Juniper Networks Warrior

Chapter 11. Internet Access Rebuild

While I was writing this book, the company that I have worked with and for the last six years—Proteus Networks—was acquired by another company. That company approaches projects with a different methodology than the one Proteus Networks used. This methodology starts with a discovery phase, followed by testing and finally implementation phases—a much improved methodology from what we were used to. It is much better to have a specific phase of the project dedicated to investigating the client’s environment prior to jumping in and getting to the meat of the project.

In this engagement, the discovery phase was an eye-opener. It allowed us to see the internal operations of the client’s network prior to a major upgrade.

It is said that we’re better off not knowing how some things are made or what goes into them—sausages and hot dogs are commonly listed in this category. This client’s network could also easily make the list. When we looked into the network configurations and discovered what was actually happening, we were really surprised that the network operated as well as it did.

Warning

While out with a group of warriors, I once heard a story about a client’s network that was overburdened and at its maximum. It was determined that the principal router needed to be replaced. The client purchased a new, high-powered router to replace the tired old device. While the new device was being installed, the old device was examined and its configuration was cleaned ...