Cisco BGP Troubleshooting: Essential Commands Every Network Engineer Should Know

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When BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) misbehaves, the ripple effect can be massive—routes disappear, prefixes flap, and connectivity grinds to a halt. Whether you’re managing a large enterprise edge or an ISP core, knowing how to quickly diagnose BGP issues on Cisco routers is critical. Here’s a hands-on guide to the most useful Cisco IOS BGP … Read more

VRF article in an audio format

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

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP): How the Internet’s Routing Protocol Works

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is a protocol that makes the Capital I Internet run. It is the fundamental system that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and large networks use to exchange reachability information and ensure data finds its way across the complex web of networks making up the global Internet. This post will demystify how BGP … Read more

Top Hacking Books for cybersecurity professionals

Cybersecurity is among the fastest-growing fields today, offering exciting challenges, high demand, and strong earning potential. If you’re interested in protecting systems, networks, and data from cyber threats, here are some books to get you started. 1. Web Application Hacker’s HandbookThe highly successful security book returns with a new edition, completely updatedWeb applications are the … Read more

What is a router VRF and why it matters

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

VRF Architectures

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

Packets Down Range #35: undersea cable, Indiana broadband, training topics

Thunderstorms, seventy-degree weather, and snow. Welcome to Indiana weather. In this issue, we have some exciting events and topics. Several folks in Indiana are preparing for the 2025 Midwest Broadband Operators Meeting. This is May 14-15th. Interconnection & Data Center News•Zayo to acquire Crown Castle. •Microsoft Data Centers. This partnership will support an open architecture … Read more

Ransomware resources if you have been hacked

FBI The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has websites about cybersecurity and ransomware specifically.  The FBI ransomware site is located here: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/safety-resources/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/ransomware(opens in a new tab)  NIST The National Institute of Science and Technologies is a U.S. Government agency that maintains a web portal on cybersecurity standards, guidelines, best practices, and other resources. NIST’s cybersecurity … Read more