I’m a nostalgic type–it’s always enjoyable to relive the past. When we reminisce about networks, I don’t call it nostalgia, I call it NetStalgia. This page collects the articles I’ve written on networking in the past. From Apple II BBS’s to 10Base-2, this is the page for a walk down memory lane. Aside from entertainment, I believe it’s important for network engineers to learn from the past.
Networking Simplicity–We actually figured it out a long time ago
When it’s time to go–Or, “why it’s good to have more than one core switch”
Apple Certified…what??–A test I’m glad I failed
On being a VOIP guy (not)–Police, fire stations, and big stack of phones
Plungers and Hard Drives–Bashing your hard drive only works for so long
A night of vi–:wq! at 4 in the morning
It is the network–Sometimes the desktop guys are right…
My first Ethernet Network and Router–Daisy-chained Ethernet, PhoneNet, and OpenTransport all in a single post.
Remote Access–We used to actually use land lines for connectivity! Look in Wikipedia if you don’t know what a land line is…
A nauseating outage–Fuses, quarter pounders, and drug dealers…with a little MPLS!
For the Love of Wiring–Don’t be shocked, this is low voltage!
Painted into a corner–Where paint rollers and networks don’t mix
One big /8–Subnets, anyone?
How not to do Internet Connectivity–“Can you log off so I can check my email?!”
Bad Timing–When words don’t mean the same thing to everyone
Vintage DDOS–How we handled DDOS before firewalls and RFC1918
Before the Internet: The Bulletin Board System II–Screenshot demo of a working Apple II GBBS
Before the Internet: The Bulletin Board System–How we did networking before networking
Moving Carpets for $2000–And satellite latency
Moscone Microwave–What happens when a convention center blocks your microwave
A Passive Star–How we did AppleTalk networking with single-pair phone wire