TNO070: Spec Driven Design (SDD) for NetOps and NetEng

We’ve seen the capability that automation tooling has enabled for hyperscaler environments and beyond, but not enough emphasis is being put on improving the quality of life for network engineers and network operators. Scott Robohn is joined by Senior Principal Network Development Engineer Dave Mack to explore the human side of network automation. They explore... Read more »

Scott Robohn welcomes Bruce Davie and Larry Peterson from Systems Approach to discuss the new edition of Computer Networks: A Systems Approach and their blog post on reality-based network operations. Together they explore the contrast between clean-slate tooling and the pragmatic realities of managing heterogeneous vendor environments. They also discuss the importance of designing networks... Read more »

In this sponsored episode Scott is joined by Stefano Gridelli, cofounder and CEO of NetBeez, to discuss continuous network experience assurance and moving beyond reactive troubleshooting. Together they break down how NetBeez uses user-perspective monitoring, distributed sensors, and AI-assisted data analysis to quickly isolate network performance issues. Stefano also highlights the next-generation platform features introduced... Read more »

Christian Adell and David Flores join host Scott Robohn to discuss the intersection of observability, automation, and networking in AI data centers. With AI data centers linking thousands or tens of thousands of GPUs, observability becomes a huge challenge. Scott and guests dig into those challenges, including maintaining lossless networking, managing elephant flows, and leveraging... Read more »

What will network operations look like in 2030, and how can teams embrace agentic AI without losing operational control? In this sponsored episode, Rekha Shenoy and Irfahn Khimji of BackBox speak with Scott Robohn about the shift toward agentic NetOps, balancing automation with backup and rollback strategies, and the evolving role of network engineers. Episode... Read more »

“My goal in life is to say it’s not the network!” says Ben Shapiro, senior network engineer at Eugene (OR) School District 4J, the 6th largest school district in Oregon. He joins host Scott Robohn to discuss how to balance complexity, resiliency, legacy devices, security and more in an educational setting. He’s also a MistFit with... Read more »

In this crossover episode, Scott invites William Collins and Eric Chou to do the hosting so he and Network Automation Forum (NAF) cofounder Chris Grundemann can discuss how their community emerged from a simple question: Why haven’t we seen full adoption of network automation? They discuss the growth of AutoCon and how its practitioner-focused, vendor-neutral... Read more »

Jason Gintert, Co-Founder of the US Networking User Association, returns to the show to discuss his key elements and events in his professional career. Jason shares valuable lessons learned from his early days in the 90’s ISP boom, the challenges of failing at scale, and his dedication to creating regional networking communities that foster genuine... Read more »

Last year, 49,000 CVEs were published, more than 130 new vulnerabilities every day. So what actually happens with all of those CVEs in your network infrastructure? In this sponsored episode, Rekha Shenoy and Irfahn Khimji of BackBox join Scott Robohn to discuss why the math of manual network operations no longer works, where traditional tools... Read more »

NetOps engineer Lasse Haugen sits down with Scott Robohn at AutoCon 5 to explore the power of Spec Driven Design (SDD) for transforming network engineering workflows from chaotic experimentation to structured, reliable automation. Together they define what SDD is, use cases for NetOps and NetEng, how it has changed NetOps, and more. AdSpot Sponsor: NANOG,... Read more »