If you spend sufficient time with any network infrastructure, you’ll understand that things can break at the most inconvenient moments. A link that was stable for months suddenly flaps. SPF counters increase exponentially for reasons unknown. A small configuration mistake in the access layer echoes somewhere it shouldn’t. Once you’ve been through a few of […]
What is Cisco Virtual Port Channel (vPC) – Explained and Discussed
Designing a network with high availability in mind is a vital aspect of network architecture. Employing redundancy in both physical network links as well as network devices is a fundamental part of such design. Cisco’s Virtual Port Channel (vPC) is a technology that delivers a high degree of redundancy, providing mission-critical enterprise and datacenter networks […]
What is a Wildcard Mask – All About Wildcard Masks Used in Networking
A wildcard mask is a bitmask used with IPv4 to specify ranges of IP addresses, which are then leveraged by various features, including access control lists and routing protocols. There’s a lot more to wildcard masks than meets the eye, and they’re a lot more powerful than you may initially think. In this article, we’ll […]
Configuration Drift? Not on our Watch in Networks
When network devices stray from their intended configurations, it results in configuration drift. This can occur due to unauthorized changes, misconfigurations, or system updates and causes consequences like network instability, security vulnerabilities, performance degradation, and potential compliance issues. This is where ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager steps in and offers centralized control over network configurations, enabling […]
What is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Use Cases, How it is Used etc
At its core, Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a type of Network Access Control Solution that uses policy-based decision making to determine if a device is allowed access to the network and, if allowed, what level of access this device is given. Cisco ISE is a complex and feature packed Security Application that controls […]
A Practical Guide to Understanding DHCP Snooping
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) plays a crucial role in automating the assignment of IP addresses in networks, ensuring seamless communication between devices without manual configuration. However, this ease of use also introduces vulnerabilities, making it a potential target for network attacks. To mitigate these risks, DHCP snooping is implemented as a security measure, helping […]
Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) – A Packet Tracer Alternative for Network Practice
Throughout my career as a network engineer, I have used several network simulation tools such as Packet Tracer, GNS3, Eve-ng etc. Cisco Modeling Labs (CMS) emerged as probably the best option from all. CMS offers a powerful platform for network simulation and design, providing tools for testing, troubleshooting, and learning network scenarios. With its ability […]
What is Cisco FHRP (First Hop Redundancy Protocol) Explained With Diagrams
When you configure a host with network parameters, one of the elements that you configure is the default gateway. But what happens if the device acting as the default gateway fails? Isn’t that a single point of failure? Well, yes, it is. To mitigate such failures, we can use what is known as a First […]
Description & discussion of OSPF Stub Areas-What They Are and Use Cases
OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) stub areas are specialized regions within an OSPF network designed to simplify routing and improve efficiency. By limiting the type of external routes that can be propagated into these areas, stub areas reduce the amount of routing information each router must process. This configuration is particularly beneficial in large or […]
Cisco Embedded Packet Capture (EPC) – Explanation & Configuration
Troubleshooting network performance can sometimes be challenging, especially if the problem being faced is intermittent, or if it results in the degradation of network performance. There is a whole arsenal of tools out there that can help in diagnosing and resolving such network issues. Cisco IOS and IOS-XE devices have an embedded feature that allows […]
Introduction to Cisco EEM (Embedded Event Manager)
Cisco’s Embedded Event Manager (EEM) is a powerful tool that can be configured to detect specific events and respond to those events in specific ways. EEM was introduced in the early 2000s and is one of the earliest attempts at network automation. Even so, it is still used extensively today and remains a versatile tool […]
Monitoring Cisco Network Infrastructure: What to Look for in an Ideal Cisco Monitoring Tool
Cisco is the sought-after vendor for solutions for most IT networking challenges, be it involving hardware, software, the cloud, or virtualization. In 2022 alone, Cisco had a whopping 41% share in the network infrastructure vendor market, bigger than the combined share of the next six vendors on the list. Cisco has an extensive offering of […]
How to Reset Cisco Router or Switch to Factory Settings
If you have had any experience with Cisco switches or routers, you know there are situations where a factory reset of the device is needed. Whether you want to reconfigure a device from scratch to get a clean configuration or repurpose a device to play a different role in the network, it’s always a good […]