Disqus - Latest Comments for bensons

Re: Thought: Why Are There No Good Open Source BGP Implementations ?

Benson Schliesser — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 16:51:15 -0000

Greg, it's an interesting observation / question... As some of the other commenters have noted, there are multiple open source BGP implementations out there. The real question is why they're not considered "world-class" etc.

Maybe some people, for some use-cases, think they *are* good enough. But clearly there are other folks that disagree. I'm aware of several cases where Quagga was replaced with a commercial BGP stack (e.g. Vyatta no longer uses Quagga but instead relies on a closed-source licensed BGP stack) because of shortcomings related to performance, features... So I think you're basically correct with your conclusion. But I don't know precisely why.

One theory that I've heard (but can't take credit for) is that it has to do with big vendors locking up talent. In other words, companies like Cisco and Juniper pay top-dollar for everybody that is particularly talented at implementing routing protocols like BGP, and thereby "corner the market" of developers. This is probably true for other technologies, too, where incentives drive the best "specialist" developers to build commercial products and not contribute to open source alternatives. But an easy example doesn't immediately come to mind. Regardless, I can see that being true for BGP. And the structure of this situation doesn't easily change, because both the vendors and developers have incentives for maintaining their revenues...

All of this being said, there is a possibility that this situation will be challenged by SDN, NFV, and software networking more broadly. Large vendors may have the "quality" advantage on specific technologies, but as alternative approaches emerge for solving network problems more effectively (etc) the dynamics may change.

Re: Twitter tweet slugfest: Cisco ACI vs. Arista Networks

Benson Schliesser — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 19:35:21 -0000

Hey, Greg (and Joe and others) -

Not to nit-pick, but I think this is a topic that is frequently confused and abused: the weight and "authority" of an RFC.

Just to be clear, as of this moment the VXLAN document is not published as an RFC. It is a "Internet Draft" (or I-D) which can be thought of as a pre-RFC draft version of a document. Some I-D documents become RFCs, many do not. The VXLAN draft is in the final stages of publication and should be released as an RFC soon. (see https://datatracker.ietf.or... for the latest status and history of the publication process)

Now for the important subtlety that so many people overlook and/or abuse: Not all RFCs are created equally. The IETF offers multiple ways for a document to be published as an RFC. In the case of VXLAN the document is being published via the "Independent" stream, which means that it is not a product of the IETF. (see e.g. http://tools.ietf.org/html/... for more details on publication streams) And of course you're correct to point out that each IETF RFC has an additional status as "Informational" or "Proposed Standard" etc. Thus, frequently when people refer to an "RFC standard" it is a misnomer. Just because a document is published as an RFC doesn't mean that it has any particular weight.

For what it's worth, the VXLAN document has actually gone through a number of reviews (both formal and informal) and it apparently documents an interoperable protocol format with multiple implementations. So I think it's fair to say that it deserves publication, and I'm not trying to pick on VXLAN or the document. But I do think it's helpful to call a spade a spade.

What's more interesting in my opinion is the discussion comparing VXLAN and LISP, and a discussion comparing fixed format headers (like VXLAN) versus variable / extensible header formats (like GENEVE), and perhaps a meta-discussion about vendor competitive tactics (like "embrace and extend") in these protocols. I think Cisco and VMware, and perhaps others who are playing this competitive game, are creating a lot of risk for the customers...

Cheers,
-Benson

Re: Service Models – “Pets and Cattle”

Benson Schliesser — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:39:46 -0000

I tweeted it. Maybe that's what you saw?

I got the link from http://irq.tumblr.com/ so really @aneel deserves credit.

In any case, I think it's brilliant. But taking the analogy too far gets awkward... You know, because some of us eat cows - hopefully before they get ill. :)

Re: Official: Cisco Says The ACE is not dead. It’s just resting.

Benson Schliesser — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:58:27 -0000

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Re: PacketPushers- Ethan Banks: Why Salespeople Sell To Others In Your Organization But Not You

Benson Schliesser — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:49:03 -0000

I heard a quote a couple years ago, something to the effect that "engineers ask questions; business people write checks". :) In my experience, the best thing an engineer can do is become a trusted advisor to the business, so they don't feel comfortable writing checks until after the engineer has asked their questions. Otherwise, the engineer gets stuck with the aftermath of bad purchases.

Re: Why Gigamon Scares The Crap Out of Me

Benson Schliesser — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:55:23 -0000

Like any tool, it can be used for good or bad.

For example many service provider routers have support for Lawful Intercept functionality (i.e. wiretaps). This is necessary to comply with U.S. legal requirements, to facilitate wiretaps that are used to prevent crime and terrorism etc. On the other hand these wiretap tools can be misused by governments around the world to invade privacy, suppress dissent, etc.

There are many other examples that one might consider, but the essential point is generally the same - technology doesn't violate human rights, people that misuse technology do. We either make it a crime for good guys to use technology, or we risk the possibility that bad guys will also use the same technology. :(

Re: Scripting News: How using labels like liberal or lefty labels you

Benson Schliesser — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 11:43:48 -0000

I agree. But I also think humans have a natural desire to label themselves... to build self-identity, to fit into a group, and/or to be lazy. Thus the biggest problem is that we have too few categories. Why do we accept a 2-party system when we, as a people, are arrayed across such a diverse multi-dimensional spectrum of opinions? It's disempowering. It's bollocks. It's a system of control that we must reject.

Re: Poll on Missouri Proposition B (Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act)

Benson Schliesser — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:03:02 -0000

It is fair to question where "50" came from, and why it's better than any other arbitrary number. I suspect it's an approximation of how many breeding dogs (in addition to their offspring) that a single entity can actually take care of at a single location. (If you read the law, it specifies 50 breeding dogs... there could be a further ~400 individual dogs during a breeding season.)

Perhaps this could be improved by scaling with the number of full-time employees, distinct locations, etc. But 50 is a great starting point given our current environment of puppy mills in Missouri.

Re: Poll on Missouri Proposition B (Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act)

Benson Schliesser — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:59:50 -0000

I'm amazed that anybody takes opposition to this law seriously. It's a vocal minority of selfish people, followed by a small contingent of the mindlessly idealistic (i.e. political fanatics with "results-be-damned" attitudes).

Regardless, the proposed law would simply make it easier to enforce animal cruelty prohibitions. Requiring dog breeders to treat their animals humanely should be the baseline; it's not an excessive requirement. Opposition doesn't even address this issue, preferring to complain about how it will hurt their personal wealth and making up scenarios in which our economy crashes. The truth is that dog breeders don't significantly impact our state economy. Further, a well-regulated industry can actually improve the economic results. And most importantly, it doesn't matter if a few thousand people struggle as a result of this law: we don't legalize heroin and cocaine simply because a few thousand dealers would like to make more money off the trade.

We need to stop giving such attention to vocal minorities pushing stupid agendas. We the people are responsible for governing ourselves and this includes regulating unethical behavior. This is our duty to ourselves, and to the animals in our care.

Re: POTD 26.Aug.2010 – Hummingbird Moment

Benson Schliesser — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:02:27 -0000

Just don't spill your drink. ;)

Believe it or not, this is my backyard. Em has been filling a bunch of Hummingbird feeders all year, and we've collected a few regular visitors. Check out some better images on my Flickr account; I posted 6 photos earlier starting with http://www.flickr.com/photo.... They're not perfect, but they're pretty.

Re: Broadband vs. Internet Speed: Not So Fast

Benson Schliesser — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:08:14 -0000

Thanks for the link to your post "The need for a broadband transparency standard" (http://www.digitalsociety.o.... It does a better job outlining the issues, including a reference to oversubscription which is missing in your more recent article.

If you confine your view of the service provider's performance to sync rates and frame overhead, then it's a logical conclusion that the server is to blame. That's the direction in which the fax machine analogy misleads the reader. To your credit the article was updated to talk about transmission protocol (i.e. TCP) performance, which is another important factor. But it's a factor that can't fairly be assigned to anybody (user, server, OS vendor, broadband provider, etc) which I suspect is why you're happy to include it.

My frank suggestion is that you also consider more of the "middle" of the network path, specifically focusing on the part that is managed by the broadband service provider. Since oversubscription rates (on aggregation and core routers, as well as transit and peering links) within a broadband provider's network are critical to performance, I don't understand why you're hesitant to address them. Your comments on the New America OTI proposal (http://www.digitalsociety.o... also express a desire to avoid looking at oversubscription.

If you think oversubscription shouldn't be regulated, I agree with you. Oversubscription may not even need to be documented, per se, since it will be misunderstood and can be easily gamed. But it should be examined in the conversation. Perhaps the result of such a discussion is to agree on a proxy or set of proxies for network performance (such as packet loss, latency, and jitter) as it might be impacted by oversubscription. Commercial ISPs do this already in Service Level Agreements; might it be a good method for broadband providers to represent their network quality?

Re: Broadband vs. Internet Speed: Not So Fast

Benson Schliesser — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:06:06 -0000

Since I published this yesterday, the original article “Conflating broadband speed with Internet speed is misleading“ was updated with some more information about the effect of latency on TCP. It also now includes a recommendation to use multiple streams to measure effective throughput. This is a good addition to the article, and gets closer to the truth. Still no discussion of provider oversubscription, but a step in the right direction.

Re: Cisco Cius – That’s not Innovation, it’s ME TOO.

Benson Schliesser — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 16:35:23 -0000

I agree with most of your points; fundamentally, the Cius is just a tablet running Android... or will be, when it ships. But I am excited about the video conferencing.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with previous video conferencing tools including Telepresence has been the lack of accessibility. The devices have been expensive, required (relatively) lots of bandwidth, and were generally deployed in closed networks. If the Cius helps drive lower costs and open connectivity, then it will be a success.

Of course I wouldn't be surprised if in the future Cisco collaboration apps show up in the Android marketplace, etc. The tablet-phone-workstation concept is an interesting design, but not the critical part of their innovation.

Re: Knee at 6 Weeks

Benson Schliesser — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:22:06 -0000

I didn't realize I needed physical security around my workspace... I'm surprised that my posters, toys, and mounds of paper weren't enough to scare people away. :)

Regardless, thanks for your protection. Hopefully I'll be back at work soon, and I can chase people off with my crutches.

Re: Ortho Follow-up, Stitches Removed

Benson Schliesser — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:08:15 -0000

No worries. i'm going to incorporate my scars into the work... not sure how, yet, but definitely planning it.

Re: After Surgery

Benson Schliesser — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:50:05 -0000

Thanks for the offer, Dave. :)

I hope your trip to NY is going well!

Re: This Is The Beach Where I Broke My Knee

Benson Schliesser — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:44:59 -0000

I'd like to go back, because Cedar Key was beautiful. But I don't think I'll be jumping off swings for a long time to come... :(

Re: After Surgery

Benson Schliesser — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:26:07 -0000

Emily informs me that this was taken before surgery, not afterward. Either way it sums up how I've been feeling. *shrug*

Re: POTD 02.Jan.2010

Benson Schliesser — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:44:41 -0000

I think you're right... If I recall correctly, we sat in traffic in Pigeon Forge, TN (where this picture was taken) for an hour or two. A chai tea would definitely have made its way through me in that time. ;)

Re: I’m Offering Google Wave Invitations in Exchange for Poetry

Benson Schliesser — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:34:20 -0000

Another poem, which I confess to be AWESOME, was sent to me privately via Facebook.

Maximum queuing delay is clouding my mind
To seek Walden or Thoreau takes too way much time
Yet life in the fast lane is life left behind
Pray tell, how does a wave help express the sublime?

Re: I’m Offering Google Wave Invitations in Exchange for Poetry

Benson Schliesser — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:22:55 -0000

I received the following from my sister, Lili, who said it was part of a song she's writing:

They're doing it for the kids
Because the right inspiration is so hard to find...
And to really understand they'd have to lose your minds
So, they're doing it for the kids

She demanded that I "PAY UP!", so I'd better take her seriously even if she is my little sister...

Re: Comment on Enterprise Transition to Cloud

Benson Schliesser — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:18:04 -0000

Since these blog posts get auto-imported to Facebook as "notes", I often have commentary there which doesn't get reflected on this blog. However I wanted to share a brief exchange related to this post, which is interesting.

Nic Thomas: Do you see the financial industry moving over to clouds in the future as well? I think the biggest drawback to enterprises moving over is that they have already invested huge amounts of funds into data centers they own and control. Waiting for their ROI suggests they couldn't even move to a cloud anytime in the near future....like decades future. ... See MoreLegacy systems is one hurdle, but I think breaking out of the endless upgrade cycle datacenters have to go through is another that simply will not be broken.

And I responded:

Benson Schliesser: It's a complicated topic, I'm sorry to say...

Many firms in the financial industry are pretty good about recognizing the "sunk cost fallacy", and are able to abandon an investment if the net benefit is greater. Enterprises as a general class are not as good at this, but the great thing about cloud is the lack of a capex requirement. So, while I ... See Moreagree that there are plenty of folks that won't move to cloud because of ROI on existing projects, I think we will see this migration happen earlier than e.g. in-house IT refreshes would otherwise.

Having said that, it's still important to recognize the limits of cloud's usefulness. There are plenty of apps that will do better and/or cost less in a cloud. And access to cloud resources will allow IT folks to experiment more than before. But some apps will still do better on dedicated hardware, and some data will still reside in the enterprise data center. I think cloud architecture will become dominant over the next decade, but the enterprise environment will be hybrid.

Re: Announcing CloudCamp St. Louis – 10 Dec. 2009

Benson Schliesser — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:25:55 -0000

Alex Miller posted a note about the upcoming CloudCamp STL on his blog at http://puredanger.com/tech/... and started a Facebook community at http://www.facebook.com/pag....

Re: Frosting the FCoE Cake…

Benson Schliesser — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:46:44 -0000

Artificial limitations on preexisting features, creating a false economy...

I guess the cake is a lie.

Re: Suicide Rate at France Telecom

Benson Schliesser — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:27:56 -0000

Thanks for the comment, dfb. I've updated the post to reflect more accurate numbers, and I apologize for the mistake.

Cheers,
-Benson

Disqus - Latest Comments for bensons

Re: Thought: Why Are There No Good Open Source BGP Implementations ?

Re: Twitter tweet slugfest: Cisco ACI vs. Arista Networks

Re: Service Models – “Pets and Cattle”

Re: Official: Cisco Says The ACE is not dead. It’s just resting.

Re: PacketPushers- Ethan Banks: Why Salespeople Sell To Others In Your Organization But Not You

Re: Why Gigamon Scares The Crap Out of Me

Re: Scripting News: How using labels like liberal or lefty labels *you*

Re: Poll on Missouri Proposition B (Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act)

Re: Poll on Missouri Proposition B (Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act)

Re: POTD 26.Aug.2010 – Hummingbird Moment

Re: Broadband vs. Internet Speed: Not So Fast

Re: Broadband vs. Internet Speed: Not So Fast

Re: Cisco Cius – That’s not Innovation, it’s ME TOO.

Re: Knee at 6 Weeks

Re: Ortho Follow-up, Stitches Removed

Re: After Surgery

Re: This Is The Beach Where I Broke My Knee

Re: After Surgery

Re: POTD 02.Jan.2010

Re: I’m Offering Google Wave Invitations in Exchange for Poetry

Re: I’m Offering Google Wave Invitations in Exchange for Poetry

Re: Comment on Enterprise Transition to Cloud

Re: Announcing CloudCamp St. Louis – 10 Dec. 2009

Re: Frosting the FCoE Cake…

Re: Suicide Rate at France Telecom

Re: Scripting News: How using labels like liberal or lefty labels you