An Architecture for a Diversified Internet

1. An Architecture for a Diversified Internet Jon Turner www.arl.wustl.edu

2. Diversifying the Net • Virtualization for ongoing progress in networking • enable new networking paradigms anytime, anyplace • Diverse metanetworks sharing common substrate • enable new architectures to be deployed and used • support wide range of protocols and service models • avoid architectural constraints on metanets • Substrate provides resource provisioning • substrate platforms host multiple metarouters • connect metarouters via metalinks • substrate supports dynamic configuration of metanets • long-term for metarouters and backbone metalinks • short-term for access metalinks • must accommodate distributed management of the substrate multiple service providers

3. Elements of a Diversified Internet substrate link metalink substrate platform meta router substrate links may run over Ethernet, IP, MPLS, . . . metanetprotocol stack

4. Multiple Substrate Domains • Multiple owners • Metanets span multiple domains

5. PEs Switch LineCards Substrate Platform Architecture • Processing Engines (PEs) implement metarouters • variety of types • Line Cards terminate ext. links, mux/dmx metalinks • Shared PEs include substrate component • Dedicated PEs need not include substrate • use switch and Line Cards for protection and isolation • PEs in larger metarouters linked by metaswitch • Larger metarouters may own Line Cards • allows metanet to define transmission format/framing • configured by lower-level transport network

6. Current Development System • Network Processor blades • dual IXP 2850 NPs • 3xRDRAM, 3xSRAM, TCAM • dual 10GE interfaces • 10x1GE IO interfaces • General purpose blades • dual Xeons, 4xGigE, disk • 10 Gb/s Ethernet switch • VLANs for traffic isolation

7. Architectural Neutrality • Allow maximum diversity among metanets • support variety of protocols, service models • Minimize substrate role, maximize metanet role • substrate will be difficult to change • metanets should handle all things that may change • Security and mobility • enable secure metanets • enable metanets that support mobility • minimize substrate role in providing security, mobility to enable on-going improvements • Limit substrate to resource provisioning role • provide “raw” resources to metanets • diversity of resource types • support addition of new resource types

8. substratedomains alternate accessmetalink routes Metanet Configuration • Metanet backbone provisioning • substrates advertise resource availability, cost information • metanet planner requests bids for metanet segments • iterate, as needed • Access metalink configuration • users may request connection from anywhere, at anytime • metanet determines termination point, domain-level route • substrate domains determine route segments

9. Substrate DomainController (SDC) Metanet Controller (MC) Substrate Control Metanet (SCM) Substrate Control Communication • SCM for control communication outside metanets • may have more than one for reliability, upgradability • SDCs provide control interface to substrate domains • MCs provide control interface to metanets

10. 1 2 3 2 Configuring Metanets • Adding metarouter and metalinks • MC requests new metarouter & intra-domain metalink • configures metarouter within metanet • MC requests inter-domain metalink • peering domains coordinate metalink configuration

11. 4 3 2 1 3 Configuring Access Metalinks • When host connects to network • discover local substrate platform (using broadcast) • send metanet connect request to local SDC • request forwarded through SCM to MC for desired metanet • MC requests metalink configuration from SDCs • SDCs configure access metalink

12. Substrate Advertisements • Substrates advertise so metanets can use them • hosting capabilities advertisements • in region R, type T substrate platforms are available • multi-scale region specifications • peering advertisements • D1 peers with D2 in region R, with capacity C • latency advertisements • latency from R1 to R2 within substrate is D

13. advertisedpeeringrelationship Metalink Routing • Metanet uses peering adverts to identify paths • geographic information used to estimate distances • vertices of path are region center points • for substrates that supply internal region graph, use distances implied by region graph • Metanet requests route segments from substrates • request to domain D: metalink L, from D1 in R1 to D2 in R2 • request may include a provisioned capacity • adjacent substrate domains use metalink identifier (L) to coordinate across domain boundary

14. Metanet Backbone Configuration • Inputs to metanet planner • substrate domain adverts • expected users/traffic • Planner • selects regions for metarouters • typically driven by users in region • may also include transit metrouters • selects metanet topology • determination of metalink capacities • peering points for inter-domain metalinks • determines metarouter configurations • number and capacity of interfaces • number and type of PEs • Metanet negotiates with substrate domains

15. Security Issues • Enable secure metanets; minimize substrate role • enable continuing evolution of security mechanisms • Diversity of trust • most substrate domains cannot be trusted and should not be burdened with onerous security requirements • domains that host metarouters must be trustworthy • some metanets (e.g. SCM) must be trustworthy • Accreditation of selected substrates and metanets • accreditation is optional • carries with it certain responsibilities (maybe legal) • requires authentication, secure interaction • central authority with delegation evolving to multiple top-level authorities

16. Securing Metanets access metalinksingle endpointspoof-prevention accredited substrate domain unaccredited substrate domain • Use accredited substrate domains for metarouters • Protect backbone metalinks using encryption • prevents eavesdropping, traffic insertion • can detect lost packets and hold substrate accountable • Protect access metalinks from misuse • prevent address spoofing by allowing only one endpoint • cryptographic authentication and data encryption

17. Addressing • Each metanet may define its own addressing • hierarchical, geographical, flat, whatever • No common addressing needed for substrates • each domain can define and assign addresses independently of every other domain • metanet-to-substrate interaction does not require use of substrate addresses • metarouter locations specified by geographic regions • metarouters identified by a label and metarouter interfaces by local interface number • substrate-to-substrate interaction does require common label to identify peering substrate links • use label {domain1:address1,domain2:address2}

18. metanet MC MC region 1 ad distribution tree region 2 ad distribution tree SCM Network Services SCM • Unicast, best-effort datagram with receiver control • Advertisement distribution service • used by substrates and metanets to advertise services • senders may restrict delivery to region, recipient type • receivers may subscribe by advert type, domain, metanet • metarouters store adverts and respond to queries

19. Summary • Virtualization for ongoing progress in networking • enable new networking paradigms anytime, anyplace • Architectural neutrality is key design principle • allow maximum diversity among metanets • minimize substrate role, maximize metanet role to enable ongoing change of the interesting stuff • special challenges for security and mobility • Defining control interactions • how substrates and metanets interact through SCM • how neighboring substrate domains coordinate for metalink configuration • how endpoints connect (and reconnect) to metanets • Many open issues • specifying metanet configuration, advance reservations,...

20. Roles of the Players • Metanetworks • provide end-to-end packet delivery services to end-users and application providers • use services of multiple substrate domains • Substrate providers • provide infrastructure for use by metanetworks • provide access for application providers and end-users • Application providers • use metanets to reach end-users • can choose metanets that best serve their needs • End users • free to operate over multiple metanetworks • may choose metanets for services, available applications or cost