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Articles written by Kevin Dooley
Network management
Network Documentation Best Practices: What to Create & Why
Everybody agrees network documentation is extremely important, but there tends not to be a lot of agreement on what that documentation…
Network management
Network Redundancy and Why It Matters
Complexity is an enemy to reliability. The more complex something is, the harder it is to understand, the greater the chance of human…
Network configuration
Network Configuration Management: The Benefits & Importance
Configuration management is one of those network management topics people often neglect. It’s not very exciting—but it’s incredibly…
Network topology & mapping
How to Draw Effective Network Diagrams (Infographic)
A network diagram is, simply put, a schematic or map of your existing network that illustrates the nodes and their connections. Network…
Network management
How to Troubleshoot Routing Problems
Routing problems tend to emerge when you're first setting up a new piece of network equipment, and when something has failed. Usually…
Troubleshooting
Finding & Fixing Asymmetric Routing Issues
The workstation at the bottom sends a packet to the server along the green path, and it goes through the firewall on the left. But,…
Cybersecurity
Defending Your Network Infrastructure Against Attack
Since perfect network security is impossible, your goal is to cover as many of the risk areas as you can with the budget you have. In…
Network topology & mapping
What Is a Network Diagram?
What is a network diagram and why is it important for your business? Learn more about the importance and purpose of a network diagram…
Network management
How to Draw Network Diagrams
Good network diagrams aren't hard to make, yet they're distressingly rare. Even network engineers with years of experience often make…
Network configuration
5 Steps to Configure Cisco AnyConnect VPN
Follow these 5 simple steps to configure Cisco AnyConnect VPN on ASA firewalls for your network.
Network management
What are Network Address Translation and Port Address Translation?
NAT—network address translation—is an important tool for both conserving IP addresses and enhancing security. Here's how it works.
Cybersecurity
The Pros and Cons of VPN Split Tunneling
Should you use VPN split tunneling? Here's what you need to know to decide.
Network configuration
Configuring and Troubleshooting Multicast Protocols
There are two important protocols required to get your network to forward multicast packets. Here's how to configure & troubleshoot them.
Network management
What is Multicast Networking and How Does It Work?
Multicast networking is based on the concept that a single packet can be sent by a server & it will be received by many receivers. Here's…
Network management
Special IP Address Ranges and When to Use Them
There are several special IP address ranges that have specific purposes. Network engineer Kevin Dooley explains what they are & the…
Network management
Subnetting: What it is and how it Works
You don't need that subnet calculator! Not when you have this handy guide to subnetting using both mask and CIDR notation.
Cybersecurity
Implementing a Bring Your Own Device Policy in Your Organization
A bring your own device policy is more important than ever since users can bring unsecured personal devices into your office. Here's how…
Cybersecurity
What is a zero-trust network?
The cybersecurity landscape has changed a lot thanks to the increase in cloud-based services, and zero-trust is now an extremely…
Network configuration
How to Configure Syslog on a Cisco Device
Every modern network device has at least some syslog capabilities. Learn all you need to know about how to configure syslog on Cisco…
Network monitoring
What Is Syslog and How Does It Work?
Almost every device on a network has a syslog agent you can use to send messages to a central location. Here's how the network-based…
Network management
An Introduction to Web Proxies
Web proxies intercept traffic from your systems as they move to others, analyze the packets, and send the data along.
Cybersecurity
Not All Hacks Are the Same, Plan Your Network Defenses Accordingly
There’s a vast difference between the incredibly sophisticated long-term attacks against high-profile companies and government…
Network management
3 Switch Features You Should Never Change
In a handful of recent incidents, I helped clients troubleshoot network problems. The errors turned out to be switch features that were…
Network management
Network Time Synchronization: Why and How It Works
One of the keys to effective network management is syncing clocks on all network devices. There are really two ways to do it.
Cloud
The New DR: What To Do When the Internet Is Down
With the move to cloud, disaster recovery has become a special challenge. You now have to worry about what you’ll do if the Internet…
Network management
How to Adjust TCP Window Size to Improve Network Performance
Are you seeing poor network performance but with link utilization well below 100%? You might have an issue with your TCP window size.…
Firewalls
What to Look for in a Next-Generation Firewall
Considering a next-generation firewall? To help you understand the huge array of available options, engineer Kevin Dooley describes the…
Firewalls
Cisco ASA ACL Best Practices and Examples
ACL on a Cisco ASA firewall looks simple, but becomes unwieldy if not organized and managed. Learn more about Cisco ASA ACL best…
Network management
6 Common Spanning Tree Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Spanning tree is a Good Thing. It saves you from loops, which will completely shut down your client's network. But it has to be…
Network management
Network Basics: What Is Link Aggregation & How Does It Work?
Link aggregation is a way of bundling a bunch of individual Ethernet links together so they act like a single logical link. Learn more on…
Network management
The 4 Steps to Safely Removing a Network Device
Unused gear sitting on a network can get very expensive. Get it off there! Here are some general best practices for removing network…
Cloud
Managing User Access & Authentication in a Cloud-Hosted Environment
One of the things that becomes more important in a cloud-based application environment is managing user access and authentication. Part 3…
Cloud
Configuring an Internet Connection for a Cloud-Hosted Environment
When a company’s application infrastructure moves to the cloud, a reliable Internet connection becomes mandatory. Unfortunately, the…
Cloud
Here’s What a Network Needs After a Cloud Migration
In this three-part series, we dig into the implications of a cloud migration and outline some of the network changes that are required to…
Firewalls
Migrating a Cisco ASA Firewall Configuration From Old Syntax to New
Cisco made huge changes to the configuration syntax on ASA firewalls starting in version 8.3. Here are some real-world pointers for…
Cybersecurity
Google, Zero-Trust Networks, and the Future of Security
Back in January, I blogged about zero-trust network architecture as an emerging trend. Zero-trust is now in the news again with Google's…
Network configuration
How to Configure IPv6 on Cisco Devices
In this followup to What Every Network Admin Should Know About IPv6, network engineer Kevin Dooley shows you how to enable and configure…
Network configuration
What Every Network Admin Should Know About IPv6
IPv6 comes pre-enabled on a lot of network devices — that’s dangerous unless you’re in control. Here’s what you need to know to…
Cybersecurity
An Introduction to Network Authentication Protocols
Centralized authentication improves the manageability & security of your network. In this article, network engineer Kevin Dooley…
Network management
8 Networking Trends to Watch in 2015
What networking trends will we see come to life in 2015? Think security, speed, and cloud.
Business skills
How to Explain Highly Technical Ideas to Non-Technical People
Executives really appreciate techies who communicate well. It's a rare skill and it translates into promotions and bigger paychecks…
Network management
Stop! Are You About to Make One of These Network Management Mistakes?
Network pro Kevin Dooley shares the stories of four painful network management mistakes -- and tips on how you can avoid the same goofs.
Network management
Verifying Physical Connectivity
Many physical troubleshooting exercises come down to the process of swapping out elements until the problem goes away. The key is to…
Network configuration
Configuring SSH on a Cisco Device
SSH (Secure Shell) is a command line interactive interface, similar to Telnet, but encrypted. Learn how to configure it in 6 simple steps…