Paths and Interconnectivity: An Internet Trend and an Architectural Proposal

Abstract

The Internet is a diverse ecosystem where a multitude of networks interconnect to provide end users with a global reach. Interconnection agreements supply economic incentives for networks to deliver traffic along end-to-end paths. Driven by the rapid Internet adoption, unrelenting traffic growth, and increasing demands for performance and quality, Internet interconnections evolve and affect traffic routing.

In this seminar, we first explore a phenomenon of remote peering, an interconnection where remote networks peer via a layer-2 provider. While our measurements reveal significant presence of remote peering at IXPs (Internet eXchange Points) worldwide and a substantial potential to offload transit traffic, we also discuss implications of remote peering for Internet topology modeling. Then, we present Route Bazaar, a new architecture for flexible Internet connectivity. Inspired by cryptocurrencies, the use of a blockchain in Route Bazaar enables multilateral contracts for end-to-end routing with QoS (Quality of Service), rich private policies, and public accountability.

The seminar is based on collaborations with Ignacio Castro, Camilo Cardona, Pierre Francois, Aurojit Panda, Barath Raghavan, and Scott Shenker.