Sorting Through SD-WAN

The SD-WAN landscape can be a little tough to navigate. While the basic idea is easy enough to understand, every company out there seems to have their own implementation and market focus. Tom Hollingsworth thinks the moment of SD-WAN maturity is finally upon us. If anything, Tom thinks there might not be any more room for differentiation for new companies. Overall though, the space is really exciting, as it can only get easier to deploy and extend. 2017 may indeed be the year of SD-WAN!


Two Takes On ASIC Design

Tom Hollingsworth saw a presentation from Barefoot Networks that made him rethink ASIC design. Competing designs from Cisco put some programmable elements inside the ASIC. But Barefoot fully abstracts functionality via it’s P4 programming, the ASIC is completely configurable in code. This combines reduce complexity and increase speed. In an impressive ground-up rethink of what a network switch can do!


Bringing 2017 To Everyone

Tom Hollingsworth had a busy 2016. He wrote a small book, ran a Networking Field Day event, and worked with the community to encourage them to write their thoughts. For 2017, he plans to be even busier. As he continues to lead Networking Field Day events, he’s diving deep into the technical knowledge base. Plus, he plans on attending Cisco Live, Interop, and Open Networking Summit. On top of that, look for lots of writing from Tom in 2017. Looks like it’ll be a busy year ahead!


The Power of ONUG And What It Means To You

Tom Holllingsworth takes a look at what makes the Open Networking User Group special. Unlike other interest groups that bully their way into short term solutions in opposition to vendors, ONUG put together groups to solve communally agreed upon issues, to be presented to vendors as a solution, not a demand. Tom lays out the case why ONUG is setup to succeed in the long term, using their success at moving SD-WAN from a tech demo to a full fledged enterprise solution in just a few short years. Give it a read and try not be be excited with what they’ve got coming down the pipe!


OpenFlow Is Dead. Long Live OpenFlow.

Tom Hollingsworth takes a look at the curious life of OpenFlow. This once hyped panacea has found a completely new life from its original purpose of replacing the forwarding plane programming method of switches. Tom compares it to the development of Viagra as originally being intended for high blood pressure. Company’s like NEC have taken OpenFlow, with their ProgrammableFlow derivative, and adapted it to a whole new set of purposes, in this case mitigating the spread of infections within networks. It’s always interesting to see an established tool reimagined with a new purpose.


Nutanix and Plexxi – An Affinity to Converge

Tom Hollingsworth makes the case for why Nutanix should acquire Plexxi. He argues that Nutanix is less concerned about underlying networks, their play is making sure their overlay protocols can just work on top of it. Plexxi Affinities naturally compliment hyperconverged solutions, effectively building fast pathways and interconnects between endpoints where applications need to talk to one another. Tom thinks this would give Nutanix a killer offering in the crowded SDN space.


Designer or Architect? It’s A Matter Of Choice

Designer or Architect? It’s A Matter Of Choice


Facebook Wedge 100 – The Future of the Data Center?

Facebook Wedge 100 – The Future of the Data Center?


DevOps and the Infrastructure Dumpster Fire

DevOps and the Infrastructure Dumpster Fire


Ten Years of Cisco Live – Community Matters Most of All

Ten Years of Cisco Live – Community Matters Most of All


DockerCon Thoughts – Secure, Sufficient Applications

DockerCon Thoughts – Secure, Sufficient Applications


Flash Needs a Highway

Flash Needs a Highway


Tech Field Day Extra at ONUG Spring 2016 Live Blog – Day 2

Tech Field Day Extra at ONUG Spring 2016 Live Blog – Day 2


How Networking Is Driving Systems Development

How Networking Is Driving Systems Development


Tech Field Day Extra at ONUG Spring 2016 Live Blog – Day 1

Tech Field Day Extra at ONUG Spring 2016 Live Blog – Day 1


Intel and the Network Arms Race

Intel and the Network Arms Race


Wireless As We Know It Is Dead

Wireless As We Know It Is Dead


Don’t Touch My Mustache, Aruba!

Don’t Touch My Mustache, Aruba!


Drowning in the Data of Things

Drowning in the Data of Things


Will Cisco Shine On?

Will Cisco Shine On?