BELNET: Service Level Description Version (29/7/2009)

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BELNET: Service Level Description

Version (29/7/2009)

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I

Introduction

A

Goal of this document

This document describes service levels deemed acceptable by BELNET. When these service levels are not met, BELNET will analyze any issues and will plan necessary actions for remediation.

B

Publishing

This document will be published online and is not an addendum to any contract BELNET has with its customers. This document is subject to change and will carry a version number and a publishing date.

C

Definitions

Backbone: High capacity network interconnecting the BELNET core sites and

the different Points of Presence (PoPs).

PoP: Point of Presence, a location where the BELNET backbone network is

available and where customers can connect to the network.

Port: a physical connection to the BELNET network, either with fiber SC

connectors or copper RJ45 connectors. This port, typically at a patch panel, is the demarcation point between BELNET's responsibility and the customer's, unless BELNET is explicitly taking care of the access circuit.

Access circuit: Connection between the customer's premises and the BELNET

PoP.

Service Level: In general, the level of service the customer can count on.

Service levels can be specified in different numbers like repair times and response times, fractions of service times (percentage) etc.

Service time: Time span when a service can be expected to work well. Not

included are scheduled and emergency maintenance windows.

Service availability: Fraction of the service time that the service can be

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Reference period: The reference period for this Service Level Description is

one calendar year. Service availability is considered with respect to the reference period. E.g. a service availability of 99.9% allows downtime up to 8 hours and 45 minutes in a whole calendar year. A comparison table is offered in Appendix I.

Latency: Time delay due to travel time of a packet. This is the travel time on the

wire, plus the time needed to process the packet by network devices along the path. Latency is often measured using round-trip-times of a session, which is in fact the sum of the latency of a packet going one way, and the latency of a reply packet going the opposite direction.

Packet loss: Even during normal operation of a network, packets get lost now

and then. Packet loss is the fraction of lost packets with respect to the total amount of packets sent.

Office hours: From 9AM to 5PM during working days.

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II

Network Services

A

Connectivity (BELNET & Internet)

Specification:

BELNET provides connectivity, comprising of a reliable and high capacity backbone, interconnections with the global Internet and customer ports at BELNET PoPs. A customer connects to the BELNET network using such a port. To increase the service level, a backup port can be ordered that takes over the connectivity service in case of failure of the primary port.

The BELNET network supports both IPv4 and IPv6 (the two versions of the Internet Protocol currently used in the global Internet).

The service ensures that a customer can send and receive IP packets across the BELNET network. This includes interconnectivity with the global Internet.

Service Level for backbone operation

- Backbone availability: 99,999% of the service time or better.

- Latency: 5ms or less.

- Packet loss: 0.001% of packets sent, or less.

Service Levels when using a single port:

- Service availability: 99,9% of the service time or better.

Not included in the service time: periods of unavailability of the access circuit.

Service levels when using an additional backup port at the same

PoP:

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Service levels when using an additional backup port at another PoP:

B

Point-to-Point Ethernet

Specification:

Point-to-Point Ethernet is a transparent Ethernet service carrying Ethernet

frames between two different ports on the BELNET network. All Ethernet traffic is possible between the two endpoints, no matter what is carried as payload (IP, IPX, Spanning Tree, 802.1q, ...). The maximum throughput of the service is limited by the lowest throughput of the two ports.

Service Levels:

- Availability: 99,9% of the service time or better.

- Latency: 5ms or less.

- Packet loss: 0.001% of packets sent, or less; provided the access circuit is

not saturated due to other services.

C

Access Circuit

Specification:

An access circuit is needed to connect to the BELNET network. It is the cabling and/or the telco circuit used to connect the customer to the BELNET network. Examples are: a local patch to customer equipment housed at or very near the BELNET PoP; a leased line from a commercial provider; or a dedicated fiber (so-called dark fiber connections).

Service Levels:

- Service availability: 99.9% of the service time or better1.

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D

Bandwidth Statistics

Specification:

BELNET provides web-based statistics for its network services. These statistics include bandwidth use per port, use of Internet bandwidth vs. BELNET and research bandwidth, use of virtual leased line capacity.

Service Levels:

- Availability of web service: 99,9% of the service time or better.

- Bandwidth measurement is performed at 5 minute intervals. Measurement

is guaranteed at 99,9% of all measurement intervals.

E

Maintenance Window

Specification:

BELNET will perform all planned maintenance to the network infrastructure during maintenance windows.

Service Levels:

- All planned maintenance will be performed on Tuesdays, between 6h00

AM and 9h00 AM.

- E-mail announcements will be sent 3 working days in advance of the

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III

Application Services

All service times are excluding unavailability of IP connectivity and unavailability of the access circuit.

A

Clock Synchronisation

Specification:

The time synchronization service enables accurate synchronization of computer clocks. This service is offered via the NTP protocol.

Service Levels:

- Availability: 99.99% of the service time or better.

B

Domain Names (DNS services)

The domain name system (DNS) is one of the most important building blocks of the Internet. BELNET provides several services in this area.

1

Domain Name Registration

Specification:

BELNET offers a domain name registration for “.be” and “.eu” domains, for customers who sign a separate agreement. All registration is done via a web interface available at domains.belnet.be.

Service Levels:

- Web interface availability: 99.9% of the service time or better.

- Provision of username and password: within 3 working days after

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2

Secondary Nameserver

Specification:

One single domain needs one or more authoritative name servers on the Internet. Setup of the primary nameserver is the customer's responsibility, but BELNET offers a secondary nameserver at request of the customer. The secondary nameserver will download up-to-date domain information using the mechanism of zone transfers.

Service Levels:

- Availability: 99.99% of the service time or better.

- Establishment of the service for a single domain: within 5 working

days after receipt of the request, on two conditions: correct information is provided, and the primary nameserver allows zone transfers from the secondary nameservers.

3

Recursive Nameserver

Specification:

For a computer to be able to access a website, it needs to translate the website's name to an IP address. The computer needs a recursive nameserver to perform such a translation. A recursive nameserver will find and interrogate the authoritative servers and collect all information to send back to the originating computer. A recursive nameserver is often called a “caching” nameserver. It is recommended to setup a recursive nameserver in the customer's own network, but BELNET provides this service for those that don't have the resources. A recursive nameserver in the customer's own network can use the BELNET recursive nameservers as “forwarders”.

Service Levels:

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C

PKI services - Server Certificates

Specification:

The service provides the research and education community with X.509 certificates for servers, to be used with technologies like SSL, TLS and S/MIME. X.509 certificates 'certify' the identity of servers and their DNS names, and are as such a basic building for more secure Internet communications.

BELNET is the Belgian Registration Authority for the TERENA Server Certificate Project. It is only available for institutions active in research and education, and is subject to strict procedures for identity validation.

Service Levels:

- Web interface availability for uploading requests: 99.9% of the service

time or better.

Requests will be handled within 1 working day after reception of the request.

D

eduroam

Specification:

Eduroam is a collaborative service to provide network access roaming at R&E institutions across Europe and the rest of the world. R&E institutions joining eduroam will have to setup their own wireless and authentication infrastructure based on the RADIUS protocol. BELNET takes the role of national RADIUS proxy, in order to route authentication requests from one institution to the other.

Service Levels:

Availability of BELNET’s national RADIUS proxy server infrastructure:

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E

Videoconferencing

Specification:

Videoconferencing is a virtual conference where communication between parties is done using telecommunications means for both audio and video. The BELNET videoconference service consists of a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU), supporting virtual meeting rooms, typically used for videoconferencing with more than 2 remote parties. H.323 is the protocol used.

Service Levels:

- MCU availability: 99.50% of the service time or better.

- Provision of username and password: within 3 working days.

F

Maintenance Window

Specification:

BELNET will perform all planned maintenance to the services infrastructure during maintenance windows.

Service Levels:

- All planned maintenance will be performed on Wednesdays, between 6h00

AM and 9h00 AM.

- E-mail announcements will be sent 3 working days in advance of the

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IV

Support Services

A

24/7 helpdesk

Specification:

The 24/7 helpdesk is the single point of contact for operational issues with BELNET services. The 24/7 helpdesk is available by phone and by e-mail and is only available to designated contact persons at connected institutions.

Service Levels:

- Phone calls will be handled all times of the day, even during weekends.

Within 1 minute, someone from helpdesk staff will be available on the phone.

- E-mails will be dealt with during office hours, an initial response will be

provided within 15 minutes.

B

Customer Relations (new connections/change requests)

Specification:

The Customer Relations Service is the single point of contact for service changes that require a change of the contract between BELNET and the customer. Examples of such changes are bandwidth upgrades, port upgrades and additional connections to the BELNET network.

Additionally Customer Relations is the main contact for billing and general service inquiries.

The Customer Relations Service is available by phone and by e-mail.

Service Levels:

- The Customer Relations Service is only available during office hours.

- Phone calls will be picked up within 40 seconds.

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C

Technical support and advice

Specification:

BELNET provides support and advice about BELNET’s and related services by e-mail and phone.

Service Levels:

- Only available during office hours.

- An initial response to e-mails will be provided within 1 working day.

D

IP addresses

Specification:

BELNET provides registration of IP addresses according to procedures set by RIPE, the European authority for IP addresses.

Service Levels:

- An initial response to e-mails will be provided within 1 working day.

E

BELNET CERT (BELNET’s Computer Emergency Response Team)

Specification:

The BELNET CERT is the main contact for all security issues and incidents on the BELNET network. A detailed description can be found at https://cert.belnet.be/.

Service Levels:

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Appendix I: Availability vs. Downtime

Table 1: Availability vs. Downtime

Availability %

99.5 43h48m

99.9 08h45m

99.99 00h52m

99.999 00h05m

Downtime per year (hours)

BELNET: Service Level Description Version (29/7/2009)