Lecture 03: Internet Structure

National University of
Computer & Emerging Sciences

Lecture 03
Internet Structure

Dr. Ehtesham Zahoor

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

What’s the Internet: “nuts and bolts” view

PC • millions of connected computing devices: mobile network
server – hosts = end systems
wireless – running network apps global ISP
laptop
smartphone
home
 communication links network
regional ISP
wireless  fiber, copper, radio,
links satellite
wired
links  transmission rate:
bandwidth

 Packet switches: forward packets

router (chunks of data) institutional
 routers and switches network

1-2

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

Internet structure: network of networks

 End systems connect to Internet via access ISPs (Internet Service

Providers)
 Residential, company and university ISPs
 Access ISPs in turn must be interconnected.
 So that any two hosts can send packets to each other
 Resulting network of networks is very complex
 Evolution was driven by economics and national policies
 Let’s take a stepwise approach to describe current Internet structure

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

Internet structure: network of networks

Question: given millions of access ISPs, how to connect them

together? access access access
net net

net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net

access access
net net

access
net
access
net

access
net
access
net
access access
net access net
net

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

Option: connect each access ISP to every other access ISP?

access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net

connecting each access ISP

access
to each other directly access
net
net
doesn’t scale
access
net
access
net

access
net
access
net
access access
net access net
net

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

Option: connect each access ISP to a global transit ISP? Customer

and provider ISPs have economic agreement.
access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net

global
access
net
ISP access
net

access
net
access
net

access
net
access
net
access access
net access net
net

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

But if one global ISP is viable business, there will be competitors

….
access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net
ISP A

access access
net ISP B net

access
ISP C
net
access
net

access
net
access
net
access access
net access net
net

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

access access
Internet exchange point
net net
access
net
access
access net
net

access
IXP access
net
net
ISP A

access IXP access

net ISP B net

access
ISP C
net
access
net

access peering link

net
access
net
access access
net access net
net

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

IXP in Pakistan
• Pakistan’s First Internet Exchange Point (IXP) is Now Up
and Running - Nov 2016

• Pakistan has established its first Internet Exchange Point

(IXP) for all local ISPs that will help reduce latency rates
for domestic traffic with-in the country to a greater deal

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

in any given region, there may be a regional ISP to which the access
ISPs in the region connect.
access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net
access
access net
net
ISP A

access access
net ISP B net

access
ISP C
net
access
net

access
net regional net
access
net
access access
net access net
net

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

… and content provider networks (e.g., Google, Microsoft,

Akamai ) may run their own network, to bring services, content
close to end users
access access
net net
access
net
access
access net
net

access
IXP access
net
net
ISP A
Content provider network
access IXP access
net ISP B net

access
ISP B
net
access
net

access
net regional net
access
net
access access
net access net
net

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

Tier 1 ISP Tier 1 ISP Google

IXP IXP IXP

Regional ISP Regional ISP

access access access access access access access access

ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP

• at center: small # of well-connected large networks

– “tier-1” commercial ISPs (e.g., Level 3, Sprint, AT&T, NTT), national & international
coverage
– content provider network (e.g, Google): private network that connects it data centers to
Internet, often bypassing tier-1, regional ISPs

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

What the internet really looks like?

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

What the internet really looks like?

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

What the internet really looks like?

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

Quote of the day

• There's an old saying that victory has 100

fathers and defeat is an orphan.

John F. Kennedy

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

Lecture 03: Internet Structure

Computer Networking: A Top Down Approach

6th edition
Jim Kurose, Keith Ross
Addison-Wesley
March 2012

A note on the origin of these ppt slides:

These slides are freely provided by the book authors and it represents a lot of work on their part.
We would like to thank J.F Kurose and K.W. Ross.

FAST, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad