One document matched: draft-green-cdnp-gen-arch-01.txt

Differences from draft-green-cdnp-gen-arch-00.txt



Network Working Group                                           M. Green
Internet-Draft                                                    Entera
Expires: April 20, 2001                                          B. Cain
                                                   Mirror Image Internet
                                                            G. Tomlinson
                                                                  Entera
                                                        October 20, 2000


                   CDN Peering Architectural Overview
                    draft-green-cdnp-gen-arch-01.txt

Status of this Memo

   This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
   all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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   This Internet-Draft will expire on April 20, 2001.

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   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000). All Rights Reserved.

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Abstract

   This memo presents the general architecture and core building blocks
   used in the peering of content distribution networks (CDNs). This
   involves the interconnection of CDNs to create larger virtual CDNs
   with greater reach, while still retaining the same simple interface
   to both content providers and viewers.  The scope of this work is
   limited to external interconnections between CDNs and does not
   address internal mechanisms used within CDNs, which for the purpose
   of the document are considered to be black boxes. This work is
   intended to establish an abstract architectural framework to be used
   in the development of protocols, interfaces and system models for
   standardized, interoperable, peering among CDNs, and peering of CDNs
   with content providers.  The term "peering" used within this memo is
   defined as the coupling and interaction between CDNs in order to
   build internetworks of CDNs.



































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Table of Contents

   1.      Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
   2.      CDN Peering System Architecture  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
   3.      Request Direction Peering System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   3.1     Request Direction Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   3.2     Request Routing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
   3.3     Request Direction Problems to Solve  . . . . . . . . . . . 12
   3.4     Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
   3.5     Example  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
   3.5.1   Modified DNS Redirection  Model  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
   3.5.2   DNS Redirection Model using NS records . . . . . . . . . . 14
   3.5.3   DNS Redirection Model using CNAME records  . . . . . . . . 15
   3.5.4   Hybrid DNS & Content Aware Redirection Models  . . . . . . 16
   3.5.4.1 Server-side direction model  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
   3.5.4.2 Client-side direction model  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
   4.      Distribution Peering System  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
   4.1     Distribution Overview  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
   4.2     Distribution Models  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
   4.3     Distribution Components  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
   4.4     Distribution Problems to Solve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
   4.4.1   Replication Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
   4.4.2   Signaling Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
   4.4.3   Advertising Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
   4.5     Distribution Requirements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
   4.5.1   Replication Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
   4.5.2   Signaling Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
   4.5.3   Advertising Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
   5.      Accounting Peering System  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
   5.1     Accounting Overview  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
   5.2     Accounting Data Types  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
   5.3     Accounting Models  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
   5.4     Accounting Problems to Solve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
   5.5     Accounting Requirements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
   6.      Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   6.1     Threats to CDN Peering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   6.1.1   Threats to the CLIENT  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   6.1.1.1 Defeat of CLIENT's Security Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   6.1.1.2 Delivery of Bad Accounting Information . . . . . . . . . . 27
   6.1.1.3 Delivery of Bad CONTENT  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
   6.1.1.4 Denial of Service  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
   6.1.1.5 Exposure of Private Information  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
   6.1.1.6 Substitution of Security Parameters  . . . . . . . . . . . 28
   6.1.1.7 Substitution of Security Policies  . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
   6.1.2   Threats to the PUBLISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
   6.1.2.1 Delivery of Bad Accounting Information . . . . . . . . . . 28
   6.1.2.2 Denial of Service  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
   6.1.2.3 Substitution of Security Parameters  . . . . . . . . . . . 29
   6.1.2.4 Substitution of Security Policies  . . . . . . . . . . . . 29


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   6.1.3   Threats to a CDN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
   6.1.3.1 Bad Accounting Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
   6.1.3.2 Denial of Service  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
   6.1.3.3 Transitive Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
   7.      Impact on the Internet Architecture  . . . . . . . . . . . 30
   8.      Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
           References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
           Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
           Full Copyright Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35










































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1. Introduction

   In a typical (non-peered) CDN [12], a single service provider
   operates the DIRECTION SYSTEM and the DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.  In
   addition, that service provider has the commercial relationship with
   the content source (operating the origin server).  Typically, the
   value that this CDN presents to a PUBLISHER is based on the scale
   and reach of its combined systems.

   There are practical limits to the scale and reach of any single
   network. Increasing either scale or reach is ultimately limited by
   the cost of equipment, the space available for deploying equipment,
   and/or the demand for that scale/reach of infrastructure. Sometimes
   a particular audience is tied to a single service provider or a
   small set of providers by constraints of technology, economics, or
   law.

   CDN peering allows different CDNs to share resources so as to
   provide larger scale and/or reach to participants than they could
   otherwise achieve.  Although this peering is similar in concept to
   layer 3 peering between autonomous systems [1], it differs rather
   fundamentally in that it involves the peering of content delivery
   according to semantically rich application policies.

   The context of "peering" used within this application domain
   pertains to the interconnection of CDNs in order to build
   internetworks of CDNs, which is quite different than the traditional
   dictionary definition of a peer "one that is of equal standing with
   another" [16]. Although this definition is conceptually derived from
   its use in the interconnection of autonomous systems, it differs
   significantly in that it doesn't presume a settlement-free basis
   [17] business model.  Through the use of CDN peering, complex
   distribution topologies can be composed, including both hierarchical
   and mesh.

   This memo describes the overall architectural structure and the
   fundamental building blocks used in the composition of CDN peering.
   Consult [12] for a description of, and the vocabulary used in, this
   application domain. A key requirement of the architecture itself, is
   the it be able to address each of the CDN peering scenarios
   enumerated in [13]. The scope of this work is limited to external
   interconnections between CDNs (i.e. INTER-CDN) and does not address
   internal mechanisms used within CDNs (i.e. INTRA-CDN), which for the
   purposes of the document are considered to be black boxes. INTER-CDN
   peering as specified in this architecture includes both CDN to CDN
   as well as content provider to CDN interactions.  This work is
   intended to establish an abstract architectural framework to be used
   in the development of protocols, interfaces and system models for
   standardized, interoperable peering among CDNs.


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   The architecture is presented first from an abstract system model in
   order to establish a framework comprised of the most fundamental
   elements. Using these architectural elements as building blocks, it
   subsequently transitions into a system architecture constrained by
   fundamental assumptions and scenario requirements. Through the use
   of a broad set of usage scenarios as requirements, a cognizant
   effort has been made to ensure the system architecture doesn't
   unduly constrain business models and their associated value chains.

   At the core of CDN peering are three principle architectural
   elements that constitute the building blocks of the CDN peering
   system.  These elements are DIRECTION PEERING system, DISTRIBUTION
   PEERING system, and ACCOUNTING PEERING system.  Collectively, they
   control selection of the delivery CDN, content distribution between
   peering CDNs, and usage accounting, including billing settlement
   among the peering CDNs.

   This work takes into consideration relevant IETF RFCs and IETF
   works-in-progress. In particular, it is mindful of the end-to-end
   nature [5][9] of the Internet, the current taxonomy of web
   replication and caching [10], and the accounting, authorization and
   authentication framework [11]

   Terms in ALL CAPS are defined in [12].



























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2. CDN Peering System Architecture

   The system architecture revolves around the general premise that
   individual CDNs are wholly contained within an administrative domain
   [2] that is composed of either autonomous systems [1] or overlay
   networks.  The system architecture for CDN peering accommodates this
   premise by assuring that the information and controls are available
   for inter-domain administration.  With this in mind, CDN peering
   involves the interconnection of these administrative domains through
   layer 5 exterior gateway protocols and machinery. The notion of
   exterior gateway protocols and machinery has precedence in the IETF
   in the form of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) [4], which serves
   as a reference that this architecture is loosely modeled upon.

   The system architecture is predicated upon the following fundamental
   assumptions:

      1.  The URI [7] name space is the basis of PUBLISHER object
          identifiers.

      2.  PUBLISHERs delegate authority of their object URI name space
          being distributed by peering CDNs to the DIRECTION PEERING
          system.

      3.  There is a normalized canonical name space extension for CDN
          meta data encapsulated within URIs being distributed by
          peering CDNs.

   Figure 1 contains a system architecture diagram of the core elements
   involved in CDN peering.





















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                                           +--------------+
                            /--------------|   DIRECTION  |<----\
                          /                |    PEERING   |     |
                        /  /-------------->|    SYSTEM*   |<-\  |
                      /  /                 +--------------+  |  |
                    /  /                          ^          |  |
                  /  /                            |          |  |
                /  /                              |          |  |
              /  /                         +--------------+  |  |
             |  |                          | DISTRIBUTION |  |  |
             V  |                        __|    PEERING   |<-\  |
          +--------+    +-----------+   /  |    SYSTEM*   |  |\ |  +---------+
          |        |<---|           |<-/   +--------------+  | \ \_|         |
          | CLIENT |    | SURROGATE |                        |  \__| ORIGIN  |
          |        |--->|           |-\    +--------------+  | /-->|         |
          +--------+    +-----------+  \   |  ACCOUNTING  |--//    +---------+
                                        \->|   PEERING    |--/
                                           |   SYSTEM*    |--\     +---------+
                                           +--------------+   \    | BILLING |
                                                               \-->|   ORG.  |
                                                                   |         |
                                                                   +---------+

            Note: * represents core elements of CDN peering


   Figure 1 System Architecture Elements of a CDN Peering System

   The System Architecture is comprised of 7 major elements, 3 of which
   constitute the CDN peering system itself.  The peering elements are
   DIRECTION PEERING system, DISTRIBUTION PEERING system, and
   ACCOUNTING PEERING system.  Correspondingly, the system architecture
   is a system of systems:

      1.  The ORIGIN publishes content into the DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. 
          This process includes both the delegation of URI name space
          to the DIRECTION PEERING system and delegation of delivery to
          the DISTRIBUTION PEERING system.

      2.  The DISTRIBUTION PEERING system moves content between CDN
          DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMs. Additionally this system interacts with
          the DIRECTION PEERING system via feedback ADVERTISEMENTs to
          assist in the peered CDN selection process for CLIENT
          requests.

      3.  The CLIENT requests content from a SURROGATE.





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      4.  The DIRECTION PEERING system directs a REQUEST from a CLIENT
          to a suitable SURROGATE in a peering CDN.  DIRECTION PEERING
          systems interact with one another via feedback ADVERTISEMENTs
          in order to keep request routing tables current.

      5.  The selected SURROGATE delivers the requested content to the
          CLIENT. Additionally, the SURROGATE sends accounting
          information for delivered content to the ACCOUNTING PEERING
          system.

      6.  The ACCOUNTING PEERING system aggregates and distills the
          accounting information into statistics and content detail
          records for use by the ORIGIN and BILLING ORGANIZATION. 
          Statistics are also used as feedback to the DIRECTION PEERING
          system.

      7.  The BILLING ORGANIZATION uses the content detail records to
          settle with each of the parties involved in the content
          distribution and delivery process.

   This process has been described in its simplest form in order to
   present the CDN peering architecture in the most abstract way
   possible.  In reality, this process is more complex when applied to
   policies, business models and service level agreements that span
   multiple peering CDNs.  The orthogonal core peering systems are
   discussed in greater depth in Section 3, Section 4 and Section 5
   respectively.

   It is important to note that the DIRECTION PEERING system is the
   only mandatory element for CDN peering to function. A DISTRIBUTION
   PEERING system is needed when the PUBLISHER does not have a
   NEGOTIATED RELATIONSHIP with every peering CDN.  Additionally, an
   ACCOUNTING PEERING system is needed when statistical and usage
   information is needed in order to satisfy PUBLISHER and/or BILLING
   ORGANIZATION requirements.

   Additionally, it is important to note that the core elements can be
   provided by independent administrative domains [2] so long as they
   have authorized peering relationships (i.e. affiliations) between
   themselves. 











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3. Request Direction Peering System

   The DIRECTION PEERING system represents the request routing function
   of the CDN peering system.  It is responsible for binding CLIENTs to
   peered CDNs for the delivery of content.  It has a dependency upon
   the DISTRIBUTION PEERING system for content location information
   within the peered CDNs.

3.1 Request Direction Overview

   DIRECTION systems direct CLIENT REQUESTs to a suitable SURROGATE,
   which is able to service a client request.  Many request direction
   systems direct users to a surrogate that is "closest" to the user on
   the "least loaded" surrogate. The only requirement of the request
   direction system is that it directs users to a surrogate that can
   serve the requested content.  Request direction is commonly
   performed via redirection mechanisms.  Such redirection is
   accomplished through a variety of connection hand-off mechanisms
   including but not limited to DNS [3], HTTP [8], RTSP [6], etc
   redirection.

   DIRECTION PEERING is the interconnection of two or more DIRECTION
   SYSTEMs so as to increase the number of REACHABLE SURROGATEs for at
   least one of the interconnected systems.

   In order for a PUBLISHER's CONTENT to be delivered by multiple
   peering CDNs, it is necessary to federate each CDN DIRECTION system
   under the DNS name space of the PUBLISHER object.  This federation
   is accomplished by first delegating the PUBLISHER DNS name space to
   an AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION SYSTEM. The AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION
   SYSTEM subsequently splices each peering CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM into
   this DNS name space. Figure 2 contains a architecture diagram of the
   entities involved in the DIRECTION PEERING system.


















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                                +---------------+
                                |     CLIENT    |
                                +---------------+
                                        |
                                        |
   (Direction Tree Root)        +---------------+
                                | AUTHORITATIVE |
                                |   DIRECTION   |
                                |     SYSTEM    |
                                +---------------+
                                       | | INTER-CDN Direction
                      /----------------/ \-----------------\
                      |                                    |
   (1st Level) +--------------+                     +--------------+
      .........|  DIRECTION   |..........  .........|  *********   |..........
      .        |     CPG      |         .  .        |    ****      |         .
      .        +--------------+         .  .        +--------------+         .
      .   INTRA-CDN | | | Direction     .  .               | |               .
      .        /----/ | \-----\         .  .        /------/ \-----\         .
      .        |      |       |         .  .        |              |         .
      . +-----------+ | +------------+  .  . +------------+    +-----------+ .
      ..| SURROGATE |.|..| SURROGATEs |..  ..| ********** |....| ********* |..
        +-----------+ |  +------------+      +------------+    +-----------+
                      |
                      | INTER-CDN Recursive Direction
   (2nd Level) +--------------+
      .........|  DIRECTION   |..........
      .        |     CPG      |         .
      .        +--------------+         .
      .   INTRA-CDN |   | Direction     .
      .        /----/   \-----\         .
      .        |              |         .
      . +-----------+    +------------+ .
      ..| SURROGATE |....| SURROGATEs |..
        +-----------+    +------------+


   Figure 2 DIRECTION PEERING System Architecture

   The DIRECTION PEERING system is hierarchical in nature. There exists
   exactly one direction tree for each PUBLISHER URI.  The
   AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION SYSTEM is the root of the direction tree. 
   There may be only one AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION SYSTEM for a URI
   direction tree. Subordinate to the AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION SYSTEM
   are the DIRECTION SYSTEMs of the first level peering CDNs. There may
   exist recursive subordinate DIRECTION SYSTEMs of additional level
   peering CDNs.




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         Note: A PUBLISHER object may have more than one URI associated
         with it and therefore be present in more than one direction
         tree.

3.2 Request Routing

   The actual "routing" of a client request is through DIRECTION
   Content Peering Gateways (CPG). The AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION CPG
   receives the initial client request and redirects the request to an
   appropriate DISTRIBUTING CDN.  This process of INTER-CDN request
   direction may occur multiple times in a recursive manner between
   DIRECTION CPGs until the DIRECTION SYSTEM arrives at an appropriate
   DISTRIBUTING CDN to deliver the content.

   Direction systems explicitly peer but do not have "interior"
   knowledge of surrogates from other CDNs.  Each CDN operates its
   internal request direction system.  In this manner, request
   direction systems peer very much like IP network layer peering.

3.3 Request Direction Problems to Solve

   Specific problems in request direction needing further investigation
   include: 

   1.  How do DNS request direction systems redirect a request?  If a
       given CDN is peered with many other CDNs, what are the criteria
       which redirects a request to another CDN?

   2.  How do Content-Aware direction systems redirect a request?  If a
       given CDN is peered with many other CDNs, what are the criteria
       which redirects a request to another CDN?

   3.  What are the merits of designing a generalized content routing
       protocol, rather than relying on redirection mechanisms.

   4.  What is the normalized canonical URI name space for request
       direction? Because request direction is federated across
       multiple CDNs, it is necessary to have agreed upon standards for
       the encoding of URIs.  There are many potential elements which
       may be encoded.  Some of these elements are: authoritative agent
       domain, publisher domain, content type, content length, etc.

   5.  How are policies communicated between the DIRECTION SYSTEM and
       the DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISEMENT system?  A given CDN may wish to
       serve only a given content type or a particular set of users. 
       These types of policies must be communicated between CDNs.





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   6.  What are the request direction protocols in DNS? When a request
       is routed to a particular DIRECTION CPG, a clear set of DNS
       rules and policies must be followed in order to have a workable
       and predictable system.

   7.  How do we protect the DIRECTION SYSTEM against denial of service
       attacks?

3.4 Requirements

   DIRECTION SYSTEMs require some coupling to DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMs. 
   For example, a CDN may have a DIRECTION SYSTEM that makes use of its
   own DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.  The DIRECTION SYSTEMs may also communicate
   some information about the DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMs for which they are
   performing redirection.

   We assume that there is a peering relationship between DIRECTION
   CPGs. This peering relationship at a minimum must exchange a set of
   CLIENT IP addresses that can be serviced, and a set of information
   about the DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMs, for which they are performing
   redirection.

   Request Direction Requirements 

   1.  Normalized canonical URI name space structure for peered CDN
       distribution of PUBLISHER objects.

   2.  Single AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION SYSTEM for PUBLISHER object URI
       name space.

   3.  Use of a URI name space based direction mechanism.  The
       direction mechanism is allowed to use as much of the URI name
       space as it needs to select the proper SURROGATE.  For example,
       DNS based mechanisms utilize only the host subcomponent, while
       content aware mechanisms utilize use multiple components.

   4.  Assure the request direction tree does not become a cyclic
       routing graph.

   5.  Assure that adjacent direction systems from different
       administrative domains (different CDNs) use a compatible request
       direction mechanism.

   6.  Assure that adjacent direction systems from different
       administrative domains (different CDNs) agree to direct requests
       for the CONTENT in question.





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3.5 Example

   In order to provide a greater understanding of the DIRECTION PEERING
   system, the following four examples are described.  While these
   don't represent all implementations, they are considered to be
   representative of the most common implementations deployed today.

   It is important to remember the INTRA-CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM is opaque
   to the CDN peering architecture, since it is within the CDN black
   box. The following examples contain known INTRA-CDN implementations
   in order to present the reader with a complete scenario of DIRECTION
   PEERING.

3.5.1 Modified DNS Redirection  Model

   This example describes a DNS redirection model that utilizes
   protocol extensions for proxies between peered DIRECTION CPGs.  DNS
   is utilized exclusively by the AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION SYSTEM for
   INTER-CDN redirection and exclusively by the CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM
   for INTRA-CDN redirection.

   We assume in this example that the CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM R2 has a
   INTER-CDN peering relationship with the AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION
   SYSTEM R1 and has informed R1 via a peering protocol, similar to BGP
   but modified for content routing information, and that some set of
   addresses including the address of the CLIENT, is in the
   "redirection set" of R2. We also assume the URI being REQUESTED is
   contained within a name space authoritatively serviced by R1. When
   the CLIENT contacts the authoritative DNS server R1 to resolve the
   URI domain name, R1 determines that the peering R2 needs to perform
   the INTRA-CDN redirection to one of its SURROGATES for service of
   the forthcoming CLIENT REQUEST. Since, R2 cannot return the NS
   record, R1 proxies R2 with an DNS protocol extension carrying both
   the CLIENT address and the domain name of the URI.

   At this point the redirection process has been delegated to the
   proper peering CDN for INTRA-CDN redirection. R2 runs its request
   routing computation as though the CLIENT had directly contacted it,
   and returns the result of the selected SURROGATE to R1, which in
   turn passes it on to the CLIENT.  At this point the CLIENT has the
   correct SURROGATE to connect with for DELIVERY of the CONTENT.

3.5.2 DNS Redirection Model using NS records

   This example describes a pure DNS redirection model.  DNS is
   utilized exclusively by the AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION SYSTEM for
   INTER-CDN redirection and exclusively by the CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM
   for INTRA-CDN redirection.



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   We assume in this example that the CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM R2 has a
   INTER-CDN peering relationship with the AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION
   SYSTEM R1. We also assume that the DNS name used by the PUBLISHER
   contains at least as many name levels as the INTER-CDN redirection
   tree is deep. In our case, for example, using only R1 and R2 the
   name could be foo2.foo1.com.

   When the CLIENT request's a URI, the DNS resolution request will
   contain the domain name foo2.foo1.com. To resolve this domain name
   the client site DNS server will first contact the DIRECTION SYSTEM
   of R1 since it is authoritative for the domain foo1.com. The
   DIRECTION SYSTEM R1 has to decide now if it wants to serve the
   content from one of its own SURROGATEs or if the content should be
   served from the CDN with DIRECTION SYSTEM R2. If R1 wants to serve
   the content it returns an A record with the IP address of the
   appropriate SURROGATE. If R1 decides R2 should serve the content, it
   returns a NS record to the client site DNS server, denying a
   recursive resolution and pointing the client site DNS server to the
   DIRECTION SYSTEM of R2. R2 can now decide which SURROGATE to use and
   returns an appropriate A record.  At this point, the CLIENT has the
   correct SURROGATE to connect with for DELIVERY of the CONTENT.

3.5.3 DNS Redirection Model using CNAME records

   This example describes a pure DNS redirection model.  DNS is
   utilized exclusively by the AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION SYSTEM for
   INTER-CDN redirection and exclusively by the CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM
   for INTRA-CDN redirection.

   We assume in this example that the CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM R2 has a
   INTER-CDN peering relationship with the AUTHORITATIVE SYSTEM R1.

   When the CLIENT request's a URI, the DNS resolution request will
   first be made to DIRECTION SYSTEM R1 since it is the authoritative
   DIRECTION SYSTEM. The DIRECTION SYSTEM R1 has to decide now if it
   wants to serve the content from one of its own SURROGATEs or if the
   content should be served from the CDN with DIRECTION SYSTEM R2. If
   R1 wants to serve the content it returns an A record with the IP
   address of the appropriate SURROGATE.  If R1 decides R2 should serve
   the content it returns a CNAME record to the CLIENT site DNS server
   denying a recursive resolution. In this case the AUTHORITATIVE
   DIRECTION SYSTEM for the CNAME (not the original name requested by
   the CLIENT) has to be R2. R2 can now decide which SURROGATE to use
   and returns an appropriate A record.  At this point, the CLIENT has
   the correct SURROGATE to connect with for DELIVERY of the CONTENT.

   This scheme allows for an easier introduction of additional
   redirection levels as the NS scheme described in Section 3.5.2.



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3.5.4 Hybrid DNS & Content Aware Redirection Models

   These examples describes hybrid DNS/Content-Aware direction models:
   server-side and client-side direction models.

3.5.4.1 Server-side direction model

   In the server-side direction model, DNS is used in the initial
   SURROGATE selection process by the CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM while
   Content-Aware redirection is employed to further direct the CLIENT
   REQUEST to a better SURROGATE based upon the content requested in
   the CLIENT REQUEST itself. Since there is more semantic information
   contained within the CLIENT REQUEST than was present in the DNS
   lookup, it is possible to more finely target the direction to a
   suitable SURROGATE.

   We assume the same R1 and R2 relationship that was present in the
   previous modified DNS DIRECTION MODEL. We also assume the same
   process that caused R1 to determine R2 needs to perform the
   INTRA-CDN direction. However, in this case, R2 does not perform the
   request routing computation, but rather selects a virtual SURROGATE
   that is in fact a Content-Aware redirection network element. R2
   returns the result of the virtual SURROGATE to R1 which in turns
   passes it on to the CLIENT.

3.5.4.2 Client-side direction model

   In the client-side direction model, a content-aware network element
   is in the path between the client and the CDN DIRECTION SYSTEM and
   performs CDN selection based on the content requested in the CLIENT
   REQUEST.

   In this case, the client is within R1's administration and R2
   exchanges peering information with R1 that includes URI level
   information that enables R1 to proxy or redirect content requests
   towards R2.

   In both cases, the CLIENT connects to the virtual SURROGATE and
   sends the CLIENT REQUEST.  The virtual SURROGATE performs a
   Content-Aware request routing computation and may either send an
   application level redirects such as an HTTP [8] or RTSP [6] 302
   reply to the CLIENT; or proxy the CLIENT REQUEST to a remote
   DELIVERY NODE.  At this point, the CLIENT has the correct DELIVERY
   NODE for the CONTENT.

   While the examples above provide a summary of conformant request
   direction systems, they are just that, a summary.  Consult [15] for
   in-depth information on these request direction systems.



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4. Distribution Peering System

   The DISTRIBUTION PEERING system represents the content distribution
   function of the CDN peering system. It is responsible for moving
   content from one DISTRIBUTION CPG to another DISTRIBUTION CPG and
   for supplying content location information to the DIRECTION PEERING
   system.

4.1 Distribution Overview

   One goal of the CDN peering system is to move content closer to the
   client. Typically this is accomplished by replicating content from
   ORIGIN servers to SURROGATEs which are then used to deliver the
   content directly to the CLIENT. For example this content replication
   path may traverse links internal to a content provider's network,
   then external links to reach the CDN and then links internal to the
   CDN's network to finally arrive at the surrogate. For the purposes
   of the CDN peering system we consider only the path between the two
   networks.

   In the above example the last server on the content provider's
   network in the path, and the first server on the CDN's network in
   the path, must contain DISTRIBUTION CPGs which communicate directly
   with each other. The DISTRIBUTION CPGs could be located in the
   ORIGIN server and the SURROGATE server. Thus in the simplest form
   the ORIGIN server is in direct contact with the SURROGATE. However
   the DISTRIBUTION CPG in the content provider's network could
   aggregate content from multiple ORIGIN servers and the DISTRIBUTION
   CPG in the CDN's network could represent multiple SURROGATEs. These
   DISTRIBUTION CPGs could then be co-located in an exchange facility.

   Figure 3 contains a architecture diagram of the entities involved in
   the DISTRIBUTION PEERING system.


















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               ..................................  ..................
               .         Peering CDN            .  .  Peering CDN   .
     +-------+ . +----------+    +------------+ .  . +------------+ . +------+
     |CLIENT |---|SURROGATE |----|DISTRIBUTION|------|DISTRIBUTION|---|ORIGIN|
     +-------+ . +----------+ /--|    CPG     | . /--|    CPG     | . +------+
               .              |  +------------+ . |. +------------+ .
     +-------+ . +----------+ |                 . |..................
     |CLIENTs|---|SURROGATEs|-/                 . |
     +-------+ . +----------+                   . |
               .                                . |
               .................................. |
                                                  |
               .................................. |
               .         Peering CDN            . |
     +-------+ . +----------+    +------------+ . |
     |CLIENT |---|SURROGATE |----|DISTRIBUTION|---/
     +-------+ . +----------+ /--|    CPG     | .
               .              |  +------------+ .
     +-------+ . +----------+ |                 .
     |CLIENTs|---|SURROGATEs|-/                 .
     +-------+ . +----------+                   .
               .                                .
               ..................................


   Figure 3 DISTRIBUTION PEERING system Architecture

4.2 Distribution Models

   Replication advertisement may take place in a layer 5 model similar
   to the way BGP is used today at layer 3. DISTRIBUTION CPGs could
   take care of exterior content replication between content providers
   and CDNs, while at the same time performing content replication
   interior to their networks in an independent manner. If this model
   is used then the internal structure of the networks is hidden and
   the only knowledge of other networks is the locations of
   DISTRIBUTION CPGs.

   Replication of content may take place using a push model, or a pull
   model, or a combination of both. Hierarchical caching, where
   SURROGATEs, upon getting a cache miss, retrieve CONTENT from a cache
   higher up the chain, represents the pull model. Replication of
   CONTENT from ORIGIN servers to replica origin servers represents the
   push model. Replication of CONTENT from ORIGIN servers to
   SURROGATEs, in order to pre-populate the caches, also represents the
   push model. A combination of the two models would be a cache
   hierarchy that has a replica origin server as its root. DISTRIBUTION
   CPGs may be located at various points in these models depending on
   the topologies of the networks involved.


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   With CDN peering it may be necessary to replicate content through a
   network, which has no internal SURROGATEs. On one hand it may be
   possible to do this transparently with no DISTRIBUTION CPGs on the
   transit network. On the other hand it may be desirable for the
   transit network to have DISTRIBUTION CPGs. For example add a transit
   network between the content provider network and the CDN network to
   the example above. The transit network could have a DISTRIBUTION CPG
   co-located with the content provider's DISTRIBUTION CPG which acts
   as a proxy for the CDN. The transit network could also have a
   DISTRIBUTION CPG co-located with the CDN's DISTRIBUTION CPG which
   acts as a proxy for the content provider. In a simpler example the
   transit network could have a single DISTRIBUTION CPG which acts as a
   proxy for both the content provider and the CDN.

   Replication of CONTINUOUS MEDIA takes place in a different model
   from content which has a fixed length CONTENT DATA UNIT, especially
   in the case of live streaming data. Replication in this case
   typically takes the form of splitting the live streaming data at
   various points in the network. In the CDN peering system
   DISTRIBUTION CPGs could perform this function. In this sense the
   collection of DISTRIBUTION CPGs would constitute an application
   layer multicast overlay network.

4.3 Distribution Components

   The three main components of distribution are replication, signaling
   and advertising. Each of these is utilized between DISTRIBUTION CPGs
   belonging to content providers and CDNs.  They may also be used
   between CDNs.

   The final goal of replication involves moving the content from an
   ORIGIN server to SURROGATE delivery servers. The immediate goal in
   CDN peering is moving the content between DISTRIBUTION CPGs.

   The second component of content distribution is content signaling.
   Content signaling is the propagation of content meta-data. This
   meta-data may include such information such as the immediate
   expiration of content or a change in the expiration time of a given
   CONTENT DATA UNIT.

   The third component of content distribution is content advertising.
   Content providers must be able to advertise content that can be
   distributed by CDNs and its associated terms. It is important that
   the advertising of content must be able to aggregate content
   information.






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4.4 Distribution Problems to Solve

   Some of the problems in distribution revolve around supporting both
   a push model and a pull model for replication of content in that
   they are not symmetric. The push model is used for pre-loading of
   content and the pull model is used for on-demand fetching and
   pre-fetching of content. These models are not symmetric in that the
   amount of available resources in which to place the content on the
   target server must be known. In the fetching cases the server that
   pulls the content knows the available resources on the target
   server, itself. In the pre-loading case the server that pushes the
   content must find out the available resources from the target server
   before pushing the data.

4.4.1 Replication Problems

   Specific problems in replication needing further investigation
   include: 

   1.  How do replication systems direct a request?

   2.  How are policies communicated between the replication systems?

   3.  What are the replication protocols?

   4.  Does replication only take place between CPGs?

4.4.2 Signaling Problems

   Specific problems in content signaling needing further investigation
   include: 

   1.  How do we represent a content signal?

   2.  What protocols should be used for content signals?

   3.  What is a scalable manner for delivering content signals?

   4.  Do content signals need a virtual distribution system of their
       own?

4.4.3 Advertising Problems

   Specific problems in content advertisement needing further
   investigation include: 

   1.  How do we represent a collection of meta-data in a concise and
       compressed manner?



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   2.  How do we represent aggregates of meta-data?

   3.  What protocols to use for the aggregation of this data?

   4.  How distributed of an approach should be used for this problem?

   5.  How do we prevent looping?

4.5 Distribution Requirements

   Replication systems must have a peering relationship. This peering
   relationship must exchange sets of aggregated content and its
   meta-data. Meta-data may change over time independently of the
   content data and must be exchanged independently as well.

   Replication systems may require some coupling to redirection
   systems. It is possible that when fetching content as opposed to
   pushing content that sessions between replication peering systems
   may be directed by the redirection system.

4.5.1 Replication Requirements

   The specific requirements in content replication are: 

   1.  A common protocol for the replication of content.

   2.  A common format for the actual content data in the protocol.

   3.  A common format for the content meta-data in the protocol.

   4.  Security mechanisms.

   5.  Scalable distribution of the content.

4.5.2 Signaling Requirements

   The specific requirements in content signaling are: 

   1.  Minimum support for a "flush" and an "expiration time update"
       signal.

   2.  Security mechanisms.

   3.  Scalable distribution of the signals on a large scale.







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4.5.3 Advertising Requirements

   The specific requirements in content advertisement are: 

   1.  A common protocol for the advertisement of content.

   2.  A common format for the actual advertisements in the protocol.

   3.  A well-known state machine.

   4.  Use of TCP or SCTP (because soft-state protocols will not scale).

   5.  Well-known error codes to diagnose protocols between different
       networks.

   6.  Capability negotiation.

   7.  Ability to represent policy.

































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5. Accounting Peering System

   The ACCOUNTING PEERING system represents the accounting data
   collection function of the CDN peering system. It is responsible for
   moving accounting data from one ACCOUNTING CPG to another ACCOUNTING
   CPG.

5.1 Accounting Overview

   CDN peering must provide the ability for the content provider to
   collect data from surrogates that are delivering their content
   directly to clients. ACCOUNTING CPGs retrieve the data from
   SURROGATEs that collect and store the data locally. This interior
   data may be collected from the SURROGATEs by ACCOUNTING CPGs using
   SNMP or FTP, for example. ACCOUNTING CPGs transfer the data to
   exterior neighboring ACCOUNTING CPGs on request or in an
   asynchronous manner. This architecture is only concerned with the
   latter exchange. Accounting data may also be aggregated before it is
   transferred.

   Figure 4 contains a architecture diagram of the entities involved in
   the ACCOUNTING PEERING system.





























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     .....................................   ....................
     .           Peering CDN             .   .   Peering CDN    .
     . +-----------+    +--------------+ .   . +--------------+ .   +---------+
     . | SURROGATE |----| ACCOUNTING   |-------| ACCOUNTING   |-----|  ORIGIN |
     . +-----------+ /--|     CPG      | .  ---|     CPG      |---\ +---------+
     .               |  +--------------+ . / . +--------------+ . |
     . +-----------+ |                   . | .                  . | +---------+
     . | SURROGATEs|-/                   . | .................... \-| BILLING |
     . +-----------+                     . |                        |   ORG.  |
     .                                   . |                        +---------+
     ..................................... |
                                           |
     ..................................... |
     .           Peering CDN             . |
     . +-----------+    +--------------+ . |
     . | SURROGATE |----| ACCOUNTING   |--/
     . +-----------+ /--|     CPG      | .
     .               |  +--------------+ .
     . +-----------+ |                   .
     . | SURROGATEs|-/                   .
     . +-----------+                     .
     .                                   .
     .....................................


   Figure 4 ACCOUNTING PEERING system Architecture

   In addition information needs to be exchanged between ACCOUNTING
   CPGs in order for SURROGATEs to be able to provide authentication,
   authorization, and policy enforcement as specified by the content
   provider. It is possible that this meta-data could be included with
   the content replicated by the DISTRIBUTION PEERING system. However
   these types of data are grouped together in the work of the
   Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) working group in
   the IETF. This work as well as the work of the Authentication
   Authorization Accounting Architecture (AAAARCH) research group in
   the IRTF should be examined to determine their applicability to CDN
   peering accounting.

5.2 Accounting Data Types

   Accounting data generally falls into the network or system
   management, policy, and settlement categories, which are gathered to
   collect information about the use of the content. Network and system
   management data allows for the monitoring of resources in order to
   perform load balancing and to observe the conformance to Service
   Level Agreements (SLAs). Policy information allows for the
   enforcement of authentication and authorization. Data needed for
   settlement includes statistics such as proxy hits and misses,


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   information from log files, and session detail records for
   CONTINUOUS MEDIA.

5.3 Accounting Models

   In one model a third-party BILLING ORGANIZATION must be able to
   receive the information necessary to bill the appropriate party. In
   another model this function may be performed by the PUBLISHER or
   AUTHORITATIVE DIRECTION SYSTEM. Consult [14] for detailed
   information on CDN peering billing models.

   Accounting data may be requested by an ACCOUNTING CPG or supplied
   asynchronously by another ACCOUNTING CPG. Asynchronous data may be
   subscribed to or sent in an solicited manner. Guidelines should be
   set on the amount of accounting data traffic which should be allowed
   in proportion to the content data and how aggregation of accounting
   data is performed.

   Some accounting data may be sensitive to time. Four categories of
   time sensitive management data have been identified. The first is
   real-time data that consists of events that require immediate action
   or attention. The second is data that is needed within 5 seconds of
   generation such as resource loading or diagnostic data. The third is
   data that is needed in 5-minute intervals such as statistics. The
   fourth is data that is needed on a 24 hour or less basis such as
   logs or billing data.

5.4 Accounting Problems to Solve

   There are several problems with data retrieval that need to be
   solved. These include latency, overhead, and large data size. The
   core set of facilities must provide solutions to these and must
   consist of collection of data on the server, controlled access to
   the data, and the aggregation and archival of the data on ACCOUNTING
   CPGs.

   Specific problems in accounting data exchange needing further
   investigation include: 

   1.  How do we represent accounting info for a given object?

   2.  How do we represent accounting for many media types?

   3.  How do we aggregate this information?

   4.  How do we signal upload place or type?

   5.  How do we aggregate this information "hop-by-hop" back to the
       BILLING ORGANIZATION?


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5.5 Accounting Requirements

   The complexity of CDN peering requires that a method be created for
   the exchange of accounting information.  This information must be
   accurately logged, aggregated and ultimately collected at the
   BILLING entity for each PUBLISHER.

   The specific requirements for accounting data exchange are: 

   1.  Simple methods for representing accounting information.

   2.  Simple methods for aggregating this accounting information.

   3.  Agreed upon protocols for the uploading and distribution of this
       information.

   4.  Agreed upon standardized accounting records.


































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6. Security Considerations

   Security concerns with respect to CDN Peering can be generally
   categorized into trust within the system and protection of the
   system from threats.  The trust model utilized with CDN peering is
   predicated largely on transitive trust between the ORIGIN, DIRECTION
   PEERING system, DISTRIBUTION PEERING system, ACCOUNTING PEERING
   system and SURROGATES.  Network elements within the CDN Peering
   system are considered to be "insiders" and therefore trusted.

6.1 Threats to CDN Peering

   The following sections document key threats to CLIENTs, PUBLISHERs,
   and CDNs. The threats are classified according to the party that
   they most directly harm, but, of course, a threat to any party is
   ultimately a threat to all. (For example, having a credit card
   number stolen may most directly affect a CLIENT; however, the
   resulting dissatisfaction and publicity will almost certainly cause
   some harm to the PUBLISHER and CDN, even if the harm is only to
   those organizations' reputations.)

6.1.1 Threats to the CLIENT

6.1.1.1 Defeat of CLIENT's Security Settings

   Because the SURROGATE's location may differ from that of the ORIGIN,
   the use of a SURROGATE may inadvertently or maliciously defeat any
   location-based security settings employed by the CLIENT. And since
   the SURROGATE's location is generally transparent to the CLIENT, the
   CLIENT may be unaware that its protections are no longer in force.
   For example, a CDN may relocate CONTENT from a Internet Explorer
   user's "Internet Web Content Zone"  to that user's "Local Intranet
   Web Content Zone." If the relocation is visible to the Internet
   Explorer browser but otherwise invisible to the user, the browser
   may be employing less stringent security protections than the user
   is expecting for that CONTENT. (Note that this threat differs, at
   least in degree, from the substitution of security parameters threat
   below, as Web Content Zones can control whether or not, for example,
   the browser executes unsigned active content.)

6.1.1.2 Delivery of Bad Accounting Information

   In the case of CONTENT with value, CLIENTs may be inappropriately
   charged for viewing content that they did not successfully access.
   Conversely, some PUBLISHERs may reward CLIENTs for viewing certain
   CONTENT (e.g. programs that "pay" users to surf the Web). Should a
   CDN fail to deliver appropriate accounting information, the CLIENT
   may not receive appropriate credit for viewing the required CONTENT.



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6.1.1.3 Delivery of Bad CONTENT

   A CDN that does not deliver the appropriate CONTENT may provide the
   user misleading information (either maliciously or inadvertently).
   This threat can be manifested as a failure of either the
   DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (inappropriate content delivered to appropriate
   SURROGATEs) or REDIRECTION SYSTEM (redirection to inappropriate
   SURROGATEs, even though they may have appropriate CONTENT), or both.
   A REDIRECTION SYSTEM may also fail by redirecting the CLIENT when no
   redirection is appropriate, or by failing to redirect the CLIENT
   when redirection is appropriate.

6.1.1.4 Denial of Service

   A CDN that does not redirect the CLIENT appropriately may deny the
   CLIENT access to CONTENT.

6.1.1.5 Exposure of Private Information

   CDNs may inadvertently or maliciously expose private information
   (passwords, buying patterns, page views, credit card numbers) as it
   transits from SURROGATEs to ORIGINs and/or PUBLISHERs.

6.1.1.6 Substitution of Security Parameters

   If a SURROGATE does not duplicate completely the security facilities
   of the ORIGIN (e.g. encryption algorithms, key lengths, certificate
   authorities) CONTENT delivered through the SURROGATE may be less
   secure than the CLIENT expects.

6.1.1.7 Substitution of Security Policies

   If a SURROGATE does not employ the same security policies and
   procedures as the ORIGIN, the CLIENT's private information may be
   treated with less care than the CLIENT expects. For example, the
   operator of a SURROGATE may not have as rigorous protection for the
   CLIENT's password as does the operator of the ORIGIN server. This
   threat may also manifest itself if the legal jurisdiction of the
   SURROGATE differs from that of the ORIGIN, should, for example,
   legal differences between the jurisdictions require or permit
   different treatment of the CLIENT's private information.

6.1.2 Threats to the PUBLISHER

6.1.2.1 Delivery of Bad Accounting Information

   If a CDN does not deliver accurate accounting information, the
   PUBLISHER may be unable to charge CLIENTs for accessing CONTENT or
   it may reward CLIENTs inappropriately. Inaccurate accounting


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   information may also cause a PUBLISHER to pay for services (e.g.
   content distribution) that were not actually rendered.) Invalid
   accounting information may also effect PUBLISHERs indirectly by, for
   example, undercounting the number of site visitors (and, thus,
   reducing the PUBLISHER's advertising revenue).

6.1.2.2 Denial of Service

   A CDN that does not distribute CONTENT appropriately may deny
   CLIENTs access to CONTENT.

6.1.2.3 Substitution of Security Parameters

   If a SURROGATE does not duplicate completely the security services
   of the ORIGIN (e.g. encryption algorithms, key lengths, certificate
   authorities, client authentication) CONTENT stored on the SURROGATE
   may be less secure than the PUBLISHER prefers.

6.1.2.4 Substitution of Security Policies

   If a SURROGATE does not employ the same security policies and
   procedures as the ORIGIN, the CONTENT may be treated with less care
   than the PUBLISHER expects. This threat may also manifest itself if
   the legal jurisdiction of the SURROGATE differs from that of the
   ORIGIN, should, for example, legal differences between the
   jurisdictions require or permit different treatment of the CONTENT.

6.1.3 Threats to a CDN

6.1.3.1 Bad Accounting Information

   If a CDN is unable to collect or receive accurate accounting
   information, it may be unable to collect compensation for its
   services from PUBLISHERs.

6.1.3.2 Denial of Service

   Misuse of a CDN may make that CDN's facilities unavailable, or
   available only at reduced functionality, to legitimate customers or
   the CDN provider itself. Denial of service attacks can be targeted
   at a CDN's ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, or REDIRECTION
   SYSTEM.

6.1.3.3 Transitive Threats

   To the extent that a CDN acts as either a CLIENT or a PUBLISHER
   (such as, for example, in transitive implementations) such a CDN may
   be exposed to any or all of the threats described above for both
   roles.


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7. Impact on the Internet Architecture

   On the face of it, the architectural framework proposed in this
   paper for adding intermediate DISTRIBUTION systems to Internet
   infrastructure looks like a major change in the end-to-end model [5]
   that has been so successful in the Internet. However, in this model,
   the SURROGATEs are delegated by ORIGIN servers to act in their
   behalf, and thus are the terminating servers for CLIENTs in the
   end-to-end model.  Conceptually, there are multiple end-to-end
   relationships introduced by peering CDNs, each being linked together
   by intermediary DIRECTION SYSTEMs, DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMs, and
   ACCOUNTING SYSTEMs, duly authorized by the parties involved to
   provide intermediate services.  This model has precedence in the
   Internet, with the Domain Name Service [3] being a classic example.

   The value of the end to end model is that the network is simple and
   transparent [9], so it is easy to add services, and easy to diagnose
   problems when they occur. With the end to end model, there are only
   two active entities that count, the CLIENT and the ORIGIN (or
   requesting peer and replying peer in peer-to-peer services).  As
   previously stated, the end to end model is still in effect for the
   client and server relationship, thus, preserving transparency in the
   rendering of services by DIRECTION SYSTEMs and SURROGATEs to CLIENTs.




























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8. Acknowledgements

   The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions and comments
   of Mark Day (Cisco), Fred Douglis (AT&T), Don Gilletti (Entera),
   John Martin (Network Appliance), Raj Nair (Cisco), Doug Potter
   (Cisco), John Scharber (Entera), Oliver Spatscheck (AT&T) and
   Stephen Thomas (TransNexus).












































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References

   [1]   Hawkinson, J. and T. Bates, "Guidelines for creation,
         selection, and registration of an Autonomous System (AS)", BCP
         6, March 1996, 
         <URL:http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/bcp/bcp6.txt>.

   [2]   Hares, S. and D. Katz, "Administrative Domains and Routing
         Domains A Model for Routing in the Internet", RFC 1136,
         December 1989, 
         <URL:http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1136.txt>.

   [3]   Postel, J., "Domain Name Structure and Delegation", RFC 1591,
         March 1994, 
         <URL:http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1591.txt>.

   [4]   Rekhter, Y. and T. Li, "A Border Gateway Protocol 4 (BGP-4)",
         RFC 1771, March 1995, 
         <URL:http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1771.txt>.

   [5]   Carpenter, B., "Architecture Principles of the Internet", RFC
         1958, June 1996, 
         <URL:http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1958.txt>.

   [6]   Schulzrinne, H., Rao, A. and R. Lanphier, "Real Time Streaming
         Protocol", RFC 2326, April 1998, 
         <URL:http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2326.txt>.

   [7]   Berners-Lee, T., Fielding, R. and L. Masinter, "Uniform
         Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax", RFC 2396, August
         1998, 
         <URL:http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2396.txt>.

   [8]   Fielding, R., Gettys, J., Mogul, J., Frystyk, H., Masinter,
         L., Leach, P. and T. Berners-Lee, "Hypertext Transfer Protocol
         -- HTTP/1.1", RFC 2616, June 1999, 
         <URL:http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2616.txt>.

   [9]   Carpenter, B., "Internet Transparency", RFC 2775, February
         2000, 
         <URL:http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2775.txt>.

   [10]  Cooper, I., Melve, I. and G. Tomlinson, "Internet Web
         Replication and Caching Taxonomy",
         draft-ietf-wrec-taxonomy-04.txt (work in progress), June 2000, 
         <URL:http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-wrec-taxono
         my-04.txt>.

   [11]  Volbrecht, J., Calhoun, P., Farrell, S., Gommans, L., Gross,


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         G., de Bruijn, B., de Laat, C., Holdrege, M. and D. Spence,
         "AAA Authorization Framework",
         draft-ietf-aaa-authz-arch-00.txt (work in progress), October
         1999, 
         <URL:http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-aaa-authz-a
         rch-00.txt>.

   [12]  Day, M., Cain, B. and G. Tomlinson, "A Model for CDN Peering",
         draft-day-cdnp-model-02.txt (work in progress), October 2000, 
         <URL:http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-day-cdnp-model-0
         2.txt>.

   [13]  Day, M. and D. Gilletti, "Content Distribution Network Peering
         Scenarios", draft-day-cdnp-scenarios-01.txt (work in
         progress), October 2000, 
         <URL:http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-day-cdnp-scenari
         os-01.txt>.

   [14]  Gilletti, D., Nair, R. and J. Scharber, "Accounting Models for
         CDN Peering", draft-gilletti-cdnp-accounting-models-02.txt
         (work in progress), October 2000, 
         <URL:http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-gilletti-cdnp-ac
         counting-models-02.txt>.

   [15]  Douglis, F., Nair, R., Spatscheck, O. and M. Green, "Known CDN
         Redirection Mechanisms",
         draft-douglis-cdnp-rdir-known-mechs-00.txt, not yet published
         (work in progress), October 2000.

   [16]  G. & C. Merriam Co., "Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary",
         1977.

   [17]  CUKIER, K., "Peering and Fearing:  ISP Interconnection and
         Regulatory Issues", March 1998, 
         <URL:http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/iip/iicompol/Papers/Cukier.html
         >.


Authors' Addresses

   Mark Green
   Entera, Inc.
   40971 Encyclopedia Circle
   Fremont, CA  94538
   US

   Phone: +1 510 770 5268
   EMail: markg@entera.com



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   Brad Cain
   Mirror Image Internet
   49 Dragon Court
   Woburn, MA  01801
   US

   Phone: +1 781 276 1904
   EMail: brad.cain@mirror-image.com


   Gary Tomlinson
   Entera, Inc.
   40971 Encyclopedia Circle
   Fremont, CA  94538
   US

   Phone: +1 510 580 3726
   EMail: garyt@entera.com

































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   Funding for the RFC editor function is currently provided by the
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