Bay Area Backbone: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Backbone Map.png|thumb]]
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[[File:Bay Area Backbone, Goal 2024.png|thumb]]
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The Bay Area Backbone Project is building solid, fast, links between major high sites in the Bay Area, which in turn supports a more stable mesh network. Backbone sites are permanent locations, not dependent on amateur radio operators' homes or difficult to access places.
 +
The goal of the Bay Area Backbone Project is to provide a fast, IP microwave based networking between amateur high sites in the Bay Area. The backbone provides IP connectivity within the network and can provide public IPv4 address for full Internet connectivity.
   
  +
The network is available to any amateur operator needing connectivity to, from or between supported sites.
−
== Status ==
  
−
The current health of the backbone is monitored [http://kn6plv-backbone.local.mesh/ here] ([https://sfbackbone.xojs.org/ internet])
  
   
  +
We provide an Internet as last resort for many locations.
−
== Management VLANs ==
  
−
Each site manages its devices on a unique VLAN to isolate them from all other sites (the management VLAN is not passed across any links).
  
−
* 3 - [[ORCA]] and [[Fish Ranch]] (need to improve this)
  
−
* 121 - [[Mount Diablo]]
  
−
* 122 - [[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  
−
* 1001 - [[San Carlos]]
  
−
* 1002 - [[Black Mountain]]
  
−
* 1003 - [[San Pedro]]
  
−
* None - [[Wolfback]]
  
   
−
== Backbone Links ==
 +
== Management ==
   
  +
* [https://ispdesign.ui.com/#p=1a8969d6466a43cca23e8b6f34c65af8 Map]
−
=== Active ===
  
  +
* [https://grafana.bayareabackbone.com/d/ZlKo1XPVz/summary?orgId=1&refresh=5m Monitor]
  +
* [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MVoJiYzehNbI-EUjRsuLvgLdL4KG4JUeKGtlqk4JruM/edit?usp=sharing Configuration Summary (Google Sheet)]
  +
* [https://uisp.bayareabackbone.com Management]
  +
** Username: '''mesh''' Password: '''aredn-back-bone'''
  +
* [https://graylog.bayareabackbone.com/ Logging]
  +
** Username: '''guest''' Password: '''guest-user'''
   
  +
==Sites ==
−
* [[Fish Ranch]]
  
  +
*[[Black Mountain (Site 4)]] - Palo Alto
−
** [[ORCA]]
  
  +
*[[Carpenter Hill]] - Folsom
−
** [[San Bruno Mountain]]
  
  +
*[[4CCCC|CCCC]] - Richmond
−
* [[ORCA]]
  
  +
*[[Fire Station 8]] - Palo Alto
−
** [[Fish Ranch]]
  
  +
*[[Fish Ranch]] - Oakland/Orinda
−
* [[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  
  +
*[[Hurricane Electric FMT2]] - Fremont
−
** [[Mount Diablo]]
  
  +
*[[Mount Allison]] - Fremont
−
** [[Richmond Field Station]]
  
  +
*[[Mt Vaca East|Mount Vaca East]] - Vacaville
−
* [[San Bruno Mountain]]
  
  +
*[[ORCA]] - Oakland/Orinda
−
** [[Fish Ranch]]
  
  +
*[[Oxford|Berkeley]] - Berkeley
−
* [[San Carlos]]
  
−
** [[San Bruno Mountain]]
 +
* [[Palo Alto PSB]] (pending)
  +
*[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 4)]] - Brisbane
−
* [[Mount Diablo]]
  
  +
*[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]] - Brisbane
−
** [[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  
  +
*[[San Pedro]] - San Rafael
−
* [[Richmond Field Station]]
  
  +
*[[Sunol Ridge]] - Sunol
−
** [[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  
  +
*[[Wolfback]] - Sausalito
   
  +
Want to become part of the network? We'll provide everything you need to get connected.
−
=== Planned ===
  
   
  +
== ARIN==
−
* [[San Bruno Mountain]]
  
  +
[https://arin.net American Registry for Internet Numbers]
−
** [[San Carlos]]
  
−
** [[Black Mountain]]
  
−
* [[Black Mountain]]
  
−
** [[San Bruno Mountain]]
  
−
* [[Wolfback]]
  
−
** [[ORCA]]
  
−
** [[San Pedro]]
  
−
** [[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  
   
−
=== Proposed ===
 +
===Organizations ===
   
  +
*[https://whois.arin.net/rest/org/BAM-80.html BAM-80]
−
* [[San Carlos]]
  
−
** [[Sunol Ridge]]
  
−
** [[Mount Allison]]
  
−
* [[Sunol Ridge]]
  
−
** [[San Carlos]]
  
−
* [[ORCA]]
  
−
** [[Wolfback]]
  
−
* [[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  
−
** [[San Pedro]]
  
−
** [[Wolfback]]
  
−
* [[San Pedro]]
  
−
** [[Wolfback]]
  
−
** [[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  
   
  +
===Points of Contact ===
−
== Backbone Network Structure ==
  
−
The current set of backbone links operate simply by switching VLAN2 (DtD) between all radios. This essentially makes all AREDN nodes at each site look like they're on one ethernet segment. While sufficient for now, this is not ideal as the network increase in size.
  
   
  +
*[https://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/TECH1410-ARIN TECH1410-ARIN] - Tech
−
A recent addition to the AREDN code ([https://github.com/aredn/aredn/pull/514 PR #514]) allows additional VLANs or other network interfaces to be added to the AREDN/OLSR L3 routing layer. This enables the use of external routers and switches when building the backbone network without additional requirements on the AREDN nodes themselves.
  
  +
*[https://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/WILKI322-ARIN WILKI322-ARIN] - General
   
  +
===Networks ===
−
== Possible Network Organizations ==
  
   
  +
*[https://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-206-197-44-0-1 NET-206-197-44-0-1] - 206.197.44.0/24
−
=== Point-to-point VLANs ===
  
  +
*[https://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-44-0-0-0-1 NET-44-0-0-0-1] - 44.31.228.0/24
−
One simple option is to create individual VLANs between pair of backbone radios. These VLANs are then added to an AREDN node (perhaps an hAP or similar) at each site. Topology and routing uses the current OLSR mechanism. The has the upside of being simple to implement and better than one giant shared VLAN. The downside is that this doesnt solve the routing problem for non-AREDN user of the backbone.
  
  +
*[https://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-44-0-0-0-1 NET-44-0-0-0-1] - 44.32.112.0/20
  +
*[https://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET6-2620-B8-A000-1 NET6-2620-B8-A000-1] - 2620:B8:A000::/48
   
−
=== Fully Routed ===
 +
===Autonomous System Numbers ===
  +
−
...
  
  +
*[https://whois.arin.net/rest/asn/AS32681 AS32681]
  +
  +
== ARDC ==
  +
The 44.31.228.0/24 and 44.32.112.0/20 subnet allocations are kindly provided by the [https://www.ardc.net ARDC].
  +
  +
* [[:File:LOA-44 31 228 0-24.pdf|Letter of Authorization - 44.31.228.0]]
  +
* [[:File:BGP LOA - 2024-10-26 03 25.pdf|Letter of Authorization - 44.32.112.0]]
  +
  +
==FCC==
  +
[https://www.fcc.gov Federal Communications Commision]
  +
  +
* FRN: 0031037245
  +
  +
===Experimental Licenses===
  +
A number of the backbone links operate with experimental 6GHz licenses in the [[wikipedia:Unlicensed_National_Information_Infrastructure|U-NII-5 band]].
  +
  +
https://apps.fcc.gov/els
  +
  +
*[[Fish Ranch]] to [[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)|San Bruno Mtn 7]] & [[San Bruno Mountain (Building 4)|San Bruno Mtn 4]] - [https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=325016 WN2XRO]
  +
*[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)|San Bruno Mtn 7]] to [[San Carlos]], Swallow, [[Fire Station 8]] & [[Black Mountain (Site 4)|Black Mountain]] - [https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=327676 WN2XUD]
  +
*[[Wolfback]] to [[ORCA]], [[Oxford]], [[4CCCC|CCCC]] - [https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=327671 WN2XTR]
  +
*[[San Carlos]] to [[Sunol Ridge]] - [https://apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.html?id=333165 WO2XAS]
  +
*[[San Pedro]] to [[San Bruno Mountain (Building 4)|San Bruno Mtn 4]], Big Rock, Sugar Loaf & Mt Vaca West
  +
  +
==Network Structure==
  +
  +
===Radios===
  +
A minimal backbone endpoint consists of two radios providing a point-to-point link between two sites. Ideally a site provides at least two links so the network can be extended from that point. In some places we use point-to-multipoint radios to provide additional shared links from a single site. We currently deploy the following:
  +
  +
*[https://dl.ubnt.com/datasheets/airfiber/airFiber_5XHD_DS.pdf Ubiquiti airFiber 5XHD]
  +
*[https://dl.ui.com/ds/ltu-rocket Ubiquiti Rocket LTU]
  +
*[https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-60ghz-wireless/products/af60-xr Ubiquiti airFiber 60XR]
  +
*[https://mimosa.co/uploads/datasheets/Mimosa-by-Airspan-B11-Datasheet_DS-0007-04.pdf Mimosa B11]
  +
  +
===Routers===
  +
Any router capable of supporting OSPF can be used to support the radios. We currently deploy the following:
  +
  +
*[https://dl.ubnt.com/datasheets/edgemax/EdgeRouter_X_DS.pdf Ubiquiti EdgeRouterX]
  +
*[https://dl.ubnt.com/datasheets/edgemax/EdgeRouter_X_DS.pdf Ubiquiti EdgeRouterX SFP]
  +
*[https://store.ui.com/us/en/pro/category/all-wired/products/ep-r8 Ubiquiti EdgePoint R8]
  +
*[https://mikrotik.com/product/crs112_8p_4s_in Mikrotik CRS112-8P-4S]
  +
*[https://mikrotik.com/product/rb5009ug_s_in Mikrotik RB5009UG+S+IN]
  +
  +
===Software===
  +
The backbone network runs [[wikipedia:Open_Shortest_Path_First|OSPF]]
  +
  +
===Hardware===
  +
More details description of [[Backbone Site Hardware|typical site hardware]].
  +
  +
==Services ==
  +
A typical backbone node provide the following services:
  +
  +
*'''Private IPv4 address''': A subnet of ''100.100.X.X/24'' is assigned to the router. Addresses from this range can be automatically or statically allocated to devices connected to the router. All addresses can be routed to the Internet (but not from the Internet). The subnet is allocated to VLAN 1100 internally. A router may choose to restrict this using a firewall.
  +
*'''Public IPv4 address''': Specific public IP address from the subnet ''206.197.44.0/24'' or ''44.31.228.0/24'' can be allocated to specific routers and/or ports. Traffic to these addresses can be routed to and from the Internet. Addresses are managed using policy based routing. No traffic is routed into the network for an address which is not allocated.
  +
*'''Public IPv6 address''': A subnet of ''2620:B8:A000::/64'' is assigned to the router. Addresses are allocated to a device using [[wikipedia:IPv6_address#Stateless_address_autoconfiguration|SLAAC]]. Traffic to these addresses can be routed to and from the Internet. A router may choose to restrict this using a firewall or choose to not participate in IPv6 routing at all.
  +
*'''AREDN 44-net:''' A subnet of ''44.32.112.0/20'' is allocated to AREDN devices and peered to other 44-net address (including non-AREDN 44-net addresses) at [[Hurricane Electric FMT2|Hurricane Electric]].
  +
  +
==Links==
  +
===Active ===
  +
  +
*[[Berkeley]]
  +
**[[Wolfback]]
  +
**[[Hurricane Electric FMT2|Hurricane Electric]] [via Internet]
  +
**[[Vultr BGP|Vultr]] [via Starlink]
  +
*[[Black Mountain (Site 4)]]
  +
**[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]]
  +
**[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]] [via WB6ECE]
  +
*[[Carpenter Hill]]
  +
**[[Mt Vaca East]]
  +
*[[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  +
**[[Mount Diablo]]
  +
**[[Richmond Field Station]]
  +
**[[Wolfback]]
  +
*[[Fire Station 8]]
  +
**[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]]
  +
*[[Fish Ranch]]
  +
**[[ORCA]]
  +
**[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]]
  +
**[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 4)]]
  +
*[[Hurricane Electric FMT2|Hurricane Electric]]
  +
**[[Berkeley]] [via Internet]
  +
**[[Mount Allison]]
  +
*[[Mount Allison]]
  +
**[[Hurricane Electric FMT2|Hurricane Electric]]
  +
**[[Sunol Ridge]]
  +
**[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]] [via WB6ECE]
  +
*[[Mount Diablo]]
  +
**[[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  +
*[[ORCA]]
  +
**[[Fish Ranch]]
  +
**[[Wolfback]]
  +
*[[Richmond Field Station]]
  +
**[[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  +
*[[Mt Vaca East]]
  +
**[[Carpenter Hill]]
  +
*[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 4)]]
  +
**[[Fish Ranch]]
  +
**[[San Pedro]]
  +
*[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]]
  +
**[[Black Mountain (Site 4)]]
  +
**[[Black Mountain (Site 4)]] [via WB6ECE]
  +
**[[Fire Station 8]]
  +
**[[Fish Ranch]]
  +
**[[Mount Allison]] [via WB6ECE]
  +
**[[San Carlos]]
  +
**Swallow
  +
*[[San Carlos]]
  +
**[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]]
  +
**[[Sunol Ridge]]
  +
*[[San Pedro]]
  +
**[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 4)]]
  +
*[[Sunol Ridge]]
  +
**[[San Carlos]]
  +
**[[Mount Allison]]
  +
*Swallow
  +
**[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]]
  +
*[[Wolfback]]
  +
**[[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  +
**[[ORCA]]
  +
**[[Berkeley]]
  +
  +
===Planned ===
  +
None
  +
  +
===Proposed ===
  +
  +
*[[Fire Station 8|FS8]]
  +
**[[Palo Alto PSB]]
  +
*[[Twitchell Tower]]
  +
** [[Mt Vaca East]]
  +
*[[Mount Diablo|Mt Diablo]]
  +
**[[Twitchell Tower]]
  +
**[[ORCA]]
  +
*[[San Pedro]]
  +
**[[Vaca Valley Radio Club Repeater Site|Mt Vaca West]]
  +
**[[4CCCC|CCCC]]
  +
**Sugar Loaf
  +
**Big Rock
  +
*[[Oxford]]
  +
**[[San Pedro]]
  +
*ORCA
  +
**Alameda Coast Guard
  +
*Alameda Coast Guard
  +
**Chabot Space Science Center
  +
**Diablo Drive
  +
*Black Mountain
  +
**Eagle Rock
  +
*Wolfback
  +
**Chabot Space Science Center
  +
*Kregor Peak
  +
**Mt Vaca East
  +
  +
==IP Transit and Internet Exchanges==
  +
We provide two transit points between our backbone network and the more general Internet. The primary transit point is at [[Hurricane Electric FMT2|Hurricane Electric]] in Fremont where the backbone connects via microwave radio on the datacenter's roof. The secondary transit point is at [[Vultr BGP|Vultr]] in New Jersey, and the connection is from the [[Berkeley]] site via battery backed-up [https://starlink.com Starlink]. The backup transit point is only used if the primary is offline due to a local internet failure (which at Hurricane would be a major event). The Starlink will remain connected by avoiding any local infrastructure failures, and the remote data center will be similarly unaffected.
  +
  +
=== [[Hurricane Electric FMT2|Primary: Hurricane Electric]] ===
  +
The backbone network's IP Transit is provided by [[Hurricane Electric FMT2|Hurricane Electric]] at the Fremont 2 location.
  +
  +
==== Internet Exchanges ====
  +
Detailed peering information can be found on [https://www.peeringdb.com/net/33430 PeeringDB] or [https://bgp.tools/as/32681 bgp.tools].
  +
  +
Our peering policy is [[Peering Policy|here]].
  +
  +
===== ARIX =====
  +
[https://arix.dev ARIX] is an internet exchange point for licensed amateur radio operators for the use of networking research, development, and education.
  +
  +
* [https://www.peeringdb.com/ix/3069 PeeringDB]
  +
* [[:File:LoA-BAY-AREA-MESH-12-30-2023.pdf|Authorization]]
  +
* '''BAM IPv4:''' 44.190.42.20/24
  +
* '''BAM IPv6:''' 2602:801:30ff::20/64
  +
* '''ARIX IPv4''': 44.190.42.253 & 44.190.42.254
  +
* '''ARIX IPv6:''' 2602:801:30ff::253 & 2602:801:30ff::254
  +
  +
===== FCIX =====
  +
[https://fcix.net FCIX] is the Fremont Cabal Internet Exchange.
  +
  +
* [https://www.peeringdb.com/ix/2163 PeeringDB]
  +
* [[:File:20240115 BayMesh Xconn FCIX.pdf|Authorization]]
  +
* '''BAM IPv4:''' 206.80.238.172/24
  +
* '''BAM IPv6:''' 2001:504:91::172/64
  +
* '''FCIX IPv4''': 206.80.238.253 & 206.80.238.254
  +
* '''FCIX IPv6:''' 2001:504:91::253 & 2001:504:91::254
  +
  +
===== FREMIX =====
  +
[https://fremix.exchange FREMIX] is the Fremont Internet Exchange.
  +
  +
* [https://www.peeringdb.com/ix/3685 PeeringDB]
  +
* [[:File:Letter of Authorization - FREMIX - BayAreaMesh.pdf|Authorization]]
  +
* '''BAM IPv4:''' 149.112.29.67/24
  +
* '''BAM IPv6:''' 2001:504:125:e0::67/64
  +
* '''FREMIX IPv4''': 149.112.29.1 & 149.112.29.2
  +
* '''FREMIX IPv6:''' 2001:504:125:e0::1 & 2001:504:125:e0::2
  +
  +
====== Peers ======
  +
We directly peer with additional networks via FREMIX:
  +
  +
* [https://subconscious.co Subconscious] - [https://www.peeringdb.com/net/34961 AS12007]
  +
  +
=== Backup: Vultr BGP ===
  +
[https://vultr.com Vultr] provides our backup border gateway and is virtually hosted in New Jersey.
  +
  +
==== Connectivity ====
  +
For redundancy, connectivity to Vultr is over [https://starlink.com Starlink] from the [[Berkeley]] site, which provide both physical and network redundancy with our primary site.
  +
==History==
  +
The first backbone link, between [[Fish Ranch]] and [[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)|San Bruno Mountain]], was installed on the 23rd November, 2021 and became operational on 3rd September, 2022. The goal was to provide a solid connection across the Bay which the AREDN network could use. It had been observed by the AREDN network builders in Southern California, that a better quality and more stable network could be constructed by creating a solid, well engineered backbone, to which local community AREDN networks could connect.
  +
  +
==Projects==
  +
  +
===Bay Area Mesh on the Backbone===
  +
Using the Bay Area Backbone to support the Bay Area Mesh has a number of advantages for the Mesh:
  +
  +
*It easier to connect high sites to other high sites, especially when we're trying to connect different neighborhoods while avoiding mountain ridges.
  +
* High sites are often backed up with generator power. We provide battery backup ourselves, but that will only last so long.
  +
* High sites will be there when the Ham moves on. Because these are generally commercial sites with long histories of ham involvement, we are not a the whims of someones current housing situation or - in some cases - employment situation.
  +
* It's often easier for a neighborhood to connect up to a high site (or more than one) as they're less obstructed.
  +
  +
====Status ====
  +
The current health of the backbone is monitored [http://kn6plv-grafana.local.mesh here] ([https://sfbackbone.xojs.org/ internet])
  +
  +
====Hardware ====
  +
The mesh operates on the Backbone by creating point-to-point connections between mesh sites (these are called '''xlinks''' - see below). Mikrotik hAP ac2 nodes provide the the mesh endpoint hardware. The traffic is routed between the specified IP addresses of the xlink. The underlying network may encapsulate this traffic if desired. We often use VLANs.
  +
  +
====XLINKS ====
  +
XLINKS are custom connections between sites which feed directly into the AREDN router. Think of them as DtD links, but only point-to-point. By default we use VLANs 1100, 1101, 1102, etc. for all XLINKs.
  +
  +
Backbone links appear in the mesh labeled as '''xlink''' but are no different from any other link in the network from AREDN's perspective.
  +
  +
===WB6ECE Repeater Group Interconnect===
  +
[[WB6ECE Repeater Group]] operates a network on about a dozen sites south of the Bay Area. The interconnect project aims to share networks to provide greater redundancy and reduce duplicated effort.
  +
  +
The ultimate goal of the Interconnect project is to provide a BGP connection between the two. For the moment the networks are interconnected by each providing the other with IP addresses on their respective networks.
  +
  +
'''Interconnect Points'''
  +
  +
==== [[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]] ====
  +
Routers at San Bruno Mountain are connected via a 1 Gbps link.
  +
  +
'''<u>Forward Link</u>'''
  +
*BAB IP: 44.31.128.190
  +
*WB6ECE IP: 44.31.128.189
  +
*Subnet: 44.31.128.188/30
  +
*Routes: 44.31.128.0/22
  +
'''<u>Reverse Link</u>'''
  +
*WB6ECE IP: 206.197.44.37
  +
*Subnet: 206.197.44.0/24
  +
*Routes: 206.197.44.1/24
  +
  +
==== [[Black Mountain (Site 4)]] ====
  +
Router at Black Mountain is connected to [[Black Mountain (Site 5)|Site 5]] via a 60 GHz link.
  +
  +
'''<u>Forward Link</u>'''
  +
*BAB IP: 44.31.128.222
  +
*WB6ECE IP: 44.31.128.221
  +
*Subnet: 44.31.128.220/30
  +
*Routes: 44.31.128.0/22
  +
'''<u>Reverse Link</u>'''
  +
*WB6ECE IP: 206.197.44.38
  +
*Subnet: 206.197.44.0/24
  +
*Routes: 206.197.44.1/24
  +
  +
==== [[Mount Allison]] ====
  +
'''<u>Forward Link</u>'''
  +
* BAB IP: 44.31.130.114
  +
* WB6ECE IP: 44.31.130.113
  +
* Subnet: 44.31.130.112/29
  +
* Routes: -
  +
'''<u>Reverse Link</u>'''
  +
  +
None
  +
  +
==== Interconnect Links ====
  +
*[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]] to [[Mount Allison]]
  +
**BAM: a EoIP connection between these two sites provides a backup link for our backbone. The backup is managed using OSPF.
  +
*[[San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)]] to [[Black Mountain (Site 4)]]
  +
** BAM: No current link.
  +
**WB6ECE: an IP-over-IP provides them with a similar service. The backup is managed using OSPF.
  +
  +
==Contacts==
  +
  +
*Tim Wilkinson - KN6PLV - tim@bayareamesh.us

Latest revision as of 16:07, 29 October 2024

Bay Area Backbone, Goal 2024.png

The goal of the Bay Area Backbone Project is to provide a fast, IP microwave based networking between amateur high sites in the Bay Area. The backbone provides IP connectivity within the network and can provide public IPv4 address for full Internet connectivity.

The network is available to any amateur operator needing connectivity to, from or between supported sites.

We provide an Internet as last resort for many locations.

Management

Sites

Want to become part of the network? We'll provide everything you need to get connected.

ARIN

American Registry for Internet Numbers

Organizations

Points of Contact

Networks

Autonomous System Numbers

ARDC

The 44.31.228.0/24 and 44.32.112.0/20 subnet allocations are kindly provided by the ARDC.

FCC

Federal Communications Commision

  • FRN: 0031037245

Experimental Licenses

A number of the backbone links operate with experimental 6GHz licenses in the U-NII-5 band.

https://apps.fcc.gov/els

Network Structure

Radios

A minimal backbone endpoint consists of two radios providing a point-to-point link between two sites. Ideally a site provides at least two links so the network can be extended from that point. In some places we use point-to-multipoint radios to provide additional shared links from a single site. We currently deploy the following:

Routers

Any router capable of supporting OSPF can be used to support the radios. We currently deploy the following:

Software

The backbone network runs OSPF

Hardware

More details description of typical site hardware.

Services

A typical backbone node provide the following services:

  • Private IPv4 address: A subnet of 100.100.X.X/24 is assigned to the router. Addresses from this range can be automatically or statically allocated to devices connected to the router. All addresses can be routed to the Internet (but not from the Internet). The subnet is allocated to VLAN 1100 internally. A router may choose to restrict this using a firewall.
  • Public IPv4 address: Specific public IP address from the subnet 206.197.44.0/24 or 44.31.228.0/24 can be allocated to specific routers and/or ports. Traffic to these addresses can be routed to and from the Internet. Addresses are managed using policy based routing. No traffic is routed into the network for an address which is not allocated.
  • Public IPv6 address: A subnet of 2620:B8:A000::/64 is assigned to the router. Addresses are allocated to a device using SLAAC. Traffic to these addresses can be routed to and from the Internet. A router may choose to restrict this using a firewall or choose to not participate in IPv6 routing at all.
  • AREDN 44-net: A subnet of 44.32.112.0/20 is allocated to AREDN devices and peered to other 44-net address (including non-AREDN 44-net addresses) at Hurricane Electric.

Links

Active

Planned

None

Proposed

IP Transit and Internet Exchanges

We provide two transit points between our backbone network and the more general Internet. The primary transit point is at Hurricane Electric in Fremont where the backbone connects via microwave radio on the datacenter's roof. The secondary transit point is at Vultr in New Jersey, and the connection is from the Berkeley site via battery backed-up Starlink. The backup transit point is only used if the primary is offline due to a local internet failure (which at Hurricane would be a major event). The Starlink will remain connected by avoiding any local infrastructure failures, and the remote data center will be similarly unaffected.

Primary: Hurricane Electric

The backbone network's IP Transit is provided by Hurricane Electric at the Fremont 2 location.

Internet Exchanges

Detailed peering information can be found on PeeringDB or bgp.tools.

Our peering policy is here.

ARIX

ARIX is an internet exchange point for licensed amateur radio operators for the use of networking research, development, and education.

  • PeeringDB
  • Authorization
  • BAM IPv4: 44.190.42.20/24
  • BAM IPv6: 2602:801:30ff::20/64
  • ARIX IPv4: 44.190.42.253 & 44.190.42.254
  • ARIX IPv6: 2602:801:30ff::253 & 2602:801:30ff::254
FCIX

FCIX is the Fremont Cabal Internet Exchange.

  • PeeringDB
  • Authorization
  • BAM IPv4: 206.80.238.172/24
  • BAM IPv6: 2001:504:91::172/64
  • FCIX IPv4: 206.80.238.253 & 206.80.238.254
  • FCIX IPv6: 2001:504:91::253 & 2001:504:91::254
FREMIX

FREMIX is the Fremont Internet Exchange.

  • PeeringDB
  • Authorization
  • BAM IPv4: 149.112.29.67/24
  • BAM IPv6: 2001:504:125:e0::67/64
  • FREMIX IPv4: 149.112.29.1 & 149.112.29.2
  • FREMIX IPv6: 2001:504:125:e0::1 & 2001:504:125:e0::2
Peers

We directly peer with additional networks via FREMIX:

Backup: Vultr BGP

Vultr provides our backup border gateway and is virtually hosted in New Jersey.

Connectivity

For redundancy, connectivity to Vultr is over Starlink from the Berkeley site, which provide both physical and network redundancy with our primary site.

History

The first backbone link, between Fish Ranch and San Bruno Mountain, was installed on the 23rd November, 2021 and became operational on 3rd September, 2022. The goal was to provide a solid connection across the Bay which the AREDN network could use. It had been observed by the AREDN network builders in Southern California, that a better quality and more stable network could be constructed by creating a solid, well engineered backbone, to which local community AREDN networks could connect.

Projects

Bay Area Mesh on the Backbone

Using the Bay Area Backbone to support the Bay Area Mesh has a number of advantages for the Mesh:

  • It easier to connect high sites to other high sites, especially when we're trying to connect different neighborhoods while avoiding mountain ridges.
  • High sites are often backed up with generator power. We provide battery backup ourselves, but that will only last so long.
  • High sites will be there when the Ham moves on. Because these are generally commercial sites with long histories of ham involvement, we are not a the whims of someones current housing situation or - in some cases - employment situation.
  • It's often easier for a neighborhood to connect up to a high site (or more than one) as they're less obstructed.

Status

The current health of the backbone is monitored here (internet)

Hardware

The mesh operates on the Backbone by creating point-to-point connections between mesh sites (these are called xlinks - see below). Mikrotik hAP ac2 nodes provide the the mesh endpoint hardware. The traffic is routed between the specified IP addresses of the xlink. The underlying network may encapsulate this traffic if desired. We often use VLANs.

XLINKS

XLINKS are custom connections between sites which feed directly into the AREDN router. Think of them as DtD links, but only point-to-point. By default we use VLANs 1100, 1101, 1102, etc. for all XLINKs.

Backbone links appear in the mesh labeled as xlink but are no different from any other link in the network from AREDN's perspective.

WB6ECE Repeater Group Interconnect

WB6ECE Repeater Group operates a network on about a dozen sites south of the Bay Area. The interconnect project aims to share networks to provide greater redundancy and reduce duplicated effort.

The ultimate goal of the Interconnect project is to provide a BGP connection between the two. For the moment the networks are interconnected by each providing the other with IP addresses on their respective networks.

Interconnect Points

San Bruno Mountain (Building 7)

Routers at San Bruno Mountain are connected via a 1 Gbps link.

Forward Link

  • BAB IP: 44.31.128.190
  • WB6ECE IP: 44.31.128.189
  • Subnet: 44.31.128.188/30
  • Routes: 44.31.128.0/22

Reverse Link

  • WB6ECE IP: 206.197.44.37
  • Subnet: 206.197.44.0/24
  • Routes: 206.197.44.1/24

Black Mountain (Site 4)

Router at Black Mountain is connected to Site 5 via a 60 GHz link.

Forward Link

  • BAB IP: 44.31.128.222
  • WB6ECE IP: 44.31.128.221
  • Subnet: 44.31.128.220/30
  • Routes: 44.31.128.0/22

Reverse Link

  • WB6ECE IP: 206.197.44.38
  • Subnet: 206.197.44.0/24
  • Routes: 206.197.44.1/24

Mount Allison

Forward Link

  • BAB IP: 44.31.130.114
  • WB6ECE IP: 44.31.130.113
  • Subnet: 44.31.130.112/29
  • Routes: -

Reverse Link

None

Interconnect Links

Contacts

  • Tim Wilkinson - KN6PLV - tim@bayareamesh.us
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