IP Engineering Overview

Course Overview

Telecommunications networks have evolved to offer a rich mix of multimedia and voice services. Many such services depend on the Internet Protocol (IP) for their operation and networks need to be equipped and engineered to cope with changed and changing requirements. Internet technology is now at the fore of network design and implementation such that knowledge of IP engineering techniques has become a fundamental requirement for many in the telecommunications industry.

This course takes students through engineering techniques, as well as applications and protocols, enabling them to work confidently and effectively in the IP environment. The course opens with an overview of IP networks, protocols and switching methods, moving on to network services and the protocols that support them. Section 3 covers service provider architectures. The course closes with topics such as QoS, security, and trends in Internet engineering.

Audience

Engineering managers, cross-training engineers, network architects, designers, planners, product managers, operational support staff and anyone who needs an understanding of how large, public service IP networks are designed and implemented.

Skills Gained

On completion of this course the student will be able to:

• compare the features of traditional data networks with IP networks
• explain the key functions of the IP network layer and IP addressing schemes
• describe the key transport and application layer protocols of public service IP networks
• define the hierarchy of a typical IP network and describe the technical architecture of IP network services
• list the options for access services and describe the integration of public and private e-mail
• compare router and switch features at core, distribution and access layers
• explain the functions and key properties of routing protocols
• evaluate a routing design at the customer/service provider interface
• present the key mechanisms for control, scale and stability in routing design
• list the QoS techniques available for IP networks and define QoS applicability to public service IP networks
• describe the strengths and weaknesses of the main VPN technologies
• understand the threats, vulnerabilities and risks to IP networks and discuss countermeasures
• describe recent innovations in IP networking, including wireless LANs, IPv6 and mobility

Prerequisites

In order to achieve the maximum benefit from this course, it is recommended that students are familiar with the operation of packetswitched data networks and the Internet.

Course Outline

IP Networks Overview

• Background to the Internet and ISPs
• The changing architecture of the public Internet
• Service Providers (SPs)
• The Internet paradigm
• Circuit switching
• Packet switching
• Connectionless/connection-oriented switching
• Data link layer protocols
• The OSI and TCP/IP protocol stacks
• The role of L2 protocols in the WAN
• Types of layer 2 switching
• ATM as an L2 switching protocol for IP traffic
• Introduction to MPLS
• The IP layer
• IP addressing
• Subnetting IP networks
• Classless Interdomain Routing (CIDR)
• The transport layer
• The functions of TCP and UDP
• The Domain Name System (DNS)
• Types of DNS server
• The application layer
• HTTP for web services
• Post Office Protocol (POP)
• Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP4)

IP Network Services

• Access services
• Traditional dial-up Internet access
• The changing architecture of network access servers
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
• DHCP for dial-up users
• Network Address Translation (NAT)
• Dial-up access for client networks
• Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
• PAP and CHAP authentication
• Authentication using RADIUS or TACACS
• Introduction to ADSL
• Service provider selection through the BAS
• Local loop unbundling
• E-mail services
• E-mail servers and the DNS
• Web hosting
• Multi-user and virtual hosting
• Providing name servers

Service Provider Architectures

• Network architectures
• The core, distribution and access model
• The access layer
• The distribution layer
• The core layer
• Intra-PoP architecture
• Routing overview
• The role of routing protocols
• Routing dynamics
• Interior (IGP) versus Exterior (EGP) Routing
• OSPF basic operation
• BGP4 basic operation
• Routing across the customer/service provider interface
• Static routing for a single-homed customer
• Dynamic routing for a multi-homed customer
• Design considerations for control, scale and stability
• Balancing SDH, ATM and IP restoration
• Isolation of routing domains and traffic filtering
• Selection of OSPF areas
• The use of default routes and networks for network protection
• Route reflectors and BGP confederations for scaling iBGP
• IP traffic management using BGP4 techniques

Future Directions in IP Engineering

• IP QoS technologies
• QoS approaches in IP networks
• The overcapacity approach
• Integrated Services (IntServ) model
• Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP)
• Differentiated Services (DiffServ) model
• IP over ATM QoS
• QoS in MPLS networks
• IP Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
• MPLS-based IP-VPN motivation
• Architecture of MPLS-based IP-VPNs
• Types of VPN
• MPLS VPN operation
• Motivation for encryption-based IP-VPNs
• Secret Key Cryptography (SKC)
• Public Key Cryptography (PKC)
• IPSec
• Security engineering
• Quantifying the risk
• Countermeasures
• Case studies
• IPv6
• IPv4/IPv6 coexistence
• IPv6 product availability
• Mobility
• Public service wireless LANs
• The IETF architecture for mobile IP

IP Engineering Overview / CM4925