In a previous post I listed and described various organizations which are considered highly influential and authoritative across the wide field of information technology. These organizations are deeply involved in setting standards and best practices for nearly all facets of modern computing. One group which I neglected to include (but should have) is the North American Network Operators’ Group, or NANOG. Founded in 1994, NANOG describes itself as a “professional association for Internet engineering and architecture. Our core focus is on the technologies and systems that make the Internet function: core routing and switching; Internet inter-domain routing; the domain name system; peering and interconnection; and Internet core security. We also cover associated areas…such as data centers and optical networking.”

Although not a standards-setting body, NANOG provides a platform for knowledge exchange and professional networking opportunities in the form of their triannual meetings. These events serve as venues for some of the top minds in the industry to detail the findings of their research and to present the lessons learned from their real world work experiences. Recordings of the presentations are uploaded to the NANOG website and can be downloaded for free. This content serves as a fantastic educational resource for IT professionals who are seeking to keep their subject matter expertise sharp and relevant.

NANOG Training: Top Picks for IT Pros

NANOG meetings have been taking place since 1994; their 62nd meeting will occur in October 2014 in Baltimore. Consequently, the amount of training materials generated by these events is impressive. To help narrow down the choices, here are my picks for the most useful and practical NANOG presentations. In an effort to present information which is applicable to today’s technology, I have selected from only those presentations given since NANOG’s ten-year anniversary (2004). This list will be updated with choice content from future NANOG conferences. NANOG also has its own YouTube page with over sixty videos.

BGP

BGP 101 Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

BGP 102 Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

BGP 101 Tutorial (2010): Abstract | PDF | Video

BGP 102 Tutorial (2010): Abstract | PDF | Video

BGP in 2013: Abstract | PDF | Video

BGP Troubleshooting Techniques, Part 1: Abstract | PDF | Video1 | Video2

BGP Troubleshooting Techniques, Part 2: Abstract | PDF | Video1 | Video2

How Secure are Secure BGP Protocols?: Abstract | PDF | Video

Introduction to BGP Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

Making Sense of BGP: Abstract | PDF | Video

DNS

A DNS Anomaly Detection and Analysis System: Abstract | PDF | Video

Better than Best Practices are Needed to Defeat DNS Amplification Attacks: Abstract | PDF | Video

Complexity and Issues around the DNS Root: Abstract | PDF | Video

DNS 101 Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

DNS Infrastructure Distribution: Abstract | PDF | Video

DNSSEC Implementation Using Bind 9.7 Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

Introduction to DNSSEC: Abstract | PDF | Video

You Can’t Do That With nslookup: DNS(SEC) Troubleshooting: Abstract | PDF | Video

Ethernet

100 Gigabit Ethernet and Beyond: Abstract | PDF | Video

Bandwidth Growth and the Next Speed of Ethernet: Abstract | PDF | Video

Ethernet Fabrics 101: Abstract | PDF | Video

What’s Going on with Ethernet?: Abstract | PDF | Video

IP

IPv4 Address Conservation Method for Hosting Providers: Abstract | PDF | Video

Managing 100+ million IP addresses: Abstract | PDF | Video

Rapid Convergence in IP Networks: Abstract | PPT | Video

IPv6

Building an IPv6 Address Management System: Abstract | PDF | Video

Don’t Have the Plaid Polyester Leisure Suit of IPv6 Networks: Abstract | PDF | Video

Introduction to IPv6: Abstract | PDF | Video

IPv6 Adoption: Abstract | PDF | Video

IPv6 and IPv4: Twins or Distant Relatives?: Abstract | PDF | Video

IPv6 at Google: Abstract | PDF | Video

IPv6 Performance Bonus: Abstract | PDF | Video

IPv6 Routing Introduction: Abstract | PDF | Video

IPv6 Transition & Operational Reality: Abstract | PDF | Video

IPv6: Are We There Yet?: Abstract | PDF | Video

The Costs of IPv4-IPv6 Dual Stack: Abstract | PDF | Video

MPLS

Foray into MPLS: Abstract | PDF | Video

Methods of Interconnecting MPLS Networks: Abstract | PDF | Video

MPLS for Dummies Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

MPLS Over Various IP Encapsulations: Abstract | PDF | Video

MPLS Traffic Engineering: Abstract | PDF | Video

Unified MPLS: Abstract | PDF | Video

Networking (general)

Best Practices in Network Planning and Traffic Engineering: Abstract | PDF | Video

Bridges, Routers, Switches, Oh My! (Tutorial): Abstract | PDF | Video

Diagnosing Network Disruptions with Network-Wide Analysis: Abstract | PDF | Video

Evolution of the Facebook Backbone: Abstract | PDF | Video

How to Accurately Interpret Traceroute Results: Abstract | PDF | Video

IEEE 802.1aq Shortest Path Bridging Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

Introduction to Shell and Perl Scripting for Network Operators: Abstract | PDF | Video

Network Core Infrastructure, Best Practices: Abstract | PDF | Video

Network Operations Practices Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

Optical Networking 101 & 201 Tutorial (2010): Abstract | PDF | Video

Optical Networking 101 Tutorial (2013): Abstract | PDF | Video

Troubleshooting with Traceroute Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

Tutorial: Which Routing Protocol?: Abstract | PDF | Video

Security

802.1X: Deployment Experiences and Obstacles to Widespread Adoption: Abstract | PDF | Video

Analysis of the DDoS Attack Against SCO: Abstract | PDF | Video

Botnets, DDoS and Ground-Truth – A Look at 5,000 Confirmed Attacks: Abstract | PDF | Video

DDoS: Current and Evolving Frameworks: Abstract | PDF | Video

Implications of Securing Backbone Router Infrastructure: Abstract | PPT | Video

Information Collection on DDoS Attacks: Abstract | PDF | Video

Infrastructure Security Survey Overview: Abstract | PDF | Video

Internet Superbugs and The Art of War: Abstract | PDF | Video

ISP Security 101 Primer: Abstract | PPT | Video

ISP Security Toolkits Tutorial: Abstract | PDF | Video

Offensive Anti-Botnet – So you want to take over a botnet: Abstract | PDF | Video

Searching for DNS Cache Poisoners: Abstract | PDF | Video

Team Cymru Bogon Route Servers: Abstract | PDF | Video

Understanding the Network-Level Behavior of Spammers: Abstract | PDF | Video

Storage

A Storage Menagerie: SANs, Fibre Channel, Replication and Networks: Abstract | PDF | Video

Storage 101: Storage for Networking Folks: Abstract | PDF | Video

Recommended reading

If you found the content of this article helpful and want to expand your knowledge further, please consider buying a relevant book using the links below. Thanks!

The TCP/IP Guide Network Warrior Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours

CCNA Study Guide TCP/IP Network Administration CCNA Cert Guide