella. Together they explore his impactful career and the evolution of modern networking. Kireeti, a key figure in protocol development, shares his journey from the Kernel Group at Juniper to leading work on fundamental technologies including his contributions to the C-chip patent. AdSpot Sponsor: Meter Meter... Read more »