Network Topology and Definitions

• Definitions and icons

• Network topologies
• PoP topologies
Introduction to Networking • Interconnections and IXPs
• IP Addressing
ISP/IXP Workshops
• Gluing it all together

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Some Icons…

Router
(layer 3, IP datagram forwarding)

ATM or Frame Relay switch

(layer 2, frame or cell forwarding)
Topologies and Definitions Ethernet switch
What does all the jargon mean?
(layer 2, packet forwarding)

Network Cloud
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Network Topologies Network Topologies

Routed backbone Switched backbone

• frame relay or ATM
• Routers are the
infrastructure switches in the core
surrounded by routers
• Physical circuits run
between routers • Physical circuits run
between switches
• Easy routing Virtual circuits run between
configuration, operation routers
and troubleshooting • more complex routing and
debugging
• The dominant topology
used in the Internet • “traffic management”
today • Virtually obsolete today
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1
Definitions PoP Topologies

• Core routers
• PoP – Point of Presence high speed trunk connections
Physical location of ISP’s equipment • Distribution routers
Sometimes called a “node” higher port density, aggregating network edge to the network
core
• vPoP – virtual PoP • Access routers
To the end user, it looks like an ISP location high port density, connecting the end users to the network
In reality a back hauled access point • Border routers
connections to other providers
Used mainly for consumer access networks
• Service routers
• Hub/SuperPoP – large central PoP
hosting and servers
Links to many PoPs • Some functions might be handled by a single router
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PoP Topologies Definitions

service
to other provider
other
or interconnects • Transit
PoPs
carrying traffic across a network, usually for
core border a fee
• Peering
distribution
exchanging routing information and traffic
access access
• Default
where to send traffic when there is no
explicit match in the routing table
Customer Premises Routers/Hosts
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Peering and Transit example Private Interconnect

Autonomous System 334

provider A
IXP-West network B
IXP- Backbone
East Provider D border border

network A
provider B

provider C

A and B can peer, but need transit Autonomous System 99

arrangements with D to get packets
to/from C
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2
Public Interconnect Point Public Interconnect Point

• Centralised (in one facility)

• A location or facility where several ISPs are
present and connect to each other over a • Distributed (connected via WAN links)
common shared media • Shared, switched or routed interconnect
• Why? Router (Layer 3) or Ethernet (Layer 2)
To save money, reduce latency, improve performance Technologies such as FDDI, ATM, Frame relay, SMDS,
have been used in the past
• IXP – Internet eXchange Point
• Each provider establishes peering relationship
• NAP – Network Access Point with other providers at IXP
ISP border router peers with all other provider border
routers
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Public Interconnect Route Server

• Purpose:
ISP 1 ISP 4
Collects all the routes heard from ISPs at the IXP and
sends them to all ISPs at the IXP
• Advantages:
IXP ISP 5
ISP 2 reduces resource burden on border routers (CPU, memory,
configuration complexity)
reduces administrative burden on providers

ISP 3 ISP 6 • Disadvantages:

must rely on a third party (for management, configuration,
each of these represents a border router in a different autonomous system software updates, maintenance, etc)

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Route Collector Route Server/Collector

• Purpose:
Collects all the routes heard from ISPs at the IXP ISP 1 ISP 4

• Advantages
Allows IXP participants to see destinations available at the
IXP
IXP ISP 5
Useful for troubleshooting, information, “IXP Marketing” ISP 2

• Disadvantages
Needs to be maintained, but not critical to IXP operation
Information is only as good as that which ISPs send to it ISP 3 ISP 6
• Basically a Route Server without the ability to send
routing information to participant ISPs Route Server/Collector

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3
 IP Addressing

• Internet is classless
• Concept of Class A, class B or class C is no more
engineers talk in terms of prefix length, for example the
class B 158.43 is now called 158.43/16.

• All routers must be CIDR capable

IP Addressing
Classless InterDomain Routing
Where to get address space and who from RFC1812 – Router Requirements

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IP Addressing IP Addressing

• Pre-CIDR (<1994) • IPv4 Address space is a resource shared amongst all

Internet users
big networks got a class A
Regional Internet Registries delegated allocation
medium networks got a class B responsibility by the IANA
small networks got a class C AfriNIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC & RIPE NCC are the five RIRs

• Nowadays RIRs allocate address space to ISPs and Local Internet

Registries
allocations/assignments made according to
ISPs/LIRs assign address space to end customers or other
demonstrated need – CLASSLESS ISPs
• 67% of usable IPv4 address space has been allocated

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Definitions Definitions

• Non-portable – ‘provider aggregatable’ (PA)

Customer uses RIR member’s address space while
connected to Internet
Customer has to renumber to change ISP
Aids control of size of Internet routing table
May fragment provider block when multihoming
• PA space is allocated to the RIR member with the
requirement that all assignments made by the
RIR member to end sites are announced as an
aggregate to the rest of the Internet
• Portable – ‘provider independent’ (PI)
Customer gets or has address space
independent of ISP
Customer keeps addresses when changing ISP
Considered bad for size of Internet routing table
PI space is rarely distributed by the RIRs

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4
 Default Free Zone

The default free zone is made up

of Internet routers which have
explicit routing information about
Internet Hierarchy the rest of the Internet, and
The pecking order therefore do not need to use a
default route.

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High Level View of the Global Internet Categorising ISPs

Tier 1 NSP Tier 1 NSP

Default Free Zone Default Free Zone

$
$
$ Tier 1 NSP Tier 1 NSP
Backbone Backbone $
Provider 1 Provider 2 $
$
$ Tier 2 ISP Tier 2 ISP
$ Tier 2 ISP Tier 2 ISP
$
Access Access
R4 1 $
Providers Local NAP or IXP Providers 2 IXP IXP
$
$ Tier 3 ISP Tier 3 ISP Tier 3 ISP Tier 3 ISP
$
$
Customer Networks $
Tier 3 ISP Tier 3 ISP

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Inter-provider relationships

• Peering between equivalent sizes of service

providers (e.g. Tier 2 to Tier 2)
shared cost private interconnection, equal traffic flows
“no cost peering”
• Peering across exchange points
if convenient, of mutual benefit, technically feasible
Gluing it together
• Fee based peering
unequal traffic flows, “market position”

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5
Gluing it together Engineers keep talking to each other...

• North America
• Who runs the Internet?
NANOG (North American Network Operators Group)
No one
NANOG meetings and mailing list
• How does it keep working?
www.nanog.org
Inter-provider business relationships and the need for
customer reachability ensures that the Internet by and To subscribe: majordomo@merit.edu
large functions for the common good subscribe nanog-post xxxx@yyyy.zzzz
• Any facilities to help keep it working? subscribe nanog xxxx@yyyy.zzzz
Not really. But… • Latin America
Engineers keep talking to each other!
Foro de Redes

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Engineers keep talking to each other... Engineers keep talking to each other...

• Asia & Pacific

• Europe APRICOT annual conference
www.apricot.net
RIPE meetings, working groups and mailing
lists APOPS & APNIC-TALK mailing lists
mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/apops
Routing WG: mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/apnic-talk
www.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/routing-wg
PacNOG (Pacific NOG)
EOF (European Operators Forum) mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/pacnog
www.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/eof-list SANOG (South Asia NOG)
E-mail to sanog-request@sanog.org

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Engineers keep talking to each other... Summary

• Africa • Network Topologies and Definitions

AfNOG meetings and mailing list
listserv2.cfi.co.ug/mailman/listinfo/afnog
• IP Addressing
PI versus PA address space
• And many in-country ISP associations and
NOGs • Gluing it all together
• IETF meetings and mailing lists Engineers co-operate
www.ietf.org

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6
 Introduction to Networking
ISP/IXP Workshops

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