Once you install redundant routers and switches at the core, try to keep the connections to the edge standards-based, using protocols like VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol), which will make it possible to fail over from one router to another. For connections from the core out, the 802.3ad Link Aggregation standard for trunking works well. Using standards here is critical to have different vendors at the core and on the rest of the network.
You also need redundancy at the carrier level. That is, if you rely on the Internet to do business, you should have a backup ISP. Even the best carrier can have an outage. The average cost of network downtime is millions of dollars annually, according to a study by Infonetics Research. Furthermore, many small carriers have disappeared, and large carriers such as MCI, Global Crossing and Qwest have had serious difficulties. There are signs of stabilization; MCI is emerging from Chapter 11 with no debt, for example, and that could give the company a competitive edge. Nevertheless, there's still pressure on the carriers to reduce their staff, and such downsizing could disrupt service.
Also, make sure you get the most out of multiple ISPs. Ideally, you should be able to send your traffic through the best performing and least expensive ISP at any given time. Route-optimization products, such as those from Internap Network Services, RouteScience Technologies, F5 Networks and Radware, can help. We tested these products earlier this month (see "Route Optimizers: Mapping Out the Best Route") and found them capable of providing reliable backup, ISP performance and cost optimization on multiple ISP links.
Moving Up the Stack
Vendors are already pitching their IPv6 wares. Although some of these products might work, we believe it's way too early to invest time and money in IPv6 technology. The sky isn't falling, and we're not on the verge of running out of IP addresses. If your vendor rep tries to tell you otherwise, tell him or her to read Goeff Huston's "IPv4--How Long Have We Got?", to see the math and logic behind IPv4's continued viability.
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