QFX Upgrades - Check Host Version

I came across a situation where a software upgrade failed for some members in a Juniper QFX Virtual Chassis. There is a known issue with upgrades with a certain configuration...

Junos SNMP via Routing Instance

Juniper routing instances are very useful when you need separate routing tables on the one device, for example to separate customers. Junos lets you configure SNMP polling of routing instances,...

New Role with Valve

I have started a new role as a Network Engineer with Valve Corporation. My period of unemployment was short-lived, and I am gainfully employed once more.

Netlify Migration

This blog is now hosted via Netlify, rather than GitHub Pages. It is still built using Jekyll, but I updated the theme to Mediumish.

CCIE Renewed Once More - Exam 400-101 v5.1

I’ve given in to the Sunk Cost Fallacy once more: I’ve renewed my CCIE. There was a lot of foot dragging this time around, and I only had four months...

CLI Still Sucks for Automation

Using network CLI for automation has always been fragile. But it keeps surprising me with the way it breaks. This time, it was a combination of Ansible, Arista, replace: config...

Our Green Card Journey

We are now Lawful Permanent Residents of the United States - aka Green Card Holders. It took a few years to get to this point. Here’s our timeline, why we...

Replacement Strips for Screen Privacy Filter

I use a Privacy Filter on my laptop screen when traveling. I’m doing a bit of time on planes these days, and it makes a big difference. Most of my...

New Year, New Home

We have left the Bay Area, and headed North. We have moved to the Greater Seattle area - specifically the Eastside, between Bellevue and Redmond. We’ve given up the old...

CircleCI, Docker and Systemd

I have been battling to get the combination of CircleCI, Docker and systemd to play together. After much frustration, I have a workable solution. Machine Executor, privileged: true, cgroup passthrough,...

More Ansible Modules for Extreme

We published Ansible modules for Extreme SLX devices earlier this year. Now we have modules covering all the main Extreme Switching & Routing product families - SLX, VDX, MLX, EXOS,...

Ansible - Don't be Afraid of a Little Python

This year I’ve written several Ansible modules. It wasn’t that hard, yet some people claimed they had been waiting “years” for those modules. There was nothing stopping anyone else doing...