1. Michael Hrybyk, President/CEO BCNET Networking Society [ http://www.bc.net] 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3 604-451-7052 Michael.Hrybyk@bc.net Re-Designing Networks The Internet from a blank slate... and the role BC might play.

2. Slide 2March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Re-Designing Networks Overview History Current networks and their problems New networks and architecture Community fibre and its implications Final thoughts

3. Slide 3March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Re-Inventing Networks The Internet has fundamentally changed the way we think about networks. The Internet operates differently from traditional telecommunication networks. Packet switching Campus networks are closer to the Internet model Data-only networks connected buildings via fibre cable and inexpensive high speed switches No use for traditional telephone circuits to move data provide an insight as to how networks might operate in the future. Fibre local loops and fast switches are all that is needed to provide Internet service to homes and businesses today. Competitive services at exchange points is a hallmark of the new infrastructure.

4. Slide 4March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Internet – Phase One Regional university networks connected with dedicated telephone circuits Use of a single national backbone Internet technology is general purpose Can be used over any medium Original Internet was an overlay using existing telecom circuits

5. Slide 5March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Internet – Phase Two Internet Service Providers are born Use of switched circuits (dial up lines) becomes ubiquitous. Higher speed dedicated circuits used by regional networks Multiple commercial backbones used.

6. Slide 6March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Internet – Phase 2.5 Use of new types of circuit switching (ATM) and higher speeds Advent of cable modems and DSL Internet2/CANET3 using high speed circuits, but still circuits nonetheless Still an overlay network

7. Slide 7March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon What would you do if you could re-design? Build it for the Internet and packet switched networks from the start. Assume voice and video will run over Internet-based infrastructure, not the other way around. Fibre local loops into a data hub No copper needed! Fibre to every home and business Fibres terminate at local data exchange centres We’ve been calling these beasts TRANSIT EXCHANGES Transit Exchanges are fibre connected to each other. Looks like a more sophisticated regional campus network connecting everyone. Question: how does one build a competitive services structure into this? Question: can this be done?

8. Slide 8March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Networks today (example – not factual) Your homeYour business Your home TelusGroup TelecomShaw @home MAE West Peering Point California UUNETGenuityTeleglobeSprint

9. Slide 9March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Problems with today’s networks Internet overlaid on other legacy networks (bad technology) Why? Voice and video were the main business drivers. No longer true. Legacy telephone circuits (dialup or dedicated DSL/TDM) or CATV broadcast channels are poorly suited for Internet applications. New fibre-based technologies make these obsolete Each end site typically has ONE ISP (barrier to competition) Poor fault tolerance New circuit (or even a cable) required whenever one changes suppliers The Internet has built-in support for end sites to have multiple ISPs if desired. ISPs are poorly interconnected at the local level (bad service) Packets moving from your home to your business could (and often do) get routed EXPENSIVELY through California or Seattle. Inhibitor to local content REDESIGN IS NEEDED!

10. Slide 10March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon New Optical Regional Network Architecture Your home Your businessYour home Telus Group Telecom Shaw @home MAE West Peering Point California UUNETGenuityTeleglobeSprint KELOWNA TRANSIT EXCHANGE Community/customer owned/leased fibre

11. Slide 11March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon New Architecture Features Fibre cable to homes, businesses, schools,... customer- or community-owned local fibre loops last done for coax cable 20+ years ago – it is not impossible Fibre is put in once Some cities have begun to prohibit the tearing up of streets for fibre construction Need to be viewed as a public good item like sewer pipe. Coordinated wiring plans needed Cable plant is not a cash cow, it is a public necessity. Services are provided at fibre meeting points – TRANSIT EXCHANGES Internet Service providers put active equipment in these OPEN central offices Free local exchange of traffic Users can choose MULTIPLE upstream suppliers Local loop technologies flourish Exchanges become vibrant economic centres

12. Slide 12March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Benefits of the new architecture Lower overall cost per subscriber over the long run Palo Alto - $40 USD per month for FD 100 Mbps Internet service Community completely fibred Better performance, especially between local users/sites local traffic is effectively free Easier rollout of new services Future upgrades easy as technologies are developed Perfect mechanism for content distribution

13. Slide 13March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Implications for Community Networks Grew out of Internet dialup Needs to transition Small communities need to have fibre infrastructure installed Wireless as a complement Wireless for small devices Fibre is NECESSARY for coming applications Fibre is now relatively inexpensive Metro LANs can be built relatively cheaply Aggregation of traffic in small communities is key Fibre to a transit exchange Free the service provider from local capital expense Emphasize servers and services over cabling Larger expense is TRANSIT – regional, national, international connectivity This is out of community control, can only provide incentives

14. Slide 14March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Future Role of Community Networks Some thoughts: Advocacy (as usual) Holding company for community fibre – non profit monopoly (an ugly word) And/Or work with municipalities Operator of local transit exchange Neutral 3 rd party Takes sophistication, more than just a dialup service Service provider??

15. Slide 15March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Funding for Community Fibre Tough to come by right now – need for capital Provincial programs – possibility CANARIE and federal programs – may be on the way Federal infrastructure grants – should be investigated, requires closely working with muni Very new concept, little funding at present. Pressure various IT (govt, large corporate users, …) to get behind the idea and sponsor.

16. Slide 16March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon BCNET and Advanced Networks PAST: Started the Internet in BC in 1988 Initial Internet Service provider Created an Internet hub at SFU Harbour Centre in Vancouver Operates CANARIE Gigapop – CA*NET3 Terminus FUTURE: Continue to be the voice for advanced networks in the province Create the BC Optical Regional Advanced Network work with industry partners (Urban Networks, Group Telecom, Telus, Nortel, …) to build the next generation Internet in the province CANARIE and provincial funding Building the first transit exchanges in Vancouver, Victoria, PG Fibre loops from the university sites to central exchange locations

17. Slide 17March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Other initiatives NewMIC Located at Harbour Centre, the hub of the Internet in BC BCNET will be locating the CA*NET3 Gigapop to NewMIC BCIT Internet Engineering Lab Network Performance Centre of Excellence Funded by CFI and the province Industry partnerships with Spirent Communications, Cisco, PMC-Sierra, Jalaam Research and others. Shared industry/academic facility to explore performance issues on advanced Internet Networks Test facility for CA*net3

18. Slide 18March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon Final Thoughts The old networks were not designed for the Internet New technologies make a new architecture possible We must remove the barriers to change – involves fibre cabling and new network exchange points BC and BCNET will be taking North American leading role in this Our communities need to do this to stay at the technological forefront Alberta’s SUPERNET Palo Alto Ottawa regional fibre build Chicago’s CivicNET

19. Slide 19March 17, 2001BCCNA - Vernon To explore further http://www.bc.nethttp://www.bc.net for information about BCNET, and registration for the BCNET Advanced Network Conference on March 27 in Vancouver. http://www.canarie.cahttp://www.canarie.ca for information about CA*net3, CANARIE funding, and other Canadian advanced networking initiatives http://www.net2001.cahttp://www.net2001.ca for the annual Canadian network conference (CANARIE sponsored) to be held in Calgary in late May. http://www.internet2.eduhttp://www.internet2.edu for information about Internet2 initiatives, and the high speed Abilene network. http://www.bcia.bc.cahttp://www.bcia.bc.ca for information about the BC Internet Association http://www.gait.bcit.ca/ielhttp://www.gait.bcit.ca/iel for information about the BCIT Internet Engineering Lab.