Russ White:Computer Network Design Complexity
Russ White is teaching a class over at O’Reilly about Computer Network Design Complexity and Tradeoffs.
Technology & Industry Commentary
Here I discuss general technology trends across various market segments, including Internet Service Providers. What are some of the geeky things going on around the Capital I Internet.
“Path Hunting” in BGP
2 minutes read time Author: Justin Wilson Path hunting in BGP shows up when the network loses a route and has to figure out what comes next. You do not usually notice it during steady state. You notice it when traffic starts taking odd paths, and latency does not line up with what you expect. … Read more
Defining the network edge for modern networks
The network edge is one of those terms that sounds precise until you try to pin it down. Ask a few engineers where the edge is, and you will get a few different answers.
What is a hyperscaler? The 10,000 foot view
A hyperscaler is defined by its scale, control, and consistency, not by branding or marketing. These organizations build and run compute infrastructure
TCP-AO for BGP: What it is and what is does
TCP Authentication Option (TCP-AO) comes in. It is defined in RFC 5925 and exists to protect TCP sessions from spoofing and reset attacks.
BGP Traffic Engineering for Regional ISPs: Practical Control Without the Pain
Traffic rarely flows where you expect. BGP picks the “best” path, but that does not always mean the fastest or cheapest one.
When Competence Is Unnoticed: Navigating the Phase of Professional Invisibility
Effective network engineering is intentionally unobtrusive. When systems remain stable, support tickets are not generated. If routing functions correctly, inquiries are absent. When redundancy operates as intended, disruptions are imperceptible.
Certifications in the Era of AI
If AI can perform many tasks previously handled manually by engineers, do certifications still hold value? The answer depends on the original intent behind certifications.
Categories updated and site changes
I have distilled down many of the categories on this site to just a handful. This should help my readers find and keep track of topics. For a while I have used categories instead of tags. Its a by-product of using WordPress for over 15 years now. You don’t know what you don’t know. On … Read more
ISPAmerica 2026 Photos1
I will be talking about some of these in more detail in later posts. These are some random photos of gear and of the ISPAmerica 2026 show in Atlanta Georgia.
AI Traffic and FD-IX. An exchange perspective
AI traffic does not behave like normal internet traffic. Traditional transit models were built for north–south traffic. That means users pulling content from somewhere else. A house streams Netflix. A business checks Microsoft 365. Traffic leaves the local network, hits a transit provider, and finds its way to a remote. That model works because most flows are bursty and asymmetric. Download heavy. Upload light. Predictable