Take a Network Break! In this week’s Red Alert we suggest an audit of your Azure environment after Microsoft says it patched four critical vulnerabilities. On the news front, Nvidia has brought the Multipath Reliable Connection (MCR) protocol to the Open Compute Project, AT&T rolls out quantum-resistant SD-WAN services, and HPE introduces new Wi-Fi automation ... Read more »...
May 18, 2026•29 min
Today’s episode covers buffers, the space between ingress and egress where a packet might have to live for a fraction of a second if the egress port is tied up transmitting other packets. This topic came courtesy of John Howard who joins Drew and Ethan as a co-host to discuss buffers with guest Rob Sherwood. How ... Read more »
May 15, 2026•1 hr 13 min
Today’s topic is Network Access Control (NAC) for a wired network. To help walk us through it all is Jennifer “JJ” Jabbusch, a network security architect, public speaker, book author, and co-host of the Packet Protector podcast. JJ and our hosts break down the terms and protocols behind NAC, and explain why the architecture was ... Read more »
May 14, 2026•1 hr 16 min
Ned and Kyler are joined by Dr. Cat Hicks to discuss her new book “The Psychology of Software Teams.” They talk about software development from a psychological perspective, including how negative stereotypes of developers can lead to them being treated simply as “brains in jars” in toxic environments. They also point out the pitfalls of ... Read more »
May 13, 2026•47 min
Network teams are being asked to move faster than ever as automation and AI-driven workflows increase the volume and frequency of network changes. In this episode, sponsored by Cisco, we explore how modern network operating systems make zero-downtime, zero-stress updates possible, even at machine speed. We’ll break down three key capabilities: Atomic Config Replace (ACR), ... Read more »...
May 13, 2026•1 hr 2 min
ThreatLocker takes an opinionated approach to Zero Trust. The company, our sponsor for today’s episode, starts with application control. It uses endpoint software that runs on PCs and servers to allow or deny applications to run. It can also monitor and control the behavior of allowed applications. ThreatLocker has extended its platform to include network ... Read more »...
May 12, 2026•45 min
Take a Network Break! There’s a Red Alert for Apache Polaris with four CVEs that could enable unauthorized read/write access. On the news front, Lumen is spending $475 million in cash for Alkira to extend its NaaS offering across public clouds. Extreme Networks announces Wi-Fi 7 APs and new features in its Platform ONE management ... Read more »
May 11, 2026•38 min
Scott Robohn is joined by networking legend Jeff Doyle to help us understand SONiC: Software for Open Networking in the Cloud. SONiC is an open-source network operating system and has been adopted by hyperscalers to run some of the world’s largest data centers. But SONiC can also be used by enterprises and service providers. Jeff ... Read more »
May 08, 2026•1 hr 2 min
A Mastercard survey reveals that 46% of small and medium businesses have experienced a cyberattack, and nearly 20% of those that suffered an attack were then forced to file for bankruptcy or close their business. Ethan and Drew along with guest Shivam Srivastava discuss a new offering from today’s sponsor, Palo Alto Networks: Prisma Browser ... Read more »...
May 08, 2026•35 min
Alexis and Kevin sit down with Linda Haviv, an AI/ML Engineer and founder of Coding Crystals. Linda is known for making AI infrastructure accessible, and for a career path that went from philosophy student to professional singer to self-taught developer to AI engineer. Together they discuss the difference between AI infrastructure and AI engineering, the ... Read more »
May 07, 2026•1 hr 1 min
Eric Chou talks with Adrian Iliesiu aka NetGru, a seasoned CCIE veteran and community leader known for his work to simplify network automation and make it accessible to network engineers. He focuses on helping network teams navigate the transition into AI and vibe coding while maintaining their core technical skills. Adrian shares insights and practical ... Read more »
May 06, 2026•53 min
In theory, a zero trust initiative seems straightforward: you just need the right tools and maybe some whiteboard sessions to work out the architecture. In practice, our guests note that zero trust “unfolds inside organizations filled with legacy systems, political friction, budget constraints, and competing priorities.” Without accounting for those complications, a zero trust project ... Read more »...
May 05, 2026•51 min
Take a Network Break! It’s a busy show this week. We start with follow-up on Anthropic’s Project Glasswing, router bans, and end-of-engineering/end-of-support date changes for Fortinet’s FortiOSv7.4. Our Red Alert warns of 13 critical CVEs in the Linux kernel (all of which can be addressed by updating to version 7). On the news front, Cisco ... Read more »...
May 04, 2026•37 min
Dijkstra’s algorithm is the foundation of shortest path calculations for link state routing protocols. But researchers have developed a new algorithm that improves on this decades-old approach. Today’s Heavy Networking welcomes Dr. Bruce Davie to discuss the potential of this new algorithm to unseat Dijkstra. After thoughtful consideration, and consultation with others, his opinion is ... Read more »...
May 01, 2026•55 min
Today’s episode is part one of a three part series to break down Network Access Control (NAC). Ethan and Holly start simple by explaining what NAC is at a high level and all of the jargon and acronyms that come with it. They also cover where and when network access control is applied, whether NAC ... Read more »
Apr 30, 2026•1 hr 6 min
Kyler and Ned are joined by Enrico Teotti, an independent consultant with over 25 years of experience. Enrico has worked with clients on real-world AI implementations, and he’s here talk about what he’s learned, including using AI to query databases, and for debugging and performance analysis. They also touch on the importance of using AI ... Read more »
Apr 29, 2026•47 min
A cryptographically relevant quantum computer is, at some point, going to emerge that can crack modern encryption. But we don’t know when, so it’s tempting to set this problem aside. On today’s sponsored episode, we talk about why ignoring Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) isn’t an effective strategy. Sponsor Cisco is here to make the case for ... Read more »
Apr 28, 2026•51 min
Take a Network Break! We start with follow up on Anthropic’s Project Glasswing and Linux 7.0. On the news side, Cisco announces a prototype quantum switch that promises to support multiple quantum encoding modalities, Cato Networks adds an enterprise browser to its security offerings, and Mozilla validates the bug-finding powers of Anthropic’s Mythos model. Anthropic ... Read more »
Apr 27, 2026•35 min
Scott Robohn sits down with Andy Smith, a distinguished engineer with Arrcus Networks, where he and his team work to advance networking with modern software and new architectures. He’s also a lecturer at the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Andy shares his networking journey, talks about how networks and ... Read more »...
Apr 24, 2026•49 min
On today’s sponsored Heavy Networking, we get off the AI hype train to talk about how different artificial intelligence techniques usefully impact network operations—and where they aren’t a fit. The various forms of AI represent a set of tools that, like any tool, have use cases, capabilities, and limitations. Our guest is Avi Freedman, CEO ... Read more »...
Apr 24, 2026•1 hr 1 min
Ray Cline has been in the tech trenches since he was twelve years old, helping his Dad run a bulletin board service. Today he runs an MSP called Libertas Consulting and leads a nonprofit called TEKnowledge Worldwide (TKW) that has donated over a million dollars in network infrastructure to communities in need. Join us for ... Read more »
Apr 23, 2026•1 hr 5 min
Eric Chou is joined by Ashwin Joshi, a Senior Solutions Engineer at Keysight Technologies, to discuss the rapidly increasing demands that AI places on modern networks. They break down the differences between networking for AI and AI for networking. They also talk about how network engineers can adopt AI to help them do their jobs, ... Read more »
Apr 22, 2026•58 min
For decades, network and security professionals have adapted to technology change in a piecemeal fashion: a new rule here, an upgrade there, a new product deployment over yonder. On today’s Packet Protector, co-host Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jabbusch makes the case for why several emerging technologies require IT pros to think about security at an architectural level. ... Read more »
Apr 21, 2026•21 min
Take a Network Break! Our Red Alert covers a trio of vulnerabilities in Cisco ISE. On the news front, Cloudflare announces a private network offering for AI agents and a partnership with CNAPP specialist Wiz for AI visibility. AWS rolls out Interconnect to streamline provisioning of WAN and last-mile connectivity, and Linux 7.0 includes network ... Read more »...
Apr 20, 2026•32 min
On today’s episode Ethan is joined by Mark Prosser, a self-described Network Operator Advocate and Network Automation Dreamer, to embark on a thought exercise about network services. Together they grapple with questions such as: What is a network service, exactly? How is it defined? Is it even possible to define it when considered in the ... Read more »
Apr 17, 2026•51 min
We asked for follow ups and you did not disappoint! On today’s show we respond to listener comments and corrections on multicast, routing protocols, security, and more. We also have a technical correction for the RFC 1918 Class B private address range. A big thank you to everyone who sent in responses. If you’d like ... Read more »
Apr 16, 2026•57 min
Malware has shifted from phishing expeditions to open source packages, domains, and repositories. Ned and Kyler welcome Jenn Gile, co-founder of Open Source Malware, to discuss how malware is making its way into open source software. Together they break down NPM compromises, AI-driven infiltration, malicious agent skills, and more. Episode Links: Open Source Malware – ... Read more »
Apr 15, 2026•41 min
Threat actors are behaving more like professional organizations in an effort to launch more effective and profitable attacks. We explore this and other themes from the latest Threat Labs report from HPE, our sponsor for today’s Packet Protector episode. We also look at how older vulnerabilities are still contributing to today’s exploits, why security organizations ... Read more »...
Apr 14, 2026•37 min
Take a Network Break! We commence with a red alert on FastMCP, and then debate whether Anthropic’s Project Glasswing is a marketing stunt or a reasonable response to the growing ability of AI models to find and exploit software vulnerabilities. Iran targets US OT networks, startup Aria Networks unveils Ethernet switches purpose-built for AI factories, ... Read more »...
Apr 13, 2026•51 min
Today we welcome Damien Garros, Co-Founder and CEO of OpsMill, to discuss how network automation is creating the need to redefine roles beyond traditional engineers, including network automation architects, software developers, and operations specialists. We hone in on the concept of mechanics, who focus on implementation, and architects who see the bigger picture. We also ... Read more »
Apr 10, 2026•46 min
