San Francisco Work Trip I recently travelled to San Francisco for work and explored the city's key attractions, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Sausalito's waterfront.
Apstra SNMP Hash Key Retrieval: Solving a Common Network Management Challenge The Problem Network automation is meant to make our lives easier, but occasionally we encounter limitations that require creative solutions. One such challenge emerged when a customer needed to retrieve SNMP keys that had already been hashed on Junos devices—a capability that wasn't available within Apstra'
70% Hydration Pizza Dough - 12-Hour Spiral Mixer Method Quick notes on my accelerated pizza dough experiment using the spiral mixer... The Approach Fancied pizza without the typical 24-hour wait, so tried this quicker 12-hour method. Used the pizza calculator app for precise measurements with 70% hydration. Timeline Start to finish: 12 hours * 6 hours bulk fermentation * 6
Data Centre Network Automation with Apstra and Terraform: A CI/CD Approach Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Terraform Overview 3. Terraform with Apstra 4. GitLab CI/CD Pipeline Architecture 5. Pipeline Implementation Scenarios 6. State Management 7. Hybrid Management Approach 8. Scheduled Validation 9. Examples 10. Best Practices Introduction This document provides a comprehensive guide to implementing network automation in a
Automating Juniper Apstra: From Raw API to Terraform Introduction When automating Juniper Apstra's Intent-Based Networking (IBN) platform, teams have several approaches: using the REST API directly, leveraging the Python SDK (pyapstra), using Ansible with the URI module, or implementing Infrastructure as Code with the Terraform provider. Let's explore each approach. The Raw API Approach
Apstra Configlet Builder: Streamlining Network Configuration Development The Challenge with Configlets Network administrators familiar with Apstra will recognise the power of configlets for customising network device configurations. However, the existing workflow presents certain challenges: 1. Fragmented Process: Creating configlets in Apstra requires multiple steps - creating the configlet, importing it into the blueprint, and then reviewing the
70% Hydration Pizza Dough - 24-Hour Method (A Failed Experiment) Notes on what happens when good technique meets bad yeast... The Approach Attempted the classic 24-hour method using the same 70% hydration recipe and spiral mixer technique as my 12-hour version. What Went Wrong One critical ingredient failed me: the yeast was past its best. Method Notes 1. Initial Process
A Brief Edinburgh Work Trip I recently visited Edinburgh on business and managed to carve out some time to explore this magnificent Scottish city.
How to Check Your API Token Expiration Date Two straightforward methods to verify JWT token expiration times: using an online decoder or a simple bash function for command line decoding.
65% Hydration Pizza Dough - 24-Hour Method Notes on lowering hydration for a more manageable dough... The Approach Tried a slightly lower 65% hydration using the spiral mixer and 24-hour fermentation. Key Changes * Reduced water content (65% vs previous 70%) * Used properly active yeast * Maintained full 24-hour fermentation Method Notes 1. Initial Mix * Cold water (95% of
70% Hydration Pizza Dough - 12-Hour Method with Weaker Flour Notes on experimenting with lower protein flour... The Approach Tried the 12-hour method again with 70% hydration, but switched to weaker flour (W230 vs previous W320 rating). Key Change * Lower protein flour (W230 strength rating) * 70% hydration * 12-hour accelerated timeline Method Notes 1. Initial Mix * Same process as previous attempts
Custom Network Monitoring Tool: An Old Post This is a rewrite of an old blog post that was lost over time. I'm revisiting this significant project from my past to document the solution architecture and implementation details. The Challenge One of the more substantial projects I undertook several years ago was building a custom network
Oslo - Nov 2024 Three nights in Oslo for business meetings. The city's striking Opera House, with its white marble exterior and walkable roof, proved the perfect spot for photography. The November sunset created dramatic lighting across the building's angular surfaces, making it a highlight of an otherwise work-focused trip.
Testing a 100% Poolish Pizza Dough Today I tested a pizza dough recipe using a 100% poolish pre-ferment method. Here are the details of the process and results. Recipe Details Poolish (Bigga) * 300g water * 300g flour 00 * Left at room temperature for 1 hour * Refrigerated for 17 hours Final Dough * Added 140g flour to the poolish