ExplaiNerds

Cisco's single-chip ASIC-based architecture dubbed Silicon One breaks so many well-established precepts, it can help to approach some of the biggest ones first. In fact, once you can accept that a single silicon design, can work well for both routing and switching, other breakthrough claims become easier to swallow as the hyperbole begins to make sense.Distinctions between routing and switching often feel superfluous to the casual observer. Hardware differences are justified by the unique role or place in the network. A network, by definition, requires coordination between elements built from different architecture. Network operators dedicate many resources to refining the orchestration these elements require to squeeze maximum results as they optimize both speed and efficiency. Operators have had to spend a lot of time testing features across the network as a result. Silicon One offers the first single silicon architecture serving different market segments and different functions in its bid to sharply cut operator OpEx.Now, I prefer my marketing promises as more of an amuse-bouche. Something tasty and promising upfront immediately followed with a profound entree of technical proof points. At first pass, the sheer number of marketing promises from this launch threatens to overwhelm the palate.Programmable and flexible without any performance trade-offsOut-pacing Moore's Law by an impressive 3xA 10.8Tb/s system using only 415W of power (equating to a 163x improvement in power efficiency).This podcast is the inevitably incomplete back story for Cisco Silicon One. This audio will more than likely trigger you in multiple ways. I only ask that you listen closely and do your best to push past any cognitive bias this reveals.Research shows that when people are resistant to change, it helps to reinforce what will stay the same. Visions for change are more compelling when they include visions of continuity.- From the book, ‘Think Again,' by Adam Grant.Listen and learn as we explore:What it means for Cisco to be a fabless semiconductor company.How research showing diminished returns for the entire industry drove Cisco to re-think what was possible.Improbable first meetings with the creators of the Jericho DNX line of chips.The audacity to consider erasing well-worn boundaries between routing and switching.How architecture level changes can ripple into completely unexpected efficiency gains.Striking the balance of engineering trade-offs inherent to different design choices.How to read the sub-text inherent to the glowing network data sheets we spend on for better decision making. 00:00 - The Launch05:44 - Part 1: Fabless15:04 - Erasing Hard Boundaries24:07 - Value Proposition29:35 - Part 2: Making Memory41:10 - Part 3: Router comparisons are not easy47:51 - It's Amazing

There are a number of industry trends now converging on a singular decision point for network designers looking to remain competitive going forward. In the wake of crushing traffic volume rising without any positive revenue correlation, network investments become all the more perilous. Cisco’s Cloud Native BNG may be one of the best examples of how a singular set of technologies form the nadir from which new profitable services emerge.Join us as we spend the next hour sharing the innovation, the history and the opportunities that lead to this point, plus a set of specific guideposts you should be watching for.You will learn:⁃ What pressures are building on our most common network designs.⁃ Why Cisco chose to re-create a new BNG architecture from scratch.⁃ How 5G is fueling the need for common policy across access types⁃ How convergence can drive immediate cost benefits.⁃ Where automation accelerates a simplified networkThis and so much more.

The Cisco NCS 500 series access family promises the most appealing answer to the challenges faced by service providers.Part 1 of our 2 part series covered hardware details along with benefits of using segment routing to direct application behavior on the network and EVPN as a framework to provision new services without having to stitch protocols together. In part 2, we cover the architectural changes to what used to be called the backhaul spurred by the new eCPRI or enhanced Common Public Radio Interface which is fully supported in the NCS 500 series.For the very first time, service providers have the ability to simply extend their SDN style core network all the way out to the very end of the network hosting multiple business services beyond wireless mobility. ExplaiNerds host Robb Boyd digs into the details with Director of Product Management Prakash Daga, Product Manager Sairam Potnuru and Technical Marketing Engineer Akshaya Kumar. Cisco Network Convergence System 500 Series RoutersRobb Boyd@robbboydwww.explainerds.net

The Cisco NCS 500 series access family promises the most appealing answer to the challenges faced by service providers.IOS-XR makes it debut in the access layer offering to extend the network fabric into areas previously dominated by finicky older protocols supporting legacy services. Part 1 of our 2 part series introduces two new router families.  The NCS 540 series of fixed, hardened, 1 RU boxes and the NCS 560 modular chassis based systems. ExplaiNerds host Robb Boyd digs into the details with Director of Product Management Prakash Daga, Product Manager Sairam Potnuru and Technical Marketing Engineer Akshaya Kumar.  They dive into the benefits of an end to end operating system model offering convergence all the way to the 5G radio tower.  They make a compelling argument for this moment, largely driven by 5G NR, to become the tipping point for finally building a software defined network.  Segment Routing and EVPN are discussed in detail. Cisco Network Convergence System 500 Series RoutersRobb Boyd@robbboydwww.explainerds.net

With Cisco forecasting 30 billion connected devices by 2023, service providers must be prepared for an onslaught of network traffic that will ride the tide of this IoT- and 5G-enabled tsunami. Cisco’s recently announced Network Convergence System (NCS) 5700 is poised to help them do exactly that – delivering high-density 400 gigabit Ethernet (GE) line cards that can run inside customers’ existing 5500 series chassis!In Cisco NCS 5700: Massive scale for the 5500, ExplaiNerds Podcast host Robb Boyd sits down with Cisco’s Mass Scale Infrastructure Group to learn more about this new Jericho2-based platform and how the team managed such a major leap forward in capacity, speed, and efficiency, while still remaining backward-compatible with the entire portfolio of 5500 series products.Cisco Network Convergence System 5500 Series: 400GE Line Cards Data SheetCisco Maps IP-led Path to 5G Profitability With New Lineup of Cloud Software and Hardware for Mobile Networks  Robb Boyd@robbboydwww.explainerds.net

Once again, Cisco has geared up its ASR 9000 Series Routers with greater functionality, throughput, and scale in a smaller, more efficient package. The new 5th generation line card gives service providers the performance punch they need to meet unprecedented bandwidth demand. But what about providers with prior-generation ASR Routers who aren’t ready to turn up all that bandwidth? Cisco has them covered. Ports on the new line card can be activated only when needed, even within ASR chassis installed ten years ago. In Cisco ASR 9000: The Innovation Never Stops, host Robb Boyd sits down with Cisco’s Kevin Wollenweber, Shahzad Burney, and Gautam Renjen to break down the silicon, software, and pricing advantages of the new 5th generation line card.Cisco ASR 9900 Series 5th Generation 32-Port 100 Gigabit Ethernet Line Card Data SheetCisco ASR 9000 Series 5th Generation High-Density Multi-Rate Line CardsRobb Boyd@robbboydwww.explainerds.net

As iOS app development explodes in popularity, development teams are faced with in an escalating set of challenges in their attempt to scale.Mac hardware is not designed for enterprise grade scale, yet it is required for iOS development.  Data Center efficiency may not be an Apple feature, but it is a problem that must be overcome to be competitive. Multiple developers in multiple locations cannot share anything more than a mac or two without eroding confidence and quality as things quickly devolve into chaos. Learn how MacStadium offers IAAS on Apple optimized for CI/CD tooling at scale. Today’s ExplaiNerds:Shawn Lankton, Chief Revenue Officer, MacStadiumPreston Lasebikan, Systems Engineer, MacStadiumPersonal blog: https://www.virtual-odyssey.com/Twitter: @VirtualReiseKhoa Tran, Network Architect, MacStadiumMaclane Matsuoka, Corus360Engage with these expertshttps://corus360.com/http://macstadium.comFollow Robb Boyd@robbboydwww.techwisetv.comwww.explainerds.net

It takes a lot of cables running around the entire planet just to get us the data connectivity we expect. There was a time when all those cables were copper and the companies that had put them there were certainly going to maximize that investment.  But as often happens, someone came along and saw an opportunity to disrupt it all in a very fundamental way. Dave Schaefer is CEO and founder of Cogent, a multinational Tier 1 Internet Service Provider consistently ranked as one of the top five networks in the world. Dave started with contrarian ideas formed within one of the most turbulent eras of Internet history. Hank Kilmer is VP of IP Engineering, tasked with the continued execution of Dave’s vision. Robb Boyd talks with both of them in 2018 to learn about these ideas how they hold up as Cogent approaches their 20th year in business.@robboydFor more, check out these links:www.cogentco.com/en/www.cisco.com/go/spwww.techwisetv.comwww.explainerds.net