The Network Shokunin

(#1 of 7) Whilst studying for the CCDE , you stumble across new design methodologies all the time, each of which set out some fundamental principles by which you should look to adhere when building your network solutions - the one that springs to mind is Chapter 1 of Russ White's book "Optimal Routing Design" .   The idea is that you bear those simple ideas in mind as you go through the design process, checking back in with them to make sure that the design you produce will lead to a network which is robust and manageable, but still meets customer requirements. Through an iterative process of my own, I have arrived at five principles I try and embody in my work, and over coming blog posts, I'll go into more detail on how I look to apply each of them.   They are: Availability … is the fundamental desirable property of a network, its raison d'être.   The network exists as the transport to deliver apps to users, make data available to apps, and coll

I have been wanting to start a blog, my blog, for a while now.  I've written a couple of things for company and Cisco blogs but by their nature they weren't *mine*.  And then an online challenge in the Cisco Champions Spark room prompted me into action.  And so here we are. I wanted to choose a name for it that meant something, that reflected me.  Most of my online presence revolves around the fact that I now work for a VAR, designing and building networks with Cisco products, and that I have certain prestigious Cisco qualifications.  When you are chasing those certs, it is easy to let them define you - especially when you are able to claim your CCIE number.  It's just ten years since my number was given to me - years of practice leading me to reach the top of my configuration game! - and every couple of years since, I have slogged away for a couple of months to recertify. Finding it tougher each time to pass due to the fact that my days at the CLI were getting fewer a