Network Dictionary - Assonance
August 24, 2008 by Greg Ferro · Leave a Comment
Assonance
Network Dictionary - Pontificate
August 22, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 1 Comment
Pontificate - To express opinions or judgments in a pompous way.
I use this word when I am writing something where its mostly my opinion rather than factual or substantiated. This reminds me to be humble and gentle, not everyone cares about my opinion.
Network Dictionary - Application Delivery Controller
August 21, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 4 Comments
Application Delivery Controller (ADC) - Historically known as a “load balancer”, until someone put a shiny chrome exhaust and new buttons on it and so it needed a new marketing name.
However, the Web Application Firewall and Application Acceleration / Optimisation that are in most ADC are not really load balancing so maybe its alright.
Feel free to call it a load balancer when the sales rep is on the ground, guaranteed to upset them.
Network Dictionary - Mensch
August 20, 2008 by Greg Ferro · Leave a Comment
Someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. The key to being “a real mensch” is nothing less than character, rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible, decorous.
As described by Guy Kawasaki How to be a Mensch.
Network Dictionary - Subconscious Study Avoidance (SSA)
August 11, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 2 Comments
Subconscious Study Avoidance (SSA) is well recognised problem during the early stages of commitment to the ‘Way of Study’. Typically, early stage candidates find that there are so many study options, that they start reconsidering their choice and think about studying Security or Voice, some even think about Wireless!
However. most people pass through this stage quickly and become Mendicants and really buckle down to serious, committed study plans. Stick with Routing and Switching, then you can build on those skills is my advice.
Network Dictionary - Mendicant
August 4, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 2 Comments
Mendicant ( Men - dee - cant) is a term I use to describe people who have chosen to pursue the CCIE study path. Although the dictionary refers to a Mendicant as a religious person who relies on gifts or begging for to survive, I like to use the extended definition from Wikipedia
” in order that all their time and energy could be expended on practicing or preaching their religion or way of life and serving the poor.”
While Cisco isn’t a religion, the study and learning process has some monastic qualities such as all time spent studying or practicing, poverty due to study and lab time.
Thus, a CCIE student, should be considered a MENDICANT.
Network Dictionary - Copypasta
July 18, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 2 Comments
Copypasta - describes the mistake that happens when you paste the wrong thing into a document, blog, email etc. aka
As in, “t is probably an unfortunate copypasta, since it is not present in the configurations at the end. ” Packetlife.net
Network Dictionary - Blessay
July 18, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 1 Comment
Blessay is a merger of the words Blog and Essay. It describes a longer form of blog posting that contains factual, researched information that is likely to bre presented in a coherent, educated fashion with supporting research, bibilographic details and so on.
Network Dictionary - Fancy Ethernet
July 17, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 1 Comment
Fancy Ethernet - generalised term used to describe Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE). Also used for Cisco’s trademarked and proprietary superset known as Data Centre Ethernet (DCE).
Network Dictionary - Mythinformation
July 15, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 4 Comments
Mythinformation is the term used to describe some form of knowledge that is based on apocryphal, false or old knowledge. A play on the the word misinformation.
Read more
Network Dictionary - Distress Purchase
July 13, 2008 by Greg Ferro · Leave a Comment
“distress purchase” refers a purchase made at some critical point, usually during a failure, traffic leap or other unplanned event.
Network Dictionary - Grok
June 4, 2008 by Greg Ferro · Leave a Comment
In networking, used to describe your exalted understanding of a particular network , typically by working on it for enough time to know all the areas of the network including memorising IP addresses, architecture, connectivity. As in, I grok my network.
Also used in reference to your experience of a technology, i.e. I know multicast but I don’t grok it.
Network Dictionary - TLA and eTLA
May 22, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 2 Comments
TLA is a recursive acronym for Three Letter Acronym.
Which is pretty funny.
eTLA - eXtended Three Letter Acronym - used to describe four letter acronym.
Which is even funnier.
Note the use of best marketing practice with dropped ‘e’. Very kewl
Who said nerds don’t have any humour.
Network Dictionary - ASAi
May 14, 2008 by Greg Ferro · Leave a Comment
ASAi - (ass-i) - The correct plural term for more than one Cisco ASA firewall appliances. Read more
Network Dictionary - Pixen
May 7, 2008 by Greg Ferro · 5 Comments
pixen - (picks-sen)
The correct term for a group of PIX firewalls. I have decided that the correct term is Pixen after banging my head on the desk for much of the day.
PIXen - derived from the term Vaxen The plural canonically used among hackers for the DEC VAX computers
Terms deprecated as a result of this advisory -
| pixes | just looks naff |
| pixies | not usable in a corporate settings |
| pix | The plural noun form just doesn’t work. For example: sheep is one sheep two sheep etc. Problem is the people don’t understand or comprehend that term in a sentence full of other jargon. |
Consider: So if we drop the ASA into VLAN for the VPN head end at the top of DC SONA chain, migrate the ACL and config ready for the flip.
Network Dictionary - iSCSI
May 2, 2008 by Greg Ferro · Leave a Comment
iSCSI - (eye-scuzzee)
- a protocol designed to transport SCSI block data across an IP network thus allowing a single network infrastructure.
- a protocol used by networking teams so they don’t have to understand storage (thanks to Jeff Darcy at Pl.atyp.us)
compare with Fibrechannel
Network Dictionary- Human Remorse
May 1, 2008 by Greg Ferro · Leave a Comment
Descriptive name for Human Resource department of any company. Remorse means a sense of guilt or distress for past wrongs, and that pretty much how you feel after dealing with them. Having to deal with Human Resources just feels wrong.
Network Dictionary - Admintastic
April 24, 2008 by Greg Ferro · Leave a Comment
1. Term used to describe a system that was otherwise straightforward and easy to use, after a Security Consultant has ‘reviewed’ it.
2. Describing the ease of use of a Checkpoint firewall cluster, deeply sarcastic and derogatory.
3. Term for Change Management excellence.

