Next Generation Abilene

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Next Generation Abilene

• Steve Cotter
• Director of Network Services, Internet2
• June 21, 2005
• Ann Arbor, MI

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Internet2s Advanced Networking Goals

• Provide high-performance, cost-effective network
  infrastructure for the U.S. research universities
  and the affiliated community
• Advance the state of network capabilities -
  architecture, end-to-end performance, and
  innovative services
• Contribute to the concurrent evolution of
  advanced regional and campus networking
• Facilitate network research through
  infrastructure access and collaborations with
  computer science faculty
• Support national and international RE
  collaboration

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Abilene Next-Gen Network Futures

• October 2007 - End of recent 1-year Abilene
  transport MoU extension
• Sets next-generation network planning timeline
• Architecture definition 1/1/2006
• Transport selection 4/1/2006
• Equipment selection 7/1/2006
• Backbone deployed 1/1/2007
• Connector transition 2007
• Concurrently, review overall business plan and
  management model
• Network design time frame 2007-2012/2014
• Note that ESnet transport agreement with Qwest
  Federal is on similar time line - December 2007
• HOPI testbed is expected to be in place for 2-3
  years, to experiment with future protocols
• Refine and evolve next generation architecture

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Next-Gen Abilene Architecture Requirements

• Provide uncongested data transport via
• IP packet switching
• Dedicated capacity
• Duration, Reliability, Capacity
• Provide simplified connectivity to
• Research and education community in the US
• Other national networks
• International research and education networks
• Potential for commodity network peering
• Work within architectural constraints
• Standard hierarchy national, regional, campus
• Expansion to additional layers (4-7) if necessary
• Must be capable of evolving to support new
  features
• Dynamic provisioning to some degree
• Hybrid models for data networking

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HOPI Testbed Resources

• The Abilene Network MPLS tunnels and the packet
  switched network (BRUW project)
• The Internet2 Wave on the NLR footprint
• MAN LAN Exchange Facility
• TYCO/IEEAF 10 Gbps lambda NYC Amsterdam
• Nortel and Cisco optical and Ethernet equipment
• Collaborations with Regional Optical Networks
  (RONs) and other related efforts (GLIF, DRAGON,
  etc.)
• A 10 Gbps circuit between NYC and London
• Provides experimental capabilities between
  Internet2 and GEANT
• Other facilities as they become available

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Next-Gen Network Overview

• Looking at all options
• New business model, organizational structure
• Believe the NLR infrastructure will play a
  significant role in the future network
• Taking into consideration the RONs and their
  capabilities
• Closely watching emerging technologies and their
  potential impact on the landscape

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Next-Gen Network Requirements View

• Initial backbone capacity requirement is expected
  to be at least 100Gb/s (10x10G)
• 10G (OC-192, 10GE) services are of primary
  interest with some 2.5G connectivity, and a path
  forward to 40Gb/s
• Plan to offer dynamic services to the RE
  community
• Community is asking for the network as a
  schedulable resource
• Provide 1G to 10G services on a hourly, weekly or
  monthly basis
• Offer large and flexible pipes between any
  Internet2 connector/member locations
• Require 99.99 service availability
• Also investigating 40G or 100G transport

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The Basic Next-Gen Backbone Design

• In the beginning
• Provide a carrier-grade, IP packet-switched core
• Provide dedicated capacity using accepted framing
  techniques
• Eventually
• Evolving to a network that provides dynamic
  capabilities and hybrid networking
• Ability to create point-to-point dedicated data
  paths from deep within a campus to deep within
  another campus
• This dedicated capacity
• Might be a 1 to 10 GigE path
• Might be OC-48, OC-192 or OC-768 SONET
• Every effort will be made to use a framing
  technology that provides convenient connectivity
  to the regional optical networks or international
  networks that connects to the backbone
• May eventually include raw analog waves

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Generic Next-Gen Footprint

• Basic component will be ITU grid waves that
  interconnect nodes on a national fiber footprint
  
• Expected to be at least 10 and as many as 40
• Bandwidth of each wave expected to be 10 Gbps
  (and possibly 40 Gbps)

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Connections to the Next-Gen Backbone

• Through an optical interconnecting device that
  serves 3 purposes
• Provides a client interface
• Provide access to waves on the network
• Offer the ability to provide sub channels on a
  wave
• i.e. Ethernet VLANs, SONET paths

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The Next-Gen Abilene to RON Interface

• The interface to the backbone
• One or more client interfaces to the optical
  interconnects
• It is expected that a router sit behind the
  optical interface within the RONs optical
  infrastructure

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Items Needing Further Investigation

• Verify all Internet2 service and network
  requirements
• Bandwidth forecast is 100G the right number?
• Is dynamic provisioning and full routing
  flexibility still a critical requirement?
• What interfaces are required for Day 1 operation?
• Network Availability
• Were assuming a core IP service will still need
  to be carrier class
• What availability is required for the dynamic
  waves?
• What are the services the community will need in
  the future?
• Group A Report
• Are there others?
• Access Methodology
• What locations has / should the community build
  into? Carrier-neutral hotels? NLR nodes? Both?
• Can / how do we help extend the transport
  footprint to the RONs and eventually the campuses?

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Details Needed Before Completing the Design

• Backbone
• What is the footprint?
• Where are the switching nodes located?
• What provides the switching at the switching
  nodes?
• What is the backhaul footprint the RONs can
  provide and how can we supplement that?
• What is the framing? This determines the RON
  (and other networks) service offering.
• Interconnecting
• Where are the optical interconnects located? The
  RONs and connectors will determine the sites.
• What are the optical interconnection devices and
  how will they function.
• What is the service offering? This is partly
  determined by framing could use GFP, LCAS, and
  VCAT.
• How will network security be handled?

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