Network architecture for ISPs
I help operators design transport and service networks — SR-MPLS underlays, EVPN services, and the routing policy that decides what your network will and will not accept. Greenfield builds, expansions, or a second opinion on a design already on the table.
I help ISPs design transport and service networks. SR-MPLS, EVPN, and the routing policy that decides what your network accepts and advertises. New builds, expansions, or a second opinion on a design you've already drawn.
What I do
Addressing, SID plans, community schemes and service models are cheap to choose and expensive to change. Most of the value is in getting them right before anything is deployed at scale.
Addressing, SID plans, community schemes, service models — cheap to pick, painful to change later. Most of the value is getting them right before you've built a hundred of them.
Greenfield fabrics, expansions and technology changes — worked through with your team rather than handed over as a document nobody owns.
New builds, expansions and technology changes, worked through with your team instead of dropped on you as a PDF nobody reads.
Community schemes, prefix policy, route leaking and RPKI — a deliberate answer to what your network accepts, advertises and prefers.
Communities, prefix filtering, route leaking, RPKI. A deliberate answer to what you accept, what you advertise and what you prefer.
Segment routing underlays and EVPN service overlays, including migrations away from LDP and legacy L2VPN without a flag day.
SR-MPLS underlay and EVPN services, including getting off LDP and old L2VPN without a flag day.
In practice
SID planning, TI-LFA and protection design, SR policy for traffic steering, and migration from LDP or RSVP-TE on a live network.
SID plans, TI-LFA and protection, SR policy for steering traffic, and migrating off LDP or RSVP-TE without taking the network down.
E-LINE and E-LAN services, ESI multihoming, integrated routing and bridging, and choosing sensibly between MPLS and VXLAN data planes.
E-LINE and E-LAN services, ESI multihoming, IRB, and picking between MPLS and VXLAN for the right reasons rather than the fashionable ones.
Community taxonomy, prefix filtering, peering and transit policy, RPKI and route origin validation, and keeping policy readable as it accumulates.
Community schemes, prefix filters, peering and transit policy, RPKI and ROV — and keeping it readable as it piles up over the years.
A second opinion on a design before it ships, including the parts a vendor has an interest in not raising.
A second opinion before you build it, including the bits your vendor has no reason to bring up.
Also here
How this works
A design, a policy set or a migration plan read properly by someone with no stake in the outcome.
Someone with no stake in the answer actually reads your design, policy or migration plan.
A fabric design, an SR-MPLS or EVPN migration, or an automation build — scoped, delivered, and documented so your team owns it afterwards.
A fabric design, an SR-MPLS or EVPN migration, or an automation build. Scoped up front and written down so your team can run it once I'm gone.
Ongoing availability for operators who want an architect on hand without carrying the headcount.
I'm around when you need me. Cheaper than hiring someone full-time for a problem that only turns up some weeks.
Contact
A rough diagram and the constraint you keep running into is enough to start. I reply to every operator who writes in.
A rough diagram and whatever constraint you keep hitting is plenty to start with. I read and answer everything from an actual operator.