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Re: Open letter


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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