Networking

Introduction If your priority is "improve security/observability without redesigning the production network", the most reliable approach is to add an observability layer: traffic access (TAP/SPAN/inline-bypass) → NPB (copy/aggregate/filter/replicat...

Introduction If you rely on switch SPAN/port mirroring for security or compliance monitoring, you're likely missing packets during bursts and may even lose error frames (e.g., CRC/short frames) that some security tools need to see. The "mirror-firs...

Summary This is not a transceiver glossary. It's a switch-port planning guide: how to map access / aggregation / core roles to the right port form factors (SFP+/SFP28/QSFP28/QSFP-DD), then choose DAC/AOC/fiber + connectors (LC vs MPO) without creating rework later. In 2026 enterpr...

Introduction Even in 2026, ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is still quietly doing a lot of work behind the scenes in IPv4 networks. IPv4 hasn't disappeared LANs are still full of Ethernet segments Every IPv4 packet still has to be delivered over a Layer 2 tec...

Introduction As networks grow more complex in 2026-more east-west traffic, more virtual machines and containers, more storage and backup traffic-the humble link aggregation group (LAG) remains one of the core building blocks of a robust design. You see link aggregati...

Introduction Ethernet cabling is still the backbone of most office and enterprise networks in 2026. Even with Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 and cloud everything, you still need reliable copper to: Connect desks, phones, cameras, and printers Uplink access switches to aggregation...

Introduction Even in 2026, 1G SFP ports haven't disappeared. They're still everywhere: Management interfaces Legacy switches, routers, firewalls Low-bandwidth uplinks Cost-sensitive links in campus and industrial networks When you're us...

Introduction IP addressing is one of those things that "just has to work" - until it doesn't. When addresses clash, leases expire, or a key server suddenly "moves," users immediately feel it as downtime, slowness, or "the network is broken." By 2026, networks are mor...

Introduction Modern data centers, clouds, and AI clusters are hungry for bandwidth: 10G/25G to servers is standard. 100G/200G/400G dominates leaf-spine fabrics. 800G and beyond are entering leading-edge environments. For all this, you do...

Introduction When Cat6 cable first appeared, it was seen as a premium upgrade over Cat5e-roughly 50% more expensive and often considered "overkill" for simple networks. Fast-forward to 2026: Gigabit Ethernet is the baseline for almost every serious network. Mult...