There are a few classics in the networking world that got burned into our collective memory.
Not because they were brilliant – but because they left us confused and shaking our heads for years.

One of my personal favorites: JunOS and the famous “per-packet” option.

Let’s be real – “per-packet” sounds exactly like what it says on the tin: every single damn packet is handled individually. But… ha ha ha, nope! For ages it wasn’t really “per-packet” at all – it was actually “per-flow.” 🙃

We all knew it.
We all learned it that way.
And every single time it was the same: “Yeah, yeah, it says A, but it really means B. Deal with it, kid.”

Classic IT move, right?
Docs say one thing, reality does something else, and in the end you just shrug and carry on because one stubborn dev refuses to finally shoot the elderly dog due to “compatibility” bullshit…

And every time I had to configure it, I caught myself thinking:

“Seriously, who the hell left the hard drive loose this time?”

Happy ending: “per-flow” finally means per-flow 🎉

But, Breaking News: this story actually has a happy ending!
In newer JunOS versions, the confusion is finally gone.

When you configure “per-flow” now, it’s not just the label – it’s the reality. No more double meanings, no more “what they really meant was…” course explanations, no more head-scratching in config reviews.

And in the official ILO Datacenter course, it’s documented cleanly too. No weird “it used to mean this, but actually…” detours anymore. Just plain and simple: what you read is what you get.

You might be thinking: “Okay, but it’s just a tiny detail – why get excited?”

Because it’s exactly these tiny details that make a huge difference in daily work. When you’re already grinding your way toward the next E at 3am (while juggling 84754397549837549835 other ‘little details’), the last thing you need is another naming riddle in your configs.

Clear names.
Clear concepts.
Less mental gymnastics.

That’s what makes learning easier. And it makes configuring a whole lot more chill. 🎉