1© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium6

Thoughts on the MS Network Research Workshop

Fred Baker

2© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium6

Terrestrial Networks forAstronomic Research

3© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

Proposed Pulsar Research Model

Bandwidth-engineered

Path:>8 GBPS

Internetpath

Servers atSwinburne

Observatory

ComputationIn PCs in

High Schools

4© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

The Australian SKA Prototype

• One station of the proposed ~130 SKA stations in Australia

100 radio telescopes

100 sensors per telescope

N2 integration of sensor feeds

• Built by bringing lambdas from sensors to a grid correlator

Every sensor output compared to every other

Results stored, original data discarded after correlation

5© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

Let's talk about Marketing

6© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

Let’s talk a bit about marketing

• Definitions:Legacy

The old thing that works that the marketer wants to displace

Next-generation

The new thing that doesn't quite work that the marketer wants to sell

• Argument style:

Emphasize interesting points (cost differences, problems with “legacy”, cool features of “next generation” approach)

Gloss over problems with new approach and strong points of the old one

• Examples:

The Routing vs Ethernet Switching Wars

The Frame Relay vs IP wars

The ATM vs IP wars

The QoS Wars

The ATM vs MPLS wars

7© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

The common result:

• We use each technology for a purpose when it makes sense to use it

• How these are seen today:

Tools in the toolbox

Not competing technologies

8© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

Circuit-switch vs packet-switch question

• Variation on the Routing vs Ethernet Switching Question

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Layer cake in the network

AboveTransport

Transport

Internet

Link Layer

Intranet

“Network of Networks”

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IP Routing

• Internet Layer

• Used when

Connecting things that one wishes to manage the connection of

Crossing administrative boundaries

Optimizing routing

Organizing networks for maintenance

• The service:

Isolation of domains of control for administrative purposes

Conscious connection of domains across the administrative boundary

11© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

Ethernet switching and packet circuit switch technologies

• Intranet Layer

• Used when

Connecting things that one wants to treat as connected

Obscures routing

Simplifies installation

"Just works”

• The service:

Circuit Switch delivers a single common service:

Point to point connectivity, potentially on demand

Administrative bounds at at a higher layer at endpoints of the circuit

Ethernet switch interconnects groups of end systems

12© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

Lambda switching:

• Intranet layer (a form of circuit switch)

• Used when:

High capacity is required

Within an administrative domain

Breaking out a lambda is justified

Scaling of routing is not required

Very reasonableplace for circuit

switching

Circuit Switching?Not here!

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The greybeard speaks

14© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

The arguments between Packet Switching at the Internet and Intranet layers, and Lambda Switching:

• Artificial

Often essentially political

• My strong suggestion:

For routing, community should use whatever technology meets its needs in each part of the network

The community should refrain from trying to force one solution to meet all needs

Make sure that your solutions meet the perceived needs not only of the users, but the operational staff that will be supporting them

15© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

The place of per-flow routing and management

• What ISP wants it?

• Cost in telephone system largely related to micromanagement of circuits (calls)

There is a reason ISPs prefer management of aggregates

There is a reason local calls are “paid for”, and national mobile telephone networks simply sell minutes

Appropriate to large volume data flows that impose a separable cost to the network, such as perhaps lambdas

16© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium

Network management architecture

• Network Management is something the industry has no idea how to do

We manage configurations of devices and systems

We monitor their behavior

We try to diagnose faults, with mixed success

• Good suggestions that meet commercial needs are very welcome

Has to address real network requirements

Not just education or enterprise

Not just small ISP

17© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.MS Network Symposium6

Thoughts on the MS Network Research Workshop

Fred Baker