Problem solve

Problem solve

Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.

• IP subnetting: How to calculate subnet masks

  Check out IP subnetting shortcuts on how to do subnet mask calculations and break down IP address classes to route traffic within your network. Continue Reading

• Comparing cable types: Fiber vs. copper twisted pair

  What's the difference in fiber vs. copper cables? Key differences include cost, speed and more when it comes to fiber optic and copper twisted-pair cabling options. Continue Reading

• Big data: With new network analytics tools, forget analysis paralysis

  Next-generation ITOA platforms turn big data into action. These network analytics tools of tomorrow sniff out issues before they become problems for users, and even automate fixes. Continue Reading

• Network analytics: New ITOA tools stop downtime before it happens

  When it comes to improving network performance, big data alone isn't enough -- network managers need IT operations analytics (ITOA) to make sense of it all. Now, cutting-edge, "smart" ITOA tools do more than just use network analytics to diagnose ... Continue Reading

• The need for network end-to-end visibility in hybrid IT

  Understanding your network is critical, and end-to-end visibility is the key to accessing the full potential of hybrid IT. Continue Reading

• What is the difference between bit rate and baud rate?

  Learn how to understand the difference between bit rate and baud rate in this expert answer.Continue Reading

• DevOps and automation in the software-defined network

  Software-defined networking allows today's networks to keep pace with DevOps and automation demands, making rapid and reliable software delivery possible.Continue Reading

• High-speed wireless access: Fact or fiction?

  High-speed wireless access is all the rage, but one user cautions against buying into the 802.11ac hype. Yes, it's progress, but not as much as you might think.Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting network issues in an era of reduced visibility

  As networks become more complex, fundamental monitoring tools are losing their currency. But it's still possible to retain visibility and keep users happy.Continue Reading

• High-speed networks to get boost from SDN, inverse virtualization

  To advance adoption, SDN has to meet high-speed networking demands. One solution may be the emerging concept of inverse virtualization for traffic processing.Continue Reading

• Network fault management in today's complex data centers

  Network designs and technologies may change, but identifying -- and remediating -- faults is a fundamental task for today's system managers. Here's what you need to know.Continue Reading

• What duties are in the network manager job description?

  Get the inside scoop on a network manager's job description, workload and responsibilities which keep an organization's network infrastructure running smoothly.Continue Reading

• How can my company reap the advantages of SDN if its culture is risk-averse?

  SDN expert Will Murrell discusses how the advantages of SDN will speak to cautious companies only when network engineers can make a case for SDN's lower cost and high functionality.Continue Reading

• How a network security overview pays dividends

  In an age of heightened cybersecurity risks, companies still aren't spending enough to create a network security overview.Continue Reading

• A Wi-Fi design that can handle high density? Hallelujah!

  A contemporary church in Indiana celebrates its growing congregation, but an expansion creates networking challenges with its Wi-Fi design and wide area network.Continue Reading

• New WAN access options improve availability, performance

  The old last-mile delivery problem for enterprise network access has become a WAN access first-mile opportunity, as new options improve network availability and performance.Continue Reading

• How many SDN programming languages should I know?

  When it comes to programming languages, is it better to become an expert in one or a jack-of-all-trades? Networking pro Will Murrell recommends familiarizing yourself with three.Continue Reading

• Building resilient networks on a mountain, at sub-zero temps

  Freezing temperatures and dirty conditions at this underground gold mine in interior Alaska are no match for its strategy for maintaining resilient networks.Continue Reading

• How to troubleshoot iPhone and iPad connection problems

  As iPhone and iPad Wi-Fi clients proliferate in the enterprise, IT must troubleshoot Wi-Fi connection problems. Here's how to solve basic iPhone and iPad connection problems.Continue Reading

• Common network errors and their causes

  Network not behaving? Learn how to identify the most common network errors -- like discards and collisions -- and how to implement solutions to get your network humming again.Continue Reading

• Here comes Wave 2: 802.11ac reaches new heights

  There are two things every network engineer can expect to perpetually increase: the need for more bandwidth and the number of mobile devices on a wireless network.

  The first generation of wireless access points (APs) based on the Continue Reading

• A wireless network design can't be static

  In this Q&A, one network engineer describes how he's adapting his wireless network design to overcome challenges from the old world as well as the digital age.Continue Reading

• Hybrid cloud application delivery: Challenges and success stories

  Networking in hybrid clouds has been a complex task, and that includes optimizing application delivery and performance. Find out how some IT pros are overcoming those challenges.Continue Reading

• Combatting network threats: Look, Ma, no firewall!

  In this Q&A, a network engineer at the Rochester Institute of Technology explains his favorite weapons against network threats: user education and vulnerability scanning.Continue Reading

• How to troubleshoot Android Wi-Fi connection problems

  Android smartphone and tablet users now abound in the enterprise, making Android Wi-Fi connection troubleshooting a key element of enterprise wireless network connection management.Continue Reading

• Is 25 Gigabit Ethernet the cure for data center oversubscription?

  With reduced hardware costs and more flexible lanes in the physical architecture, 25 Gigabit Ethernet may offer answers in oversubscribed data centers.Continue Reading

• How can enterprises manage the cybersecurity skills gap?

  Due to the demand for professionals with backgrounds in both computer science and networking, filling cybersecurity jobs is difficult. Technology will have to play a bigger role.Continue Reading

• Rethinking network monitoring software for the user experience

  Just because the dashboard in your network monitoring software shows that everything is functional doesn't guarantee it's functioning well for users.Continue Reading

• What's the best way to handle end-of-sale devices on your network?

  A majority of organizations have end-of-sale and end-of-life devices on their networks. What's the best way to ensure your equipment is up to date?Continue Reading

• Software-defined networking security: Should we worry?

  Software-defined networking security concerns are real, and networking expert John Burke says we'll need new mitigation and defense techniques to address them.Continue Reading

• OPM hack two months later: What was learned?

  Network security expert Michele Chubirka shares her thoughts about June's OPM hack and what steps IT should take to fend off future attacks.Continue Reading

• Taking steps to avoid another OPM security breach

  The Office of Personnel Management security breach rocked the IT industry. Here's what should be done to make sure it doesn't happen again.Continue Reading

• What makes an SMB network a target for cyberattacks?

  Small and medium-sized businesses are ripe targets for hackers. What can they do to improve their protection?Continue Reading

• Choosing QoS vs. upgrade to solve link congestion

  Learn how to determine if quality of service will handle a congested link or if the capacity of your network must be increased.Continue Reading

• Mitigating the challenges of container networking

  Container networking can cause issues at scale. Networking expert Jeff Loughridge suggests ways network engineers can work around such challenges.Continue Reading

• What's the best way to protect my network from APT attacks?

  If you take some simple steps, you can help prevent advanced persistent threats from plaguing your network.Continue Reading

• What is the relationship between east-west traffic and SDN?

  SDN engineer Darien Hirotsu explains how SDN can help solve the challenges presented by east-west traffic flow in the data center.Continue Reading

• When it comes to system outages, don't prepare for the worst

  Tracking and monitoring for common potential problems is more valuable and cost-effective than planning for massive systems outages -- which may never occur.Continue Reading

• Data warehousing projects benefit from cloud and Hadoop

  SN blogs: This week, analysts discuss a new way to network a campus LAN and if ACI and NSX can work well together.Continue Reading

• Brocade app ups performance of OpenDaylight SDN

  Brocade makes generally available an OpenDaylight SDN app that improves network performance through more efficient traffic flow.Continue Reading

• Understanding the basics of a hybrid VPN

  In part two of a three-part series, an expert looks at how hybrid VPNs are impacted by the shift from private services to the public Internet.Continue Reading

• When users say the network is slow, APM tools can prove them wrong

  Not a week goes by when many network managers don't hear this complaint: "The network is slow." In this Q&A, one IT pro describes how he's often able to prove otherwise.Continue Reading

• How do you establish connections across multiple MPLS providers?

  Your company is merging: How do you link disparate WAN service providers to ensure continued connectivity?Continue Reading

• Cloud and mobility call for new network defense tactics

  As network attacks become more sophisticated, IT must equip itself with new network defense tactics.Continue Reading

• Adios, legacy network architectures: Making the jump to NSX

  Frustrated by the limits of hardware-centric network architectures, cloud provider FireHost has been testing VMware's NSX platform to improve its security.Continue Reading

• How do you create a secure VPN tunnel?

  Expert Julian Weinberger says that locking your VPN parameters can help secure your VPN tunnel by blocking users from changing configurations.Continue Reading

• What's the best way to safely preconfigure VPN access?

  Expert Julian Weinberger says limiting user VPN access can help enterprises enforce security and BYOD policies and reduce risk at the same time.Continue Reading

• Why one IT pro’s network upgrade led him from Cisco to Dell

  In this Q&A, one network admin explains how rapid growth at his company prompted a massive network upgrade that included migrating from Cisco to Dell.Continue Reading

• The WAN connection waiting game: Engineers long for faster provisioning

  It can take one to three months to install a private WAN connection at a new branch office. For many enterprises, that’s just not acceptable anymore.Continue Reading

• WAN 2.0: Say goodbye to network provisioning delays

  Network engineers have long suffered the consequences of slow provisioning times for many traditional wide area network (WAN) connections like point-to-point T1 lines or MPLS networks. They're at the mercy of carriers that can take as long as three ...Continue Reading

• Grappling with private WAN provisioning delays in the on-demand era

  Long lead times are not a new problem in private WAN provisioning, but enterprises are feeling the pain of those delays more acutely.Continue Reading

• 'Network Know-How' offers network troubleshooting techniques

  Download this free chapter excerpt from "Network Know-How" to gain insight into basic network troubleshooting techniques. Identify and solve most networking errors in your environment.Continue Reading

• Avoiding the return of the dreaded opaque network

  Virtualization and storage spark fears of a new era of black box opaqueness for today's network engineers. But hope remains.Continue Reading

• How indoor mesh wireless solved an outdoors problem

  Using an approach engineered for indoor deployments helped this system administrator solve a network connection problem in the great outdoors.Continue Reading

• How do you approach global MPLS procurement?

  An expert discussed some of the particular challenges associated with the international procurement of MPLS VPN services.Continue Reading

• Wi-Fi heat map: Secret weapon for wireless network admins

  Using heat map technology to pinpoint network activity saves time instead of sending a senior admin to do a site test survey across the entire campus.Continue Reading

• Intuit solves taxing problem with system availability tools

  Intuit uses application monitoring to ensure glitch-free performance during tax time.Continue Reading

• Latest network security threats prompt one question: ‘Are we next?'

  After the latest wave of attacks, including the most recent on Sony, network security pros are losing sleep. Can new platforms stop today's network security threats?Continue Reading

• Recent flurry of slower Ethernet speeds focuses on strategy, not acceleration

  For the first time, Ethernet innovation isn't about higher speeds. The recent push for 2.5 and 5 Gigabit Ethernet show it's all about use cases.Continue Reading

• New Ethernet speeds, 2.5 and 5 GbE, ready campus LAN for 802.11ac

  The next generation of Wi-Fi technology, 802.11ac Wave 2, will be able to push multiple gigabits of data per second, but most enterprise networks wouldn't be able to take full advantage of it with the infrastructure they have in place today. That's ...Continue Reading

• Mitigating IPv6 neighbor discovery attacks

  You might be vulnerable to IPv6 neighbor discovery attacks. But there are tools you can use to counter those threats.Continue Reading

• Using NetFlow monitoring tactics to solve bandwidth mysteries

  NetFlow eliminated the hassle of network troubleshooting after a school complained about its Internet access.Continue Reading

• IT network management and SMBs: What to look for

  Resource-challenged small, medium-sized businesses need special tools to help them oversee their networks. What to look for.Continue Reading

• How to avoid IPv6 neighbor discovery threats

  If you're ready to deploy IPv6, get ready to understand neighbor discovery and its vulnerabilities.Continue Reading

• VWAN threatens traditional three-tiered WAN design

  With vWAN providers changing the traditional three-legged WAN structure, carriers need to develop new WAN plans and services using SDN and NFV to keep enterprises on their networks.Continue Reading

• Hotel Wi-Fi security crumbles in wake of bored IT admin

  What happens when a bored IT admin meets a hotel Wi-Fi network that does not want to cooperate?Continue Reading

• Three VoIP quality killers

  Managing VoIP quality is a constant headache for engineers. Here are some ways to avoid some common problems.Continue Reading

• What's the holdup on enterprise network software adoption?

  Enterprise network software uptake is lagging due to a wide range of adoption barriers. The good news is that these challenges shouldn't be difficult to overcome.Continue Reading

• On Reddit, network pros say 'hell, no!' to SDN investment

  Let's face it: It'll be a while until we see widespread SDN investment. On this Reddit thread, network engineers demand an end to crappy marketing jargon, and tell vendors what they really need from SDN.Continue Reading

• Types of link-state advertisements (LSAs) used in Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)

  John Burke explains different types of link-state advertisements (LSAs) that would be used for Open Shortest Path First (OSPF).Continue Reading

• What is 'real SDN'?

  Networking pros continue to argue about what 'real SDN' is. Here is a breakdown of the major SDN categories that exist in research and real-world environments.Continue Reading

• Picking the best firewall software, hardware or application

  Transforming the image of securityContinue Reading

• Six considerations for big data networks

  Big data networks must be built to handle distributed resources that are simultaneously working on a single task. That'll require network resiliency, consistency and application awareness.Continue Reading

• Using the Link Layer Discovery Protocol to reveal disparate devices

  The Link Layer Discovery Protocol is a helpful tool when you need to know what's connected in your network -- regardless of vendor.Continue Reading

• If packet sniffing won't work in SDN, then what?

  Patrick Hubbard explains why Wireshark and other packet-sniffing tools aren’t ready for virtualized Layer 4-7 networks. Monitoring application server NICs could be the answer.Continue Reading

• Options abound for OpenStack implementation

  Integrating OpenStack within your existing data network takes some careful planning, but there are plenty of tools to help.Continue Reading

• How to get training on OpenDaylight controllers and APIs

  David Goldberg explains the origins of OpenDaylight controller code and offers resources for developers looking to learn more about the existing code base.Continue Reading

• Broadcom, Intel SDN offerings: What's the difference?

  Glen Kemp breaks down the differences between Broadcom and Intel SDN chips and reference designs.Continue Reading

• Good BYOD expense management hinges on clear telecom expense policies

  A cohesive telecom expense management program must be based on clear policies governing how employees are reimbursed for using their own devices.Continue Reading

• How to manage bandwidth hogs of the mobile device age

  Personal mobile devices will hog your network resources unless you are prepared. Here is what network admins must do now.Continue Reading

• PSTN-to-VoIP evolution poses identity, authentication challenges

  Going from PSTN to VoIP services, this two-part series looks at the evolution of voice and its challenges, from enabling 911 to user identification.Continue Reading

• Why are open APIs needed in a software-defined network?

  Open APIs are architectural components of a software-defined network that push configurations or information to routers and switches or other apps.Continue Reading

• Five software-defined data center tips to consider before investing

  The software-defined data center combines programmable networks, servers and storage. But these SDDC tips show you what to look for beyond basic flexibility.Continue Reading

• Is passive optical networking good for enterprises?

  An information systems engineer explains passive optical networking and how it can help an enterprise reduce costs.Continue Reading

• Software-based routers on x86 servers are becoming reality

  With stronger processing power and advanced software features, software-based routers are becoming a reality -- but only in some cases.Continue Reading

• What separates white-box software from bare-metal switches?

  Network administrators can choose between white-box software and bare-metal hardware and receive the same performance.Continue Reading

• Using dynamic ARP inspection to stop sniffing attacks

  Expert Michael Gregg discusses how dynamic Address Resolution Protocol inspection helps prevent hackers from penetrating enterprise switches.Continue Reading

• Expert discusses must-haves for secure VPN implementations

  Expert lists strong encryption settings and security policies, among others, as ways to use security and design to strengthen VPNs.Continue Reading

• In SDN optical networks, centralized control and scalability

  Technology for SDN optical networks is emerging and with it comes centralized control and dynamic bandwidth provisioning in the WAN.Continue Reading

• Enhance service delivery model with WAN, application optimization

  This Essential Guide looks at today's WAN and the steps needed to ensure your WAN remains reliable, secure and scalable enough for tomorrow's needs.Continue Reading

• Hyper-V logical networks: The answer to scalability

  When it comes time to scale Microsoft virtual environments, engineers must use Hyper-V logical networks, which enable wider connectivity.Continue Reading

• Hyper-V networking: The three virtual switches that fuel connectivity

  In this Hyper-V networking primer, learn about the three virtual switches behind Microsoft virtualization connectivity.Continue Reading

• Brocade SDN certification: What to know about its product credentials

  Brocade now offers two SDN certification credentials focused on its virtual router product platform. Here's what you need to know.Continue Reading

• Next-stage high-density switch options: What's right for you?

  All major switch vendors have rolled out new high-density, low-latency data center switches. Expert Glen Kemp looks at what makes them special.Continue Reading

• White box switches: Understanding the basics

  White box switches are finally emerging, offering a choice in network OS as well as flexibility. Are they poised to take over your network?Continue Reading

• SDN essentials: Why network orchestration and virtualization?

  The goal of SDN is dynamic networks, so it's crucial to understand the concepts of network orchestration and virtualization -- the keys to flexibility.Continue Reading

• SDN basics: Understanding centralized control and programmability

  Network engineers who want to learn about SDN basics must begin with the concepts of centralized control and network programmability.Continue Reading

• Remote access security: What is ABAC and can it protect my network?

  Expert Joerg Hirschmann illustrates the need to supplement role-based access control with attribute-based access control to boost enterprise security.Continue Reading

• How SDN and NFV simplify network service chain provisioning

  SDN and NFV simplify service chain provisioning, making it easier and cheaper to spin up applications in enterprise and service provider networks.Continue Reading

• What you need to know about duplicate IP address detection

  Read valuable expert advice about what causes IP address conflicts, and learn how to detect duplicate IP addresses in this tip.Continue Reading