Network documentation is arguably both the most important and most over looked tasked a network administrator does. A good network diagram is invaluable for understanding how a network is working, for troubleshooting when its not working, and a great source of information when onboarding new employees to the network team or, more important to me, … Continue reading Documenting your Network
Cisco SD-WAN (formally Viptela) is quickly becoming the go to WAN solution for Cisco customers. As companies are looking to replace their aging DMVPN solution, Cisco SD-WAN has become the logical choice. Companies can stick with the same ISR platform running IOS-XE that they already know, and in some cases can upgrade their existing routers … Continue reading Cisco SD-WAN PnP Onboarding
You read that right! At Cisco Live this year they introduced the ability to add Catalyst switches to the Meraki dashboard. Finally a use for the unused DNA licenses! The switches are monitored in read-only mode, so you still need to manage the switches the old fashioned way, however Meraki's traffic analysis and troubleshooting tools … Continue reading Catalyst Monitoring on the Meraki Dashboard
I recently completed my Ekahau Design training and certification. During the first day of class the instructor went over wireless fundamentals. Now as an experienced wireless engineer most of the topics were ideas that I had already known, however there were a few idea's that changed the way I understand wireless for the better. Lets … Continue reading Idea’s that will change how you see Wifi
Story Time! Last week I learned the hard way why you should not trust NAT conversion tools when dealing with No-NAT's on an ASA. To fully understand this story lets back up a bit and Ill give you the high level details. I have been working on a project for the last month or so … Continue reading No-NAT’s on HA ASA firewalls: How to break HA (Split Brain Active/Active)
With the explosion of wireless technology we have experienced in the last few years, wireless networks are being asked to handled more and more demanding traffic. Between laptops, cell phones, and wireless IoT devices, the importance of having your wireless infrastructure optimized has never been greater. In this post hopefully I will be able to … Continue reading WiFi Optimization: How to Tune your Wireless Network
Wireless technology to many seems like magic; the ability to connect to the network and get all of the same functionality as a wired connection with the added bonus of being able to walk around without worrying about some cord keeping me tethered down sounds like something out of a JK Rowling book. To many, … Continue reading Wireless Fundamentals
This is going to be a quick blog, but I just ran into this issue last night when converting an ASA516-X from standard ASA code, to new Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) code. Let me first paint the picture; I was converting two ASA's from the old to the new to use in our lab at … Continue reading Enabling Management Port in Firepower Threat Defense
When we think of security the image of firewalls, anti-malware protection, and the latest and greatest in network access control pops in our head. With Cisco ISE servers providing NAC services, ASAs providing firewalling on our network edge, and AMP for Endpoints providing malware protection on our laptops we think we are secure. But are … Continue reading Physical Security: Often Overlooked and Forgotten
Three years ago Cisco introduced the Catalyst 9000 series switches as the next generation of campus switches. Every Catalyst switch family had an equivalent 9K to replace it; the 3800s were replaced with the 9300, the 4500s were replaced with the 9500, and the long standing 6500 chassis switches were replaced with the 9400. Cisco … Continue reading Welcome to the Family: The Catalyst 9200 is Born
The InterNetwork 