Problems Facing
Business Today

* Increase Productivity

* Control and Understand costs

* Provide more services to my
end-users

* Utilize technology to enhance the
business

* How is technology being used to
solve this dilemma?

- WWW

- Internet

- Video Conferencing

- Client/Server

- Advanced Whiteboarding …

Here Comes the Intranet

Why are Intranets
Gaining in Popularity

* They are simple to use

* Servers are relatively simple to add and maintain

* Vendor and Device Independence

* Delivers Flexibility and Mobility

* Allows for rapid access to information resources

Okay Fine …
But What is the Risk?

* Security

- Any-to-Any connectivity allows almost unlimited "surfing" INSIDE the firewall

* Control

- How can you GUARANTEE that all intranet resources are secure … can you trust application security? NO

Okay Fine …
But What is the Risk?

* Management

- More distributed servers, more information, more bottlenecks, more users … WILL IT STAY IN CONTROL?

How Can These Intranet and
Business Problems be Controlled?

* By building the infrastructure that is based on:

- User-to-User Security NOT Segment-to-Segment Security

- Control and Management of:

* Users

* Systems

* Network Resources

- Ease of use, ease of installation, ease of support

- Ability to leverge existing infrastructure while providing migration to emerging technology

- A building block methodology

* Software Services

* Hardware Migration

What Kind of Intranets/Nets
Exist Today??

* Highly Routed with Hubs

* Switched just for Bandwidth interconnect via Routers

* Flat/Bridged Only with little to no routing

* Based on every technology

- Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, ATM, Fast Ethernet, etc …

* Management may or may not exist

* All methods have advantages and disadvantages …

Goals of Most Information Technology Organizations

* Choose any network design methodology

- Routed or Switched/Flat

* Choose any technology required

- Packet or cell-based

* Leverage existing infrastructure investment

* Leverage existing talent pool

* Have a long life span and migration path

* Standards-based

* SAFE and PROVEN

End Result Once Next Generation Technology Deployed

* Highly Reliable, Highly Predictable, Utility-like Service

* High Bandwidth Availability

- Enough bandwidth for all user demands

* Highly Secure

* Highly Manageable

- Proactive and quick problem resolution

* Easy mobility of users

* Easily upgradeable as new needs are defined

How is the Industry
Solving These Dilemmas?

* "Cell" ATM Switching

* "Frame" LAN Switching

* RMON and Network Management platforms

* Virtual Something

* WHAT IS THE WAY TO GET THERE??

Let's Look at the Largest,
Most Reliable Network

Cabletron's
Virtual Network Services

Business Goals

* Reduce the cost of Ownership

* Allow the business to run based on business requirements … NOT the requirements of technology

* Regain control of spiraling user demands

What is SecureFast
Virtual Network Services?

" A suite of software and hardware
building blocks that when added to the network infrastructure perform
value added services to manage the Information Infrastructure."

What is a Virtual LAN
for the Market ?

* Similar to Port Assignment in HUBs

* Use Switching Technology to place users on logical LANs

* Still may require Routing for Interconnects

* Movement of users between VLANs may require Layer 3 End System reconfiguration

* VLAN = Logical Layer 2 Broadcast Domain

Virtual LAN Model

Building Blocks of
SecureFast Virtual LANs

* Automated VLAN membership

- Port-based

- MAC-based

- Protocol-based

- Application-based

* Distributed Virtual Routing Services

* Multiple VLAN Membership

* Drag and Drop Control

* Automatic Topology Discovery

* Connection-oriented SVCs and PVCs

* Protocol and Topology independence within highly routed or
switched infrastructures

* Perform the following services in
the network:
- Automated Topology Discovery and
Load-Balancing delivers a
Self-Healing Network fabric
- Intelligent Broadcast Containment
ensures network stability and scalability
- Distributed Layer 3 Services embed the
functions of the Router in the Switch
- Automatic VLAN Registration
reduces configuration set-up time

Network Topology Discovery

* Automatic Topological Mapping Between Switches

* Switch to Switch neighbor notification through
Switch "Hello's"

* Continuous "Switch Hello" communication for dynamic network configuration without user intervention

* Address Resolution

* Local End System Tables of each Switch provides user access information

* Dynamic User to Switch mappings

Connection Setup

* Sw 1 computes the best path to Switch 3

* Sw 1 sends a connection setup message to the next switch listing all switch hops in the path to be setup

* Sw 5 and 3 receive connection setup messages and program their connection table SADA mapping

* SW 1 now sends the original ARP as a unicast to B over the newly programmed connection

Virtual Routing

* Router Reachability

* Protocol Based VLANs allow for interaction with existing routers

* Open Membership

* Allows for other VLANs to communicate with other VLANs

* Secure Membership

* Any member of a secure VLAN cannot communicate with other VLANs [including open VLANs] without intervention of a router

* Provides VLAN Security

* "Routing" is distributed to every switch on the network

* If a traditional router providing VLAN to VLAN access fails- all Inter-VLAN communication stops

* Virtual routing provides automatic VLAN to VLAN rerouting in
event of a failure...selfhealing reliability

* NO SINGLE POINT of FAILURE!!

Virtual Routing

Broadcast Control

* Switches implement SecureFast Call Processing for well known layer 3 connection requests

* Current Requests Include:
IP ARP, IPX GNS, IPX RIP, IP YPBIND

* These Broadcasts are intercepted by the Switch, examined for layer 3 addressing, resolved to MAC addresses and forwarded as unicasts to the true destination

Broadcast Interception

Automatic VLAN Registration

* Dynamic VLAN Membership

* Wizard allows for creation of VLANs by 802.1d, protocols, or service advertisements

* VLAN membership can be Administrator defined, or Automatic; while Base VLAN includes "Everyone"

* VLAN Design flexibility

* Drag and drop users, ports or switches into VLANs

* Ease of adds, moves, changes

* User Mobility without Administrative Intervention

Plug & Play ~ Plug & Play ~ Plug & Play

Topology View

Parent View

"Wizard" Point & Click

What is Required to Use
BASIC SecureFast Services

* Packet or ATM "Cell" based

* Over 1 Million ports are ready to take advantage of SecureFast Services

* Simple firmware
upgrade required

Need Advanced
Features...

* No problem

* Add services for:
- Policy Management
- Network Usage Accounting
- Advanced Connection
Management

What is Required for
Advanced Services?

* SecureFast Virtual Network Server

- Has embedded servers:

* Policy Server

* Accounting Server

* Connection Management Server

* SecureFast VNET Manager

- Graphical Management Application
which includes:

* Policy Tools, Accounting Tools,
Connection Tools

- Based on SPMA architecture

* Initially supported on SPECTRUM

* Future releases run on all other
Management Platforms

Call Management Services

* SecureFast Virtual Network Call Services

- Dynamically Created Calls

* Switched Virtual Services (SVCs)

* Point-to-Point

* Point-to-Multipoint

* Multipoint-to-Multipoint

- Administratively Created Calls

* Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVCs)

* Point-to-Point

* Point-to-Multipoint

* Multipoint-to-Multipoint

- "Scoped" , Virtual Broadcast Service Groups

* i.e. IPX SAP Service Group, IP RIP Service Group, etc...

- "Last Resort", Destination Resolution Service

* Virtual Broadcast Services (VBS)

* Automatically redirects traffic in the event of a failure in original path

Call Management Services

* Managing a SecureFast Virtual Network Call

- View the Active Calls

* Provides the Administrator with a View of Every End System to End System Conversation in the SecureFast Virtual Network

- View the Path of an Active Call

* Shows the Administrator the Actual Switch Path a Call is Taking Through the SecureFast Virtual Network

- Tap into an Active Cell

* Allows Administrator to Tap into Active Calls for Protocol Decode and Analysis with a standard Network Analyzer

- Release an Active Call

* Allows Administrator to Terminate Active Calls

Policy Management Services

* Access Security to Network Resources

- Checked Once at Call Setup

* Unlike Routers and Bridges which Check Access Lists or Filters on Every Packet

* Administered and Enforced from a Central Point

- Created Via Graphical User Interface and Downloaded to the Real-time Enforcement Engine

* Versus Programming Cryptic MAC Address Oriented Filters or Protocol Specific Access Lists into Each Bridge or Router

Policy Management Services

* Location and Protocol Independent Workgroups

- To Fit Your Business Model Not the Technical Aspects of the Network Infrastructure

* Network Resource Access Rules

- Administrator May Allow or Prohibit Workgroup Communication with Network Resources

- Provides Network Resource Access Scheduling

* Time of Day

* Day of Week

* Policies Stay with Users even if they move to another Workgroup or Office (IPs don't have to be reconfigured)

- Ease of Adds, Moves, and Changes

Call Accounting Services

* Information can be used for:

- Network Capacity Planning or Analysis

* When Exported to a Spreadsheet or Network Modeling Application

- Network Operations Cost Recovery via Customer Billing

* When Exported to a Third Party Billing Application

- List of Information Stored For Each Call:

* Call Start Time and End Time

* Call Duration

* Calling Party and Called Party

* Bytes In and Bytes Out