FtBP: VPN Tunnels Part 6/8                   Last time we talked about how a firewall will handle a network packet, today we will discuss how a packet gets across a VPN Tunnel. Here is where we left off last time with our network packet:                 L2-[Source MAC: 04-04-04-04-04-04 | Destination MAC: 05-05-05-05-05-05]  &n... [More]

FtBP: Firewalls Part 5/8                   Last time we talked about how a router will direct a network packet, today we will discuss how a packet gets assessed by a network firewall in determining whether to forward the traffic, or squash it. Here is where we left off last time with our network packet:                   L2-[Sour... [More]

FtBP: Routing Part 4/8                   In a previous discussion (Part 2) we covered the formation of a network packet in preparation to send that packet on the wire. Today we will cover the packet's travel through its local router. Let's start by reviewing what we had in our network packet. Here is where we left off:                 L2... [More]

FtBP: Switching Part 3/8                   In our last discussion we covered the formation of a network packet in preparation to send that packet on the wire. Today we will cover the packet's travel through its local VLAN from Client to Server. Let's start by reviewing what we had in our network packet from last time. Here is where we left off:           &nb... [More]

FtBP: Packet Formation Part 2/8 Packets on the wire (purposely repeated)                 As we go through this series we will go over some examples to help understand the progression of a network packet throughout a network segment. We will start off simple and grow to more and more complicated packet transfers, but before we get to the wire we will need to look at how the data is packaged, and so how the packet fo... [More]

  FtBP: Prerequisites Part 1/8                   One understanding that I think has helped me a great deal in troubleshooting problems, and designing networks and services is the evolution of a network packet as it transverses different pieces of network hardware. Today I will try to cover at a high level, the packet creation process, switching to the local Vlan, packet routing, NATing and firewalls, a... [More]

What is a Network Client?                 Whether you are administering a network, troubleshooting a problem, or designing a solution it is invaluable to understand the role that your device plays in the network. As I worked the phones at Microsoft's US Senior Escalation Center I often found confusion caused by the use of the terms "Client" and "Server". My goal in this article is to help us better understand and use... [More]