NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: STEVE TAYLOR AND JOANIE WEXLER ON WIDE AREA NETWORKING 10/28/04 Today's focus: Watch for misconfigured MPLS VPNs
Dear [EMAIL PROTECTED], In this issue: * Security impact of router misconfigs �� * Links related to Wide Area Networking * Featured reader resource _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by Nokia NW Special Report: Preparing an Infrastructure for Mobile Applications. Mobility, properly done, increases productivity and decreases operating costs. So get up to date information about building a mobile infrastructure, dealing with security issues, the latest networking options, connectivity alternatives and operational support enhancements. http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=85583 _______________________________________________________________ NOW AVAILABLE! Networking for Small Business website Get all the combined Small Business advice, authority, and know-how from the experts at NW Fusion and PC World distilled into one powerful resource, the new Networking for Small Business website. Find everything your small business needs regarding Security, Networking, Broadband, Hardware, Software, and Wireless and Mobile technology at: http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=85547 _______________________________________________________________ Today's focus: Watch for misconfigured MPLS VPNs By Steve Taylor and Joanie Wexler In the last newsletter, we discussed the inconvenience of router misconfiguration and the percentage of problems it causes for outages in IP-based networks. In order to look at the security impact of this misconfiguration, let's start with a quick overview of MPLS-based VPNs. In most MPLS implementations, traffic passes from a customer edge (CE) router to a provider edge (PE) router. Then it traverses the internal network of the service provider. All the traffic leaving a particular customer premise from a CE router belongs to that particular customer. However, the PE router is a shared resource that handles information from many customers. And, in the words of the bard, there's the rub. As stressed in a recent briefing by route-analytics company Packet Design, a routing misconfiguration in the PE router can have serious impact in at least three areas: 1) Since the PE routers are the network interface, the routing prefixes must be distributed to each PE router to which the CE routers are connected. 2) The prefixes must be distributed according to the proper policy. 3) The PE routers must be configured in a fashion that precludes routing prefixes from one customer's CE routers being shared with another customer's CE routers. Addressing these three problems was the focus of a recent announcement by Packet Design. The company expanded the capabilities of its Route Explorer appliance, which is designed primarily for detecting and diagnosing routing problems in enterprise IP networks, to include detecting and diagnosing problems in service providers' MPLS VPN networks. In particular, the focus is on making sure that the PE routers in the networks are properly maintaining the integrity of each individual network. RELATED EDITORIAL LINKS Enterprises indicate plans for MPLS VPN use Network World Wide Area Networking Newsletter, 07/22/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/frame/2004/0719wan2.html Hope lies ahead for fast BGP troubleshooting Network World Wide Area Networking Newsletter, 05/13/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/frame/2004/0510wan2.html _______________________________________________________________ To contact: Steve Taylor and Joanie Wexler Steve Taylor is President of Distributed Networking Associates and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Webtorials.Com. For more detailed information on most of the topics discussed in this newsletter, connect to Webtorials.Com <http://www.webtorials.com/>, the first Web site dedicated exclusively to market studies and technology tutorials in the Broadband Packet areas of Frame Relay, ATM, and IP. He can be reached at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology writer/editor in California's Silicon Valley who has spent most of her career analyzing trends and news in the computer networking industry. She welcomes your comments on the articles published in this newsletter, as well as your ideas for future article topics. Reach her at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by Nokia NW Special Report: Preparing an Infrastructure for Mobile Applications. Mobility, properly done, increases productivity and decreases operating costs. So get up to date information about building a mobile infrastructure, dealing with security issues, the latest networking options, connectivity alternatives and operational support enhancements. http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=85582 _______________________________________________________________ ARCHIVE LINKS Archive of the WAN newsletter: http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/frame/index.html _______________________________________________________________ FEATURED READER RESOURCE NW CLEAR CHOICE TESTS The Network World Lab Alliance is a coalition of industry experts, network integration consultants, independent test labs and universities who conduct single-product reviews and head-to-head comparative tests in real enterprise network settings. Find out which products get the "thumbs-up" in categories such as web front-end devices, WLAN security, anti-spam and more at: <http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/> _______________________________________________________________ May We Send You a Free Print Subscription? You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered at your fingertips each day. Now, extend your knowledge by receiving 51 FREE issues to our print publication. Apply today at http://www.subscribenw.com/nl2 International subscribers click here: http://nww1.com/go/circ_promo.html _______________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World e-mail newsletters, go to: <http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/Changes.aspx> To unsubscribe from promotional e-mail go to: <http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/Preferences.aspx> To change your e-mail address, go to: <http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/ChangeMail.aspx> Subscription questions? 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