HOPI: Hybrid Packet and Optical Infrastructure

1. HOPI: Hybrid Packet and Optical Infrastructure Chris Robb and Jim Williams Indiana University 7 July 2004 Cairns, AU – APAN meeting

2. The Hybrid Packet and Optical Testbed (HOPI) • The HOPI testbed is meant to allow for investigation into the issues of combining the optical, lambda-based connectivity model with the traditional packet-switched model • What defines a deterministic path? • How can you provide for a deterministic path? • How do you allow for dynamic lightpath creation on an inter-domain basis? • How dynamic does lightpath creation need to be?

3. Initial HOPI Resources • Internet2 Abilene Network • Provides packet-based transport for Abilene participants • Internet2 NLR 10G lambda • Provides layer2 optical path on the nation-wide NLR footprint • Northern path already provisioned with 10GigE-framed transponder cards • Investigating the provisioning possibilities on southern route • The lambda resource pool is expected to expand as NLR is placed into production

4. HOPI Topology • HOPI nodes will be (tentatively) located in cities that have both an NLR terminal node and an Abilene core node: • Seattle • Los Angeles • Sunnyvale • Denver • Chicago • Washington D.C. • Atlanta • New York • In most cases, HOPI nodes will be located in or near the NLR POPs in Level3 facilities • The HOPI Design Team is currently working city by city to determine what fiber assets need to be acquired to interconnect Abilene with HOPI

5. NLR/Abilene Map

6. Initial HOPI Node Design • The HOPI Design Team is currently working out the specifics of the common node design • Initial designs call for the following: • Remotely manageable fiber cross-connect device (a MEMS switch) • Ethernet switch or TDM device • The type of device will depend on the framing selected on the NLR footprint [10GE or OC-192] • Measurement and control PCs • Small out-of-band router for remote access

7. HOPI Node Interconnections • All HOPI equipment connections will pass through a fiber cross connect device • Allows engineers more flexibility without waiting for hands-and-eyes support to arrive on site • NLR lambdas (east and west) will both connect into the fiber cross-connect device • Allows for connection to the node TDM device as well as a pass-through mode that simply connects the east and west NLR lambdas • Abilene-HOPI interconnection fiber will also be connected through the fiber cross connect device

8. HOPI Node Diagram

9. Connecting to HOPI • Two immediate possibilities: • Via Abilene (packet network) • Via HOPI node connection (regional optical networks) • During the test phase, we expect the initial tests involving Abilene participants to be made via Abilene’s packet-based network • As HOPI grows, and becomes more solidified, US Regional Optical Networks (RONs) will connect directly to the HOPI node

10. Connecting via Abilene • Abilene will maintain a 10GigE or OC-192 connection to each HOPI node via the fiber cross-connect device • Abilene participants that don’t have direct fiber connectivity to HOPI will be “piped” across Abilene to the closest HOPI node • MPLS L2 VPN tunnels • MPLS encapsulation and signaling are currently being handled on a case-by-case basis • Abilene currently favors MPLS CCC, although we’re open to testing Kompella and Martini • The current “strawman” scenario is an Abilene participant that obtains an MPLS tunnel that connects them to a layer2 connection across the HOPI TDM portion of the network

11. Packet entry-point lightpath signaling • During the HOPI testbed phase, MPLS tunnels will be provisioned in a static manner • One of the major charges of the HOPI testbed is to elucidate the issues surrounding dynamic provisioning of the MPLS tunnels and the interconnection with HOPI lightpath resources • GMPLS? Not much vendor support yet • UCLP? CA*Net4’s dynamic provisioning system created to dynamically allocate SONET TDM slots on the Cisco 15454 platform • Something entirely different? In the future, will you be able to create a lightpath across different domains with something like RSVP?

12. Connecting directly to HOPI • Direct HOPI connections will land on the fiber cross connect device • US RON will have access to “lightpath slots” on the TDM device • This will become more practical as HOPI acquires multiple lambdas from NLR • Since HOPI nodes will largely be based in Level3 POPs, RONs that are acquiring fiber to L3 NLR POPs will have the capability to connect to HOPI through the same channels • There may be a need for an intra-building fiber jumper in some cities

13. International Connections to HOPI • Some work has already been done in coordination with Canada and Europe to test HOPI-like functionality on current network infrastructure • MPLS from Abilene LA to Chicago; handoff to GigE TDM circuit across Canarie to MANLAN in New York; across a GigE channel in the IEEAF circuit to Amsterdam; across GEANT’s network as IP packets with premium service to land at CERN • International networks should be able to connect via their IP connections to Abilene, or “TDM-able” connections to international exchange points such as STARLIGHT or MANLAN (IRNC expansions)

14. References • HOPI Testbed Webpage: • http://networks.internet2.edu/hopi/ • Internet2 Abilene Network: • http://abilene.internet2.edu/ • National Lambda Rail (NLR) • http://www.nlr.net/

15. Questions?? • Chris Robb chrobb@indiana.edu • Jim Williams williams@indiana.edu