Frequent questions related with OpenCDN initiative

OpenCDN helps CDNs to reach Brazilian Internet users with low delay and high quality. It does that lowering the barriers to the CDNs to install their own cache servers in shared infrastructures, that are connected to a growing number of IX.br's IXPs.

IX.br's IXPs are present in 35 different locations, currently very well distributed throughout the Brazilian territory. About 30% of Brazilian Autonomous Systems (allocated by Registro.br) that are actively operating (present in the global BGP table) are direct participants in at least one of these locations, having an active session and announcing prefixes on their Route Servers. More than 98% of active Brazilian Autonomous Systems have their prefixes advertised in the BGP tables of the Route Servers of one or more IX.br's IXPs. In this context, distributing CDN caches in the various IXPs of IX.br, either directly or through the OpenCDN initiative, can be an excellent solution for CDNs to deploy their infrastructure in Brazil, achieving with low delay and with a minimum of intermediaries a large percentage of Brazilian AS and, consequently, of Internet users.

If you are a CDN and want to know more, please contact us by e-mail opencdn@nic.br.

Yes! The OpenCDN operation started in June 2018 in the city of Salvador, BA. We also operate in the cities of Manaus, AM, and Brasília, DF. Soon the initiative will also be in Recife, Caruaru, Belo Horizonte, Belém and Cuiabá. If you are a CDN and want to participate, please contact us by e-mail opencdn@nic.br.

Salvador, Manaus, Brasilia are in operation. Soon the initiative will also be in Recife, Caruaru, Belo Horizonte, Belém and Cuiabá. We plan to operate in the future in all cities where IX.br is present and CDNs did not participate by themselves, however, the implementation will be gradual and depends on the success of the initiative.

No. Although NIC.br also contributes with resources for OpenCDN, the majority of expenses are shared between the participant CDNs and Autonomous Systems (ASs) connected.

Nevertheless, as OpenCDN is a non-profit initiative, and as the costs are shared between all the players, they are low.

OpenCDN is open for all CDNs, both for that owned by content providers, as well as for CDNs that offer their services commercially for other companies. However, we can have resource limitations in some locations. Where it is the case, we will impose restrictions based on resource consumption.

The CDN must install their cache servers in the OpenCDN infrastructure, and configure them in a way which the local ISPs can access them thru the OpenCDN Autonomous System. The CDN also must agree with OpenCDN terms of use.

The ISP must be an Autonomous System, and it have to be connected to the local IX.br Internet Exchange. It also must agree with OpenCDN terms of use, agree to pay the shared costs, and set a bilateral peering session with OpenCDN Autonomous System, at the local IX.

CDNs are charged on the basis of datacenter space and energy. Please contact us by e-mail opencdn@nic.br in order for we to be able to analyze your specifc case.

No.

No, it is a shared infrastructure where CDNs can install their own cache servers to be used by, shared by, the interested participants in the local IX.br's IXP.

At each OpenCDN location, it is available for CDNs:

• rack space and other resources in the data center suitable for hosting the servers;
• Internet transit, through the OpenCDN AS, to feed the caches;
  • depending on the geographic location, an L2 connection is also available to IX.br in São Paulo, or IX.br in Rio de Janeiro, or IX.br in Fortaleza, where many CDNs have their own infrastructure, through the Autonomous System (AS) of the OpenCDN, so that it is possible to feed caches directly through these infrastructures;
• enough IP address space for the caches, from the OpenCDN Autonomous System, if necessary;
• connection to the local IX.br IXP, in which ISPs and other local ASs participate, so that CDNs can distribute their content locally.

Connectivity to the participant CDNs, thru OpenCDN Autonomous System. The ISPs will be able to access the CDNs' content peering with OpenCDN Autonomous System at the local IX.br Internet Exchange.

ISPs are charged on the basis of inbound bandwidth. The more data an ISP can get from OpenCDN, higher is its share in the expenses.

The OpenCDN participant is fitted in a category that determines the size of a virtual port, for example 100Mbps, 500Mbps, or 5Gbps. This category is choosed to best fit the real bandwidth consuption, based on 95th Percentile measurements, and it is reviewed periodically. The participant is charged based on this category.

Brazil has around 9,000 Internet Autonomous Systems, according to Registro.br data. Anatel, the Brazilian Telecom regulator, says that approximately 20,000 companies are licenced to operate telecommunications networks that are normally used in the provision of Internet access (companies SCM licensed and exempt from licensing). There are, therefore, several thousand access providers serving the Brazilian market. It is also important to understand that there is a concentration on companies that used to be concessionaires of telephony services. It is estimated that more than 40% of the Internet market belongs to former concessionaires (incumbents) such as Claro, Vivo and Tim. Thousands of other providers, however, of different sizes, are responsible for bringing fixed Internet to about 60% of users. To install CDN's caches inside the network of biggest operators can be insufficient to reach the majority of users with desired quality and low delay.

Yes. OpenCDN provides a shared infrastructure for cache servers, which is cheaper than to host the cache servers inside the ISP network. Besides that, OpenCDN provides a distributed architecture, i.e., the bigger ISPs can peer with OpenCDN at several locations, bringing the content closer to its users.

OpenCDN provides IP transit (IPv6 and legacy IP) throughout AS61580. In some locations, AS61580 is also directly connected to the IX.br's IXP of São Paulo, or Rio de Janeiro, or Fortaleza, in these cases is preferable to use the CDN's infrastructure in the IXP, if existent, to feed the caches.

OpenCDN is operated by NIC.br, a neutral and non-profit organization. It is the same organization that operates IX.br, including IX.br São Paulo, including biggest IXP in the world.

OpenCDN will not be legally constituted as a separate entity from NIC.br. OpenCDN is an initiative of NIC.br.

The Brazilian Network Information Center, NIC.br was created to implement the decisions and projects designed by the Brazilin Internet Steering Committee, CGI.br, which is responsible for the coordination and integration of all Internet service initiatives in the country.

NIC.br is the executive arm of the CGI.br. Its mission involves certain rights and obligations, which include:

- registering and maintaining <.br> domain names, as well as allocating Autonomous System Numbers (ASN) and IPv4 or IPv6 addresses in the country through Registro.br;
- handling and responding to computer security incidents involving networks connected to the Brazilian Internet, which are activities to be carried out by CERT.br;
- projects that support and improve the network infrastructure in the country, such as the direct interconnection between networks (PTT.br/IX.br) and the distribution of the Brazilian Official Time (NTP.br). These projects are the responsibility of CEPTRO.br;
- producing and publishing indicators, statistics and strategic information on the development of the Brazilian Internet, under the responsibility of CETIC.br;
- promoting studies and recommending procedures, norms and technical and operational standards that will improve network and Internet service security, as well as ensure its increased and adequate use by society, as established by the W3C.br and
- providing technical and operational support to LACNIC, the Internet Address Registry for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) was created by Interministerial Ordinance 147, of May 31st, 1995, which was amended by Presidential Decree 4,829 of September 3rd, 2003, with the purpose of coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in Brazil, as well as promoting technical quality, innovation and the dissemination of the services available.

The CGI.br is comprised of members from the government, the corporate sector, the third sector and the academic community, and as such constitutes a unique Internet governance model for the effective participation of society in decisions involving network implementation, management and use. Based on the principles of multilateralism, transparency and democracy, since July 2004 the CGI.br has been democratically electing representatives from the civil society to participate in discussions and to debate priorities for the Internet together with the government.

IX.br (that used to be called PTT.br or PTTMetro), is the Internet Exchange Point initiative of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, CGI.br.

IX.br was started in 2004 and now holds more than 30 IXPs in different Brazilian cities covering the 5 administrative regions of the country: north, northeast, southeast, middle east and south.

The initiave is supported with resources coming from the domain names '.br', and it is operated by NIC.br. NIC.br acts providing not only infrastructure, but a set of related initiatives including capacity building, for instance, in order to promote IXPs sustainability.

Yes, sure!