Category: Skills
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Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU)
In 1983, CCITT and ISO merged their network definition to create The Basic Reference Model for Open Systems Interconnection. This is the “famous” seven layer model. Which works for ISO standards but is a poor match for the Internet. The three layers we are interested in are: Physical layer Data link layer Network layer 1…
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The Weekly Feast – Broth
If you’re like me, you currently have a turkey carcass somewhere in your fridge, freezer, or on your (very cold) porch. Thanksgiving was delicious, and you’ve mostly picked that carcass clean. What’s left are the bits no one generally eats (wings maybe, or the bottom of the bird, the backbone, and perhaps the neck and…
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There is a reason…
The problem that people have been attempting to solve, for years, is the lack of space in the IPv4 addresses space. There are currently more devices attached to the Internet or “the network” than there are addresses in the IPv4 space. This requires address overlap. The smallest section of a network is the “subnet”. A…
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The Weekly Feast – Side Dishes
Last week it was turkey. This week, I’m sharing my favorite side dishes that I use in a perfect Thanksgiving Feast! Mashies Mashed potatoes are a definite requirement at any Thanksgiving feast. The easiest way to make delicious mashed potatoes is to cut them into about inch square cubes, and boil them until they’re soft…
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Are Those Level 4 Plates? (I wish, Nerd Bable)
Sunday was supposed to be the day I migrated a couple of machines. I have a new physical device which is described as a Level 2 switch with SFP+ ports. The idea is to replace my small mixed routers, 2 SFP+ ports plus some RJ45 ports with either a L2 SFP+ only switch or an…
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Why Is It So Slow? Or How Many Bottlenecks?
My mentor, Mike, use to say “There is always a bottleneck.” What he meant by this, was that for any system, there will be a place which limits the throughput. If you can find, and eliminate, that bottleneck, then you can improve the performance of the system. Which will then slam into the next bottleneck.…
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Prepping – Thriving, not Surviving
There’s a difference between thriving and surviving. I notice a trend among those who call themselves preppers. There are two sorts: those who are prepared to simply go on living, and those who prepare to survive the apocalypse. The first sort have plans for growing food, hunting, trapping, collecting water, providing continuing light, creating electricity…
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Something SIGnificant
Monday, I had an opportunity to visit the SIG Academy/SIG Experience Center. In the late 70s, I had a chance to visit NYC for the first time. That feeling of awe, looking up at the skyscrapers. Trying hard not to have pidgin droppings fall into our open mouths. That is sort of how I felt…
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The Weekly Feast – Turkey!
It’s that time of year. Most of us enjoy a turkey over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. My family tends to do the “friendsgiving” thing on Saturday, but we also have a small gathering on Thursday afternoon. Turkey is ubiquitous. It’s also a bear to cook, if you ask many chefs. I’ve never understood that. My…
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Getting Old
I’ve had a slow leak in the right front wheel of my truck for the last year. When I went to have it fixed, I found that it wasn’t the tire. It was the wheel that was leaking. Leaking tire? $20. Leaking wheel? $150+ Well, that slow leak isn’t slow anymore. Ally asked for a…