Packets DownRange
Product and software reviews as well as Certification topics, education resources for ISP-focused and network-focused readers. New Product launches
A prefix can appear in the global BGP table and still have a routing problem. The route may originate from the wrong ASN. Its ROA may also authorize a shorter prefix but reject the advertised prefix length. Checking each part normally means pulling data from several routing tools. The J2SW Prefix Advertisement Checker, my 3rd … Read more
The J2SW BGP Community Builder selects documented provider communities and generates scoped policy fragments for MikroTik, Cisco, Junos, and FRRouting.
Being in the ISP world I see the home router and network cause a majority of the problems blamed on the ISP. Most home networks put the router, switch, firewall, and Wi-Fi radios into one do-it-all box. This can be underpowered in terms of both processing power and Wi-Fi signal strength. In this post, I … Read more
What’s new in 4.3 (2026-Jul-20 10:14): *) app: add Windows for arm64 version in file WinBox_Windows_arm64.zip;*) form: make multiline input field height logic as in WinBox v3;*) table: add quick comment feature (allow multi-row commenting);*) table: allow opening “Table settings” also via right mouse click;*) table: calculate implicit height to fit 16 regular rows including … Read more
Ever wondered what the effects of different combinations of PPPoE, GRE, and others have on the MTU of a packet? I am excited to announce the first of many J2 Network tools: the J2SW MTU and Encapsulation Calculator. You select the service MTU and the encapsulation used on the path. The calculator then works out … Read more
I am starting a type of blog post, I will start working into the rotation. These will be aimed at quick knowledge you should know along with an action. In our busy lives we don’t have time to read through 3 pages of text to do soemthign that takes less time to do than it … Read more
Justin Wilson announces his second children’s networking book, A Kid’s First Visit to an Internet Exchange. Follow Sam as he learns how networks meet, peer, and move Internet traffic.
Say that 3 times. I like these keystone style parch panels because they save so much time. No more punching down. https://amzn.to/4g3tJ8W
The Alta Labs Route10 includes dynamic routing support through FRRouting (FRR). This article walks through a complete BGP configuration example using private ASNs, a test prefix advertisement, inbound community tagging, and route filtering. It also covers where to access the FRR shell within the Route10 interface and how to verify that the BGP session is operating correctly.
1.5a Released on 06/03/2026 https://forum.alta.inc/t/route10-firmware-1-5a-released/6754
Mikrotik has added some new features to system…packages as far as updating goes. More info to come soon.
In this book, the character Sam visits a data center and learns about its facilities and operations. My primary aim is to convey information about the real infrastructure powering the modern Internet without making it boring or confusing.