BGP Table Manners Interdomain Routing Politics for the Masses

25/07/2003 BGP Table Manners 1

BGP Table MannersInterdomain Routing Politics for the Masses

Dave Aaldering


Introduction

• Dave Aaldering• ISP Services• Dutch / English• Didam the place to be


Introduction

• Interdomain Routing Politics• Research / Conversations /

Discussions• Facts rather than Opinions

– Save your opinions for the end, where we have room for discussion

• Work in progress• Feedback is welcome!


Introduction

• Many ISP’s make 1 Internet• ISP’s must interact to have

a good Internet• Understanding creates

acceptance• Dealing with ISP’s means

dealing with people


Contents

• What is peering?• What is transit?• Network sizes• Interests• Fair basis• Examples for smaller

networks• Examples for intermediate

networks

• Examples for big networks• Common practice / Words ofadvice• Round-up• Questions / Discussion• Acknowledgments and thanks


What is peering?

• Peering is the relationship whereby ISP’s give access to eachother’s customers

• Private Peering• Public Peering (exchanges)• Carrier Neutral Datacenters


What is peering?


What is transit?

• Transit is a service where a backbone provider sells access to the entire internet

• Having transit delivered at your door

• Buying at a carrier neutral datacenter

• Delivery over exchanges

• US / Europe


What is transit?


Network Sizes

• A network is defined as an Autonomous System

• Size is based on :– Geographical span of the

backbone by exitpoints / interconnects with other networks

– Backbone bandwidth– Geographical source,

and amount of customer traffic


Small AS

• Customer base in 1 geographical location

• Customer traffic behind 1 exit location

• Minimal backbone to connect to exchange location / transit uplink

• Mostly local peers• No continental backbone• Buys transit from third party• Examples : ISP Services,

BIT, 2Fast, Kabelfoon, XS4ALL, Megabit


Small Intermediate AS

• Customer base in 1 geographical location

• Customer traffic behind several exit locations

• Backbone to connect to geographically spread exit points

• Local and continental peers• Buys transit from third party• Examples : Belnet, Surfnet,

BBC


Bigger Intermediate AS

• Customer base in several geographical location

• Customer traffic behind several exit locations

• Backbone connecting geographically spread exit points / backbone

• Local and continental peers• Buys no european Transit?• Examples : UPC, Tiscali,

Interoute


Big AS

• Global customer base• Global network presence• Buys no transit at all?• Sometimes called Tier1• Examples : Worldcom, NTT,

Level3


Interests

• Financial– Decrease transit costs– Increase transit sales– Scaling bandwidth

• Technical – Better routes

– Lower latency– Redundancy


Fair basis

• Same amount of € spent on bandwidth• Same amount of € spent on hardware• Same amount of network capacity used / interconnect location• Even traffic ratio• Who pays what? Eyeballs or Content Providers?


Examples for smaller networks

• Be more autonomous• Improve connectivity• Save money on transit• Operational cost are of a relative low concern• Transit sales not a primary goal


Examples for intermediate networks

• Expanding the network– Improved Connectivity– New business opportunities– Bandwidth / Hardware / Colocation / Operational costs– Having to pick up traffic that would otherwise be delivered to you

• Save money on transit– Peering with transit providers

• Having to say no to smaller providers– Unfair peering– To enable both parties to sell transit– To keep up with transit provider peering demands

• More peerings• Peering locally / saving backbone capacity


Examples for intermediate networks

• Backhauling transit from abroad– Save some €– Not being a potential customer

• More private peerings with bigger parties– No financial drive to peer directly

• Controlling operational costs

• Efficiency in using hardware– Traffic Ratio’s– Traffic Aggregation


Examples for big networks

• Operating a global network– Best possible connectivity– New business opportunities– Bandwidth / Hardware / Colocation / Operational costs

– Make money selling transit– Peering with other transit providers

• Maintaining full connectivity

– Having to say no to smaller providers• Unfair peering based on network capacity used• Possible transit customer


Common practice / Words of advice

• Be nice to peering@$company people• Supply sufficient information in peering requests• Analyse your traffic flows (Cflow, mac accounting, mrtg, yaps,

etc)• Do not assume, but check what is going on in your network• Be professional at all times when dealing with peering issues• Think ahead, but also act ahead


Round-up

• Different networks and different network sizes have different interests and interact in their own ways

• Everyone has to guarantee full access to the internet and get it somehow

• Smaller networks focus more on technical aspects• Bigger networks are focus more on financial and business

consequences of interconnections• The bigger your network gets, the more things you have to take

into consideration• Choices have to be made, you can’t make everyone happy so

start thinking about your network in the first place


Questions / Discussion

• Any questions?


Acknowledgements and thanks

• Frank Hellemink• Pim van Pelt• Tsjoi Tsim• Erik Bos• Niels Bakker• Bill Norton• Sabri Berisha• Remco van Mook• Bart Teunis

• Stichting Megabit• Megabit Sponsors• ISP Services• • Many more, who are not mentioned by name here

Thanks everyone!


BGP Table MannersInterdomain Routing Politics for the Masses

The End : Let’s go and grab some beers!

BGP Table Manners Interdomain Routing Politics for the Masses

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