tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88129199769498725072023-11-16T14:14:20.099+03:00Third World Networking: Catching UpDay to day life of a kenyan Networker. <br>
<b> CCIE#28352 </b>JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-50274054602276351202013-02-07T08:47:00.000+03:002014-04-09T10:29:46.443+03:00random notes on LTE and mobile trends<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/microsoft-teams-with-the-government-of-kenya-and-indigo-telecom-to-deliver-low-cost-solar-powered-broadband-access-using-cutting-edge-tv-white-space-technology-189739611.html">The announcement that the government, indigo and microsoft are teaming up to utilize tv white space for LTE caught me by surprise. </a><br />
<br />
This is a very welcome move. There is quite a bit of what I consider misinformation that LTE is expensive or can only be done by Telcos or used for end users only - you can use it as a mobile backhaul is a use case not discussed enough. I think that most of it is informed or uninformed by ignorance and over time I'll be proved right. Based on the current install base and spectrum hoarding by most operators, no one has an incentive to lead the LTE adoption unless someone piles on some pressure on either current or future earnings.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, new entrants trying to get into a largely untapped market can and should deploy LTE. Current LTE implementations have interesting issues, VOICE is a big one, Voice over LTE (VOLTE) is as far as I know not yet standardized. Then there is indoor penetration of the 2.6GHz and that pesky business case. *why greenfield operators try to do things like the incumbent beats me.<br />
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So while Im happy with the development, Im curious how they deal with things like battery life (on mobile devices), number/size of frequency bands and hand off (i'm expecting some backward compatibility with gsm/umts....<br />
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On another note, <a href="http://www.cisco.com/" target="_blank">Cisco</a> released their 2012 - 2017 global mobile<a href="https://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/white_paper_c11-520862.html" target="_blank"> traffic update. </a>I think you should go there and have a look. They look more realistic than past forecasts. For a deeper analysis go here ---> <a href="http://tmfassociates.com/blog/2013/02/06/cisco-castle-deflated/">http://tmfassociates.com/blog/2013/02/06/cisco-castle-deflated/</a><br />
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twitter: @3rdworldnet<br />
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<br />JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-61853098544054228262012-11-19T08:19:00.002+03:002014-04-09T10:14:01.391+03:00sliding back in the game 2013 will be awesome !!!!!It happens, to each and every one of us sometimes several times in a lifetime. Every once in a while especially as you get older, we all get called upon to do something. Many times over it tends to be outside your comfort zone. I believe in challenges, especially when I start to feel 'settled', or bored; Probably both.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/6200000/Tardis-in-Space-tardis-6289810-1280-768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/6200000/Tardis-in-Space-tardis-6289810-1280-768.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a>It could be a new life complete with relocation, a new job, a new business, a new spouse, the future could be anything. Sometimes its by choice or forced on you like a whack you in the ass diagnosis that forces a lifestyle change. Sometimes it is standing your ground for something we personally believe in. The majority might never see it your way, but change happens, and for each change unless you are very very lucky, something or someone always gives. <br />
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Well friends, another transition beckons. My self imposed retirement is over; or I ran out of money:-) speculate some in the comments. Either way the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS">tardis </a>is firing u, just about to take off and when the doors open I'll be sure to see you around some more.<br />
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Over the next couple of days I will bridge the gap on what I was up to whats next etc etc...it was a really good year:-) <br />
<br />JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-88559840214314850062012-06-04T18:23:00.001+03:002012-06-04T19:23:46.778+03:00Random thoughts<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVkIEWCCCQcDRg2ZKP6-rUafgvKJKsAkajyqFCpdbMjfZs7MzUK3wm59SII-0R_XQfrmX_Vk3lXBIaGLx17FYBHeuo6WbdwnTaIiA3_TMJ5Q-RWAClNkiuI7JGx06_kbDPFW5iEOssBo/s1600/DSC_0073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVkIEWCCCQcDRg2ZKP6-rUafgvKJKsAkajyqFCpdbMjfZs7MzUK3wm59SII-0R_XQfrmX_Vk3lXBIaGLx17FYBHeuo6WbdwnTaIiA3_TMJ5Q-RWAClNkiuI7JGx06_kbDPFW5iEOssBo/s200/DSC_0073.jpg" width="200" /></a>For the past couple of months, I've been quite humbled by how far the SP community had moved without me. I visited Gambia for the <a href="http://www.afnog.org/afnog2012/">AFNOG conference</a>, this time I stayed for the entire gig. <a href="http://www.afnog.org/afnog2012/conference/">Made two presentations and sat on a panel</a> then of course the main plan was to teach the <a href="http://www.ws.afnog.org/afnog2012/are/index.html">AR-E</a> (Advanced Routing) class; I ended up learning alot more than I ever got to show or teach.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ws.afnog.org/afnog2012/pictures/group/are-group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://www.ws.afnog.org/afnog2012/pictures/group/are-group.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.ws.afnog.org/afnog2012/pictures/group/tn/are-group.jpg.index.html">Team AR-E</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://archive.apnic.net/meetings/10/programme/bio/smith_bio.html">Philip </a>was truly an inspiration and if some day I can do slides at half the rate he produced the 'design module' for the AR-E class, or be as confident with some of that material, I will be quite happy with myself. *and thats yet another confirmation that being a CCIE can be quite rubbish without some real world in the woods bare knuckles cli combat experience. Lots of it if you are going to teach which explains my interest in teaching/contracting.<br />
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It was definately a great opportunity for quiet reflection too (having a beach close by helped), The fact that I still need more exposure to get any good was obvious. There is no way to land any of those 'big' contracts as a free lancer - so something to think about.<br />
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Since the <a href="http://www.eanog.org/">EANOG</a> is supposed to mirror AFNOG, we had a nice chat on how we can make the group truly east african.We have a working plan for this. <br />
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Leaving Safaricom was a big deal for me. It was time to head out and experience the world. I am quite open to any opportunity. However as far as full 'permanent and pensionable' jobs are concerned I would only be interested in two scenarios. One is being fully employed by an 'own' business ie one that I own an actual stake in or well I'm sure you can guess the other one. Other than that I'm more than happy with 1 month to 1Yr contracts or just hanging out at the <a href="http://www.farmken.com/">farm</a>:-).<br />
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Meantime? I will work on my presentation skills,teaching skills, interview as much as I can (getting interviewed is a great way of knowing what companies want) and definately upgrade my technical knowledge. I suck at all of them at the moment, I will however get better ..... see you aroundJGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-53247933267127138412012-04-30T18:31:00.001+03:002012-04-30T18:43:49.020+03:00Thoughts on the IPv6 for African Operators webinarIt started out well with 60 attendees. <br />
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My slides are available here: <a href="http://goo.gl/GFAad">http://goo.gl/GFAad</a><br />
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ISOC will post the recording. Apart from the duration being too short I think it went well. Consider my power went off just after we started (I blame murphy and his laws), I got back on the IPAD and it worked out pretty well. By the time my presentation was due we had 'juice' back up.<br />
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So overall I think the ISOC and AFRINIC folks did a fine job with the event.<br />
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The concepts IPv6 presenters showed, their examples and implementations will certainly have a hand in shaping how we
do networking and general internet stuff --how we get to that end to end port to application nirvana and what that
destination really looks like is a bit less certain for most people. But that can be remedied with time. I just hope we dont run out.JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-62059397609951489432012-04-28T11:40:00.003+03:002012-04-28T11:40:34.450+03:00IPv6 for African Operators webinar<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPAWACEUG2FhFLppjxQaEFmlJo6hy4VsOTNdYRICIlua0ifx4KPYuF1JeSFQ_dTbEKTJVizoZh0fqDkCYFGncoOX8qaBuhOCYD-JyROab8rZtPuIwUpbaBEV3-guKFGnDUvQzRtjkZbo/s1600/ipv6-wheel.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPAWACEUG2FhFLppjxQaEFmlJo6hy4VsOTNdYRICIlua0ifx4KPYuF1JeSFQ_dTbEKTJVizoZh0fqDkCYFGncoOX8qaBuhOCYD-JyROab8rZtPuIwUpbaBEV3-guKFGnDUvQzRtjkZbo/s200/ipv6-wheel.gif" width="153" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I'll be part of a webinar on Monday discussing IPv6 for
African Operators.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
My passion for Ipv6 is known to a number of you. This is
a nice opportunity for all of us to share with everyone else since most of the
webinar is dedicated to a Q&A.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I will upload the slides for those who miss out and for
those that will be over at Afnog next week ( <a href="http://www.afnog.org/afnog2012/index.php">http://www.afnog.org/afnog2012/index.php</a>
), I plan to go through the same more extensively. </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I think it will be informative; you and your 'crew'
should join in and throw in your ideas or at least start thinking about it a
little bit more seriously. </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
When?</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Monday, 30 April 2012, 13:00 (UTC). (I this would be
16:00 GMT ) however, participants are advised to log in half an hour earlier in
order to ensure that their connection works properly.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I noticed they erroneously still have my name and
Safaricom on the same line. For those that notice it (well you all will now:-)
just ignore it.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Here is the link:</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<a href="http://www.afrinic.net/webinar/ipv6_webinar_30042012.htm">http://www.afrinic.net/webinar/ipv6_webinar_30042012.htm</a></div>JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-23038123891932924642012-04-12T17:06:00.003+03:002012-04-12T17:48:02.166+03:00EANOG a few updatesThe last BGP session by Michuki was very well attended. Thanks. I'll keep this short.<br />
<br />
- We have the eanog.org domain. If any of you volunteers a server for us to host a small site at that would be nice. Just somewhere we can announce events and keep updates running. If one of you can go ahead and design such a site. we'll appreciate it very much. No we have no money to pay but our eternal gratitude and feel free to throw in your logo on the list of sponsors.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZ2LhpX-OHVhZfJbYvIxCW5zw_pEh_muNYOeb4SXgqr8veDM99QtDL5azwmIwBLPUuP839gmprxGcvRtSHtDvlbhzg2DJKV3XNspxPjqIegTOGGBsUHVAmhzSvy7Uf3Mc-cXKoueIka4/s1600/DSC00078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZ2LhpX-OHVhZfJbYvIxCW5zw_pEh_muNYOeb4SXgqr8veDM99QtDL5azwmIwBLPUuP839gmprxGcvRtSHtDvlbhzg2DJKV3XNspxPjqIegTOGGBsUHVAmhzSvy7Uf3Mc-cXKoueIka4/s200/DSC00078.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michuki doing his bgp thing</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
- IHUB allowed us to use the venue every third saturday of the month between 9:30 and 11:30.<br />
I suggest you get there as much as you can if nothing else for networking. If you would like to give a talk/presentation, please let us know. I think its perfect for you to start out doing this sort of thing among your peers. It tends to lead to happy places.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
- Topics we have found interesting are in the following areas:<br />
+network management<br />
+IPv6<br />
+Routing (we probably need to give tutorials from novice to advanced for this).<br />
+MPLS - TE/VPN's etc<br />
+Network design<br />
+best practices<br />
+Cloud and related infrastructure.<br />
++Whatever interests you.<br />
<br />
We're trying to come up with the entire years calendar so use this thread to give suggestions. <br />
<br />
For those coming to Gambia, we're still looking for papers/presentations. For those hoping to get to do that sort of thing, go ahead, prepare something, start with eanog. You can slowly grow your confidence.<br />
<br />
This months meeting is on the 21st. We'll confirm. <br />
<br />
Photos from that last session:<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/105477416625629534813/albums/5730518025995651601">https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/105477416625629534813/albums/5730518025995651601 </a><br />
video if/when it finishes uploading will be on: <span class="watch-page-link"><a href="http://youtu.be/5-aSSAWvDJs">http://youtu.be/5-aSSAWvDJs</a></span> <br />
twitter: @3rdworldnet<br />
youtube: 3rdworldnet <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-17694040600046205672012-03-20T11:08:00.004+03:002012-03-20T11:18:04.434+03:00EANOG - Current BGP best practices for IXP'sOh my, how fast a month goes by:<br />
We have yet another<a href="http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eanog"> EANOG </a>meeting. I expect a lot more people this time:<br />
<br />
EANOG Meetup<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0XnaxZ5et-mmJt4JY4bKKb2_sv9gn84DNtyEJ18lKMi6V-qZPLK3t55no1ioVS5VKBnLIQb0zRNZHN6iwyIhzxQBbtCuTPew73VnF6ozunNUwzPDiDP0NoV-KqkML5SHVvQokpFvXP0/s1600/474312423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0XnaxZ5et-mmJt4JY4bKKb2_sv9gn84DNtyEJ18lKMi6V-qZPLK3t55no1ioVS5VKBnLIQb0zRNZHN6iwyIhzxQBbtCuTPew73VnF6ozunNUwzPDiDP0NoV-KqkML5SHVvQokpFvXP0/s320/474312423.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Past event - this one was LTE by Huawei - awesome day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Topic: <b>BGP best practices for IXP's.</b><br />
Speaker: <b>Michuki Mwangi</b><br />
Cost: <b>Free</b><br />
Snacks are sponsored by <a href="http://www.dataposit.co.ke/"><b></b></a><b><a href="">DataPosit</a> </b><br />
venue sponsored by <a href="http://www.ihub.co.ke/"><b>Ihub.</b></a><br />
After talk beer sponsored by you:-)<br />
<br />
Date: <b>24th March</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Time: <b>9:30 am</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;">This talk is a lead up to a training session to be organized by <a href="http://www.tespok.co.ke/">TESPOK </a>on BGP for IXP's.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5mqoYSXixOqYrmc05JoufyS-ZofOJVlv3DoWP5x2I4HygSYp6q8DFKAtjmGXMzamSAbRHp40iULsuvafa8yKxXp9xzBB1Tt87isfUcoHkcpEgINLIbW1jNE3YCAQLzYP7ugWw32r8as/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5mqoYSXixOqYrmc05JoufyS-ZofOJVlv3DoWP5x2I4HygSYp6q8DFKAtjmGXMzamSAbRHp40iULsuvafa8yKxXp9xzBB1Tt87isfUcoHkcpEgINLIbW1jNE3YCAQLzYP7ugWw32r8as/s200/photo.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">michuki:-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Michuki will review the Internet Exchange Point best practices focusing on BGP. He'll take questions; as many as you may have. You'll also help answer questions.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eanog">EANOG </a>is your community, participate,learn grow.<br />
This is our second meeting this year. The last one on <a href="http://third-world-networker.blogspot.com/2012/02/eanog-cloud-computing-demystified.html">cloud computing</a> was very well attended.<br />
We thank you all for your efforts and suggestions on how to improve on things.<br />
Please share the event on other lists.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Join EANOG : <a href="http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eanog">http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eanog</a><br />
<br />
Regards,<br />
John Gitau : twitter: @3rdworldnet : <a href="http://third-world-networker.blogspot.com/">http://third-world-networker.blogspot.com/</a><br />
Techminds Technologies Limited (TTL)JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-60309006536495011512012-02-24T13:49:00.004+03:002012-02-24T13:56:51.923+03:00EANOG - Cloud computing demystified - postmortem<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7QeZzOrGaUGgKQvELIXuI-mb9ONiRnDZy1pvceakkmzYVwm8povBFNQkC8469NRXOf7XQQp17O5pNm6_X3uXB74iRV8FyqpfX8yYgoWtMIPvPdmJp49kEupktO9A3Q1eWBMCsjMKMtg/s1600/dubsmavunocloud+078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7QeZzOrGaUGgKQvELIXuI-mb9ONiRnDZy1pvceakkmzYVwm8povBFNQkC8469NRXOf7XQQp17O5pNm6_X3uXB74iRV8FyqpfX8yYgoWtMIPvPdmJp49kEupktO9A3Q1eWBMCsjMKMtg/s640/dubsmavunocloud+078.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes thats me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
For everyone that showed up thank you. Someone asked me for the resources used to<br />
put the slides together . I'll just paste them here fr future reference. Add others to the comments.<br />
<br />
<br />
1: <a href="http://www.ipspace.net/Webinars">Ivan Pepelnjak's webinars and blog</a> (Most of the slide content came directly from this source). I would encourage you to follow the <a href="http://blog.ioshints.info/">blog </a>and where possible pay for the webinar content. You won't regret it.<br />
<br />
<br />
2: <a href="http://packetpushers.net/">Packetpushers </a>end gregs <a href="http://etherealmind.com/">etherealmind blog</a>. Again loads of information there. Subscribe to the podcast.<br />
<br />
3: <a href="http://datacenteroverlords.com/">http://datacenteroverlords.com/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIN19Al4U4nyvbUUTf_Ns_Gx5F6UVUWFYClvn9OxAFeYQyCz4pNnQLqykh2LX2Zv_2_6KE0bsGjECoCJbnmC6preigTml4b48UhFNZ5LagcYzu4_WfCGMbXkYXDwWx7NWx11jcjMcftnw/s1600/dubsmavunocloud+073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIN19Al4U4nyvbUUTf_Ns_Gx5F6UVUWFYClvn9OxAFeYQyCz4pNnQLqykh2LX2Zv_2_6KE0bsGjECoCJbnmC6preigTml4b48UhFNZ5LagcYzu4_WfCGMbXkYXDwWx7NWx11jcjMcftnw/s320/dubsmavunocloud+073.JPG" width="320" /></a>4: <a href="http://www.cloudstack.org/">cloudstack </a>and <a href="http://www.openflow.org/wk/index.php/HOTITutorial2010">openflow</a>. I sold most of my lab kit at home to buy a few boxes to mess around with openflow and cloudstack. I have however come across a<a href="http://yuba.stanford.edu/foswiki/bin/view/OpenFlow/Deployment/HOWTO/Mininet"> 'simulator' for openflow that makes learning easier. It uses mininet.</a><br />
<br />
Im sure there are others I missed out.<br />
<br />
I sent out photos to the mailing list. Some are below.<br />
<br />
A huge thank you to <a href="http://www.shutterdiplomacy.com/">David Kiania</a> for the photos and Phares for the presentations.JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-55205677519871550122012-02-21T14:02:00.000+03:002012-02-21T14:02:00.578+03:00Red carpets and when not to roll them Stuff happening to me lately has me thinking quite hard about how to go about hiring and retaining in the future! for everything from farm workers to tech workers. So this (see link below) story sort of had a nice little place in my morning<i>. </i>or Im just weirding the soon to be freelance jitters!<i><br />
</i><br />
<br />
<i>"We hit the first snag when the our then lead architect felt threatened by Ryan. The lead architect was blocking new ideas. Ryan was junior and didn’t want to tell me but I was able to pick up on it by listening. I had to make a choice. Ryan was much more talented but less experienced. But I knew that paving over the problem with a few extra bucks wasn’t going to solve the problem. We chose to move Ryan to be the peer of the lead architect. Within a few months the lead architect left. We were fine with it – I didn’t want to lose Ryan."</i><br />
<i>read some more here ---> </i><br />
<a href="http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2009/11/16/dont-roll-out-the-red-carpet-on-the-way-out-the-door/">http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2009/11/16/dont-roll-out-the-red-carpet-on-the-way-out-the-door/</a>JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-83132253988271270902012-02-15T09:24:00.001+03:002012-02-15T11:07:18.073+03:00EANOG - Cloud computing demystified! or for dummies if you like:-)<i><disclaimer> I copied this mail verbatim from Phare's mail blast to eanog, I take no credit for the jokes, Im not funny at all:-) <disclaimer></disclaimer></disclaimer></i><br />
<br />
<enter phares=""><br />
</enter><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhombbRK_CdWosovg_EVTAQocZRIXou_rw20OW2VjKef8wbNUWiV6nAcptcezLGRekF98M-Sc4KCnsNkHiyOm1m2merPrQGLB-lJGch8cVi__gcEPfRpvx4BuIb3Zu_n3oERKzkw9xVGys/s1600/question-cloud1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhombbRK_CdWosovg_EVTAQocZRIXou_rw20OW2VjKef8wbNUWiV6nAcptcezLGRekF98M-Sc4KCnsNkHiyOm1m2merPrQGLB-lJGch8cVi__gcEPfRpvx4BuIb3Zu_n3oERKzkw9xVGys/s320/question-cloud1.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>Does the term cloud computing cloud your thinking? Do you associate cloud computing to overcast weather? Are you tired of marketing buzzwords that are never explained like 'SaaS' (You read it as 'Sasa', a common Swahili greeting), PaaS (you assume this means a man from Western Kenya has had enough of his fowl), IaaS (Frankly, simply confuses you) etc?<br />
<br />
As EANOG (East Africa Network Operators Group), we have taken it upon ourselves (Yep, we are just nice guys :-) ) to explain and demystify these concepts. Think of it as the class in University you should have been taught, but were not. Think of it as MITx, by regular Wananchi, who speak your language!<br />
<br />
Who will be speaking?<br />
<br />
Simple people:<br />
<br />
1. <b>John Gitau</b> - Nice guy. Loves farming, hiking, talking to people, taking long walks off short piers, a regular guy, who just happens to have a great understanding of networking (a Cisco CCIE, works for Safaricom, usual accolades, but speaks your language, from the grandmother, to the server room geek, he gets you).<br />
<br />
2. <b>Phares Kariuki</b> - Again, nice guy. Loves his coffee, music, books and failed attempts at sarcasm. Tries to cook, but tragically succeeds in making dogfood (everything roasts). Happens to work in the virtualization field (has for the last five odd years), as a Business Manager for VMware in Westcon Africa, previously did pre-sales for VMware at Westcon Africa. Can additionally have a conversation with your great aunt and your geek about cloud computing.<br />
<br />
We at EANOG believe in keeping things simple. Keeping things straight forward. We will serve coffee. We promise to be simpler and more accurate than our esteemed Kenyan Meteorological Department :-).<br />
<br />
When? The 18th of February, 2011, at the iHub, from 10.15 am.<br />
<br />
And yes courtesy of one Aaron Mbowa of DataPosit, we'll be providing free snacks. How awesome is that.<br />
<br />
Register below!<br />
<br />
<wbr></wbr><a href="http://cloudsmadesimple.eventbrite.com/">http://cloudsmadesimple.eventbrite.com/</a><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
*<b>DISCLAIMER</b> - Conversation may veer off anticipated topic, unfortunately an effect of Coffee & ADHD. Forgive us. There will be rules on how to get us back talking about clouds :-).JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-78848764962176333932012-02-10T16:29:00.000+03:002012-02-10T16:29:58.145+03:00Career 3.0 - Huge changes coming upSo after years of formal employment, all the books, all the advice, all my energy is soon going to be directed at something different. Im seeking a little chaos, a place to channel my brand of crazy.<br />
<br />
This blog is moving too (to its own domain nothing major) just to keep up with the 'times'. I'll be letting you in on my plans within the month since I obviously need your support.JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-48912468301955398692012-02-02T08:39:00.000+03:002012-02-02T08:39:20.620+03:00Cisco Validated IPv6 design finally out<a href="http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Campus/CampIPv6.html">http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Campus/CampIPv6.html</a><br />
<br />
I was happy to find that this is now available and as usual Shannon has done a great job writing up and referencing important material.<br />
<br />
Go have a lookJGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-79459590420374939292011-11-22T19:28:00.005+03:002011-11-22T20:24:41.141+03:00Launched: East African Network Operators Group - EANOG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpLYxyzcxRXq58gr_QblXCf0tKCdZowHcX-IR8Q-0akoFOpbyIbHyzcfDynzENmLPAG6pHQZyx-WsQR69_uQekwqU3zLegMrb1rxqaXLjzo1RzR2WJvOJo76Ow-b2f3G_GMOYKfznQpM/s1600/tree-roots-1atxr1p-300x199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpLYxyzcxRXq58gr_QblXCf0tKCdZowHcX-IR8Q-0akoFOpbyIbHyzcfDynzENmLPAG6pHQZyx-WsQR69_uQekwqU3zLegMrb1rxqaXLjzo1RzR2WJvOJo76Ow-b2f3G_GMOYKfznQpM/s1600/tree-roots-1atxr1p-300x199.jpg" /></a></div>There was no noise, no pomp, no beer :-) just me and a few guys discussing what we felt group dynamics would help with. Our roots might not yet be firmly in the ground but the elements are definately cooperating with us.<br />
<br />
Some background: I was an idiot in the past. I broke more networks than I fixed (don't assume I don't anymore), I steadilly improved sometimes in different areas at the same time. I read, labbed, listened, watched, failed,passed, tcl'ed,perl'ed,cabled till my eyes teared, my fingers moaned but I carried on. Now I can even classify it as fun.<br />
<br />
Computer/Data Networking as a career has been very rewarding and along the way I picked up quite a number of good friends and memories. Im looking for more. more 'networking', more collaboration, more learning. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yURRmWtbTbo">Won't stop till I get enough ! </a><br />
<br />
It is not always easy to get information in this industry in a timely manner. But i know with certainty individuals in the industry know alot more than they let on. I also know that peer led training is more effective than anything your HR can ever manage. Plus wouldn't you wish for more meetups you have control of?<br />
<br />
I also know that we are in a growing economy and ensuring any one that calls themselves a networker in Kenya needs to up and modernize their game for the future is really up to us. Some of us are more exposed to others, some are 'sharper' - not me:-), some have access to 'hidden toys'...ahh...life<br />
<br />
Thats the bit I want to play in. I want to see proper policies, new protocols or contributions to them, white papers from our market written by us, I want RFC's with my name on them for all the fame and glory that brings (none), I want books I want all a lowly third world networking nerd can have before the bits (apparently my brain is a network)overpower him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://third-world-networker.blogspot.com/">Yep someone needs to watch my Effing back !</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table> So its great to have the mailing list up at <a href="http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eanog">http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eanog</a>. We'll grow as we age. There is a huge need for an online presence and we'll work on that, for now Im just happy the meeting happened....Special thanks to the folks at <a href="http://www.ihub.co.ke/">Ihub </a>and everyone that came and or offered support and advice. Same goes for Riyaz for the last minute push to have this started - Heck we had a guy from NASA - We'll be seeing you around when Im not on the moon:-) thank you!JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-10005223140278707492011-11-15T17:14:00.004+03:002011-11-15T17:29:17.258+03:00East African Network Operators Group - EANOG<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJC5vj1GC4pIMl2ajG3dmplpJ-GM-YEGBCen45Ql0UBi1idGHLPYNN13_XodZpIlizBjSyOUm3nvbcQNZZ_p1yO5Blgj-KNiKgl81CZBESGO6R8Yj13anKpwRRGC5gj5TLCg9jsYsxscE/s1600/networks1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJC5vj1GC4pIMl2ajG3dmplpJ-GM-YEGBCen45Ql0UBi1idGHLPYNN13_XodZpIlizBjSyOUm3nvbcQNZZ_p1yO5Blgj-KNiKgl81CZBESGO6R8Yj13anKpwRRGC5gj5TLCg9jsYsxscE/s320/networks1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675229489636248450" /></a><br />For a long time I have wanted to have meetings where the dominant discussions are around networking and networkers in general.<br /><br />The main objective would be educational, but at the same time would give vendors a chance to talk to engineers about newer technology they are playing with - like openflow, vxlan,nvgre and products on the sidelines. <br /><br />Engineers would get to talk and share their experiences.<br /><br />So today we fired the first shot in the dark. An invite to the IHUB (directly opposite uchumi ngong road) on saturday the 19th at 2pm. If we get even 10 people interested, this ball will start rolling. <br /><br />There will be obvious issues along the way. Top off my head is how much time can I/we (Riyaz and I) commit to this endeavor in the beginning before the group gains traction?<br /><br />How often do we meet? what do we discuss? (I expect what to discuss wont be an issue). What if we dont get sponsors? do we even need those? can we put together a community lab? community wi-fi? are we doing ok as networkers? how many ccie's are in Kenya? etc etc....see you there....<br /><br />So in a nutshell we're forming an educational collaborative forum for the coordination and dissemination of technical information related to networking. <br /><br />We'll leverage alot of what AFNOG is doing with more frequent meetings.<br /><br />Everything from broadband, data centers, security, mobile networks, IP, openflow,wi-fi and anything under the moon we deem important will be open to discussion.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059043153894438662noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-78220382088100428712011-11-03T10:16:00.001+03:002011-11-03T10:17:31.941+03:00Third world networkers view on Openstack/Openflow and CiscoEver since Cisco announced their <a href="http://blogs.cisco.com/news/cisco-joins-openstack-community/">support </a>for <a href="http://www.openstack.org/">openstack</a> and software defined networking; I was happy, happy that they won't be left out and happy that maybe just maybe this information would be digested by a company I am 'more invested in'. I cant wait for instance for the 'promised' support on the nexus.<br />
<br />
But cracks are appearing. The more the network gets closer to getting virtualized, I realize how silly it is of me to 'wait' and see instead of maybe getting in there and contributing something. Let me explain:<br />
<br />
What this will mean is new books have to be written. First to explain the concept, the technologies and in the future its support. looking at the old ones, updates will probably be written almost daily.<br />
<br />
And what happens to companies that invest alot of cash on lets say FCoE only to realize customers are not interested, or realize it wont scale, or wont matter squat in multivendor environments because other vendors have decided to go their way?<br />
<br />
The data center is still morphing. We still don't have important standards for lets say 'cloud' 2 'cloud' mobility. Again this have to be done. Heck down <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEsQFjAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cia.gov%2Flibrary%2Fpublications%2Fthe-world-factbook%2Fgeos%2Fke.html&ei=Oj2yTqDyAtHE8QPfkZyWAQ&usg=AFQjCNFaIPgHXXc2V1FDfV6wYGXLuhBYNA">here </a>using cloud is still hindered by access (say what you want 3G is not good enough, and broadband penetration is still sucky). So while some big companies benefit from companies like Safaricom shelling out some serious cash for several nexus, and going by how accounting tends to be done, expect it to be out of reach for most people.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIog-IGfvgU1KCtMyFCj7SVPRQTc2NMdAizurZUKO1P03q2mO23CcT6Eu0fd54Lb1GLtP66MO1w1VsgmsfT4oNeLctG80k-ET8kS8lDqKeKQgYA6-NnloE-qZ7IXM94H3Y43GHMnav9g/s1600/openflow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIog-IGfvgU1KCtMyFCj7SVPRQTc2NMdAizurZUKO1P03q2mO23CcT6Eu0fd54Lb1GLtP66MO1w1VsgmsfT4oNeLctG80k-ET8kS8lDqKeKQgYA6-NnloE-qZ7IXM94H3Y43GHMnav9g/s320/openflow.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source: Juniper Networks</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So over and above everything else -and there's quite alot to be done - Im looking at how I can make direct contributions to openstack and a few other areas of interest to me even if its just simply learning and talking about it:<br />
<br />
We have huge gaps in Africa. It is very easy for technology to pass us by because:<br />
<br />
<br />
1: the best discussions and forums and meetups happen in Europe or the in the US. When nice things happen around here, they almost always happen in SA, Kenya or Egypt (not much anymore). but travel within Africa is crazy expensive. A flight to senegal from kenya is costlier than a flight to Berlin for instance. However its harder getting the visa to visit berlin - its a friggin pain.<br />
2: Most companies here consume products/technology and rarely innovate. So you won't for instance find a Kenyan writing RFC's because - well Im not sure why but personally the fact that I dont really get down to work with new technologies enough to be the 'go to guy' makes me feel like I am better off just waiting - until now:-)<br />
3: Groups like afnog are like nanog focused on training.<br />
4: Money and general social security - I have learnt first hand how difficult it is to focus on 'new' stuff while constantly worrying about how to make basic ends meet. Im stuck in this weird 'fear' loop at the moment thats driving me nuts. but more on this later and probably elsewhere.<br />
5: Its really really hard to focus on a single area of interest (ok maybe Im speaking for me on this one). After 10+ years in service providers, getting excited in data center technologies was not easy - fun but not straight forward- upon realizing i could pick it up faster than most helped.<br />
<br />
So much that Im currently looking at <a href="http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/blades/components/matrix/main.html">HP's solutions</a> for this area (between trying to get the cisco DC certification) and going Hmmm! They (HP) have a full inhouse stack that should make them very competitive in this market in direct competition to <a href="http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns944/index.html">Cisco UCS</a>.<br />
<br />
I imagine cisco and Juniper at a classic 'innovators dilemma'. If they dont deal with this, companies like <a href="http://www.nicira.com/">Nicira </a>will have a really nice and easy time. It will take time to get market share but I can see them getting there if the incumbents dont innovate. well they will I suspect outright buy a startup out....we'll see...JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-64466744757047213692011-10-11T11:57:00.004+03:002011-10-11T12:14:22.337+03:00Third world networkers view on simplicityGreetings bloglings! <br /><br />Simplicity in design is often overlooked. We have done some really impressive networks over the last couple of years. The data center networks have evolved. VPN's are now IAAS and Im pretty sure marketing guys will keep churning buzzwords to confuse (and unlock customer wallets). <br /><br />RFC 3439 states in part:<br /><br /> 'The Simplicity Principle, which was perhaps first articulated by Mike<br /> O'Dell, former Chief Architect at UUNET, states that complexity is<br /> the primary mechanism which impedes efficient scaling, and as a<br /> result is the primary driver of increases in both capital<br /> expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX). The<br /> implication for carrier IP networks then, is that to be successful we<br /> must drive our architectures and designs toward the simplest possible<br /> solutions.'<br /><br />there Ive saved you money.<br /><br />Every once in a while after a design team is done and implemetation happens. Things start going wrong. a link here, a backdoor over there. statements like Oh I dont understand IS-IS can I use OSPF for this segment? are heard!<br /><br />recently/actually currently Im on leave for a month and it just so happens that a friend wanted me to help them re-design their network. Its a hospital (large hospital) big budget for gear, sadly not enough for 'people' to run/support the network.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEGahLpcJpVIEQwv-hHHKYWFAs8AGKpV6La2_Vux29UwbIo_zpcnywDJK6uGj2BeukWKKM-B1gQdlZa6OUQdtPWMuNyEOeYtPdvj4IKqf0GwbundSAZeMTW8snnJmM-nIIs7eMPLG8xA/s1600/224687.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEGahLpcJpVIEQwv-hHHKYWFAs8AGKpV6La2_Vux29UwbIo_zpcnywDJK6uGj2BeukWKKM-B1gQdlZa6OUQdtPWMuNyEOeYtPdvj4IKqf0GwbundSAZeMTW8snnJmM-nIIs7eMPLG8xA/s320/224687.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662160149747066946" /></a><br />Anyway. thinking about it, I dont see for instance why hospitals in Kenya cant come together like banks and do a common core. It would save them al lots of money. If a service provider like Safaricom were to be bold enough, nothing stops them from selling their core to the same hospitals. It would save everyone money and some serious future support issues (considering they dont want to hire people).<br /><br />the task of building a large scale packet network is not easy it can be done, but its not as easy as these guys tend to think. ok back to the drawings....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059043153894438662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-27896669549636418712011-10-04T09:55:00.004+03:002011-10-04T10:08:22.256+03:00Third world networkers view on relaxingits a rare month. I somehow had excess vacation/leave days and managed to take more than half the number in one go. How long - All of Otober andpart of November:-). My plans are simple:<br />
<br />
1: Reverse ccie laziness - As I type this, my sitting room is a mess of bike parts freshly imported to give it a fresh feel. I fully intend to add a minimum 500Km within the month on it.So if you see a nerd on a bike at 'kapchorua' please wave him on.<br />
2: <a href="http://www.farmken.com/">Farmken</a> finally has a product, customer development is at advanced stages. Not a single negative feedback so far. But we have issues: packaging for retail consumers needs a rework. A kilo of fruits is around 15-20 fruits (don't get conned). sell by the dozen, use egg trays, wrap them up with a nice clear cling type paper with our logo - this also preserves the fruit? we'll see....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGT8IJ4G5DbS1_tQgXOV72G7OgRIZ441OahcsPjbxJ23RMdvY887FaUlMs0E6UduxYKaTMHlRRnlukaUxLQJoS3nQRBH6g6cadtzpycHF_QwpDnwZFFxbg8nJoZnMCfxecuklaq1-FL0/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGT8IJ4G5DbS1_tQgXOV72G7OgRIZ441OahcsPjbxJ23RMdvY887FaUlMs0E6UduxYKaTMHlRRnlukaUxLQJoS3nQRBH6g6cadtzpycHF_QwpDnwZFFxbg8nJoZnMCfxecuklaq1-FL0/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><ul><li>The site will feature an online shop from next week - make it easier to cut out the middle men that come to the farm and make it more expensive to buy fruit for retailers.</li>
<li>We will work directly with some of the larger 'supermarkets' again in the hopes that our fruits reach the consumer faster and cheaper - need to sort out the packaging issue above. How to do that without charging more is the fun question right now. Im thinking we can swing 170 (Ksh) for 30 fruits which is around 1.5Kg. </li>
</ul><br />
3: I was at the IGF and sat in two panels:<br />
<ol><li> <span class="cf_text"></span><a href="http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=Workshops2011View&wspid=63">63. SWOT analysis of the impact of Mobile Internet on Internet Governance in Africa</a></li>
<li><span class="cf_text"><a href="http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=Workshops2011View&wspid=165">165. Understanding IPv6 Deployment and Transition</a> </span></li>
</ol><span class="cf_text">I had a lot of fun and intend to build up on the two. I also met some incredible people and can probably see a pivot to policy discussions when the tech ta;ks get a bit much.!:-) </span><br />
<br />
<span class="cf_text">For IPv6, Im working on some new training materials and validating lab output for the said slides. I'll be teaching IPv6 and advanced network related classes. I'll let you know where/when and how that works with my current job - Just FYI, most of the training is internal but hopefully - considering this are free, I'll check to see if we can include outsiders. I think that would be cool.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="cf_text">Im also looking at how we can bring together the network user group together more often. throw in some comments if you have any idea. I can probably help arrange a meeting venue, maybe some snacks or whatever if we can raise enough quorum to make it worth the time. We can pick on topics to discuss from trends in the local environment, some design issues you have at work, IPv6 whatever....or just catch up. East African Network User Group (EANUG) anyone?</span><br />
<br />
4: Catch up on technology. The data center excites me. So expect stuff around vxlan/nvgre etc etc etc.....<br />
<br />
<span class="cf_text">5: I'll relax alot, read - I paid for a full years subscription of<a href="http://www.ioshints.info/Webinar_roadmaps"> Ivan's webinars</a> that I have not really listened to. I expect alot from there....so there..thats my month...</span>oh I'll probably also blog alot....JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-34870663633544428482011-09-09T10:10:00.000+03:002011-09-09T10:10:40.055+03:00just too coolThe coolest thing/site I just visited <a href="http://liquidr.com/">http://liquidr.com/</a> If only.....JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-53665767508571849682011-09-07T20:12:00.000+03:002011-09-07T20:12:32.762+03:00Third world networkers guide to feeling terrible about a wasted dayits a simple school of thought. - you don't need things, as I don't. You are nothing, as I am. Now don't go preparing the firing squad yet. At least let me explain in two paragraphs.<br />
<br />
I spent the whole morning, the most productive time of my day filling and refilling RFP and justification documents to be read by people who won't understand them, who will then explain them to a tender committee that is even more clueless about my technical needs for a very critical tool; which eventually will be sent out; hopefully to clueful vendors.<br />
<br />
I felt like walking out right there and then. Out of sight hopefully to never see another word document, or pages, oe excel or numbers.<br />
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My future definately won't look like the present. I felt divorced from the fruits of that labor. It was definately not worth it. And since I chose not to walk out or speak up, I am nothing, and so are you...if you've ever felt the same and done nothing !JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-53071153901467038922011-09-05T19:04:00.002+03:002011-09-05T19:04:21.636+03:00Third world networkers guide to umm nothingseriously...nothing, its been busy. One cisco data center exam is throwing me around like a drunk packet. but it's all good fun.....its also coold...too cold to type lengthy posts...that and a couple of things (a few friends ecommerce stuff - i hope they pay me some day:-)) are taking up an already short day.....:-)JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-23336847199973754612011-08-25T15:42:00.001+03:002011-08-25T15:45:17.530+03:00Third world networkers view on dealing cards - or dealing with the dealt cards!My buddy Kevo tried to show me/us how to play poker. He didn't get very far. We were all drunk by the time he started explaining texas hold'em. I hope some day he completes that lesson.<br />
<br />
But Im on a different set of cards. Life cards. See In the game thats life I started winning early.Lost some. But a win as seen by me was rarely seen by other people. We all had different cards dealt. I still have a great set of cards - I think. I lost some along the way. Big time.!!<br />
<br />
I saw all kinds, related to all manner of people. I did/do feel isolated, sometimes by choice - try the ccie-, a little lonely - maybe, want something better out of life than the cards that had been dealt to me.<br />
<br />
We all lose sometimes, I know I do. And so do you. We’re all in it together to try to be a little happier in a world that’s just a little too rough on us. I'd like to be kind against all struggles create art, friends, beauty, happiness.I want to grow things, see change I've created.<br />
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It's weird I'm using a farm for life lessons. Weirder still is the amount of things learnt running a farm that are transferable to another startup. In tech this time - that explains the limited posts here.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.farmken.com/index.php/farmken-photos-2">farmken's crop</a></td></tr>
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Im happy the fruits are all <a href="http://www.farmken.com/index.php/farmken-photos-2">grown up.</a>...now on to another phase...get them consumed:-) yeah imagine thats what this was all about.<a href="http://www.farmken.com/index.php/farmken-photos-2">..fruits</a>:-) JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-84663961439513010022011-08-17T09:18:00.000+03:002011-08-17T09:18:07.223+03:00Third world networkers - how to disable annoying Itunes backup on windowsLocate your iTunesPrefs.xml file.<br />
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It’s usually located in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes or C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes.<br />
<br />
make sure that hidden files are visible in the Windows Explorer<br />
<br />
Backup your iTunesPrefs.xml file<br />
Open iTunesPrefs.xml using a capable text-editor (e.g. Notepad++, Ultraedit, but not MS Notepad)<br />
Search for a section called User Preferences and paste the following snippet into the User Preferences Section after the first <dict>:<br />
<br />
<key>DeviceBackupsDisabled</key><br />
<data><br />
dHJ1ZQ==<br />
</data><br />
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Save the file and restart iTunes. Backups should now be disabled. </dict><br />
To enable backups again delete the XML Snippet from iTunesPrefs.xml file.<br />
JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-78822808387590174082011-08-10T16:55:00.000+03:002011-08-10T16:55:54.158+03:00Third world networkers view on the data center - againSo yesterday I wore a different hat for a few minutes. I was a scribe. I was requested to just sit in and later advice the business team after a meeting they were having with one of our bigger customers. The requirement was basic, they would like to move their applications to our cloud at some point. Cloud as its commonly known is an interesting service with an even more interesting support model. <br />
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The desire for designers to avoid single points of failure for critical applications so that catastrophic errors don't occur runs deep. Such failures lead to huge financial losses and a diminished corporate brand for all parties involved.<br />
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I hope their admins/cio has adviced the business accordingly. Since in this case I was on the provider side, I figured it might help someone if I gave a few tips on what to look out for if coming or going for critical hosting services from one of the cloud providers: Also note I am more interested in storge and networking issues in the data center for now - we just begun). If you buy some virtual machines and run applications well....so some tips follow:<br />
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Test disaster recovery. It is probably the most difficult one but ensure that you have a solid disaster recovery plan. So lets assume you want to port/move 10 applications to the cloud:<br />
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As a client; make a thorough analysis of each application before even engaging a provider. This analysis should give direction to the service provider on how to port and test the applications in the cloud, if you'll do it, the use it as a guide.<br />
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Your plan when executed should test the basic applications in the cloud, the service provider's configuration (what is needed for all ten applications) and also the additional functionality needed for a successful disaster recovery of those applications. Sadly no one in Kenya will do this for you. Well no one that I know of.<br />
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Use whatever you get from the tests above to build an SLA. Don't blindly walk into an SLA. And don't walk out without one. Confirm in any way you can that there is at minimum architectural reliability.<br />
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Interrogate the person selling the solution, do they look clueful? Ask if you can get independent audits of the cloud infrastructure. Good providers will let you do it. What should be analyzed first? How do you gain confidence that the SLA you come up with covers all the various types of failure by the service provider? Performance metrics are still needed for each supported application. And please ensure you have before and after porting/migrating statistics to use for comparing whether things are better or worse off. <br />
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I'll throw in some sample questions to ask and maybe just maybe someone will benefit from them:<br />
<br />
Storage:<br />
How many vendors are used for all application storage?<br />
Is de-duplication addressed?<br />
How is the SAN switching done?<br />
Is only one SAN switch vendor used for all of the applications?<br />
How many vendors are used for data replication, encryption to encrypt data for all of the applications?<br />
which encryption algorithm is in use, for which tool? <br />
how many PKI vendors to manage certificates? <br />
and lastly where are the damn certificates stored?<br />
<br />
You can go deeper (sorry I've been working overtime trying to figure out data centers of late so this will be lengthy)<br />
<br />
For the network find out what routers/switch are used within the data center? <br />
are they redundant? <br />
which firewall, IDS/IPS, load balancers, can they steer traffic between redundant data centers? <br />
can you test this? <br />
are the load balancers redundant? <br />
who is/are the ISP's for internet connections, is it on redundant fiber?<br />
<br />
As a client you at least need to know something about your apps:<br />
what is the application's best user response time?<br />
response time under load at a certain number of concurrent users, what is the peak number of users expected?<br />
How long does the application need to recover from a failure before it affects your operations and leads to loss in any form? at what point do you lose your job? get sued?:-)<br />
Is there any component that could affect the application - eg an application tied to a mac-address?<br />
etc etc....<br />
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Finally for each application, throw in a grid of information, maybe a row per application into the SLA. So here you probably want to have functionality requirements, performance metrics and financial penalties for the various types of downtime errors per application.<br />
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While cloud providers are not obligated to deploy identical architecture as the clients ie same products and software and models and releases as the client's, the provider must meet similar functionality and response times. Areas where this deviation is a risk needs to be documented and the risk of downtime calculated and documented. This also includes the risk of brand loss and potential for law suits.<br />
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Some performance data for each application also needs to be collected to complete the SLA. Just so you can say - hey it used to be like this, now its worse off....or better off... <br />
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This will be fun......JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-88051022991299692702011-08-08T21:03:00.003+03:002011-08-08T21:05:35.998+03:00Third world networkers view on QOS for large capacity networkssee I've had very interesting debates on QOS. Having recently put up a +10G core, I found it hard to understand why QOS was such a big deal. We did do it, we have a very kickass QOS policy. It is even implemented and documented and alot of guys using our network mark packets appropriately.<br />
<br />
While 'random surfing' today, turns out there's a weird phenomenon known as <a href="http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/cscowork/ps2064/products_case_study09186a00800911e4.shtml">instantaneous buffer utilization/congestion</a>. <br />
<br />
This instantaneous buffer utilization can lead to a difference in delay times between packets in the same voice stream. This difference - jitter, is the variation between when a packet is expected to arrive and when it actually is received. To compensate for these delay variations between voice packets in a conversation, VoIP endpoints use jitter buffers to turn the delay variations into a constant value so that voice can be played out smoothly. <br />
<br />
Hence the primary role of QoS in a network like ours is not to control latency or jitter but to manage packet loss. In 10GE campus networks, it takes only a few milliseconds of congestion to cause instantaneous buffer overruns resulting in packet drops. That single drop is what we take care of with QOS on a 10G core, its why we'll do it on the 40G core...it's why we'll keep doing QOS....I still suck abit at <a href="http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Video/qoscampusaag.html">QOS</a>....its just too nuanced for my attention span..JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812919976949872507.post-61815168628283049962011-08-08T15:54:00.001+03:002011-08-08T15:57:16.628+03:00Third world networkers thoughts on happy networkersSo I spent quite a bit of time last weekend with a girl I like - yes I occassionally 'hang out'. Unfortunately Im so me I ended up asking the usual 'does what you do every day bring you joy, satisfaction and happiness'.<br />
<br />
I get really scared when answers to that question are structured areound 'things'. A house, a car, a person. <a href="http://sivers.org/">Derek Siver</a> writes:<br />
<br />
<i>"Most people don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing; they imitate others, go with the flow, and follow paths without making their own. But only you are responsible for making your perfect world. No matter which goal you choose, there will be lots of people telling you you’re wrong. But it’s your dream; you’re personal dream that you’re responsible for pursuing."</i><br />
<br />
<br />
When I sit with people, I listen to what they do, maybe you listen to what I do ; no not for the 8-5 work. The discussions center around what we do after 'work' in pursuit of fulfillment. A few minutes into seating with me you realize how much I want to get into technical training. <br />
<br />
Most of you will throw in ideas around that for me. Those aiming at cunsultancy discuss how we can work that in. So for this particular conversation the issue seemed to be how many Ideas I tend to have that never actualize. Or that I don't own a car (it never made sense to me for a long while), or a mortgage. There was visible annoyance. The answer was 'discussing them doesn't mean I want to pursue them all'. It means for the ones (ideas) I discuss with you, I'm happy if you use some or all of them to better your business or life.<br />
<br />
This same thing happens alot when I look at someones configuration or design or code and offer improvements. It makes me happy. Having that conversation with this particular person made me yet again realize how different people are. And how much your way of thinking is shaped by school, media and well their personal fears/values.<br />
<br />
I for instance hold very interesting views on education and what makes for a good one, home ownership, religion, politics, relationships (human relations confuse the heck out of me) and pretty much everything else. It is on a very rare day I agree with people on most issues.<br />
<br />
<br />
The focus for me tends to be me being my best self, defining success and goals !for me, then being around people that challenge me, are better than me. They however do this after 'getting' where I'm headed. I hate arguments that feel 'text book' or main stream something like you should be married with two babies by this age, or you should own a house by now raely go down well with me. The same way you should have visited at least 10 countries by now, mastered a musical instrument, climbed at least one mountain, had a pilgrimage rarely gets understood.<br />
<br />
And if you ever have a wonder about my worst nightmare<i>: it is living your joyless of joyful dreams as mine goes unaccomplished.....I prefer failing at my own dreams....it makes me happy - yours suck:-) because they are not mine now are they..... </i>JGitauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12976825241919301510noreply@blogger.com0