WIRED: Workshop on Internet Routing Evolution and Design

Workshop Summary and Goals

The Internet routing infrastructure has gained importance over the past few years as the Internet is increasingly becoming a component of our critical communications infrastructure. Despite the importance of Internet routing, we have not reached consensus on the design of an Internet routing system that is easy to manage, control, and secure, yet still scales well and provides good performance guarantees to end hosts.

Researchers and practitioners have identified various problems with today's Internet routing protocols including, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Scaling (e.g., AS number and prefix exhaustion)
• Security (e.g., route hijacking, data diversion)
• Automation (e.g., generation of topology and configuation)
• Correctness (e.g., misconfiguration, contract violations)
• Traffic Engineering
• Performance

The current Internet routing infrastructure was not designed with many of these goals in mind, and solutions to these problems has become more challenging - and crucial - as users demand more availability and better performance from Internet-based services. Solving the problems above requires a unique combination operational expertise and a willingness to consider longer-term solutions. In light of these trends, we'd like to invite you to participate in a workshop on the subject of Internet routing.

Our goals are to:

• Convene a focused group of researchers and practitioners who are concerned with, or working on, Internet routing
• Gain a better understanding of how the Internet's routing protocols are used in practice and the problems operators face with the current Internet routing infrastructure
• Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the existing protocols, and identify aspects of today's protocols that should be improved
• Create a "wish-list" of important research problems, network management tools, measurement techniques, and router features

This workshop is planned as a by-invitation event involving

• A five-minute "position statement" presentation by each attendee
• A collection of "debates" on specific Internet routing topics
• Ample time for informal discussion and socializing

The outcome of the workshop will be a report that summarizes the position statements of each attendee (and ensuing discussions) and general discussion.

Attendees are expected to:

• Write a 1-2 page position statement on key routing issues for the next ten years, in advance of the workshop (these write-ups will be made available on the Web before the meeting)
• Prepare a five-minute talk summarizing the position statement, for presentation at the workshop (these talks will serve as provocative "Introductions" at the beginning of the workshop)
• Agree to participate in a debate on a specific Internet routing topic of interest (e.g., soBGP vs. S-BGP vs. some other proposal). The panel topics and assignments will be hashed out via e-mail prior to the event, but they are likely to center around the five broad areas listed above.