[191169] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: What's the meaning of virtual POP ?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Dave Cohen)
Wed Aug 24 13:27:57 2016
X-Original-To: nanog@nanog.org
From: Dave Cohen <craetdave@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <CY4PR13MB09507FE2E4FAE5C4A0693722E4EB0@CY4PR13MB0950.namprd13.prod.outlook.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2016 13:27:52 -0400
To: Rod Beck <rod.beck@unitedcablecompany.com>
Cc: NANOG <nanog@nanog.org>
Errors-To: nanog-bounces@nanog.org
The key is really that it could mean different things for different provider=
s, although I would agree that the gist is that the location is enabled to l=
ook and feel like a POP without the provider installing the full complement o=
f requisite hardware. A provider I worked at in the past, for example, defin=
ed a virtual POP as a non-POP location at which POP pricing was offered - th=
e actual method of delivery there being both irrelevant to it being defined t=
hat way and unimportant to the concept as a whole. It let the company be pri=
ce-competitive with others that may have made more extensive investments in h=
ardware at higher-demand locations, and it was purely based on a business ju=
stification. There was no specific technical definition (although in reality=
we were transparent with our customers about methodology anyway) - this con=
trasts with other providers that are clearly using it in a way that does def=
ine a technical approach. It's just an approach specific to that provider.
> On Aug 23, 2016, at 6:51 PM, Rod Beck <rod.beck@unitedcablecompany.com> wr=
ote:
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> Yes, except it is done via Switched Ethernet and VLANs. The idea behind vi=
rtual peering. Your gear is in Amsterdam and someone gives you VLANs to LINX=
.
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> - R.
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> ________________________________
> From: NANOG <nanog-bounces@nanog.org> on behalf of William Herrin <bill@he=
rrin.us>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 12:46 AM
> To: Yucong Sun
> Cc: NANOG
> Subject: Re: What's the meaning of virtual POP ?
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>> On Tue, Aug 23, 2016 at 6:31 PM, Yucong Sun <sunyucong@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I came across the idea of the virtual POP , but the website for them hav=
e
>> way too much jargon to me[1][2][3], can someone explain it like i'm five
>> (:-D)?
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> A virtual Point Of Presence means that you provide services at a
> location via someone else's facilities.
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> The classic example was extending a PRI for dialup modems inside a
> particular local calling area via a point-to-point T1 back to your
> modem bank somewhere else that would have been a long distance call
> for those customers. If you put a modem bank in their local calling
> area, it's a POP. If you extend the circuit from their local calling
> area back to your modem bank elsewhere, it's a virtual POP.
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> Modern examples of virtual POPs are much fancier but it's the same basic i=
dea.
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>> 1. Is virtual POP basically a L2VPN?
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> It can be. Depends on what service you're extending from the "virtual" loc=
ation.
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>> 2. Do such vPOP have guaranteed latency/bandwidth?
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> Depends on what you're extending and how.
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>> 3. Is that really useful?
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> It can be. It can let you dip your toes in a market without a large
> up-front investment in equipment and backhaul.
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> Regards,
> Bill Herrin
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>=20
> --
> William Herrin ................ herrin@dirtside.com bill@herrin.us
> Owner, Dirtside Systems ......... Web: <http://www.dirtside.com/>
> Dirtside Systems<http://www.dirtside.com/>
> www.dirtside.com
> Welcome! You are our 370,765 th guest. Dirtside builds ground systems and g=
round system software for the satellite and mobile communications industries=
.
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