Packets DownRange
Internet Service provider topics, Network operations, and other topics. Some topics include Mikrotik, Cisco, Arista and other configurations.
Here’s a comprehensive ISP POP Site Visit Technician Checklist tailored for field engineers visiting a Point of Presence (POP) site (not a customer premises). It includes your requested items plus standard best practices for professional documentation and operational verification:
MikroTik vs Cisco: How BGP Works on Each Platform When it comes to Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), both MikroTik and Cisco routers offer powerful capabilities to participate in dynamic interdomain routing. However, there are some significant differences in configuration syntax, defaults, feature sets, and operational behavior between the two platforms. Whether you’re migrating between them … Read more
If you’ve ever dug into the interface stats on a router or switch and seen a growing count of FCS errors or RX errors, you’re likely wondering: what do these mean—and should I be worried? The short answer: yes, you should investigate. These errors can indicate deeper issues in your network that may be causing … Read more
From my camera roll. A random wireless equipment photo Cambium networks. Ubiquiti networks
The folks over at DNSSTUFF have a great article on Latency, Throughput, and bandwidth. I have written about latency and such before. They have this great graphic that puts it into perspective.
But in an age where everything is “distributed,” some IX operators are stretching their fabrics far beyond the cities they were born in. While this might seem like growth, it can introduce serious risks to network performance, resilience, and economics.
In modern networking, efficiency is everything. Whether you’re streaming a live event, pushing updates across a distributed system, or delivering IPTV, how data moves matters. That’s where multicast routing shines.
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Recently, I did a VRF article. Like everyone else, I am seeing what all AI can do. As a result, I have been utilizing an AI tool to convert some of my articles to an audio format (Thanks, Cameron). The following is one such conversion of the above article. Keep in mind that this audio … Read more
This post will walk you through what a VRF is, why it matters, and how it’s used in real-world networking. What is a VRF? VRF stands for Virtual Routing and Forwarding. It’s a technology that allows multiple instances of routing tables to coexist on the same physical router or Layer 3 switch. Each VRF is … Read more
1. Basic VRF Architecture Diagram A single router with two VRFs (e.g., Customer_A and Customer_B), each with its own routing table and interface. Purpose: Shows how two VRFs keep overlapping IP spaces separated. 2. Traffic Isolation in VRFs Two devices connected to the same router but isolated via VRFs. 3. VRF Routing Tables Example Purpose: … Read more