Operations vs Projects Balance in IT infrastructure teams
Posted inCareer

Operations vs Projects Balance in IT infrastructure teams

For the past two years, I have been managing a team in charge of the data center infrastructure. It is a medium-sized team in charge of the HPC clusters and bare-metal servers, storage, network, and also virtualization and containers platforms, such as VMWare, OpenStack, and Kubernetes, plus some central services.
This team has a dual mandate: keep daily operations running smoothly and carry out innovative and challenging engineering projects. As the person responsible for resource management and keeping the team’s project schedule on track, one important challenge is to find the right balance between these two responsibilities. This requires a strategic approach to resource allocation and time management.  Let me give you my take on operations vs projects balance in IT infrastructure teams.

Cisco U – Rev Up to Recert: Programming for Network Engineer
Posted inCareer Learning & Certifications Network automation

Cisco U – Rev Up to Recert: Programming for Network Engineer

I just completed the Programming for Network Engineers (PRNE) learning path training on Cisco U and would like to share this with you:

For a limited time, you have FREE access to learn Python AND earn 24 Cisco Continuing Education credits to apply toward recertification.

The PRNE Learning Path must be completed before November 22, 2024.

Cisco Live 2024 Wrap-Up – Cisco Nexus HyperFabric, Disaggregated Scheduled Fabric (DSF) and SONiC
Posted inCareer Data-Center Learning & Certifications

Cisco Live 2024 Wrap-Up – Cisco Nexus HyperFabric, Disaggregated Scheduled Fabric (DSF) and SONiC

Last week, I attended my 11th Cisco Live in person, in the fabulous Las Vegas. This post is my Cisco Live 2024 Wrap-up.

I can already tell you that the next edition of Cisco Live US will be held June 8-12, 2025 in San Diego, California. If my company agrees to send me there, I’m already looking forward to it, because San Diego is a wonderful city.

The Future of Network Engineering in the AI/ML era
Posted inCareer Learning & Certifications Network automation

The Future of Network Engineering in the AI/ML era

It seems like yesterday when I saw my first network automation presentation at a conference. I remember it very well; it was in 2015 at the Cisco Network Innovation Summit in Prague. Mr. Tim Szigeti was presenting the first version of the Cisco APIC-EM, the future Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA) controller. I talked already about it in a previous article, written in 2018, about my journey toward network programmability and automation.

After its presentation, and for many years afterward, the question was on everyone’s lips:

Migrating Cisco FabricPath and Classic Ethernet Environments to VXLAN BGP/EVPN over a 400Gb-based Clos Topology, part 1 – the why
Posted inCornerstone Content Data-Center

Migrating Cisco FabricPath and Classic Ethernet Environments to VXLAN BGP/EVPN over a 400Gb-based Clos Topology, part 1 – the why

During the past three years, I have spent a good portion of my time testing, planning, designing, and then migrating our DC network from Cisco FabricPath and Classic Ethernet environments to VXLAN BGP/EVPN. And simultaneously, from a hierarchical classic two-tier architecture to a more modern Clos 400Gb-based topology.

The migration is not yet 100% completed, but it is well underway. And I have gained significant experience on the subject, so I think it’s time to share my knowledge and experiments with our community.

Cisco DCAUTO exam study resources
Posted inCornerstone Content Data-Center Learning & Certifications

Cisco DCAUTO exam study resources

I just passed the Cisco DevNet DCAUTO (300-635) exam (Yay!). This is my 3rd Cisco exam on network automation after NPDESI in 2018 (replaced now by the DevNet program), and DevNet CORE (DEVCOR) in 2020. But this time, I documented everything I read, so I could report it here and build a Cisco DCAUTO exam study resources. By doing this, I hope to help anyone who wants to study for this certification. And, as I have already passed the DevNet CORE exam, I am now Cisco certified DevNet Professional.