I write for myself and myself alone. This blog and any reproduction of its content is the creation of Tony Mattke. The content created herein reflects my opinions and conclusions, supported by fact… or pretty much whenever I feel like it. Nothing I write about on this blog should be viewed to reflect any opinion of any employer, past or present. Details provided on this blog should not be perceived to reflect the actual design or configuration of any technology or infrastructure deployment. This is simply an exploration of ideas in a generic way that you, the reader, can learn from and find a way to integrate into your own day-to-day experiences. Any sharing or re-sharing of content is not an endorsement or acknowledgement of any kind, just an indication that I feel a topic warrants further scrutiny and/or discussion.
Blog with Integrity
I believe strongly in blogging with integrity. I have signed the pledge and I believe in everything it says. I may go back from time to time to correct small typographical errors in past posts, but I do not believe in revisionist writing. I started this blog because I wanted to document my learning experiences, and when I write something, it is what it is. Any writing, negative or positive, about vendors or their products is my opinion and mine alone. No vendor or employer, past or present, has any influence whatsoever in what I write, and I don’t speak for anyone but myself.
[translation] I like networking. I write about networking. I try to be right. When I’m not, I’d rather you tell me than flatter me.
Tech Field Day
I occasionally attend various Tech Field Day events organized by Gestalt IT. These events are sponsored by networking vendors who thus indirectly cover our travel costs. In addition to a presentation (or more), vendors may give us parting gifts ranging from their own products to USB keys and various swag.
The vendors sponsoring Tech Field Day events don’t ask for, nor are they promised, any kind of consideration in the writing of blog posts. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and not those of sponsoring vendors, my employer and/or its affiliates, and all the mistakes are my fault. Please do feel free to point them out; I gladly correct factual errors.
[translation] Yes, I got a USB key once. No, I don’t remember what’s on it. It’s probably still in a drawer.
Cisco Blogs
Being a Cisco Champion I am asked from time to time to write a post for the Cisco blog. This in no way, shape, or form guarantees them any bias. As with any article I write, my opinions are my own, and I will express them as I see fit.
[translation] If Cisco is reading this: still my opinions. Still mine. Please don’t revoke the champion thing.
Network Computing
Information Week / Network Computing magazine pays me for writing articles. They can and do suggest topics, but I only write about what I am interested in. While they do perform editing on my blog articles, I do retain final say on what gets published. Again, nothing I write there should be viewed to reflect any opinion of anyone other than myself.
Packet Pushers
See § Tech Field Day / my blog. Seriously, do I have to keep spelling it out? Fine. Packet Pushers doesn’t hold any influence over my writing, nor do they kidnap my family and hold them hostage until my views match theirs. Anything I write or talk about on their site is solely my opinion, and was not influenced by anything… other than the occasional drink.
[translation] The redaction is a joke. Nobody kidnapped anybody. Legal made me do that. There is no legal.
Non Disclosure Agreements
In the IT field, and certainly within the blog-o-sphere, a number of NDAs get thrown out. I abide by and respect the penalties for not doing so. If you are willing to share confidential information with me as a customer, knowing that I am a blogger, you have no worries. I have not and will not violate that trust, as it only harms my future in this field. This includes Cisco’s Certification and Confidentiality agreements. I also abide by and respect the copyrights of the training vendors that I used to study for exams. I won’t discuss content outside of publicly-known information or information that is specifically excluded from NDA.
[translation] Short version: your secrets are safe. Also: no, I won’t share my workbooks. Stop asking.
Warranty & Full Disclosure
[translation] None of the above belongs on a networking blog. That’s why it’s here.
AI-Generated Images
Yes, some of the images on this site were generated by AI. No, a robot did not “take my job.” I’m a network engineer. My job is to stare at terminal windows and question my life choices at 2 AM during a maintenance window, not take photographs of aesthetically pleasing switch stacks in golden hour lighting.
Look, I could scour the internet for stock photos of a guy in a suit pointing at a rack of blinking lights like he just discovered fire, or I could ask an AI to generate something that at least vaguely relates to what I’m actually writing about. I chose the latter. If the occasional image has a router with seven ethernet ports on one side and three on the other, or a cable that terminates into what appears to be an emotional void, congratulations, you’ve spotted the AI art. You win nothing.
These images are used for illustrative and decorative purposes only. They do not represent any real network topology, hardware configuration, or vendor’s product, though honestly, have you seen some of the stuff vendors ship these days? Reality is getting harder to distinguish from AI hallucinations anyway.
[translation] No network engineers were replaced in the making of these graphics. Several were, however, mildly amused.
Congratulations
If you made it this far and fully read and understood everything above, I am impressed with your conviction. Unfortunately, you do not win anything.