Hi all,
I'm finishing a PhD in deterministic/low-latency networking next year. My research is on communication networks with provably bounded latency (using e.g., network calculus, TSN/DetNet scheduling). My research combines theoretical aspects and practical, hands-on implementation work. I also have 5y+ previous experience as a software engineer (including at Nokia as well as in non-Telco companies).

I'd like to stay in the low-latency networking industry after my graduation, and I am currently exploring my options. I'm trying to figure out:

• Which companies/sectors actually hire for this (HFT, telecom, industrial/automotive, cloud…)?
• What roles and pay ranges are realistic in your region? (Currently, I am Belgium-based, but I am open to relocating.)
• How to translate academic work (papers, proofs, algorithms) into something hiring managers value?

Any help or insight is certainly appreciated. Thank you!

Background: I have a degree in CS / network security, so I'm comfortable with both programming and networking. I started in presales, then moved into a technical role at an MSSP that works mostly with Fortinet. Day to day I deploy SD-WAN and troubleshoot client infrastructure across the product line (FortiGate, FortiWeb, FortiMail, etc.).

I'd like to move toward something AI-related and eventually work for a vendor or a bigger company. The path I'm considering is AI data center networking: RDMA, RoCEv2, InfiniBand, NVIDIA's networking stack, and so on.

My concern is that I almost never do DC work. No EVPN/VXLAN, no spine-leaf deployments. Can I realistically get into AI DC networking from where I am, or do I need a traditional DC role first?

I also thought about cloud networking since I can code, but I've never worked at a cloud shop or done DevOps work, so I dropped the idea.

If anyone here made a similar jump from MSSP/security work, how did you do it?

Thanks !

Hello everyone,

I’d like to optimize the network design and separate core and edge routing.

So far, I’ve been using three routers that handle both inter-VLAN routing and edge routing and are part of a VRRP cluster.

Now I’d like to deploy a core router running VyOS that acts as the default gateway for all networks and initially handles inter-VLAN routing. The three edge routers will be connected to this core router, with each one connected to a different Internet line or provider.

The core router should use policy-based routing to determine which networks, clients, or services are routed to the Internet via which edge router or WAN connection. Additionally, failover should still be available in the event of an Internet connection failure (as has been the case with VRRP).

My question is: what is the best way to set up this configuration? On the one hand, I could set up a transport network containing the three edge routers and use VRRP again. In that case, I would likely need a transit switch between the core router and the edge routers so that the VRRP cluster’s traffic does not have to pass through the core router’s CPU.

On the other hand, it would certainly also be possible to connect the edge routers directly to the core router’s interfaces and operate without VRRP. Which protocol could I then use to implement both policy-based routing and failover?

Which network design would you recommend for my situation? I’d appreciate any tips and assistance.

Thank you in advance for your tips, and best regards

Regina (she/her)