Transcript BCNET Update

Re-Designing Networks
The Internet from a blank slate ...
and the role BC might play.
Michael Hrybyk, President/CEO
BCNET Networking Society [ http://www.bc.net]
515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3
604-451-7052
[email protected]
Re-Designing Networks
Overview
History
Current networks and their problems
New networks and architecture
Community fibre and its implications
Final thoughts
Slide 2
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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.
Slide 3
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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
Slide 4
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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.
Slide 5
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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
Slide 6
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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?
Slide 7
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
Networks today (example – not factual)
Your home
Your business
Your home
Telus
Group Telecom
Shaw @home
Genuity
Teleglobe
UUNET
Sprint
MAE West Peering Point
California
Slide 8
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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!
Slide 9
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
New Optical Regional Network Architecture
Your business
Your home
Your home
Community/customer owned/leased fibre
KELOWNA TRANSIT EXCHANGE
Telus
Genuity
Teleglobe
Group Telecom
UUNET
Shaw @home
Sprint
MAE West Peering Point
California
Slide 10
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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
Slide 11
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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
Slide 12
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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
Slide 13
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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 3rd party
• Takes sophistication, more than just a dialup service
Service provider??
Slide 14
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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.
Slide 15
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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
Slide 16
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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
Slide 17
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
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
Slide 18
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001
To explore further
http://www.bc.net for information about BCNET, and registration for the
BCNET Advanced Network Conference on March 27 in Vancouver.
http://www.canarie.ca for information about CA*net3, CANARIE
funding, and other Canadian advanced networking initiatives
http://www.net2001.ca for the annual Canadian network conference
(CANARIE sponsored) to be held in Calgary in late May.
http://www.internet2.edu for information about Internet2 initiatives, and
the high speed Abilene network.
http://www.bcia.bc.ca for information about the BC Internet Association
http://www.gait.bcit.ca/iel for information about the BCIT Internet
Engineering Lab.
Slide 19
BCCNA - Vernon
March 17, 2001