Total Network Operations
- Episodes
- 50
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Nov 6, 2026
About the podcast
The pod dedicated to the hardworking network operators who keep the bitpipes running smoothly. We focus on sharing best practices, the operations tool stack, and engage with vendors and solution providers to get insights into new technologies and tools so you can make informed decisions for your ops environment. Hosted by your friendly neighborhood internet plumber, Scott Robohn.
License: © 2020 Packet Pushers Interactive LLC
Episodes 50
TNO079: Automation for the People
We’ve seen the capability that automation tooling has enabled for hyperscaler environments and beyond, but not enough emphasis is being put on improving the quality of life for network engineers and network …
Show notes
We’ve seen the capability that automation tooling has enabled for hyperscaler environments and beyond, but not enough emphasis is being put on improving the quality of life for network engineers and network operators. Scott Robohn is joined by Senior Principal Network Development Engineer Dave Mack to explore the human side of network automation. They explore... Read more »TNO078: Designing Networks for Operations
Scott Robohn welcomes Bruce Davie and Larry Peterson from Systems Approach to discuss the new edition of Computer Networks: A Systems Approach and their blog post on reality-based network operations. Together …
Show notes
Scott Robohn welcomes Bruce Davie and Larry Peterson from Systems Approach to discuss the new edition of Computer Networks: A Systems Approach and their blog post on reality-based network operations. Together they explore the contrast between clean-slate tooling and the pragmatic realities of managing heterogeneous vendor environments. They also discuss the importance of designing networks... Read more »TNO077: From “Is It the Network?” to Continuous Assurance with NetBeez (Sponsored)
In this sponsored episode Scott is joined by Stefano Gridelli, cofounder and CEO of NetBeez, to discuss continuous network experience assurance and moving beyond reactive troubleshooting. Together they break …
Show notes
In this sponsored episode Scott is joined by Stefano Gridelli, cofounder and CEO of NetBeez, to discuss continuous network experience assurance and moving beyond reactive troubleshooting. Together they break down how NetBeez uses user-perspective monitoring, distributed sensors, and AI-assisted data analysis to quickly isolate network performance issues. Stefano also highlights the next-generation platform features introduced... Read more »TNO076: Observability and Automation for AI Networking
Christian Adell and David Flores join host Scott Robohn to discuss the intersection of observability, automation, and networking in AI data centers. With AI data centers linking thousands or tens of thousands …
Show notes
Christian Adell and David Flores join host Scott Robohn to discuss the intersection of observability, automation, and networking in AI data centers. With AI data centers linking thousands or tens of thousands of GPUs, observability becomes a huge challenge. Scott and guests dig into those challenges, including maintaining lossless networking, managing elephant flows, and leveraging... Read more »TNO075: What Does Network Operations Look Like in 2030? (Sponsored)
What will network operations look like in 2030, and how can teams embrace agentic AI without losing operational control? In this sponsored episode, Rekha Shenoy and Irfahn Khimji of BackBox speak with Scott …
Show notes
What will network operations look like in 2030, and how can teams embrace agentic AI without losing operational control? In this sponsored episode, Rekha Shenoy and Irfahn Khimji of BackBox speak with Scott Robohn about the shift toward agentic NetOps, balancing automation with backup and rollback strategies, and the evolving role of network engineers. Episode... Read more »TNO074: Lean Teams, Big Demands: Managing K-12 Complexity with AIOps (Sponsored)
“My goal in life is to say it’s not the network!” says Ben Shapiro, senior network engineer at Eugene (OR) School District 4J, the 6th largest school district in Oregon. He joins host Scott Robohn to discuss …
Show notes
“My goal in life is to say it’s not the network!” says Ben Shapiro, senior network engineer at Eugene (OR) School District 4J, the 6th largest school district in Oregon. He joins host Scott Robohn to discuss how to balance complexity, resiliency, legacy devices, security and more in an educational setting. He’s also a MistFit with... Read more »TNO073: Network Automation Forum: From Simple Survey to Global Community
In this crossover episode, Scott invites William Collins and Eric Chou to do the hosting so he and Network Automation Forum (NAF) cofounder Chris Grundemann can discuss how their community emerged from a simple …
Show notes
In this crossover episode, Scott invites William Collins and Eric Chou to do the hosting so he and Network Automation Forum (NAF) cofounder Chris Grundemann can discuss how their community emerged from a simple question: Why haven’t we seen full adoption of network automation? They discuss the growth of AutoCon and how its practitioner-focused, vendor-neutral... Read more »TNO072: Connectivity and Community with Jason Gintert
Jason Gintert, Co-Founder of the US Networking User Association, returns to the show to discuss his key elements and events in his professional career. Jason shares valuable lessons learned from his early days …
Show notes
Jason Gintert, Co-Founder of the US Networking User Association, returns to the show to discuss his key elements and events in his professional career. Jason shares valuable lessons learned from his early days in the 90’s ISP boom, the challenges of failing at scale, and his dedication to creating regional networking communities that foster genuine... Read more »TNO071: The Network Team Is Drowning. Is AI the Life Raft? (Sponsored)
Last year, 49,000 CVEs were published, more than 130 new vulnerabilities every day. So what actually happens with all of those CVEs in your network infrastructure? In this sponsored episode, Rekha Shenoy and …
Show notes
Last year, 49,000 CVEs were published, more than 130 new vulnerabilities every day. So what actually happens with all of those CVEs in your network infrastructure? In this sponsored episode, Rekha Shenoy and Irfahn Khimji of BackBox join Scott Robohn to discuss why the math of manual network operations no longer works, where traditional tools... Read more »TNO070: Spec Driven Design (SDD) for NetOps and NetEng
NetOps engineer Lasse Haugen sits down with Scott Robohn at AutoCon 5 to explore the power of Spec Driven Design (SDD) for transforming network engineering workflows from chaotic experimentation to structured …
Show notes
NetOps engineer Lasse Haugen sits down with Scott Robohn at AutoCon 5 to explore the power of Spec Driven Design (SDD) for transforming network engineering workflows from chaotic experimentation to structured, reliable automation. Together they define what SDD is, use cases for NetOps and NetEng, how it has changed NetOps, and more. AdSpot Sponsor: NANOG,... Read more »TNO069: Network to Code Gets Enterprise Open-Core Right with Nautobot (Sponsored)
Network to Code’s Jason Edelman, Founder and CTO; and Jeff Bradbury, VP of Marketing of Network, join host Scott Robohn for this sponsored episode to discuss open-core done right — community first, and creating …
Show notes
Network to Code’s Jason Edelman, Founder and CTO; and Jeff Bradbury, VP of Marketing of Network, join host Scott Robohn for this sponsored episode to discuss open-core done right — community first, and creating a path to scalable automation results for enterprise success. They update Scott on Nautobot 3.1, which includes AI and AI agents... Read more »TNO068: Packet Pushers Assemble! Bridging the Telemetry Divide
Today, several members of our Packet Pushers podcast team assemble to discuss whether the grass is greener on the NetOps or DevOps side of the telemetry fence. William of The Cloud Gambit, Scott of Total …
Show notes
Today, several members of our Packet Pushers podcast team assemble to discuss whether the grass is greener on the NetOps or DevOps side of the telemetry fence. William of The Cloud Gambit, Scott of Total Network Operations, and Ned and Kyler of Day Two DevOps discuss the difficulties and differences of getting telemetry and state... Read more »TNO067: The Impact of AI on Internet Traffic
Scott Robohn sits down with guests Lenny Giuliano and Russ White to examine whether generative AI will affect internet traffic patterns. Together they explore the role of CDNs, the importance of latency, and …
Show notes
Scott Robohn sits down with guests Lenny Giuliano and Russ White to examine whether generative AI will affect internet traffic patterns. Together they explore the role of CDNs, the importance of latency, and the potential for a shift toward edge-based inference. They also discuss the impact of data sovereignty on infrastructure and the potential return... Read more »TNO066: Tom Hollingsworth Before Tech Field Day
Tom Hollingsworth joins Scott Robohn to share his professional journey from a hands-on network engineer and CCIE to his current role leading events at Tech Field Day. He talks about the cyclical nature of …
Show notes
Tom Hollingsworth joins Scott Robohn to share his professional journey from a hands-on network engineer and CCIE to his current role leading events at Tech Field Day. He talks about the cyclical nature of networking hype, and advocates for specialized, subject-specific tech models over broad AI solutions. They also discuss the delicate art of facilitating... Read more »TNO065: The Operational Reality of Modern Wireless Networks
Scott sits down with Wi-Fi engineer Eva Santos to explore the realities of modern wireless operations. Eva shares insights on navigating site surveys, the differences between Wi-Fi bands, and the challenges of …
Show notes
Scott sits down with Wi-Fi engineer Eva Santos to explore the realities of modern wireless operations. Eva shares insights on navigating site surveys, the differences between Wi-Fi bands, and the challenges of troubleshooting inconsistent client performance. The conversation also explores the evolving standards of Wi-Fi 6, 7, and 8, the role of security protocols like... Read more »TNO064: The Realities of Running SONiC at Scale
Scott is joined by Brett Lykins, a Senior Systems Development Engineer at Amazon. Brett works with software-defined infrastructure built around SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud). Together they …
Show notes
Scott is joined by Brett Lykins, a Senior Systems Development Engineer at Amazon. Brett works with software-defined infrastructure built around SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud). Together they dig into what it’s actually like to use, maintain, and operate a network this way. They also discuss not just the architecture, but the day-to-day... Read more »TNO063: Automating Human-Centric NetOps is Finally Achievable
Scott sits down with Avi Freedman, CEO and co-founder of Kentik, to discuss if AI has advanced enough to automate human-centric NetOps. Together they caution against vendor hype regarding closed-loop network …
Show notes
Scott sits down with Avi Freedman, CEO and co-founder of Kentik, to discuss if AI has advanced enough to automate human-centric NetOps. Together they caution against vendor hype regarding closed-loop network automation despite the progress AI has made. Avi also shares his personal experiences in the industry and the hard won lessons he learned along... Read more »TNO062: SONiC for Open Networking with Jeff Doyle
Scott Robohn is joined by networking legend Jeff Doyle to help us understand SONiC: Software for Open Networking in the Cloud. SONiC is an open-source network operating system and has been adopted by …
Show notes
Scott Robohn is joined by networking legend Jeff Doyle to help us understand SONiC: Software for Open Networking in the Cloud. SONiC is an open-source network operating system and has been adopted by hyperscalers to run some of the world’s largest data centers. But SONiC can also be used by enterprises and service providers. Jeff... Read more »TNO061: Networking Theory and Practice; Networking in the Classroom Today
Scott Robohn sits down with Andy Smith, a distinguished engineer with Arrcus Networks, where he and his team work to advance networking with modern software and new architectures. He’s also a lecturer at the …
Show notes
Scott Robohn sits down with Andy Smith, a distinguished engineer with Arrcus Networks, where he and his team work to advance networking with modern software and new architectures. He’s also a lecturer at the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Andy shares his networking journey, talks about how networks and... Read more »TNO060: Think Like an Architect
Today we welcome Damien Garros, Co-Founder and CEO of OpsMill, to discuss how network automation is creating the need to redefine roles beyond traditional engineers, including network automation architects …
Show notes
Today we welcome Damien Garros, Co-Founder and CEO of OpsMill, to discuss how network automation is creating the need to redefine roles beyond traditional engineers, including network automation architects, software developers, and operations specialists. We hone in on the concept of mechanics, who focus on implementation, and architects who see the bigger picture. We also... Read more »TNO059: Design for Operations: Getting Vendor Support in the Ops Ecosystem
Scott Robohn and networking expert Russ White dive into the concept of design for operations. That is, they look at how to connect the design of a protocol or solution to how people are actually going to use …
Show notes
Scott Robohn and networking expert Russ White dive into the concept of design for operations. That is, they look at how to connect the design of a protocol or solution to how people are actually going to use it. They examine how protocol designers often overlook the teams that must operate them, creating some “inoperable”... Read more »TNO058: Detect. Prove. Predict. Turning Network Monitoring Into Operational Intelligence (Sponsored)
In this sponsored episode, Dylan Hensler, Customer Solutions Specialist with Statseeker, joins Scott for a breakdown of what allows Statseeker to move beyond traditional network monitoring. Together they …
Show notes
In this sponsored episode, Dylan Hensler, Customer Solutions Specialist with Statseeker, joins Scott for a breakdown of what allows Statseeker to move beyond traditional network monitoring. Together they discuss Statseeker’s ability to help NetOps teams detect issues faster, prove root cause, and operate with confidence by turning raw data into operational intelligence. They also discuss... Read more »TNO057: The Self-Driving Network, Revisited
Scott sits down for an in-depth conversation with Kireeti Kompella. Together they explore his impactful career and the evolution of modern networking. Kireeti, a key figure in protocol development, shares his …
Show notes
Scott sits down for an in-depth conversation with Kireeti Kompella. Together they explore his impactful career and the evolution of modern networking. Kireeti, a key figure in protocol development, shares his journey from the Kernel Group at Juniper to leading work on fundamental technologies including his contributions to the C-chip patent. AdSpot Sponsor: Meter Meter... Read more »TNO056: A Culture of Precise Work: Data Center NetOps
With the continued growth of data centers for clouds, neoclouds (especially AI model training), for carriers, and for the enterprise, it’s important to discuss data center network operations and issues. Scott …
Show notes
With the continued growth of data centers for clouds, neoclouds (especially AI model training), for carriers, and for the enterprise, it’s important to discuss data center network operations and issues. Scott is joined by Dr. Peter Welcher, a consultant, blogger, and Tech Field contributor. Together, they dive into how latency and the rise of AI... Read more »TNO055: Testing as a Service for Telco Network Services
Scott talks with Mark Gebert from Verizon about something that sits at the heart of every reliable enterprise network: testing. Automation is moving fast in the telco world, but automation without testing is …
Show notes
Scott talks with Mark Gebert from Verizon about something that sits at the heart of every reliable enterprise network: testing. Automation is moving fast in the telco world, but automation without testing is just an accident waiting to happen. They unpack what makes enterprise service provisioning so complex—multi-vendor networks, optical and IP gear, security functions,... Read more »TNO054: AI Skills for CCIEs
Let’s talk about AI for NetOps: It’s not just coming, it’s here. There are tools to use, skills to acquire, and we want to talk about what’s needed for highly certified network engineers to skill up in AI. What …
Show notes
Let’s talk about AI for NetOps: It’s not just coming, it’s here. There are tools to use, skills to acquire, and we want to talk about what’s needed for highly certified network engineers to skill up in AI. What certification opportunities or paths exist? What developments do we think we’re going to see here? And... Read more »TNO053: Ethernet Is Everywhere
Ethernet is everywhere. Today we talk with one of the people responsible for this protocol’s ubiquity. Doug Boom is a veteran of the Ethernet development world. His code has helped landers reach Mars …
Show notes
Ethernet is everywhere. Today we talk with one of the people responsible for this protocol’s ubiquity. Doug Boom is a veteran of the Ethernet development world. His code has helped landers reach Mars, submarines sail the deep seas, airplanes get to their gates, cars drive around town, and more. Doug walks us through the origins... Read more »TNO052: Internet History with Len Bosack
Len Bosack, co-founder of Cisco Systems and the CEO of XKL, sits down for a discussion with Scott Robohn. Len shares how he went from a mathematician to being responsible for pioneering the widespread …
Show notes
Len Bosack, co-founder of Cisco Systems and the CEO of XKL, sits down for a discussion with Scott Robohn. Len shares how he went from a mathematician to being responsible for pioneering the widespread commercialization of LAN technology. We also get to hear his firsthand account of building the first multi-protocol routers at Stanford and... Read more »TNO051: Networks That Do: From Automated to Autonomous Networks with Meter (Sponsored)
Will it be possible to have fully autonomous networks in the near future? Anil Varanasi, CEO and Co-Founder of Meter, joins Scott Robohn in this sponsored episode to discuss the ongoing evolution from automated …
Show notes
Will it be possible to have fully autonomous networks in the near future? Anil Varanasi, CEO and Co-Founder of Meter, joins Scott Robohn in this sponsored episode to discuss the ongoing evolution from automated to autonomous networks. Anil breaks down how Meter differentiates from other networking vendors, discusses how Meter’s network products are vertically integrated... Read more »TNO050: Resiliency and Transparency with Andy Lapteff
Today Scott interviews Andy Lapteff. He opens up about his non-linear career path, starting from a working class background and his physical jobs in telecom to becoming a senior product marketing manager and …
Show notes
Today Scott interviews Andy Lapteff. He opens up about his non-linear career path, starting from a working class background and his physical jobs in telecom to becoming a senior product marketing manager and podcaster. Join us as Andy shares candid stories of how he developed his resilience and the heartwarming origin story for the Art... Read more »
These are the latest 40 of 50 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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