Groups try to chart future of IP nets

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: OPTICAL NETWORKING
09/26/05

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Report from the Next Generation Networks conference
* Links related to Optical Networking
* Featured reader resource
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Spotlight on Advanced IP

Piecing Together the Next Generation IT Architecture. This 5th
installment in a 6 part series takes a look at at On-demand
services, automated management, and management technologies.
PLUS, see how two IT Execs are plotting their way to an all
IP-world. This NDC issue has it all, click here to read now,
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Today's focus: Groups try to chart future of IP nets

By Jim Duffy

As IP networks take on more business-critical roles, the
evolution of these infrastructures becomes cause for great
concern, especially with the advent of peer-to-peer
applications, Web-based services, and IP-based voice and video.

Several topical sessions will address such concerns this week at
the Next Generation Networks conference in Washington, D.C.
Pressing issues to be discussed include the future architectural
and governmental directions of the Internet, the impact of
peer-to-peer applications on business IP networks, and retooling
these infrastructures into service-oriented architectures (SOA)
supporting Web-based services and XML message-based routing.

Underpinning the discussions about the future direction of the
'Net are two divergent viewpoints: one from the IETF, the other
from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

"Probably the biggest issue that'll be coming up is, which NGN?"
asks Dave Passmore, research director at Burton Group and NGN
2005 conference chairman. "The ITU uses the term Next Generation
Networks as the follow-on to the [public switched telephone
network], the IP-based phone network that's built on [IP
Multimedia Subsystem]. The IETF will tell you that the NGN and
IMS are going to collapse under their own weight, that it won't
scale, that it violates the layering principle of protocols,
that it's doomed to fail."

The two models are radically divergent, says Scott Bradner,
consultant with Harvard University's University Information
Systems and a Network World columnist , who is chairing the
panel.

"The current Internet model is the stupid network model, where
the network doesn't know what applications you're running and
doesn't try to be helpful," he says. "The ITU's model [is] where
the network is application-aware and can provide specific extra
support for a particular application, such as VoIP. That session
will compare what their strengths and weaknesses are, and
hopefully out of it we can get some idea of what the future is
going to look like."

Bradner says the ITU's model is designed to provide defined and
guaranteed QoS, while the Internet is a best-effort model based
on bandwidth capacity. He says both are applicable given the
network circumstances - if there's plenty of bandwidth, there's
no need for QoS controls; if not, there is.

Bradner says the two models will not converge, but will
interoperate.

This session and another Bradner-chaired tutorial - on the
future of the 'Net - is of particular interest to Aetna, the $20
billion insurance giant.

"A lot of the things we're doing all in one way, shape or form
exploits the Internet - Wi-Fi, VoIP, work at home, broadband, as
well as across much of our e-commerce with file transfers and
[business-to-business] VPNs," says Kevin Sweeney, director of
external connectivity and mobile computing for Aetna. "So where
that's going, both from a regulatory standpoint, as well as
technology, is of great interest."

The future of the 'Net could be shaped in large part by the need
to support peer-to-peer applications and Web-based services,
which use peer-to-peer protocols. This type of traffic is
growing in use and importance in enterprise networks and on the
'Net, especially as companies move to SOAs designed to support
peer-to-peer and message-based transmissions.

Peer-to-peer traffic accounts for more than 60% of Internet
traffic, according to Passmore, and widespread adoption of
peer-to-peer applications, such as Microsoft's integration of
Groove Networks into its upcoming Vista operating system,
formerly Longhorn, and BitTorrent's file- sharing technology,
are expected to further inundate the 'Net.

"Here and now, [these are] bigger [issues] than you could ever
imagine," says Frank Dzubeck, president of consultancy
Communications Network Architects. "Most people don't understand
that Web services are now the way you deliver to the developer,
business portion of the company and customer. You now deliver
services vs. an application or a transaction. The amount of
information that now must be gleaned, monitored and managed, as
well as transmitted, increases exponentially."

Another hot topic at the conference, and one that represents a
new focus for NGN, is home networking and IPTV.

These sessions will address the kind of network that needs to be
built to support video-content delivery, streaming audio and
other types of content delivered to the home.

Though focused on home networks, Passmore says the sessions are
also relevant to business networks as the sophisticated
technology employed to deliver IPTV will "trickle down" to the
corporate environment.

"Today's toys often become tomorrow's business tools," he says.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. McAfee, Omniquad top anti-spyware test
<http://www.networkworld.com/nloptical6923>
2. IT pros share their tales of making ITIL work
<http://www.networkworld.com/nloptical7624>
3. The rise of the IT architect
<http://www.networkworld.com/nloptical7024>
4. Wireless: Volunteers give voice to evacuees
<http://www.networkworld.com/nloptical7625>
5. How to solve Windows system crashes in minutes
<http://www.networkworld.com/nloptical7626>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Jim Duffy

Jim Duffy is managing editor of Network World's service provider
equipment coverage
<http://www.networkworld.com/topics/service-providers.html>. He
has 18 years of high-tech reporting experience, including over
12 years at Network World. Previously, he was senior editor at
Computer Systems News and associate editor/reporter at
Electronic News and MIS Week. He can be reached at
<mailto:jduffy@nww.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Nokia
Empower Your Mobile Enterprise

Nokia believes that business mobility will fundamentally change
the way work gets done-and for the better. To allow the entire
organization to get the most from this paradigm shift in
productivity, Nokia Enterprise Solutions focuses on delivering
increased efficiency through enhanced mobility. Learn more by
downloading this white paper today!
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=115787
_______________________________________________________________
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