N Is For Networking

N Is For Networking

N Is For Networking deconstructs the concepts, jargon and acronyms of the data networking industry. Join recovering CCIE Ethan Banks with rising star Holly Podbielak for these episodes that will help you place context around networking terminology.

Episodes

N4N061: Your First Wi-Fi Network Part 2

August 6, 2026 • 62 mins
This week, Ethan and Holly continue their conversation around Wi-Fi. They go deeper into the benefits of Wi-Fi 7, look at what’s coming in Wi-Fi 8, and cover the differences among Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and Multi-Link Operation (MLO). AdSpot Sponsor: Megaport If you’re supporting cloud projects, managing growing... Read more »
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N4N060: Your First Wi-Fi Network Part 1

July 23, 2026 • 62 mins
Have you ever wondered how data actually travels through a Wi-Fi network? Holly and Ethan break down the fundamentals of wireless networking, including radio frequencies and channel planning. They also address the complexities of roaming, how the Wi-Fi space has changed over the years, and share advice on how to design and maintain a home... Read more »
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N4N059: Twisted Pair Cabling

June 25, 2026 • 57 mins
Copper twisted pair cabling serves as a fundamental component of Ethernet infrastructure and Ethan and Holly are here to break down how it works. They discuss the technical differences between cabling categories, how wire twisting cancels out electromagnetic interference, and share practical guidance on installation standards and testing methodologies. Episode Links: Watch this episode on... Read more »
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N4N058: Future-Proofing Your Career for the AI Era (Sponsored)

June 18, 2026 • 50 mins
In this sponsored episode by Cisco we explore how agentic AI is transforming network operations and what it means for your career. Robert Barton, an AI Distinguished Engineer at Cisco Systems, joins Ethan and Holly to help us snap the artificial intelligence puzzle piece into your networking picture. Together they break down the AI trifecta:... Read more »
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N4N057: The Art of Troubleshooting

June 11, 2026 • 82 mins
As a network engineer, you’ll end up with a lot of weird problems to solve. Many times, the problems will not be with the network at all, and it’ll be up to you to figure it all out. But how? Ethan and Holly discuss techniques for effective troubleshooting. Those techniques include how to gather accurate... Read more »
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N4N056: A Wireless NAC Walkthrough

May 28, 2026 • 70 mins
In the previous episode of N is for Networking, Jennifer “JJ” Jabbusch gave us a thorough overview of Network Access Control (NAC) for wired networks. This week we’re going wireless! JJ walks us through the major differences between wired and wireless NAC, how 802.1X is more seamless in Wi-Fi deployments, the unpredictability of web portals,... Read more »
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N4N055: A Wired NAC Walkthrough

May 14, 2026 • 75 mins
Today’s topic is Network Access Control (NAC) for a wired network. To help walk us through it all is Jennifer “JJ” Jabbusch, a network security architect, public speaker, book author, and co-host of the Packet Protector podcast. JJ and our hosts break down the terms and protocols behind NAC, and explain why the architecture was... Read more »
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N4N054: Network Access Control (NAC) Basics

April 30, 2026 • 66 mins
Today’s episode is part one of a three part series to break down Network Access Control (NAC). Ethan and Holly start simple by explaining what NAC is at a high level and all of the jargon and acronyms that come with it. They also cover where and when network access control is applied, whether NAC... Read more »
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N4N053: Well Actually 03 – Multicast, Routing Protocols, RFC 1918

April 16, 2026 • 57 mins
We asked for follow ups and you did not disappoint! On today’s show we respond to listener comments and corrections on multicast, routing protocols, security, and more. We also have a technical correction for the RFC 1918 Class B private address range. A big thank you to everyone who sent in responses. If you’d like... Read more »
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N4N052: Multicast Part 2

April 2, 2026 • 85 mins
Lenny Giuliano, Sr. Distinguished Systems Engineer at HPE Juniper Networks, joins Holly and Ethan for another round of multicast. Part two helps fill in details not covered in episode 50. They cover how multicast traffic also affects Ethernet frame addressing, and the key differences between IPv4 and IPv6 multicast. They also explain new hybrid multicast... Read more »
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N4N051: MPLS Fundamentals

March 19, 2026 • 68 mins
Today’s topic is Multiprotocol Label Switching or MPLS, a foundational technology that powers service provider networks and enterprise WANs all over the world. To help us break it down, we’ve invited James Bensley, a Network Tech Lead who’s spent fifteen years with MPLS. James explains what spurred the creation of MPLS and how it works... Read more »
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N4N050: Multicast Fundamentals

March 5, 2026 • 81 mins
Today’s learning adventure is an overview of multicast. Ethan and Holly have invited a guest to share his multicast expertise: Lenny Giuliano, Sr. Distinguished Systems Engineer at HPE Juniper Networks. Lenny guides them through multicast principles and shares examples of where and how it’s used in live networks. He also explains how the OSPF routing... Read more »
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N4N049: Understanding Firewalls

February 19, 2026 • 70 mins
Today, Ethan and Holly provide an overview of firewalls. While cybersecurity is a separate discipline from network engineering, much of what happens in cybersecurity is interesting at the packet level, so there’s a good deal of overlap. It’s likely that as a network engineer, you’ll be managing, or at least dealing with, firewalls in your... Read more »
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N4N048: QoS Fundamentals

February 5, 2026 • 83 mins
Quality of Service (QoS) is a huge topic with a punishingly large group of acronyms. Join Ethan and Holly as they help you build a mental framework of what QoS is and what it solves. Not only do they break down essential acronyms, they also discuss QoS fundamentals, define the major groups of QoS tools,... Read more »
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N4N047: Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

January 22, 2026 • 68 mins
Go beyond the basics to understand the mechanics that keep your default gateway from becoming a single point of failure. Ethan and Holly demystify Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), which helps provide network redundancy. They break down everything from the VRRP election protocol to the protocol’s unique communication methods. They also look back at previous... Read more »
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N4N046: In-Band vs. Out-of-Band Management

January 8, 2026 • 64 mins
Ethan and Holly discuss the major differences between In-band and Out-of-band (OOB) management and the pros and cons of both. They explore how to implement a proper OOB network and critical use cases where OOB is required. They also explain the differences and roles of the data plane, the control plane, and the management plane.... Read more »
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N4N045: Audience Follow Up & 2026 Preview

December 18, 2025 • 59 mins
If you’re curious as to what Ethan and Holly have in store for 2026, they give you a sneak peak on today’s episode. Hint: Some of these topics might include letters like B, G, P, Q, o, S, A and I.  They also take time in this episode to answer listener questions, ranging from how... Read more »
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N4N044: Redundancy Vs. High Availability Part 2 – HA Networking Isn’t Free

December 4, 2025 • 56 mins
In Part 1 of Redundancy vs. High Availability, we said that sometimes high availability and redundancy are considered to be the same thing, but we disagree. Holly and Ethan do agree that high availability can be considered a network design goal, and that redundancy is just one technique that can be used to help make... Read more »
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N4N043: Redundancy vs. High Availability Part 1

November 20, 2025 • 60 mins
In today’s chat, Holly and Ethan consider a question from listener Douglas who asks, “How do you approach designing a network for high availability and redundancy?” They start by defining differences between redundancy and high availability, and talk about Holly’s experience with her own customers. Then they share examples of how to achieve redundancy in... Read more »
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N4N042: Meet MACsec

November 6, 2025 • 52 mins
MACsec is a protocol for encrypting Ethernet frames on a local (though not always local) network. Ethan Banks and Holly Metlitzky have an ELI5 (explain like I’m 5) discussion as to what exactly is MACsec and how it differs from IPsec. They talk about when and whether you need to implement MACsec with all the... Read more »
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