OSPF is one of the most popular routing protocols for enterprise networks. It has been around since the 1980s and has been continually updated and revised to conform to the requirements of modern IP networks. As such, it is an extremely mature and robust routing protocol that can be tweaked and fine-tuned in many ways […]
About Lazaros Agapidis
Lazaros Agapidis is a Telecommunications and Networking Specialist with over twenty years of experience.
He works primarily with IP networks, VoIP, Wi-Fi, and 5G, has extensive experience in training professionals for Cisco certifications, and his expertise extends into telecommunications services and infrastructure from both an enterprise and a service provider perspective.
In addition to his numerous vendor certifications, Lazaros has a solid online presence as an expert in his field, having worked in both public and private sectors within North America and in Europe.
He has enjoyed sharing his practical experiences in writing as well as through engaging online training.
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Explanation and Configuration of OSPF MD5 Authentication on Cisco Networks
OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) is a dynamic routing protocol used in IP networks, primarily within large enterprise networks. In this article we will discuss and configure OSPF MD5 authentication on Cisco devices. Like other routing protocols, OSPF shares information about network topologies and prefixes between devices. This is done by exchanging messages between OSPF-enabled […]
Comparison of BGP Confederations vs Route Reflectors
When deploying excessively large Autonomous Systems or ASes in BGP, it is necessary to overcome the limitation introduced by the iBGP full mesh peerings required within the AS in question. There are two primary ways this can be achieved, using either BGP’s Route Reflector feature or BGP confederations. In this article, we’ll examine these two […]
What are BGP Confederations-Explanation and Discussion (With Cisco Example)
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the de facto routing protocol that is deployed on the Internet at large. BGP is ideal for the Internet because of its scalability. One of the many characteristics of this routing protocol that make it so scalable is what is known as BGP confederations. In this article, we’ll discuss what […]
What is BGP Route Reflector – Explanation and Discussion (with Cisco Example)
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the protocol of choice for routing on the Internet. BGP is also often used on the edge of corporate networks and is often the routing protocol of choice for large private enterprise networks. BGP needs to be extremely scalable to respond to these requirements. One of the ways that this […]
Explanation of BGP Neighbor Adjacency States on Cisco Devices
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the fundamental routing protocol that is used on the Internet. Like most routing protocols, BGP depends upon the creation of neighbor adjacencies between BGP routers to exchange prefixes and routing information. In order to successfully create these neighbor adjacencies, they go through a series of neighbor adjacency states. In this […]
BGP Attributes Explained – Why Are They Vital to the Internet?
The Internet owes its existence in part to the operation of the Border Gateway Protocol or BGP. BGP is a routing protocol that uses a list of attributes to determine the best path to the intended destination. It is these attributes that give BGP the characteristics necessary to perform its highly demanding routing obligations on […]
Overview of BGP ASN (Autonomous System Numbers) in Networks
The Internet is an extensively large network that requires a specialized type of routing to ensure scalability and reliability. For this reason, BGP is the protocol of choice for routing on the Internet. BGP leverages what are known as Autonomous System Numbers or ASNs to achieve routing. In this article, we’ll elaborate on ASNs, and […]
Comparison of Routed vs Routing Protocols in Networking
In networking, there is often terminology used to refer to various concepts that sound similar. This can occasionally be confusing especially to greener techs that are just coming into the field. One particular distinction that can potentially perplex less experienced networking professionals is the difference between routed and routing protocols. In this article, we’ll help […]
Comparison of Tagged vs Untagged vs Native VLANs in Ethernet Networks
A Virtual Local Area Network, or VLAN, is a logical construct that can be configured within a switch that can be used to create distinct broadcast domains, which are partitioned and isolated in a computer network at the Data Link Layer, or Layer 2 of the OSI model. A VLAN enables the segmentation of a […]
Guide to Cisco Bandwidth Command Parameter (With Configuration Example)
If you’ve been experimenting with Cisco switches and routers, and searching out their various capabilities, you may have come across an enigmatic feature on the interfaces of these devices. Specifically, you can adjust an interface’s “bandwidth” parameter to a value of your choice, within a particular range. Now if you’ve tried this strange parameter, you […]
Understanding IP Prefix Lists in TCP/IP Networks (With Cisco Examples)
Prefix lists play an important role in networking by providing an efficient and scalable method for managing routing updates in large-scale networks. As a tool for implementing route filtering, they enable network administrators to selectively control the advertisement and acceptance of IP prefixes based on specific criteria. In this article, we’ll delve deeper into what […]
The Purpose of Routing Protocols in TCP/IP Networking
Networks that are based on the TCP/IP protocol stack rely on the Internet Protocol, or IP, to deliver end-to-end connectivity from the sending host to the receiving host. As such, each node along the path that the packets travel through must have enough information to know how to route the packet to the next hop […]