The Hedge 12: Cyberinsecurity with Andrew Odlyzko

By Russ | 13 November 2019 | Comments Off on The Hedge 12: Cyberinsecurity with Andrew Odlyzko

There is a rising tide of security breaches. There is an even faster rising tide of hysteria over the ostensible reason for these breaches, namely the deficient state of our information infrastructure. Yet the world is doing remarkably well overall, and has not suffered any of the oft-threatened giant digital catastrophes. Andrew Odlyzko joins Tom Ammon and I to talk about cyber insecurity.

History of Networking: DUAL with JJ Garcia

By Russ | 12 November 2019 | Comments Off on History of Networking: DUAL with JJ Garcia

JJ Garcia is Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and Jack Baskin Endowed Chair of Computer Engineering at USC Santa Cruz. He first became involved in packet networks in the 1980’s, eventually inventing the Diffusing Update Algorithm (DUAL), which later became the basis for the Enhanced Interior Gateway Protocol (EIGRP). You can find more information about Dr. Garcia at his personal page.

The Hedge 11: Roland Dobbins on Working Remotely

By Russ | 6 November 2019 | Comments Off on The Hedge 11: Roland Dobbins on Working Remotely

Network engineering and operations are both “mental work” that can largely be done remotely—but working remote is not only great in many ways, it is also often fraught with problems. In this episode of the Hedge, Roland Dobbins joins Tom and Russ to discuss the ins and outs of working remote, including some strategies we have found effective at removing many of the negative aspects.

The Hedge 10: Pavel Odintsov and Fastnetmon

By Russ | 22 October 2019 | Comments Off on The Hedge 10: Pavel Odintsov and Fastnetmon

Fastnetmon began life as an open source DDoS detection tool, but has grown in scope over time. By connecting Fastnetmon to open source BGP implementations, operators can take action when a denial of service event is detected, triggering black holes and changing route preferences. Pavel Odintsov joins us to talk about this interesting and useful open source project.

History of CSNET with Larry Landweber

By Russ | 15 October 2019 |

Larry Landweber is John P. Morgridge Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He founded the CSNET project in 2979, one of the earliest networks eventually contributing to the creation of the Internet as it exists today. The CSNET eventually became National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET). Larry is credited with making the decision to use TCP/IP on CSNET.

The Hedge 9: Nash King and Ethics in IT

By Russ | 8 October 2019 | Comments Off on The Hedge 9: Nash King and Ethics in IT

Nash King (@gammacapricorni) joins Russ White and Tom Ammon in a wide ranging discussion of ethics in IT, including being comfortable with standing up and saying “no” when asked to do something you consider unethical and the virtue ethic. This is meant to be the first of a series of episodes on this topic.

The Hedge 8: Open Source and the Future of Routing Software

By Russ | 2 October 2019 | Comments Off on The Hedge 8: Open Source and the Future of Routing Software

Almost every company relies on open source software in some way, which leads to the natural question—how will the heart of the network, routing and switching, be impacted by open source software? In this episode of the Hedge, Sue Hares, Donald Sharp, and Russ White discuss the current and future world of open source routing software. Donald is one of the main drivers of the FR Routing open source routing stack; Russ White is a maintainer on the project and is still deeply involved in commercial routing software, and Sue Hares was deeply involved in the origins of the GateD open source routing stack.

History of P4

By Russ | 1 October 2019 | Comments Off on History of P4


Nick McKeown developed the open source P4 language for describing how a switching engine processes packets, allowing engineers to specify and implement customized forwarding to support policy and new protocols in the field. Dr. McKeown joins us on this episode of the History of Networking to discuss the origins of P4, and the motivations behind its development.

The Hedge 7: Leslie Daigle and Internet Invariants

By Russ | 24 September 2019 | Comments Off on The Hedge 7: Leslie Daigle and Internet Invariants

Some things always change, and some things never change. In this episode of the Hedge, Leslie Daigle joins Phill Simonds and Russ White to discuss her research into the things that do not change—and whether or not those things really have changed over the years since her original report for the Internet Society on Internet invariants.

History of GateD

By Russ | 17 September 2019 | Comments Off on History of GateD

Sue Hares, cochair of the IDR and I2RS working groups in the IETF, joins Donald Sharp and Russ White to talk about the origins of one of the first open source routing stacks, GateD. Sue was involved in MERIT and the university programs that originated this open source software, and managed its transition to a commercial offering.