Inter-X Questions

The resilience of the Internet Inteconnection ecosystem depends on the resilience of the individual components. The resilience of the ecosystem as a whole, however, depends on the resilience of the sum of those components and their interactions.

Some of the questions that follow refer to the resilience of components of the ecosystem and the resilience of the ecosystem as a whole – those questions are interested in both parts of the puzzle. Some questions refer to the resilience of the ecosystem – those are interested, mainly, in the ecosystem as a whole.

The Ecosystem, Risks and Resilience

1. What are the key components of the Internet interconnection ecosystem?

2. What are the key factors that contribute to, or barriers that detract from, the resilience of key components of the ecosystem and of the ecosystem as a whole?

3. What can be done to assess and verify the resilience of key components of the ecosystem and of the ecosystem as a whole?

4. What is the risk of cascade failures bringing down a large part of the Internet? What cascade or common mode failures are likely, and what can be done to reduce the risk or the impact, or both?

Incentives, Agreements and Economics

5. What incentives exist for operators of networks, IXPs etc to ensure both their own resilience and that of the ecosystem as a whole? How might those incentives be strengthened and/or incentives be created?

6. Would more and more diverse interconnections improve the resilience of the ecosystem? If so, how might that be encouraged or supported?

7. What terms in end-user Service Level Agreements contribute to the resilience of the supplier and of the ecosystem as whole? How might such agreements contribute more?

8. What parts of the formal or informal agreements that govern inter-ISP connections contribute to the resilience of the ISPs and of the ecosystem as a whole? How might such agreements contribute more (e.g. more formality and/or transparency)?

9. Are costs falling in line with the continuing fall in end-user and wholesale prices and the continuing increase in demand? If not, how can the market be sustained in the long term?

Good Practice, Policies and Management

10. What best practice, policies or regulations apply to Internet interconnection? What additional best practice, policies or regulations could enhance the resilience of interconnections and of the ecosystem as a whole?

11. What best practice, procedures or systems exist for crisis management – particularly where multiple network operators, IXPs and others must cooperate?

12. Is information shared on about threats and vulnerabilities between network operators, IXPs or others? If so, what kind of informan be done to assess and verify the resilience of key components of the ecosystem and of the ecosystem as a whole?

13. Do you think that security and integrity incidents that affect service are (or should be) reported? If so, how and to whom? How effective can such a mechanism be to the resilience?

14. How can BGP be configured and routing policy be organised to improve resilience? What mechanisms exist, or should exist, to manage traffic across multiple networks – as might be required in a large scale incident?

Finally

15. Please tell us if you feel we have missed out any important questions or subject areas which should be addressed when looking at the resilience of the Internet interconnection ecosystem.

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