Re: Netflow parameters and data that comes from CDNs

[Danijel Starman]

Hi,


> And in fictitious case of jf_music.com hiring Akamai, would the Akamai
> server(s)  have a dedicated IP for jf_music in each city (or re-use same
> IP via anycast)  or would the CDN servers use the same IP address to
> deliver multiple services from totally different content providers ?
>

Generally the CDN provider would have a cluster of machines/IP's on each of
their locations that are reused by different customers and are probably
divided by service/content. They would probably be stable but can vary due
to service improvements or disruptions. As it was noted Akamai is putting
servers into the ISP's, I don't think that others like L3 or Limelight do
it (or seen evidence that they do).

Netflow parameters and data that comes from CDNs

[Jean-Francois Mezei]

Hopefully this should be a simple question ...

(Note: Akamai used as a generic CDN name in the context of this email
and could be any CDN provider)


Context: regulatory filings where wireless carriers states that zero
rating of certain selected streaming music is done based on the "from
IP" in packets coming into its network.


When a content provider such as jf_music.com (fictitious)  makes use of
one or more content distribution networks, does the "from IP" in packets
belong to the CDN, or to jf_music.com ?  (if Akamai uses IPs provided by
jf_music, this has inteteresting routing questions).


If I setup such a service with Akamai, does Akamai provide me with an
authoritative list of IPs that will be generating my traffic in various
cities ? Are these IPs stable or would they typically change fairly
often as Akamai builds more nodes etc ?

And do various CDNs have very different implementations ?


And in fictitious case of jf_music.com hiring Akamai, would the Akamai
server(s)  have a dedicated IP for jf_music in each city (or re-use same
IP via anycast)  or would the CDN servers use the same IP address to
deliver multiple services from totally different content providers ?

(Considering BGP routing limits , I have to assume that routing of
individual IPs can't be done).

I need more of a sanity check on this.

Re: Netflow parameters and data that comes from CDNs

[Patrick W. Gilmore]

The answer is: It depends.

:)

In the case of Akamai, for a standard streaming or HTTP service, the IP address 
is not dedicated to a single customer. Also, Akamai is not going to give you a 
list of IP addresses serving your content.

This is specific to Akamai, and for a general Akamai customer. Obviously 
anything _can_ be done with enough money and negotiation. (Also, neither of the 
two tidbits of info above is confidential or even difficult to find on the 
Internet.)

I am unsure how other CDNs handle these requests. I -suspect- it would be 
easier for other CDNs to guarantee certain content is always served from 
certain IP addresses.

As for who owns the IP address of the Akamai server, Akamai is very public 
about putting servers inside networks. It is called their AANP program. AANP 
servers are frequently numbered with the hosting ISP’s space. But an AANP node 
is not guaranteed to have the ISP’s IP space, and not all servers are in AANP 
nodes.

-- 
TTFN,
patrick

> On Dec 1, 2015, at 6:53 PM, Jean-Francois Mezei  
> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hopefully this should be a simple question ...
> 
> (Note: Akamai used as a generic CDN name in the context of this email
> and could be any CDN provider)
> 
> 
> Context: regulatory filings where wireless carriers states that zero
> rating of certain selected streaming music is done based on the "from
> IP" in packets coming into its network.
> 
> 
> When a content provider such as jf_music.com (fictitious)  makes use of
> one or more content distribution networks, does the "from IP" in packets
> belong to the CDN, or to jf_music.com ?  (if Akamai uses IPs provided by
> jf_music, this has inteteresting routing questions).
> 
> 
> If I setup such a service with Akamai, does Akamai provide me with an
> authoritative list of IPs that will be generating my traffic in various
> cities ? Are these IPs stable or would they typically change fairly
> often as Akamai builds more nodes etc ?
> 
> And do various CDNs have very different implementations ?
> 
> 
> And in fictitious case of jf_music.com hiring Akamai, would the Akamai
> server(s)  have a dedicated IP for jf_music in each city (or re-use same
> IP via anycast)  or would the CDN servers use the same IP address to
> deliver multiple services from totally different content providers ?
> 
> (Considering BGP routing limits , I have to assume that routing of
> individual IPs can't be done).
> 
> I need more of a sanity check on this.