Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Routing Information Protocol (RIP) are two of the most well-known Internal Gateway Protocols (IGPs) among network professionals and enthusiasts alike. Both are among the oldest routing protocols developed for IP networks, but they have evolved in very different ways, and are ultimately used today for very different purposes. Let’s […]
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Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Enhanced Interior Gateway Protocol (EIGRP) are two of the most popular Internal Gateway Protocols (IGPs) employed in today’s modern IP networks. Both are mature protocols, having been around for decades, and are extremely reliable, flexible, and highly configurable. And yet, they are surprisingly dissimilar in their architecture, implementation, and […]
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I have read tens of books (both in ebook format and also hard copy textbooks) in my networking professional career over the last 18 years. In fact, all of my preparation for my Cisco and other IT certifications was based on book studying (in addition to hands-on practice of course). Personally, I believe that having […]
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In this tutorial we will describe how to setup a Cisco Meraki WiFi Access Point (AP) together with several other useful details, so let’s get started. A Meraki access point is different to a Cisco AireOS Access point because it doesn’t need a separate Wireless LAN Controller or an embedded controller such as Mobility Express […]
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If you’ve ever wondered why your company’s network seems to slow down at times, or how efficiently your employees are using their networked devices, then it’s time you implement a network analysis strategy. Network Traffic Analyzer (NTA) tools can help you find bottlenecks in traffic, analyze what types of network traffic is being used within […]
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PuTTY is a free terminal emulation tool that’s been available for 20 years. Originally released for Microsoft Windows, this versatile remote administration tool can be used to access workstations, servers, network devices etc using various protocols such as secure shell connection (SSH), Telnet, Rlogin etc. While it continues to be popular for accessing network devices […]
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I first got acquainted with TFTP at the beginning of my networking career. The first use-case of TFTP protocol is when I first upgraded the IOS firmware of a Cisco router using a little software utility called “TFTPD32”. Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) software provide a key service to many network and system administrators for […]
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Every network engineer is familiar with Cisco, and with its multiple brand acquisitions, it’s even become a household name for consumers in addition to business professionals. Cisco isn’t the only major player in the hardware and TCP/IP networking game, however. This technology giant has at least a dozen formidable competitors, many of which have developed […]
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Layer2 and Layer3 switches are the foundation of any network. After all, any network devices (routers, firewalls, computers, servers etc) have to be connected to a switch. Sooner or later, as a network engineer you will be faced with the task of deploying a switch network for a customer or for your own company. Therefore, learning […]
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With the rise of distributed networks, finding a secure way to transfer files and data is essential. That’s where software products like Secure File Transfer Protocol, better known as SFTP, comes in. File Transfer Protocol has been around since 1971; the encrypted version was developed in 1994. This popular file transfer communication protocol is able […]
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In this article, we will discuss a couple of core concepts of network switching which are about Access and Trunk ports and how to configure them using “switchport mode access” and “switchport mode trunk” commands on Cisco switches We will also delve into what a VLAN is, why they’re used and how all of this […]
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A few decades ago, flat networks were the norm. I remember in my very first job as a network engineer, most of our clients’ networks consisted of a single broadcast domain (VLAN) and a huge single flat Layer 3 network (usually in the 10.0.0.0 range). As time passed by and networks started to become bigger […]
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The Cisco ASA firewall offers excellent protection for Denial of Service attacks, such as SYN floods, TCP excessive connection attacks etc. Using the new Policy Framework functionality, the ASA administrator can configure granular controls for TCP Connection limits and timeouts. For example, we can control and limit the maximum number of simultaneous TCP and UDP connections […]
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