Understanding BGP Route Reflectors: Simplifying iBGP Full Mesh A detailed guide to BGP Route Reflectors—learn how they simplify iBGP full mesh, key reflection rules, configuration steps, loop prevention with Originator-ID and Cluster-ID, plus advantages and best practices for scalable and resilient network design. The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the backbone of the internet, responsible … Read more
Learn how BGP AS-Override resolves routing issues when customer sites use the same AS number in MPLS VPNs. Step-by-step lab guide with configs and verification. In the last blog on BGP Loop Prevention, we deeply explored how the BGP routing protocol avoids routing loops using its AS Path attribute. (If you missed it, Click here … Read more
If you’ve ever typed show ip bgp summary and noticed your BGP neighbor sitting in Active or Connect, you might have wondered: “Why does BGP go through so many steps before finally exchanging routes?” You’re not alone — almost every network engineer has stared at these states at some point and scratched their head.The truth … Read more
At the heart of IPsec and IKE lies a powerful concept — the Security Association (SA). In today’s digital world, secure communication over public networks like the internet is critical. Whether it’s a remote employee accessing a company VPN or two data centers syncing sensitive information, IPsec is often the technology behind the scenes providing … Read more
What Is IPsec? Let’s start with the basics.IPsec, or Internet Protocol Security, isn’t just one protocol — it’s a framework of protocols designed to secure communication over IP networks. In simpler words, IPsec is like a virtual bodyguard for your data — it ensures that whatever travels across the internet remains private, tamper-proof, and authentic. … Read more
When I first dived into learning IPsec, I’ll be honest—it felt like I was staring into a whirlwind of confusing terms.Tunnels, phases, protocols… everything seemed jumbled together, and nothing really clicked at first. But here’s what I figured out: IPsec isn’t just one protocol—it’s a powerful framework made up of several moving parts. Each piece … Read more
In our previous blog, we explored eBGP — its configuration and key operational rules. Now, let’s take it a step further as we dive into iBGP.iBGP, or Internal Border Gateway Protocol, is another flavor of BGP where both the local and remote routers belong to the same Autonomous System (AS). In this blog, we’ll break … Read more
In this walkthrough, we’ll take a closer look at how packets travel between two PCs located on different networks and communicate through a router — making it easy to understand the packet flow process step by step. In our previous blog, we explored how data travels between two PCs connected directly or through a switch. … Read more
In our previous blog, we explored how packets flow between two directly connected computers. If you haven’t checked it out yet, make sure to do so! Please click here to check the blog. Now, let’s take things one step further. What if we introduce a switch between the two computers? How does the traffic flow … Read more
A Beginner-Friendly Look into ARP, MAC, and IP Communication Have you ever tried connecting two PCs and checked how packet flows between two directly connected Computers/PC’s — especially when they don’t even know each other’s MAC address? Today, let’s explore that magic moment when PC1 pings PC2 and what happens under the hood — packet … Read more