Podcast
Heavy Networking
Hosted by Packet Pushers · EN
Heavy Networking is an unabashedly nerdy dive into all things networking. Described by one listener as "verbal white papers," the weekly episodes feature network engineers, industry experts, and vendors sharing useful information to keep your professional knowledge sharp and your career growing. Hosts Ethan Banks & Drew Conry-Murray cut through the marketing spin to explore what works—and what doesn't—in networking today, while keeping an eye on what's ahead for the industry. On air since 2010, Heavy Networking is the flagship show of the Packet Pushers podcast network.
35episodes
Episodes
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HN832: AI Agents Are Just Another Tool: How to Integrate With Your Network Automation Strategy (Sponsored)
1w ago00:45:46Tap to summarizeAI has complicated network automation. It has created questions: If AI generates code for me, do I need to learn Python? Should I be writing a script to gather network information if I can dispatch an AI agent to gather that information for me instead? What new skills can I skip obtaining if AI stands... Read more »
Transcribe →HN831: The Sum, Not Just the Parts: How and Why to Think Holistically About Your Network
2w ago00:55:59Tap to summarizeYour network is an interconnected system. A change you make on one device has consequences beyond that device. Therefore, to do your job well, you must think about the network as a whole. That’s the big idea behind a blog post written by guest Jason Gintert. He joins Ethan and Drew to talk about how... Read more »
Transcribe →HN830: Tailscale CEO on WireGuard, Zero Trust, and Securing AI (Sponsored)
3w ago00:56:39Tap to summarizeIf you think Tailscale is just a VPN for the home lab, think again. On today’s sponsored episode Ethan and Drew are joined by Tailscale CEO Avery Pennarun. Avery explains how the company has evolved into an enterprise-grade connectivity and security platform. He also dives into Tailscale Aperture, their new AI gateway designed to bring... Read more »
Transcribe →HN829: EVPN/VXLAN Vs. TradCore
May 2900:54:15Tap to summarizeDrew and Ethan sit down with Tony Bourke to determine whether TradCore or EVPN VXLAN is right for your network. Tony is a seasoned instructor in automation, network design, and more. They explore the key factors for choosing a design, including scale and redundancy, operational complexity, and workload mobility. AdSpot Sponsor: Auvik Sponsor Auvik Network... Read more »
Transcribe →HN828: How Selector Unifies Cloud and On-Prem Network Observability (Sponsored)
May 2200:46:24Tap to summarizeSelector is extending its AI-driven network observability capabilities into public clouds. On today’s sponsored episode, we dig into how Selector gathers and analyzes public cloud network telemetry, how it integrates cloud and on-prem network data to provide end-to-end visibility, how it integrates with third-party Application Performance Monitoring (APM) systems to correlate network and application performance,... Read more »
Transcribe →HN827: When Buffers Attack: Understanding Buffers to Better Diagnose Network Weirdness
May 1501:12:55Tap to summarizeToday’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 »
Transcribe →HN826: An Inside Look at Palo Alto Networks Prisma Browser for Business (Sponsored)
May 800:34:46Tap to summarizeA 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 »
Transcribe →HN825: Faster Than Dijkstra? Exploring a New Shortest-Path Algorithm with Bruce Davie
May 100:54:43Tap to summarizeDijkstra’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 »
Transcribe →HN824: That’s Not a Job for an LLM: The Right Way to Apply AI to Network Operations (Sponsored)
Apr 2401:01:11Tap to summarizeOn 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 »
Transcribe →HN823: Defining A Modern Network Service
Apr 1700:51:10Tap to summarizeOn 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 »
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