Netflow parameters and data that comes from CDNs

Wed Dec 2 02:53:52 UTC 2015

The answer is: It depends.

:)

In the case of Akamai, for a standard streaming or HTTP service, the IP address is not dedicated to a single customer. Also, Akamai is not going to give you a list of IP addresses serving your content.

This is specific to Akamai, and for a general Akamai customer. Obviously anything _can_ be done with enough money and negotiation. (Also, neither of the two tidbits of info above is confidential or even difficult to find on the Internet.)

I am unsure how other CDNs handle these requests. I -suspect- it would be easier for other CDNs to guarantee certain content is always served from certain IP addresses.

As for who owns the IP address of the Akamai server, Akamai is very public about putting servers inside networks. It is called their AANP program. AANP servers are frequently numbered with the hosting ISP’s space. But an AANP node is not guaranteed to have the ISP’s IP space, and not all servers are in AANP nodes.

-- 
TTFN,
patrick

> On Dec 1, 2015, at 6:53 PM, Jean-Francois Mezei <jfmezei_nanog at vaxination.ca> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hopefully this should be a simple question ...
> 
> (Note: Akamai used as a generic CDN name in the context of this email
> and could be any CDN provider)
> 
> 
> Context: regulatory filings where wireless carriers states that zero
> rating of certain selected streaming music is done based on the "from
> IP" in packets coming into its network.
> 
> 
> When a content provider such as jf_music.com (fictitious)  makes use of
> one or more content distribution networks, does the "from IP" in packets
> belong to the CDN, or to jf_music.com ?  (if Akamai uses IPs provided by
> jf_music, this has inteteresting routing questions).
> 
> 
> If I setup such a service with Akamai, does Akamai provide me with an
> authoritative list of IPs that will be generating my traffic in various
> cities ? Are these IPs stable or would they typically change fairly
> often as Akamai builds more nodes etc ?
> 
> And do various CDNs have very different implementations ?
> 
> 
> And in fictitious case of jf_music.com hiring Akamai, would the Akamai
> server(s)  have a dedicated IP for jf_music in each city (or re-use same
> IP via anycast)  or would the CDN servers use the same IP address to
> deliver multiple services from totally different content providers ?
> 
> (Considering BGP routing limits , I have to assume that routing of
> individual IPs can't be done).
> 
> I need more of a sanity check on this.