If you are anything at all like me, and I bet you are, because it's kinda human to be as lazy as possible conserve energy for more cognitively demanding tasks, you likely will benefit from removing any friction that slows you down from starting anything involving lab work
Hi. Today I was running some Ethernet cable when it dawned on me that there may be someone out there who finds use in a brief tutorial on this mundane task. I'm going to show you how to terminate RJ45 connectors. Unfortunately, I didn't have a
I've been holding off on this post for a while. Mostly I needed get my house in order. There has been a lot of change in the past week or so and yet a lot has stayed the same; I'm still learning and growing in my
I may be a place I’m not necessarily supposed to be. More to follow; stay tuned… Here's the Rest...so...EDITED If you've ever looked up to the skyline here in Seoul, you've no doubt seen loads of items similar to the one
What the heck is RADIUS? RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) is a protocol used to manage and secure network access. In simple terms, it's a system that helps ensure that only authorized users can connect to a network. Think of is as a server that network devices
The debate over AI is far from settled. Competing views on appropriate use of generative AI chatbots range from allowing full, unfettered implementation to blocking their use altogether. Some advocate age restrictions. I wrote on the topic of AI in this post and have not been persuaded into a changed
Ah, spring! The season of renewal, blooming flowers, and... allergy-itchy skin and eyes? Yes, you read that right. I find myself battling not with the complexities of network configurations but with the irritating discomfort of dry skin and a bit of python code. At least pythons don’t bite, am
Well, it’s March again, and that means at least one thing: it’s time to revisit my phone situation. For anyone who doesn’t know, life abroad comes with a slew of challenges, not least among them being telephony. It was two years ago when I came across an
February is finally over. I am all about the love and romance and kitsch of Valentine's Day, but even still, I am always thrilled for February to wind down as the winds of March guster and bluster through the streets, whipping up whatever duster they can muster—you
So, picture this: Valentine's Day in the heart of Seoul, and my wife and I are all set for a cozy family outing to our favorite burger joint, Boon the Burger. Now, this place is usually buzzing with folks eager for a taste of their legendary burgers and
It’s a bit surprising I haven’t mentioned Docker more often on this site yet. Docker is such a great platform for containerization. To be fair, I have mentioned and even demonstrated LXC containers a few times, but Docker as a container engine has been notably absent form this
Yesterday, my wife, daughter, and I made the trek to 종로 (Jongno, Seoul’s central district) to buy some fabric to make 한복 (hanbok, traditional Korean attire); my wife is the crafty one, so the sewing will be her job. The plan was to buy some fabric and then head
Just some of the benefits of using WPA3-Enterprise authentication. 1. You can use the same SSID (Wi-Fi name) for different networks. 2. Users are authenticated and authorization is grated with per-group permissions. 3. Users are dropped into the VLANs their user group is authorized for. 4. Admins can change access
Finish lines in IT seldom have trophies or uproarious applause. Satisfaction in a job done well is a reward in itself. However, there is little praise for solving an unnoticed problem no matter the improvement to quality of life it brings. An obvious solution would be to announce, with much
The Cult of Cool called UniFi has long since laid out its Kool-aid and cookies for guys like me. I’ve resisted them (the cookies and UniFi) as long as I could. But while you were tucked up in you bed all snug, warm, and waiting for Jolly-ol’ St. Nic
Introducing the Game-Changer in Home Networking: The UniFi Express! Where the world of home networking devices seems to progress at a snail’s pace the UniFi Express has rocketed onto the scene, ready to revolutionize the way we experience home connectivity. Priced at an affordable $149, this router packs a
As a student of the dark arts of networking, my journey in the wonderful world of technology has taken an unexpected turn. While I typically delve into the intricacies of the TCP/IP stack, VLANs, or spanning tree protocol, recent events in my homelab prompted me to explore a different
Defining Some Terms VLAN: Virtual Local Area Network. I've discussed VLANs extensively before. They are a way to keep traffic separated on different networks. In order for a host on one VLAN to communicate with hosts in another VLAN (and thus another network), there needs to be a
Well, I don’t think I can really do the day justice in a fitting description or recounting of it, but it was recently my birthday. the day was full and rich. Upon arriving home from dropping my daughter off at kindergarten where she was especially sweet to me in
I never really thought databases could be much fun. And let's face it, data entry is not all that great. But being able to interact with databases is a valuable career skill. Building one isn't all that hard, but connecting it to a web front end
There are moments when the creative spark seems distant—a void of ideas that roll aimlessly until they dissipate into nothingness. Some might call it giving up, as the cacophony of honking horns and reckless drivers on the streets becomes background noise, lulling us into complacency’s doldrums until the
One fundamental aspect of communication is the use of telephone numbers. However, there are different ways these numbers can be formatted and categorized, and two common systems are +E.164 and national numbering systems. In this blog post, we will explore the key differences between these two numbering systems and
Subnetting is a crucial concept in networking. It plays a vital role in efficiently utilizing IP addresses and managing network resources. Whether you're a networking enthusiast or just someone looking to understand the fundamentals of networking, subnetting skills are essential and one of the most requested topics for
There are days when you just need an easy win. In this post, you will get that. Honestly, this one is just as much for me to get a win today as it is for you. I meant to post this one at the end of May, but things got
If you checked in with me earlier, you saw the following placeholder text, but I thought I would leave it here, so you can get a flavour for how excited I was to bust out something--anything--on this topic. "I’m out and about with my beautiful bride at the
I need to catch you up on my training journey. Last I mentioned anything about next steps and what to do after passing CCNA, I announced that the next dedicated study would be the Cisco ENAUTO. Well, that was three weeks ago, and I have finished the last of the
Programming has become an essential skill to automate and manage network infrastructure effectively. Python, with its simplicity and versatility, is the go-to programming language of choice in the networking domain. In a previous blog post, I attempted to explain a Python script that I had learned how to build earlier
Netmiko is a multi-vendor library in Python that simplifies the process of interacting with network devices, such as routers and switches, through SSH and Telnet connections. It provides a consistent and programmatic interface for automating network device configuration and management tasks. Netmiko allows you to use Python on devices that
Dad jokes aside, this post is just a short video about restconf. Restconf, for the unfamiliar, is a protocol for programatically interacting with a network appliance. It allows you to leverage the power of a programming language called Python to configure and monitor fleets of routers and switches with a
Why VLANs? Computer networks are vital for our connected world, enabling communication and data transfer. One important concept within these networks is Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs). In simple terms, VLANs help organize devices, improve security, boost performance, and make network management easier. Let's dive into VLANs and
Cisco VTP (VLAN Trunking Protocol) is a proprietary protocol used in Cisco networking devices to manage and propagate VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) configurations across a switched network. VTP allows network administrators to create, delete, and modify VLANs on a central switch, known as the VTP server, and have those
After receiving my CCNA and following up with the JNCIA certification, the next steps in my professional development as a network engineer have been anything but clear. In that I immensely enjoyed my Juniper studies, I initially thought the most natural next focus should be the JNCIS-ENT. But then there