News roundup 02/2014

Cisco IOS-XRv 

Cisco has released Cisco IOS-XRv a Virtual-Machine based IOS-XR routing platform, based on the QNX microkernel. The VM contains a single Route Processor with control plane functionality, and Line Card network interfaces with their associated functionality. 

The FREE demo version of the software is hamstrung to limit its usefulness, by AAA hardcoded users, and a rate limit of 2 Mbps but enables IOS XR training and familiarization.

See the IOS-XRv Installation and Configuration Guide for more detail.

.ova images are available for deployment on VMware ESXi, and the .vmdk images are available for deployment on QEMU, which are available here

The GNS3 project announced (better) integration of IOS-XRv in future release of GNS3 1.0

NL-ix exceeds 500Gbit/s peak traffic 

The NL-ix (Netherlands internet exchange) has announced they passed the 500Gbit/s peak throughput. NL-ix is seventh largest IXP worldwide, and the second largest internet exchange of the Netherlands, after AMS-IX (Amsterdam Internet eXchange). 

AMS-IX the second larges internet exchange worldwide, broke through 500Gbit/s barrier almost 6 years ago, in October of 2008.

Netflix to Pay Comcast for Peering

Comcast and Netflix announced private peering agreement, in which Netflix is paying Comcast for the connection, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Furthermore Netflix traffic will receives no preferential network treatment under the agreement, terms of which are not being disclosed.

Content providers like Netflix, Google and others have been in a standoff with all incumbent broadband providers, who want compensation for the traffic content providers send through their networks.

It has been rumored that Google started their Google fiber service, to pressure the incumbent broadband providers to deliver their content - without financial compensation - with enough bandwidth, at an affordable price to the consumers. 

Who knows, Netflix could be the next content provider, starting their own broadband service.

Dynamic Network Printer Discovery across Broadcast Domains

Today's networks, are partitioned in multiple distinct broadcast domains, either via VLAN's or simply by routers segregating the network. Even 'simple' home or SOHO networks often consist of multiple broadcast domains, sometimes simply just because the wired and wireless parts of the network are managed by a separate router and a separate wireless access-point.

Dynamic Network Printer Discovery

If the dynamic network printer discovery feature in a PC fails, because the printer is in an other broadcast domain, the OS usually provides a way to manually provide the IP address of the network printer. However you might want to print from devices that do not provide this - for instance the HP ePrint application for Android -, or you simply do not want users to manually configure this settings or even allow them access to it.

IP directed-broadcast

Cisco routers can be configured to forward broadcasts to solve the problem described above.

The example configuration provided below works for an HP Officejet Pro 8500, in VLAN 10 and an Android phone running the HP ePrint app in VLAN 20.

!

! Specifies the the protocol of which a broadcast should be forwarded. 

!

ip forward-protocol udp snmp

! 

!

! Enter the (layer-3) interface configuration mode of the interface attached to the printer.

!

interface FastEthernet 0/1.10

!

! 

! Enable the ip directed broadcast feature

!

ip directed-broadcast

!

!

! Enter the (layer-3) interface configuration mode of the interface from which the broadcasts will ! be sent.

!

interface FastEthernet0/1.20

!

!

! Specify the IP address where the directed broadcast needs to be sent to.

! In our case the printers IP address.

!

ip helper-address 172.30.10.100

!