Hans-Werner Braun <hwb(a)nlanr.net> wrote:
>You are right, it is not a new thought. The problem is that it would
>require the IEPG and NANOG to actually do something useful, such as
>making service providers collaborate and considerate of fate sharing.
>But then again, who in their right mind would be crazy enough taking
>the lead on something THAT outrageous?
Ok, I'm a Mainiac (a person born in Maine), I'll get the ball rolling...
Operational Requirements Area S. Donelan
INTERNET DRAFT DRA
September 1996
Responsible Network Management Guidelines
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo
does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of
this memo is unlimited.
Rational and Scope
This document provides Responsible Network Management personnel of
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Internet Service Customers
(ISCs) with guidelines for network management when the following
conditions arise:
- Routine Maintenance Activity
- Problem Reporting and Referral
- Escalation
- End-to-End Testing
- Customer Notification
- Emergency Communications
- Network Outage Measurement
Specific procedures will require negotiations between the
organizations involved. These guidelines do not replace or supersede
contracts or any other legally binding documents.
Responsible Internet Service Provider
A more familar term in Internet Standards is an Autonomous System.
Since this document has additional requirements than an entity
represented by an Autonomous System or Systems, this document creates
a new entity.
The Responsible Internet Service Provider (RISP) has overall
responsibility for Internet service between its Internet Service
Customers and other Internet Service Providers making up the
Internet.
An Internet Network, Autonomous System or group of Autonomous Systems
may designate another entity to act on its behalf as its Responsible
Internet Service Provider. In this document, Internet Service
Customer (ISC) shall refer to the collective network, Autonomous
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System or Systems which designated the Responsible Internet Service
Provider as their agent.
The Responsible Internet Service Provider is responsible for:
-- Providing a contact that is readily accessible 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
-- Providing trained personnel.
-- Acting as the Internet Service Customer's primary contact in all
matters involving Internet Service between Internet Providers.
-- Accept problem reports from Internet Service Customers and casual
end users or other parties receiving Internet Service problem
reports. The RISP may prioritize problem reports from its own ISCs,
or refer casual end users to their primary RISP, if known.
Nevertheless the RISP should accept problem referrals from other
sources.
[Editor's Note: I would like to say they shouldn't dump problem
referrals in the trashcan after accepting the problem referral, but
that's an unwinnable battle.]
-- Advising the ISC when there is an ISP failure affecting the ISC
-- Isolating problems to determine if the reported trouble is in the
ISP's facilities or in other providers' service.
-- Testing cooperatively, when necessary, with other providers to
further identify a problem when it has been isolated to another
provider's service.
-- Keeping its Internet Service Customer advised of the status of the
trouble repair.
-- Maintaining complete and accurate records of its own customers and
inter-provider gateways.
Routine Maintenance Activity
Responsible Internet Service Providers should perform routine
maintenance work during hours of minimum traffic to impact the least
number of customers. In most areas, the period of lowest Internet
traffic is between Midnight and 6am local time. Trans-contential and
inter-contential connections should consider the local time on each
end of the connection.
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Activities which may affect other Internet Service Providers should
be coordinated with the affected providers.
Problem Reporting and Referral
The Responsible Internet Service Provider is responsible for
performing all the necessary tests to determine the nature of the
problem detected, or reported by its customers or by referral from
other ISPs. If the trouble is isolated to an ISC or another ISP, the
RISP will report the trouble to the appropriate ISC or ISP point of
contact.
An example of the information exchanged in the problem report:
-- Description of the problem, and any other useful information such
as source and destination IP numbers, circuit numbers, etc. -- The
name and contact information of the person referring the problem --
The date and time of the report -- Trouble ticket number and the name
or initials of the person accepting the report
Periodic status reports shall occur when the problem has been
isolated, when there is a significant change in the status of the
problem, and when negotiated time intervals expire. Escalation will
be according to negotiated procedures.
Problem isolation may require cooperative testing between the ISC and
ISP(s), which shall be provided when requested. The provider making
the test is responsible for coordination.
When the problem has been cleared, the ISP/ISP or ISP/ISC shall
advise the other the problem has been cleared. When closing a
problem report between ISP/ISP or ISP/ISC, the disposition should be
furnished by the organization closing the ticket.
An example of the information exchanged in the problem disposition:
-- Trouble ticket number -- Referral datetime -- Returned datetime --
Trouble identified as -- Resolution details -- Service charges, if
the ticket resulted in a service charge
If there is a disagreement about the disposition of a problem ticket,
the parties involved should document their respective positions and
the names of the individuals involved. Escalation will be made
according to each organizations escalation procedures.
Escalation
Each ISP and ISC shall establish procedures for timely escalation of
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problems to successive levels of management. The procedures should
include the provision of status reports to the other provider or
customer regarding the ticket status. Both technical and management
contacts should be included in the escalation procedures.
End-to-End Testing
Networks may experience problems which cannot be isolated by each
provider individually testing and maintaining its own services. Each
providers' service may appear to perform correctly, but trouble
appears on an end-to-end service. The ISC's RISP should coordinate
end-to-end testing with each sectional provider by problem referral
through their Responsible Internet Service Provider. Each Internet
Service Provider should accept the referral request for end-to-end
testing coordination, and provide the contact information for the
next sectional provider to the original requestor.
Customer Notification
During a major outage a potential concern is customer goodwill and
network congestion caused by repeated customer attempts to access the
down network. An informed customer can reduce customer frustration,
and network congestion.
Pre-planning for quick notification can be most beneficial in
alerting customers.
Some example methods to notify customers include:
-- If operational, network access equipment can display an alert when
customers connect. The alert should be displayed before the customer
logs into the network. If the network fails during or after
attempting to validate the access information, the alert should not
compromise any authentication done.
-- Customer service calls increase dramatically during network
failures. An informed customer representative can advise the
customer on the best course of action. A method to quickly instruct
customer service representatives on the options available is needed.
-- The media, radio or television, can be used to inform the public.
Pre-arrangements, and planning are needed to ensure only designated
contacts are made with the media.
-- Other automated announcements, such as World Wide Web pages or e-
mail distribution lists with backup through other providers, recorded
telephone status lines, or broadcast FAX notifications.
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Public notifications, when utilized, should not make reference by
name to a problem causing network or organization unless the network
causing the problem has been identified. Internet network troubles
can be difficult to isolate, and can give misleading indications to
their true origin.
[Editor's Note: Having the potential threat of naming names is
useful, even if no one's lawyers ever allow anyone to do it.]
Emergency Communications
Recognizing that all Responsible Internet Service Providers have a
responsibility to provide an adequate level of support for their
service and/or products, it is recommended they participate in an
emergency communications system.
Each RISP is responsible for providing a Emergency Point Of Contact.
It is recommended each Emergency POC have at least one out-of-band
contact method, such as an internationally dialable (non 800) voice
and/or fax telephone number. Each RISP shall update the Emergency
POC information whenever it changes. Each RISP shall test and verify
its own emergency POC procedures are accurate and functioning on a
regular basis, no less than once a year.
Network Outage Measurement
Each ISP/ISC should maintain accurate records about network outages
to measure, analyze and develop trend analysis of their network
outages.
Security Considerations
Security, what security? This is the Internet, its every host for
itself.
Author's Address
Sean Donelan
Data Research Associates, Inc.
1276 North Warson Road
Saint Louis, MO 63132
Phone: +1-314-432-1100
EMail: sean(a)DRA.COM
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--
Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO
Affiliation given for identification not representation
