Peering Simulation Game
Peering Simulation Game. AFIX Technical Workshop Session 9. Peering Simulation Game. Goal is to maximise bank holdings: the ISP with the largest balance at the end of the final round wins. Make revenue by acquiring customers (squares on the game board). Reduce transit costs by peering.
Peering Simulation Game
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Peering Simulation Game AFIX Technical Workshop Session 9
Peering Simulation Game • Goal is to maximise bank holdings: the ISP with the largest balance at the end of the final round wins. • Make revenue by acquiring customers (squares on the game board). • Reduce transit costs by peering. AFIX Technical Workshop: Session 9
The Board AFIX Technical Workshop: Session 9
How to play • Roll the die and select that many adjacent squares (customers), starting from your own corner. • Each customer square you occupy gives transit revenue of $2000. • You pay transit fees for each square that other ISPs own. • When they reach an exchange point, two ISPs can negotiate peering. • The cost is two lost turns and $2000, which recurs at each turn. • ISPs can negotiate how this monetary cost is allocated. • Starting at the next turn, peering ISPs do not have to pay transit costs for each others’ squares. AFIX Technical Workshop: Session 9
How is this game different from peering reality? • The board is always visible so there is no bluffing during peering negotiations • ISPs move serially in the game, while in the real world action is parallel. • Squares are “overloaded” – they represent regional coverage and corresponding revenue, a quantum of traffic generated, and a quantum of traffic transitted to all others. In real life all customers are not equal in revenue, traffic, etc. AFIX Technical Workshop: Session 9
Game vs Reality II • In the game customer transit revenue gained does not cause any additional financial load for the ISP. • Traffic quantum is a vague notion that ignores the asymmetric nature of traffic today. • Shared squares should cause revenue and costs to be divided. • Everyone starts with the same number of squares. • Everyone is financially backed to support infinite periods of financial loss. • If ISPs fail to peer they must pay transit to get access to other ISPs’ squares. In reality, content multi-homes allowing alternative paths to the same content. • Business motivations to sell transit instead of peer are ignored. AFIX Technical Workshop: Session 9