Packets DownRange
Internet Service provider topics, Network operations, and other topics. Some topics include Mikrotik, Cisco, Arista and other configurations.
3 Mintue read timeJustin Wilson PacketsDownRange A common problem I run into when diagnosing route issues is traffic not going across the path it’s supposed to. An established BGP session only means the routers successfully exchanged routes. It says nothing about which route your router actually installed in the forwarding table. Let’s get into some … Read more
5 minute read time.Justin Wilson j2sw.com When you configure a BGP session, one of the first questions is what routes you actually want to receive. If you have ever filled out a questionnaire with Hurricane Electric or another transit provider, they ask you what “kind” of routes you want. In this article, I plan to … Read more
4 minutes read time.Many of us ISP veterans are familiar with Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE), also referred to as Triple P O E. PPPoE is showing its age. It showed its age 15 years ago. DHCP was the simple fix for modern networks. It had less overhead and was simple. Now along comes IPoE. … Read more
A little off the beaten path on this one. We are diving into a big part of a Cellular tower deployment. Many sites now use an Active Antenna Unit, or AAU. The radio and the antenna are built into the same enclosure. An AAU combines the antenna, radio transceivers, power amplifiers, and low-noise amplifiers into … Read more
A Python script usually spends very little time doing actual Python work. Most of the actual work comes from libraries that know how to connect to network devices and do the work. They interact with APIs. Once you understand what each library does, you can spend less time writing code and more time solving network … Read more
Python has become one of the most valuable tools in a network engineer’s toolbox. You do not need to write thousands of lines of code or become a software developer to get value from it. If you are kind of old school like me, anything other than bash scripting might be new. In this article, … Read more
RFC 10005 defines a BGP extended community that lets a router attach link bandwidth information to a route. Another router can use that value when it spreads traffic across multiple BGP paths. RFC 10005 matters because links are not always of the same capacity. This RFC provides routers with a standard way to carry bandwidth … Read more
NBASE-T bridges the gap between 1 Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet by supporting 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps over existing copper cabling. Learn how it works, where it makes sense, and what network engineers should look for when deploying and troubleshooting multi-gigabit links.
In case you forgot: RETIREMENT NOTICE Google Cloud Spectrum Access System (SAS) is being retired. Starting June 10, 2026, we are no longer accepting new customers. The service will remain fully operational for existing customers during the transition period and will be shut down on June 10, 2027. Please review the migration steps below for instructions on … Read more
Latency is the time a packet takes to make the trip. Jitter is the swing between packets. One makes the path feel far away. The other makes voice, video, gaming, and remote desktop feel broken.
Tags: jitter, latency, network troubleshooting, packet loss, QoS, ISP networks, wireless networks, network
Fiber optic patch cables come in several colors, each helping identify the fiber type or connector style inside the network. Learn what yellow, orange, aqua, lime green, blue, and green fiber cables typically represent in data centers, ISPs, and telecommunications networks.
Rain can have a major impact on wireless microwave links, especially as frequencies increase. Learn how rain fade affects 24 GHz, 60 GHz, and 80 GHz circuits, and why fade margin is critical for reliable network design.