- A TechNote on The Next Generation
- Jim Metzler
- Distinguished Research Fellow and Co-Founder
- Webtorials Analyst Division
We talk constantly about innovation in virtually every area of networking. But what about the WAN? With use of older WAN technologies such as Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) and frame relay past their growth peaks, are new ones emerging to take their place?
Not really, and here's the situation: The modern WAN got its start in 1969 with the deployment of ARPANET, the precursor to today's Internet. As the Internet continued to evolve to provide universal connectivity, the 20-year period that began in 1985 saw the deployment of four distinct generations of enterprise WAN technologies. These technologies were designed to provide connectivity primarily within the enterprise and between the enterprise and its key contacts (e.g., partners and suppliers).
As a result of all of this innovation in WAN services, many IT organizations' WANs grew to include myriad technologies and services.
Traditional WAN Services Wane
However, as highlighted in the Webtorials 2011 Cloud Networking Report, that situation is changing rapidly. The report contained the results of a survey in which 108 respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they currently use each of 11 WAN services, including frame relay and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). Not too long ago, these services were widely deployed. However, more than half the survey respondents have no frame relay in their networks, and almost two thirds have no ATM.
In addition, few IT organizations are increasing - and many are actually decreasing - their use of these technologies. The survey results clearly indicated that the primary WAN services currently used by IT organizations are MPLS, Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS, a variation of MPLS) and the Internet.
Survey respondents were also asked to forecast any changes in their organizations' use of MPLS, VPLS and the Internet over the next year. The table below shows the percentage of the survey respondents who indicated an increase in the use of those services.
The data in the table clearly indicate that, while IT organizations will increase their use of both MPLS and the Internet, they will make a significantly greater increase in their reliance on the Internet.
No Clear MPLS Successor
In contrast to the 20-year period ending in 2005, today there is no fundamentally new generation of WAN technology under development. This means that, given the long time it takes for any new WAN technology to become mainstream, MPLS will have no clear successor in the foreseeable future.
This situation should definitely raise concerns for two reasons. First, the amount of traffic traversing the WAN continues to soar. How will we accommodate it? Second, unlike other components of the IT realm, such as processors and memory, the WAN does not follow Moore's Law (i.e., doubling in performance every 18 months); hence the unit cost of the WAN will just keep rising.
What innovation is occurring today involves variations on existing WAN technologies and services. One example of that phenomenon is VPLS, where an Ethernet frame is encapsulated in MPLS. Future TechNotes will describe some additional emerging WAN service options based on variations in current services - most notably those that make the Internet perform more like MPLS. Will these new services be enough to meet enterprise WAN needs in the coming years? It's just too early to tell.
At the upcoming Interop conference in Las Vegas, I will moderate a session titled "How to Redesign Your WAN" on Wednesday, May 9, 10:15-11:15 a.m. Please attend and learn more about this important topic.
Not really, and here's the situation: The modern WAN got its start in 1969 with the deployment of ARPANET, the precursor to today's Internet. As the Internet continued to evolve to provide universal connectivity, the 20-year period that began in 1985 saw the deployment of four distinct generations of enterprise WAN technologies. These technologies were designed to provide connectivity primarily within the enterprise and between the enterprise and its key contacts (e.g., partners and suppliers).
As a result of all of this innovation in WAN services, many IT organizations' WANs grew to include myriad technologies and services.
Traditional WAN Services Wane
However, as highlighted in the Webtorials 2011 Cloud Networking Report, that situation is changing rapidly. The report contained the results of a survey in which 108 respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they currently use each of 11 WAN services, including frame relay and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). Not too long ago, these services were widely deployed. However, more than half the survey respondents have no frame relay in their networks, and almost two thirds have no ATM.
In addition, few IT organizations are increasing - and many are actually decreasing - their use of these technologies. The survey results clearly indicated that the primary WAN services currently used by IT organizations are MPLS, Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS, a variation of MPLS) and the Internet.
Survey respondents were also asked to forecast any changes in their organizations' use of MPLS, VPLS and the Internet over the next year. The table below shows the percentage of the survey respondents who indicated an increase in the use of those services.
The data in the table clearly indicate that, while IT organizations will increase their use of both MPLS and the Internet, they will make a significantly greater increase in their reliance on the Internet.No Clear MPLS Successor
In contrast to the 20-year period ending in 2005, today there is no fundamentally new generation of WAN technology under development. This means that, given the long time it takes for any new WAN technology to become mainstream, MPLS will have no clear successor in the foreseeable future.
This situation should definitely raise concerns for two reasons. First, the amount of traffic traversing the WAN continues to soar. How will we accommodate it? Second, unlike other components of the IT realm, such as processors and memory, the WAN does not follow Moore's Law (i.e., doubling in performance every 18 months); hence the unit cost of the WAN will just keep rising.
What innovation is occurring today involves variations on existing WAN technologies and services. One example of that phenomenon is VPLS, where an Ethernet frame is encapsulated in MPLS. Future TechNotes will describe some additional emerging WAN service options based on variations in current services - most notably those that make the Internet perform more like MPLS. Will these new services be enough to meet enterprise WAN needs in the coming years? It's just too early to tell.
At the upcoming Interop conference in Las Vegas, I will moderate a session titled "How to Redesign Your WAN" on Wednesday, May 9, 10:15-11:15 a.m. Please attend and learn more about this important topic.
Hi Jim,
Given the huge price difference between Internet and private WAN services and the steadily improving quality if Internet, the 'successor' to MPLS might be an entirely different business model. To enhance Internet connectivity, it is not longer necessary to provide a private backbone; the remaining problems are in the local connections. Many Internet providers already offer 'business' access, with no or lower oversubscription than residential offerings. A service that orchestrates the various local ISP's and provides monitoring of CPE (xVPN boxes) plus backup circuits over mobile networks seems much more attractive.