{"id":6671,"date":"2021-12-20T11:27:56","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T16:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fibrenoire.ca\/geek-corner\/demystifier-linternet-webinaire\/"},"modified":"2021-12-20T11:56:06","modified_gmt":"2021-12-20T16:56:06","slug":"demystifying-the-internet-webinar","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/fibrenoire.ca\/en\/geek-corner\/demystifying-the-internet-webinar\/","title":{"rendered":"Demystifying the Internet (webinar)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Published on December 20, 2021<\/p>\n

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Although almost everyone uses the Internet nowadays, few are those who really know how it works. BGP routing, transit, peering, CDN, Tier-1 providers: here are a few explanations to help you see clearer and be able to distinguish between the various network operators.<\/p>\n

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High-level Internet<\/h4>\n

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\u201cAt the highest level, the Internet is an amalgam of clouds,\u201d describes Samuel Tanguay, a customer network specialist at fibrenoire. It\u2019s private and public networks that connect together, allowing users to access content, no matter where they are in the world.<\/p>\n

These networks come in many forms and are not strictly limited to Internet providers. Content providers, like Amazon and Google, or any other company that purchases IP addresses and connects to a provider, can also be a part of the Internet, as long as they have an ASN (Autonomous System Number).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis number identifies your network and allows you to advertise to others what IP addresses you own and wish to make available online,\u201d explains Tanguay. It\u2019s the BGP (Border Gateway Protocol), or exterior gateway protocol, that manages these information exchanges between different AS (Autonomous Systems).<\/p>\n

To navigate from one IP address to another (from a company computer to a web server in the United States, for example), information can pass through a multitude of Autonomous Systems, or be transferred from the departure AS to the final AS if a connection exists between the two. \u201cThe shortest route will be chosen by default,\u201d points out Tanguay.<\/p>\n

The shorter a route is, the lower the latency time. Thus, the more an operator is capable of offering short routes to its users, the better its services will be.<\/p>\n

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Transit, peering, and CDN: the crux of it all<\/h4>\n

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In an ideal world, all Internet service providers would be directly connected to all the networks. In reality, such an option isn\u2019t very feasible. \u201cThere are thousands of entities online; it\u2019s impossible to be directly connected to everyone,\u201d says Tanguay. However, an Internet service provider wants its customers to be able to access all the IP addresses in the world, even if the provider himself isn\u2019t directly connected to said addresses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn such situations, when there\u2019s no direct access to the network the customer wants to reach, we transit via an intermediary,\u201d explains the customer network specialist. Sometimes, we need to jump between numerous networks in order to go from point A to point B. To minimize the number of intermediaries, a service provider can, if they want, purchase Internet from a tier-1 provider, like TATA Communications or Telia. There exists 15 or so providers like this in the world, some with over 800,000 km of fibre optics. \u201cThese are big, international players with a significant network of connections,\u201d says Tanguay. Fibrenoire is connected to several different providers in order to ensure optimal service across the globe.<\/p>\n

This way of proceeding, called transit, allows users to access all of the Internet. Even though it\u2019s a more optimal solution than jumping from one network to another, \u201cit isn\u2019t the ideal route, seeing as we must pass through an intermediary network and multiple routers,\u201d explains Tanguay. Not only is the latency higher for users, but the provider must pay per connection. \u201cThere\u2019s a technical advantage for the customer and a financial advantage to avoiding such links,\u201d concludes Tanguay.<\/p>\n

To improve the transfer of information between two networks, it\u2019s possible to directly link the two with a physical connection, also known as peering. This allows traffic to pass from one network to the other without having to rely on an intermediary, meaning latency is kept to a minimum. Both technically and financially speaking, everyone wins.<\/p>\n

Fibrenoire, for example, has several direct links (PNIs, or Private Network Interconnects) with big-name players such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, seeing as a lot of its traffic is directed towards them. Obviously, such links cannot be installed towards all data centres. \u201cIt would be a tedious process connecting directly to 500 networks,\u201d says Tanguay.<\/p>\n

To resolve this issue, several industry stakeholders have implemented IXPs (also known as Internet Exchange Points)\u2014locations through which several networks can connect, sort of like a multimodal station. The Montr\u00e9al Internet Exchange (QIX), for example, connects 93 different AS. They service Internet providers like fibrenoire, as well as video game companies like Riot Games, television channels like Radio-Canada, the Canadian government, and many more.<\/p>\n

As soon as a user attempts to access an IP address that belongs to one of these networks, the connection is direct, the latency low, and the cost free for both parties.<\/p>\n

In addition to the Montr\u00e9al exchange, fibrenoire also participates in exchanges in Toronto, Vancouver, and New York, which gives them 473 direct IPV4 connections and 298 direct IPV6 connections<\/a> (at the time of publication). In both instances, it\u2019s more than any other provider in Canada. The exact number of connections can vary at any time, as AS are continuously added or removed from the IXPs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re extremely proud of being able to offer as much peering as possible,\u201d exclaims Tanguay. With such a comprehensive peering offer, fibrenoire customers are more likely to benefit from direct routes when they join a server.<\/p>\n

Peering isn\u2019t the only efficient way to access a server. Content providers, like Netflix and Google, are increasingly offering Internet access providers the possibility of hosting their data cache directly on their network\u2014a process that\u2019s called CDN, or Content Delivery Network.<\/p>\n

A Netflix cache could, for example, contain all of a region\u2019s most popular TV series, while a Google cache could include YouTube\u2019s trending viral videos or the most-searched content. Akamai, a global cache provider, could store Radio-Canada content during the Olympics, seeing as such content is seen by a high number of people at the same time. \u201cContent providers do not, however, publish what they store in their cache,\u201d points out Tanguay.<\/p>\n

Not all Internet access providers have a CDN. \u201cA small, local provider wouldn\u2019t have a cache, seeing as you need a minimum volume in order to be eligible,\u201d says the customer network specialist.<\/p>\n

When the content searched for by a customer is stored in a CDN, the data doesn\u2019t even leave the access provider network. It\u2019s the most advantageous option, both for the customer, who benefits from low latency, as well as the provider, who can save on their IXP connections and avoid having to transit. And it\u2019s also the ideal option for content providers, who can reduce the traffic towards their data centres.<\/p>\n

CDNs are also good for the Internet\u2019s infrastructure. Caches help reduce the charge on Internet backbones and IXPs, seeing as the traffic never leaves the access provider\u2019s network.<\/p>\n

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Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3: seeing through the marketing<\/h4>\n

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Oftentimes, Internet service providers are classified Tier-1, Tier-2, or Tier-3. But what does this mean, exactly?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tier concept is a marketing tactic,\u201d warns Tanguay. The definition is somewhat flexible and varies depending on who you ask. And some providers, including big-name tier-1 Canadian providers, like to portray themselves as bigger than they really are. \u201cWe don\u2019t do that,\u201d states the customer network specialist.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, a tier-1 provider is someone who never buys Internet. It\u2019s a provider that is so massive, that others want to access their network. Tier-1 companies do peering with other tier-1 companies, and sell their Internet to tier-2 providers,\u201d explains Tanguay. Occasionally, tier-1 providers don\u2019t even sell their Internet to individuals. This definition is the one most widely used and accepted by the industry.<\/a><\/p>\n

In this vein, fibrenoire, which buys Internet from other providers around the world (including big-name Canadian providers) qualifies as a tier-2 provider. Internet access providers who buy their Internet from fibrenoire are considered tier-3.<\/p>\n

The important thing is not necessarily how a company identifies itself, but rather the quality of its network. The best way for a customer to reach their destination online will always be via the fastest route. The more a service provider is able to offer direct links to sought-after content, whether that\u2019s through peering or CDN, the better their service will be.<\/p>\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\n\n

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To learn more about how the Internet works, we invite you to listen to our webinar Demystifying the Internet (broadcast on December 6, 2021 – in French Only) :<\/h3>\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\n\n\n
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