Nexus Port-Channels and LACP: Suspended Members
Why NX-OS rejects channel-group before feature lacp, how to read the port-channel flags legend, and what a suspended member actually means.
Networking
Vendor-neutral fundamentals that apply no matter whose box you are logged into. Addressing, encapsulation, the OSI layers in practice, and why the packet went where it did.
Latest posts — page 2
NX-OS Fundamentals: Your First Thirty Minutes on a Nexus
A practical orientation for your first console session on a Cisco Nexus: what the box is, what is turned on, which VRF you are in, and how to save it properly.
NX-OS vs IOS XE: What Changes on Your First Nexus
If you know IOS XE cold, most of NX-OS will feel familiar until it suddenly does not. Here are the six differences that bite on day one, with real Nexus 9000v output.
SD-Access Design Questions: Where Fabrics Fit and Where They Don't
Not every network should be a fabric. This article covers where SD-Access earns its controller, identity service, and hardware requirements, and where a senior engineer should say no to deploying it.
SD-Access Segmentation: Macro (VN) vs Micro (SGT)
SD-Access segments in two layers: virtual networks for macro-segmentation and SGTs for micro-segmentation. This post explains what each layer isolates, how they combine, and where the policy is actually enforced.
SD-Access Border Handoff: IP Transit, SDA Transit, and L2 Handoff
The border node is where an SD-Access fabric meets everything else, and where IP transit, SDA transit, and Layer 2 handoff get confused. Untangle all three and see how VRF-lite, BGP, and LISP carry traffic out of the fabric.
SD-Access Host Onboarding: From Port to Policy
An endpoint plugs in and seconds later it is in the right virtual network with the right SGT and policy. This article walks SD-Access host onboarding from physical port to enforced policy: 802.1X, SGT assignment, and LISP registration.
SD-Access Fabric Roles: Edge, Border, Control Plane, and Fabric in a Box
An SD-Access fabric is a set of roles: edge, border, control plane, and fabric in a box. This guide explains what each role runs (LISP, VXLAN) and which pieces you can verify standalone versus what needs Catalyst Center.
SD-Access Underlay: Manual vs LAN Automation
The SD-Access underlay is just a well-built IGP giving every fabric node loopback reachability. Compare building it manually vs with LAN Automation, and see what truly needs Catalyst Center.
On-Prem vs Cloud Network Design: What ENCOR Wants You to Know
What changes when the servers are someone else's, what stays the same, and where the new failure modes and cost traps hide. On-prem vs cloud network design at the depth ENCOR expects a network engineer to reason about.
High Availability Techniques: SSO, NSF, and Graceful Restart
SSO, NSF, and graceful restart work together so a supervisor failure or software upgrade barely ripples traffic. This CCNP-depth article explains the division of labor between them, with an honest note on what the lab can show.
Enterprise Campus Design: 2-Tier vs 3-Tier at CCNP Depth
Two-tier vs three-tier campus design and the spine-leaf alternative at the depth ENCOR expects: what each layer does, when to pick each design, and how the pieces connect to QoS and network virtualization.