Total Network Operations
A podcast dedicated to network operators who keep the bitpipes running smoothly. It focuses on sharing best practices, the operations tool stack, and engaging with vendors and solution providers to get insights into new technologies and tools. Hosted by Scott Robohn.
Episodes
TNO076: Observability and Automation for AI Networking
Christian Adell and David Flores join host Scott Robohn to discuss the intersection of observability, automation, and networking in AI data centers. With AI data centers linking thousands or tens of thousands of GPUs, observability becomes a huge challenge. Scott and guests dig into those challenges, including maintaining lossless networking, managing elephant flows, and leveraging... Read more &#
TNO075: What Does Network Operations Look Like in 2030? (Sponsored)
What will network operations look like in 2030, and how can teams embrace agentic AI without losing operational control? In this sponsored episode, Rekha Shenoy and Irfahn Khimji of BackBox speak with Scott Robohn about the shift toward agentic NetOps, balancing automation with backup and rollback strategies, and the evolving role of network engineers. Episode... Read more »
TNO074: Lean Teams, Big Demands: Managing K-12 Complexity with AIOps (Sponsored)
“My goal in life is to say it’s not the network!” says Ben Shapiro, senior network engineer at Eugene (OR) School District 4J, the 6th largest school district in Oregon. He joins host Scott Robohn to discuss how to balance complexity, resiliency, legacy devices, security and more in an educational setting. He’s also a MistFit with... Read more »
TNO073: Network Automation Forum: From Simple Survey to Global Community
In this crossover episode, Scott invites William Collins and Eric Chou to do the hosting so he and Network Automation Forum (NAF) cofounder Chris Grundemann can discuss how their community emerged from a simple question: Why haven’t we seen full adoption of network automation? They discuss the growth of AutoCon and how its practitioner-focused, vendor-neutral... Read more »
TNO072: Connectivity and Community with Jason Gintert
Jason Gintert, Co-Founder of the US Networking User Association, returns to the show to discuss his key elements and events in his professional career. Jason shares valuable lessons learned from his early days in the 90’s ISP boom, the challenges of failing at scale, and his dedication to creating regional networking communities that foster genuine... Read more »
TNO071: The Network Team Is Drowning. Is AI the Life Raft? (Sponsored)
Last year, 49,000 CVEs were published, more than 130 new vulnerabilities every day. So what actually happens with all of those CVEs in your network infrastructure? In this sponsored episode, Rekha Shenoy and Irfahn Khimji of BackBox join Scott Robohn to discuss why the math of manual network operations no longer works, where traditional tools... Read more »
TNO070: Spec Driven Design (SDD) for NetOps and NetEng
NetOps engineer Lasse Haugen sits down with Scott Robohn at AutoCon 5 to explore the power of Spec Driven Design (SDD) for transforming network engineering workflows from chaotic experimentation to structured, reliable automation. Together they define what SDD is, use cases for NetOps and NetEng, how it has changed NetOps, and more. AdSpot Sponsor: NANOG,... Read more »
TNO069: Network to Code Gets Enterprise Open-Core Right with Nautobot (Sponsored)
Network to Code’s Jason Edelman, Founder and CTO; and Jeff Bradbury, VP of Marketing of Network, join host Scott Robohn for this sponsored episode to discuss open-core done right — community first, and creating a path to scalable automation results for enterprise success. They update Scott on Nautobot 3.1, which includes AI and AI agents... Read more »
TNO068: Packet Pushers Assemble! Bridging the Telemetry Divide
Today, several members of our Packet Pushers podcast team assemble to discuss whether the grass is greener on the NetOps or DevOps side of the telemetry fence. William of The Cloud Gambit, Scott of Total Network Operations, and Ned and Kyler of Day Two DevOps discuss the difficulties and differences of getting telemetry and state... Read more »
TNO067: The Impact of AI on Internet Traffic
Scott Robohn sits down with guests Lenny Giuliano and Russ White to examine whether generative AI will affect internet traffic patterns. Together they explore the role of CDNs, the importance of latency, and the potential for a shift toward edge-based inference. They also discuss the impact of data sovereignty on infrastructure and the potential return... Read more »
TNO066: Tom Hollingsworth Before Tech Field Day
Tom Hollingsworth joins Scott Robohn to share his professional journey from a hands-on network engineer and CCIE to his current role leading events at Tech Field Day. He talks about the cyclical nature of networking hype, and advocates for specialized, subject-specific tech models over broad AI solutions. They also discuss the delicate art of facilitating... Read more »
TNO065: The Operational Reality of Modern Wireless Networks
Scott sits down with Wi-Fi engineer Eva Santos to explore the realities of modern wireless operations. Eva shares insights on navigating site surveys, the differences between Wi-Fi bands, and the challenges of troubleshooting inconsistent client performance. The conversation also explores the evolving standards of Wi-Fi 6, 7, and 8, the role of security protocols like... Read more »
TNO064: The Realities of Running SONiC at Scale
Scott is joined by Brett Lykins, a Senior Systems Development Engineer at Amazon. Brett works with software-defined infrastructure built around SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud). Together they dig into what it’s actually like to use, maintain, and operate a network this way. They also discuss not just the architecture, but the day-to-day... Read more »
TNO063: Automating Human-Centric NetOps is Finally Achievable
Scott sits down with Avi Freedman, CEO and co-founder of Kentik, to discuss if AI has advanced enough to automate human-centric NetOps. Together they caution against vendor hype regarding closed-loop network automation despite the progress AI has made. Avi also shares his personal experiences in the industry and the hard won lessons he learned along... Read more »
TNO062: SONiC for Open Networking with Jeff Doyle
Scott Robohn is joined by networking legend Jeff Doyle to help us understand SONiC: Software for Open Networking in the Cloud. SONiC is an open-source network operating system and has been adopted by hyperscalers to run some of the world’s largest data centers. But SONiC can also be used by enterprises and service providers. Jeff... Read more »
TNO061: Networking Theory and Practice; Networking in the Classroom Today
Scott Robohn sits down with Andy Smith, a distinguished engineer with Arrcus Networks, where he and his team work to advance networking with modern software and new architectures. He’s also a lecturer at the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Andy shares his networking journey, talks about how networks and... Read more »
TNO060: Think Like an Architect
Today we welcome Damien Garros, Co-Founder and CEO of OpsMill, to discuss how network automation is creating the need to redefine roles beyond traditional engineers, including network automation architects, software developers, and operations specialists. We hone in on the concept of mechanics, who focus on implementation, and architects who see the bigger picture. We also... Read more »
TNO059: Design for Operations: Getting Vendor Support in the Ops Ecosystem
Scott Robohn and networking expert Russ White dive into the concept of design for operations. That is, they look at how to connect the design of a protocol or solution to how people are actually going to use it. They examine how protocol designers often overlook the teams that must operate them, creating some “inoperable”... Read more »
TNO058: Detect. Prove. Predict. Turning Network Monitoring Into Operational Intelligence (Sponsored)
In this sponsored episode, Dylan Hensler, Customer Solutions Specialist with Statseeker, joins Scott for a breakdown of what allows Statseeker to move beyond traditional network monitoring. Together they discuss Statseeker’s ability to help NetOps teams detect issues faster, prove root cause, and operate with confidence by turning raw data into operational intelligence. They also discuss...
TNO057: The Self-Driving Network, Revisited
Scott sits down for an in-depth conversation with Kireeti Kompella. Together they explore his impactful career and the evolution of modern networking. Kireeti, a key figure in protocol development, shares his journey from the Kernel Group at Juniper to leading work on fundamental technologies including his contributions to the C-chip patent. AdSpot Sponsor: Meter Meter... Read more »
TNO056: A Culture of Precise Work: Data Center NetOps
With the continued growth of data centers for clouds, neoclouds (especially AI model training), for carriers, and for the enterprise, it’s important to discuss data center network operations and issues. Scott is joined by Dr. Peter Welcher, a consultant, blogger, and Tech Field contributor. Together, they dive into how latency and the rise of AI... Read more »
TNO055: Testing as a Service for Telco Network Services
Scott talks with Mark Gebert from Verizon about something that sits at the heart of every reliable enterprise network: testing. Automation is moving fast in the telco world, but automation without testing is just an accident waiting to happen. They unpack what makes enterprise service provisioning so complex—multi-vendor networks, optical and IP gear, security functions,... Read more »
TNO054: AI Skills for CCIEs
Let’s talk about AI for NetOps: It’s not just coming, it’s here. There are tools to use, skills to acquire, and we want to talk about what’s needed for highly certified network engineers to skill up in AI. What certification opportunities or paths exist? What developments do we think we’re going to see here? And... Read more »
TNO053: Ethernet Is Everywhere
Ethernet is everywhere. Today we talk with one of the people responsible for this protocol’s ubiquity. Doug Boom is a veteran of the Ethernet development world. His code has helped landers reach Mars, submarines sail the deep seas, airplanes get to their gates, cars drive around town, and more. Doug walks us through the origins... Read more »
TNO052: Internet History with Len Bosack
Len Bosack, co-founder of Cisco Systems and the CEO of XKL, sits down for a discussion with Scott Robohn. Len shares how he went from a mathematician to being responsible for pioneering the widespread commercialization of LAN technology. We also get to hear his firsthand account of building the first multi-protocol routers at Stanford and... Read more »
TNO051: Networks That Do: From Automated to Autonomous Networks with Meter (Sponsored)
Will it be possible to have fully autonomous networks in the near future? Anil Varanasi, CEO and Co-Founder of Meter, joins Scott Robohn in this sponsored episode to discuss the ongoing evolution from automated to autonomous networks. Anil breaks down how Meter differentiates from other networking vendors, discusses how Meter’s network products are vertically integrated... Read more »
TNO050: Resiliency and Transparency with Andy Lapteff
Today Scott interviews Andy Lapteff. He opens up about his non-linear career path, starting from a working class background and his physical jobs in telecom to becoming a senior product marketing manager and podcaster. Join us as Andy shares candid stories of how he developed his resilience and the heartwarming origin story for the Art... Read more »
TNO049: Automated Network Testing and Validation
What does network testing and validation really mean? How do testing and validation fit within an automation workflow? Is it possible to run meaningful tests without coding skills? Dan Wade from BlueAlly answers these questions and offers practical insights into building trust in automation through test environments, using AI for ideation and problem-solving, and personal... Read more »
TNO048: Ops to Orchestrated: An Architect’s Automation Journey
On today’s show, sponsored by Itential, we talk about automation in the real world. Guest Jesse Ford is an automation architect at Itential. We talk about his career journey, how he got into network automation, how he decides which is the best tool for a job, and why tool diversity isn’t the same as chaos.... Read more »
TNO047: Advice From Both Sides of the Network Aisle
Senad Palislamovic has held many roles in his time, from engineer to network operator to sales engineer and back again. He’s been around long enough to see trends come and go. Senad visits Total Network Operations to share some of his observations on network automation, AI for NetOps, and the quality of network data. Senad... Read more »
TNO046: Prisma AIRS: Securing the Multi-Cloud and AI Runtime (Sponsored)
Multi-cloud, automation, and AI are changing how modern networks operate and how firewalls and security policies are administered. In today’s sponsored episode with Palo Alto Networks, we dig into offerings such as CLARA (Cloud and AI Risk Assessment) that help ops teams gain more visibility into the structure and workflows of their multi-cloud networks. We... Read more »
TNO045: IP and Optical Integration: Automation Across Layers
LightRiver has software and service products focused on the automation, optimization, and simplification of multi-layer, multi-vendor, and multi-generation networking. Today we have a team from LightRiver lead by Jim Brinksma to help explain how LightRiver is advancing automation in optical and bridging the gap between the IP and optical layers. They discuss the challenges, obstacles... Read more
TNO044: Inside a Global Enterprise Data Center Network Migration (Sponsored)
Today we get an inside look at a major data center migration that Nokia is undertaking. Nokia is our sponsor for today’s episode. The company is moving legacy sets of data center networking equipment to its own Event Driven Automation (EDA) solution. We go behind the scenes of Nokia’s own IT department, which is supporting... Read more »
TNO043: Under the Manhole Cover: The Architecture of an Internet Exchange
In an IT world full of abstraction, overlays, and virtualization, it’s important to remember the physical infrastructure that supports all those things. So let’s get inside Mass IX, the Massachusetts Internet Exchange, to get a holistic view of the logical architecture and protocol mechanics of peering and Internet exchanges, as well as the iron, steel,... Read more »
TNO042: Building a Network Digital Twin for Automation and AI (Sponsored)
The digital twin is an evolving technology in the networking space. On today’s sponsored episode of Total Network Operations, we dig into details and definitions of the digital twin, how it ties into network automation and autonomy, and the power of abstraction layers. We’ll also talk about how the concepts in today’s show might influence... Read more »
TNO041: From Ansible to AI: Jeremy Schulman on the Evolution of Network Automation
Jeremy Schulman has been working at network automation for much of his professional life. On today’s Total Network Operations, host Scott Robohn talks with Jeremy about his ongoing quest to get the network engineering bottleneck out of production. They discuss the early days of network automation when engineers tried to adopt tools from the compute... Read more »
TNO040: From ARPANET to the Stars: Vint Cerf on the Past and Future of the Internet
Vint Cerf, widely recognized as one of the fathers of the Internet, is today’s special guest on Total Network Operations. He currently serves as Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google. His pioneering work began back in the 1960’s when he was involved in the ARPANET project. Alongside Bob Kahn, Vint co-invented the TCP/IP... Read more »
TNO039: Demystifying AI Adoption for Networkers (Sponsored)
On today’s Total Network Operations we talk through the adoption of AI in network operations with John Capobianco, Head of DevRel at Selector. Selector is the sponsor of today’s episode. John walks us through his career journey as a network engineer, and describes the moment where he realized that AI was going to change how... Read more »
TNO038: Building Things That People Will Use – ARPANET History with Jack Haverty
Building things for people to use has been our guest’s goal since entering university in the 1960s. Total Network Operations is delighted to welcome Jack Haverty, who’s been instrumental in ARPANET operations and innovation, the development of TCP, and more. He takes us through the history of the internet from the early days of ARPANET,... Read more »
TNO037: The Next Era of Network Management and Operations
What’s the next era of network management and operations? Total Network Operations talks to Mahesh Jethanandani, Area Director(AD) for all of Operations and Management (OPS) at IETF and Distinguished Engineer at Arrcus. Mahesh describes a workshop from December of 2024 that sought to investigate the past, present, and future of network management and operations. He... Read more »
TNO036: Bridging Networking and Security with Auvik (Sponsored)
Auvik is network management software that lets users monitor, manage, and troubleshoot their networks. On today’s sponsored episode we talk with Doug Murray, CEO; and John Harden, Director of Strategy & Technology Evangelism, both from Auvik, about the challenges facing today’s network operators. We look at the rise of the IT generalist, workloads and burnout,... Read more »
TNO035: Network Engineer and Content Creator – A Career Journey with Kevin Nanns
Kevin Nanns is today’s guest on Total Network Operations. Kevin describes his “Wizard of Oz” moment when he discovered the world of networking. He talks about how he came up through the ranks working a help desk and then in a NOC, and his climb up the certification ladder. We also discuss how AI is... Read more »
TNO034: Doing the Work of Workflows With Greg Freeman
On today’s show we talk about NetDevOps and AI Ops with Greg Freeman, VP of Network and Customer Transformation at Lumen. Greg spearheads network automation, orchestration ,and AI strategy, guiding the highest technical tier in operations and championing NetDevOps methodologies. We talk about the people and work culture that’s influenced the development of automation and... Read more &
TNO033: Maximum Impact: Leverage Your Network to Advance Your Career (Sponsored)
At AutoCon 3 in Prague, Scott Robohn sat down with Ernest Lefner from sponsor Gluware to talk about lessons learned throughout his career: from his early days of pulling cable to becoming Chief Product Officer at Gluware and helping to found ONUG. Ernest talks about being a continuous technology learner, and also about the need... Read more »
TNO032: Automation First: NetOps at Megaport
Today we chat with Megaport’s Mitchell Warden, Founding Engineer; and Alexis Bertholf, Global Technical Evangelist, to find out what NetOps is like at Megaport, a company that provides scalable internet connections for all types of organizations. We look at the origins of Megaport and how the company started with the intention of network automation from... Read more »
TNO031: Attracting New Talent to Networking, Pairing Dev With NetOps, and More With Justin Ryburn
Total Networks Operations sits down with Justin Ryburn for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of the networking industry. Topics including how to attract new talent to network engineering and network operations; getting literate in DevOps/infrastructure tools such as GitHub, Terraform, and Python; pairing Dev and NetOps to maximize domain expertise; integrating tools and trying... Read more &#
TNO030: The Backbone of AI: Data Center Ops in the Age of Explosive Growth (Sponsored)
Data Center construction has reached an incredible pace over the last few years with implications on NetOps and operations of all kinds. Today we with talk with sponsor Siemon regarding the state of data centers, past, present and future. We explore legacy data centers and how they are evolving to work in today’s environments. We... Read more »
TNO029: The Power of Curiosity With Michael Costello
Michael Costello shares his career journey on today’s Total Network Operations. Currently on the Board of Directors at NANOG and a Distinguished Engineer at Saviynt, Michael talks about his early days learning the ropes as a junior network engineer, trying to start an ISP, his stint in graduate school, and a very interesting role at... Read more »
TNO028: Move From Monitoring to Full Internet Stack Observability: New Strategies for NetOps (Sponsored)
Network monitoring, Internet monitoring, and observability are all key components of NetOps. We speak with sponsor Catchpoint to understand how Catchpoint can help network operators proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact customers. We discuss past and current network monitoring strategies and the challenges that operators face with both on-prem and cloud monitoring, along... Re
TNO027: Seeing the Internet With Doug Madory
Doug Madory has been called “The Man Who Can See the Internet.” Doug has developed a reputation for identifying significant developments in the global layout of the internet. He joins us today to discuss his role in analyzing internet data to identify trends and insights. He shares his journey from a data QA position to... Read more »
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