RIPE 86 Recap
RIPE 86 recently took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from May 22 – 26, 2023. All RIPE meetings are significant industry gatherings that bring together some of the best thinkers in networking, and this edition was no different. As is always the case, this edition of RIPE featured a busy schedule from start to finish with talks from notable names, networking opportunities, and much more.
Meeting Highlights
The value that was delivered to those who attended RIPE 86 came in the form of the expert speakers that shared their significant knowledge on a range of topics. Over the course of the five days, many talks were given that are sure to impact how professionals in this industry operate for years to come. The list below highlights some of the notable talks that were presented –
- How Sweden Built a World-Leading Time Network, from Karin Ahl of Netnod
- Techniques to Reduce Network Power Consumption, from Peter Ehiwe of Stripe
- Geolocation Problems. Do We have a Solution?, from Massimo Candela of NTT
- The New, Encrypted Protocol Stack and How to Deal with It, from Bart van de Velde, of Cisco
- Incident Management at Scale, from Tom Strickx of Cloudflare
- Redesigning an OOB Network for Resilience, from Moritz Frenzel of Globalways GmbH
Of course, these are not the only talks from this event that are worthy of attention, but this list is a starting point for anyone wanting to review the event through the videos that are available for each presentation.
Best Current Operational Practice Session
Keeping any network operating properly is a challenge even in the best of times. Modern networks are complex entities and require bringing together diverse elements and meeting a range of demands to deliver the experience that users demand.
Unfortunately, not everyone is afforded the opportunity to operate a network in the best of times. Currently, those in Ukraine are attempting to keep everyone connected despite the ongoing war, which is perhaps the most difficult situation imaginable. Learning from the impressive achievements of these people in such difficult circumstances can benefit everyone, including those who may face challenging situations in the future.
The value of this initiative was highlighted in brief comments from RIPE chair Mirjam Kuhne during this session. Kuhne voiced her support for the idea of documenting the experience of the Ukrainian community at this time to capture their incredible accomplishments and turn those achievements into best practices that can be utilized moving forward.
The best practices that this initiative will attempt to capture include points such as how to rebuild destroyed networks, how to make current networks more resilient, and how to build future networks in a durable manner. By assembling a Best Current Operational Practice task force, made up of volunteer members, it is hoped that powerful lessons and ideas can be collected and formalized into best practices documentation.
RIPE 87 Is On The Calendar
Although RIPE 86 has only recently concluded, many in the industry are already looking forward to the next event. For this next version, the stage will shift from the Netherlands to Italy, with RIPE 87 scheduled for Rome between Nov. 27th and Dec. 1st, 2023. Whether you plan to attend in person or monitor the activities of that meeting remotely, there is sure to be a lot to learn.
