IP/MPLS networks are increasingly becoming a critical part of the infrastructure used for business, shopping, travel, and entertainment. This tutorial will outline the methods used to ensure a high degree of reliability and availability of MPLS networks. We will describe techniques and features which are essential to improve the availability of individual components in the networks, with emphasis on router availability. We will then discuss protocol features which can be used to improve the availability of the overall network. We will describe how MPLS can be used to enhance the availability of IP services.

In recent years there has been a rapid increase in malicious attacks against data networks. Networks are now under essentially continuous attack. Ensuring the security of data networks against malicious attacks has become critical in order to ensure the reliability and availability of the network. This talk will outline the urgency of increasing the security of data networks. We will describe how the routing protocols and the router infrastructure can be protected against a wide range of attacks. We will also describe how routers can help to improve the security of network servers and users. The effect that MPLS has on security will be mentioned.

Ross Callon is a distinguished engineer in the protocols group at Juniper Networks. He has extensive experience in Internet protocol standards, high speed router design, and multi-protocol coexistence and interoperability. He is co-chair of Network Reliability and Interoperability Council 6, Focus Group 2 advising the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on network reliability. He is co-author and editor of the IETF Layer 3 Framework document. He also was a participant in recent efforts to advise the White House on security in communications networks.

Mr Callon is a long-standing participant in multiple IETF working groups, and has previous experience in the ATM Forum, internet engineering steering group, IEEE, ANSI, and ISO. He has authored or contributed toward VPN, MPLS, PNNI, IPv6, IS-IS and CLNP networking standards. He is a former co-chair of the IETF IP Next Generation (IPv6) working group. Mr. Callon has published numerous articles and been awarded twelve patents.

Mr Callon has an Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Operations Research from Stanford University.