Intro: Broadcast Loops v Broadcast Storms Wherever there is a broadcast domain there exists the opportunity for some idiot to create a loop. It happens in the simplest of environments where a misunderstanding or mis-configuration creates a logical loop where BUM traffic (broadcast, unknown-unicast, multicast) is allowed to go round and round like a merry-go-round.... Continue Reading →
Creating a Blog on GitHub Pages v WordPress
This post is a copy of the content at https://constantpinger.github.io/github/GH_pages.html This is the first page written within GitHub Pages and falls around the 4 hour point in the journey to understanding the technology. Upon hearing about the concept I thought this would be a brilliant way to produce content about code I've written or tech... Continue Reading →
Raritan PX1 Command Line
Raritan calls this the Command Line Protocol (CLP) interface and the manual states “enables data center administrators to perform some basic management tasks”. They aren’t joking when they say basic. Here is what they state: Reset the Dominion PX deviceDisplay the name, power state (on or off), and sensors associated with each outletTurn each outlet... Continue Reading →
Netbox Scripts – Getting Started
An introduction to Netbox's script feature including a basic sample.
Python MAC address manipulation
Every vendor has their favourite format for MAC addresses and it is common to need to create strings to pass as CLI commands. This post shows to check the string is a valid address and how to convert between formats. If you run HPE/Aruba switches the discussion on custom formats will be useful. The python... Continue Reading →
SNMP templates with IMC API
Q: When is a template not a template? A: Within HPE IMC
MAC Address Formats in Ansible
How to change the format of MAC address strings in Ansible.
Why Having the Same Switch Config Across the Estate isn’t Always a Good Thing
I love uniformity. I see a collection of engineered objects (switch configs, shelves, rows of seedlings) as perfect when they are all the same. If they aren't the same then by definition some must be sub-standard. Also if they are uniform then something magical happens. You only have one state to consider/tweak/monitor etc. You know... Continue Reading →
HPE IMC RESTapi
IMC has a portal to learn and experiment with the RESTful API without needing a client
Why parsing display commands with Ansible can often provide a 100% hit rate
A lesson I learnt the hard way about sending commands to a network device and parsing the result.
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