Ok here& #39;s a new one: did you know that cows can cause network outages? Don& #39;t laugh, it happened to us.

The beginning of the story: recently, we noticed frequent short outages ("flaps") on a multi-terabit fiber path through Oregon. 1/

This link is an aerial fiber link (fiber is strung along the path of a high-voltage power line). Such links have lower reliability because storms, trees, ice, and the occasional hunter can damage them. 2/

But this time we found something new: the fiber line had fallen to the ground yet continued to work just fine. But recently a farmer had started grazing a herd of cows nearby. And whenever they stepped on the fiber link, they bent it enough to cause a blip. 3/

Don& #39;t believe me? Here& #39;s a picture capturing the situation: the power line, the fiber on the ground, and a cow in the background.

You heard it here first https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😎" title="Smiling face with sunglasses" aria-label="Emoji: Smiling face with sunglasses">