Bandwidth on Demand Dave Wilson DW238-RIPE

Agenda NBE and the Blue Network GEANT2+ and European cooperation How to use these services –and what it means for our networks

National Backbone Extension Blue The Blue Network

Evolution of the network NRENs, and Campus Networks, have conflicting requirements –Reliable internet access –High bandwidth applications –Secure network access –Experimental and research traffic Our approach has evolved over time

Evolution of the network Star topology Centered in Dublin IP over X.21 serial, good up to N*2meg UCGUCD HEANCIR Forbairt VCIL MCI Ebone DIT TCD

National Backbone Bring the network to the largest cities Greater equality of access Customers External peers and upstreams

National Backbone Extension 2006 onward Bring network to the end site Ethernet services, IP network is one more "user"

National Backbone Extension red So the IP ("red") network can follow any logical layout Customers may make connections to any location -their own sites or others blue...on the blue network

GEANT2 and JRA3 The European Connection

European Bandwidth on Demand NRENs everywhere are working on providing layer 2 services These meet up with GEANT2, which provides its own JRA3 plans to tie these all together

European Bandwidth on Demand So the NREN will be able to create layer 2 ethernet links between arbitrary locations JRA3's system will process requests and arrage setup of end-to-end paths Users will have the possibility to connect to "anywhere" in Europe - on layer 2...

European Bandwidth on Demand Benefits? Gets the high-demand users off the routed IP network... Tune the IP network toward less conflicting goals... Gives the user more control...

Using these services

Campus networks... Every campus is different – Security needs – Regular web/ needs – Research networking needs –"Home" user (campus accommodation) These are conflicting requirements – Ask any CERT Each IT dept reaches its own conclusions

Hierarchy is assumed

Conflict of interest The technology exists to connect arbitrary LANs across Europe. Great! The addressing assumes the old hierarchy Addressing isn't as flexible as GE circuits

The solutions

The tradeoffs Follows the rules Easy for user to deploy Easy for operator to support Flexible to existing networks

Solution #1 Get an AS number and PI space –Renumber the networks –Run BGP within the campus, and to the NREN

Solution #1 Get an AS number and PI space –Doesn't fit with the on-demand idea –Requires complex IP and BGP expertise –Doesn't exist for IPv6 (at the moment anyway, interesting implications from RIPE meetings) –Everyone hates renumbering  Follows rules  Easy deploy  Easy support  Flexible

Solution #2 Use RFC1918 space –Renumber the networks –Proxies/NATs for outside access

Solution #2 Use RFC1918 space –Networks might not be fully connected –Removes any hope of connecting directly to rest of the internet –Everyone hates renumbering  Follows rules  Easy deploy  Easy support  Flexible

Solution #3 Use existing numbers and hope it works –Directly connect the networks –Static more-specific route on the hosts toward the remote site

Solution #3 Use existing numbers and hope it works –May bridge campus networks, and all the security hilarity that that entails –Difficult to manage, traffic could go the "wrong" way and be blocked or cause trouble –Breaks conditions for IP allocation, so there may be unexpected side effects  Follows rules  Easy deploy  Easy support  Flexible

Solution #4 Subnet, route the subnet –Renumber networks if necessary –Configure routing (not necessarily dynamic) within the campus –Route the more-specific subnet to the remote site over the BoD connection

Solution #4 Subnet, route the subnet – Breaks conditions for IP allocation, so there may be unexpected side effects – Still requires some routing knowledge – Difficult to enforce backup via regular IP network  Follows rules  Easy deploy  Easy support  Flexible

Other possibilities IPv6 gives us a much freer hand –Multiple addresses per interface –Source Address Selection based on application Combine with.1q VLANs –Host chooses which LAN to send traffic one –Requires host to have intelligent routing –Could in principle work for IPv4

To try to reach a common solution... How do you plan/expect BoD to be used? –Is it all intra-institution? (e.g. site links) –End users connecting to other institutions? Any other solutions I haven't thought of?

Thank you! DW238-RIPE