Re: Open letter
- Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 11:39:39 GMT
In reply to Mats Brunell's open letter, I would like to offer a memorandum
on the Ebone development which attempts to define a open market approach
to the provision of global IP services based on an evolution of the current
Ebone. This is as technically exact as my (perhaps feeble) understanding
will allow, and is offered for discussion, not as a blueprint. I would
welcome comments.
On a first quick read, I endorse all that Mats has said.
With apologies for inflicting this on such a wide audience, but I think
that Mats has raised fundamental issues that should be widely and openly
discussed.
Dennis
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Subject: Organisational and Financial Model for Ebone '93
This memorandum is an attempt to describe an architecture
for the Ebone which will lead to an Open (regulated) Market
for IP services providers to offer global IP connectivity.
This memorandum describes a new organisational and financial
model for the Ebone which should enable the Ebone to grow and
allow the participation of any interested IP network service
organisation.
The Ebone/EIX
The Ebone/EIX is the Consortium providing the European IP
Backbone Network (Ebone) and the European Internet Exchange
(EIX). The Ebone provides the backbone network for all IP
networking in Europe. The Ebone/EIX has no restriction of any
sort on the traffic carried on the backbone network and is
open to any IP Network Service Provider, as described below.
The Ebone/EIX provides the routing to enable all IP Network
Service Providers connected to the Ebone/EIX to route IP
packets to one another and to the global set of IP Network
Service Providers. Connection to the Ebone/EIX guarantees to
any connected IP Network Service Provider the ability to use
IP networking technology to communicate with any IP network in
the Global Internet.
The Ebone/EIX is organised as a Consortium of participants,
with no single provider owning all the resources connected.
The participants in the Consortium are the Ebone Backbone
System (EBS) Providers, and the connected IP Network Service
Providers (networks).
The Ebone/EIX Consortium is managed through Consortium
meetings with a small technical and management team providing
overall co-ordination.
The objective of the Ebone Consortium is to provide cost
effective IP networking for the academic and research
community in Europe, to facilitate the creation of and
stimulate the development of commercial IP Network Service
Providers in Europe, and to ensure that all IP Network Service
Providers can be part of the Global Internet.
The Component Parts of the Ebone/EIX are:
The Ebone Backbone Systems (EBS).
The Regional Backbone Systems (RBS).
EBS Systems are routers provider by EBS Providers (see below)
which are connected together to form the Ebone backbone
network, and connected to the Global Internet Exchange (GIX)
in Washington DC by high speed transatlantic connections. EBS
Systems may be at a single location of distributed at several
locations connected together by high speed links. EBS Systems
run the routing protocols and use the routing technology
defined by the Ebone/EIX Consortium.
RBS Systems are routers provided by IP Network Service
Providers (see below) which are connected to EBS Systems. RBS
systems run the routing protocols and use the routing
technology defined by the Ebone/EIX Consortium.
The Members of the Ebone/EIX Consortium are:
The EBS Providers
The IP Network Service Providers.
The Ebone/EIX technical and management co-ordination team.
The EBS providers.
An EBS Provider is any organisation participating in the Ebone
Consortium as a provider of the backbone infrastructure. The
conditions for participation in the Ebone/EIX as an EBS
Provider are that:-
. EBS Providers provide an Ebone Backbone System (EBS).
. The EBS meets the Ebone/EIX technical requirements. If
the EBS is distributed, then Ebone/EIX requirements for
intra-EBS bandwidth must be met.
. The technical and operational support meets the Ebone/EIX
requirements.
. The EBS Routing meets the Ebone/EIX technical
requirements.
. The EBS Provider is willing to accept any RBS connection
that meets the Ebone/EIX technical and operational
requirements.
. The EBS Provider provides a transatlantic connection to
the Global Internet Exchange (GIX) in Washington DC of
bandwidth not less than 50% of the sum of all the RBS
connection bandwidth to that EBS.
. The EBS Provider makes the transatlantic bandwidth
available for backup purposes to the Ebone/EIX.
. The EBS Provider provides, by agreement with other EBS
Providers, at least two independent connections to at
least two other EBS Systems with each such connection
having bandwidth not less than 25% of the sum of all the
RBS connection bandwidth to that EBS.
. The EBS Provider contributes financially to the Ebone/EIX
to an amount to be determined by the Ebone/EIX
Consortium. (The contributions required will vary
depending on the nature of the EBS Provider. Commercial
providers will make larger financial or other
contributions which will be applied to the development of
the Ebone/EIX for academic and research networking.)
The IP Network Services Providers.
An IP Network Services Provider is any organisation providing
IP networking services in Europe who wishes to communicated
with all other such organisations in Europe and throughout the
Global Internet. The conditions for participation in the
Ebone/EIX as an IP Network Services Provider are that:-
. The IP Network Service Provider installs and operates a
Regional Backbone System (RBS)
. The RBS meets the Ebone/EIX technical requirements
. The RBS routing meets the Ebone/EIX technical
requirements
. The IP Network Services Provider provides a connection
(of not less than 64Kbps bandwidth) to an EBS. (Where an
RBS is co-located with an EBS, a nominal bandwidth must
be defined and traffic limited to within this defined
bandwidth).
. The IP Network Services Provider makes a financial
contribution to the EBS as agreed with the EBS Provider.
. The IP Network Services Provider makes a contribution to
the Ebone/EIX to an amount to be determined by the
Ebone/EIX Consortium. (The contributions required will
vary depending on the nature of the IP Network Service
Provider. Commercial providers will make larger
financial or other contributions which will be applied to
the development of the Ebone/EIX for academic and
research networking.)
. The IP Network Services Provider contributes financially
to the EBS - GIX bandwidth costs as agreed with the EBS
Provider.
The Ebone/EIX Technical and Management Team
To ensure the technical and financial management of the
Ebone/EIX an appropriate technical and management team will be
established and funded by the EBS Providers and the IP Network
Services Providers. At present this technical and financial
management is provided by the Ebone Action Team, the Ebone
Operational Team, the Ebone Management Committee, and the
Ebone Co-ordination Committee. In addition, co-ordination
with RIPE is an important element in the overall technical
management.
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