Sometimes the Packet Pushers start get technical. Well, that happens most of the time and it seems that shows need a tag that indicate just how Nerdy they are. Like a R Rating on a movie that tells it will have sex, violence, bad language ( or hopefully, all three), the Packet Pushers need a rating to warn you how technical it is.
Thus, THE NERD METER.
Naturally, the Nerd Meter is logarithmic, in homage to Decibels and Richter scales which are also logarithimic. The Nerd Meter is arbitrary, being measured against a set of preception of the listeners and speakers. However, complete whimsy is not acceptable therefore we must establish criteria against whcih to baseline.
| Rating Network Nerd Discussions | |
|---|---|
| Level | Guideline |
| 0 | You know what a computer looks like |
| 1 | You can turn it on |
| 2 | You can use MS Word |
| 2.2 | And print a Word Document out |
| 2.4 | And save it. |
| 2.5 | And find it later |
| 3 | You can configure a Cisco router at the CLI |
| 3.5 | You can configure a Juniper router at the CLI |
| 4 | You can configure standard firewalls |
| You know what Perl is. | |
| 5 | You understand the purpose of a firewalls |
| 5.1 | You know why its spelled Perl and not PERL. |
| Comprehension of firewall stateful packet inspection | |
| Arguing whether EIGRP is a Distance Vector or Link State protocol | |
| Can configure redistribution of static routes into OSPF | |
| 6 | Knowing that is doesn’t matter that EIGRP is a DV or Link protocol, no one cares |
| You know how the HTTP Protocol works | |
| Can configure MPLS | |
| 6.1 | Can configure virtual firewalls. |
| 7 | |
| 7.2 | Can design basic MPLS Networks |
| Routinely enables RED or ECN, and can tune it appropriately for edge vs aggregation vs core (via @dgentry) | |
| 8 | Comparing switch architectures and backplane performance in Data Centre switches |
| 9 | |
| 9.4 | Discus network protocols that are pre-standards, in details e.g. SPB-V vs SPB-M and how the use ISIDs if more effective than VLAN tags. While attempting |
| 9.7 | Discuss the operating system on a network device and whether the architecture meets the needs of todays market. Review the features therein and debate, with the vendors software development team, what features should be in their product. |
Of course, this is a work in progress, and more details will be added to increase it’s accuracy over time. Feel free to email [email protected] with your suggestions.
About Greg Ferro
