If you’ve been in networking long enough, you’ve had that moment: staring at a topology diagram at 2 AM, trying to figure out why half your routers are “Init,” one is “ExStart,” and another has gone completely “Full” with the wrong neighbor like it’s speed dating. Welcome, my friend, to OSPF—the protocol that is equal […]
OSPF: Oh-So-Perplexing? Not Anymore. Read More »
Cut through the noise. Forget zones, interfaces, and complexity. The security of your network—the digital fortress you defend—boils down to one thing: your list of security policies. You write the line between a secure and a vulnerable network right here. If you missed the last post, we went over a very basic Palo Alto configuration
How to Configure Your First Palo Alto Security Policy (The Right Way) Read More »
It’s a familiar scene: a brand new Palo Alto firewall, fresh out of the box and waiting for its first configuration.. It’s racked, stacked, and powered on. Now what? This guide will walk you through the essential Palo Alto firewall initial setup, getting your box from a factory-default state to a baseline configuration ready for
From Box to Baseline: Your Palo Alto Firewall Day-One Configuration Read More »
Ever wonder how the massive organizations we rely on protect their entire digital kingdom from the bad guys? It all comes down to one crucial device: the firewall. It’s the unsung hero, the digital bouncer, and the grumpy gatekeeper all rolled into one. Think of it this way: to get into your home, a visitor
Stop That Fire! What Exactly is a Firewall and Why Your Network Needs One Read More »
One of the most misunderstood technologies on the internet is the Domain Name System or DNS. It could be considered the red headed stepchild, sorry to all my red heads out there, but without it getting around the internet would not be fun. Think of having to memorize latitude and longitude coordinates to get to
How DNS Works: The Internet’s Secret Road Trip Guide Read More »
Over the last few years the need for wanting to play around with new technology or lab something has grown dramatically. Go and do a google search and see how many different emulators and simulators are returned. I started when you were the cool kid on the block if you had a copy of Cisco
Installing EVE-NG Community on Proxmox Read More »
They say once you drive a Tesla its hard to go back to a regular car. So I went out and bought a new 2026 Model Y. I documented the buying process on this post My Second Tesla: How the Model Y Buying Process Leveled Up in 2025. Before all the hate comes in for
Tesla FSD night test through construction zones: How did it do? Read More »
Reflecting on the flight home from #CiscoLive, people often ask what I do for a living and it was so much easier when I was a network architect, sales engineer or consulting manager. When I Explain what I do now as a technology evangelist is more difficult and I get puzzled looks. I tell them
My Cisco Live Confession: I Used To Hate Public Speaking Read More »
This is a post I didn’t think I would be writing. Back in 2021, I bought my first ever EV, a Tesla 2021 Model Y (also known as MY). The buying and delivery process was decent, which I documented on this post You’re ready to buy a Tesla, right?.Then the EV market went crazy and
My Second Tesla: How the Model Y Buying Process Leveled Up in 2025 Read More »
Technology is changing at a rate that can make anyone, even the most seasoned IT professional, dizzy. This leaves people trying to break into the industry confused about what to focus on and more seasoned people wondering if that next certification is worth it. With all this technology change, I am often asked, or see
Decoding IT Certifications: Hype or Help? Read More »