The state of the Internet routing system has been a subject of growing interest, and concern, during the past few years. Researchers and practitioners have identified numerous problems, such as routing anomalies, configuration mistakes, resource constraints on routers, and difficulties in predicting the effects of failures or configuration changes in advance. The routing system is increasingly strained by common operational practices, such as traffic engineering and multi-homing. Emerging services, such as Route Control and overlay networks, attempt to circumvent the underlying routing protocols by giving more control to devices at the edge of the network, with potential side effects on traffic and routing stability. In light of these trends, we'd like to invite you to participate in a workshop on the subject of Internet routing, with the goal of

• Position statements

• Agenda

• Attendee List

• bringing together a small, focused group of researchers, students, and practitioners with interest in the state of Internet routing
• articulating our collective understanding of how the routing protocols behave and how they are used in practice
• discussing the strengths/weaknesses of the existing protocols, and identifying requirements for the next generation of protocols
• creating a "wish-list" of important research problems, network management tools, measurement techniques, and router features

• a five-minute "position statement" presentation by each attendee
• a collection of panel discussions on specific IP routing topics
• a tutorial or two on emerging topics in IP routing
• ample time for informal discussion and socializing at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood outside of Portland Oregon, see

• write a 1-2 page position statement on key routing issues for the next ten years, in advance of the workshop (these write-ups will be made available on the Web before the meeting)
• prepare a five-minute talk summarizing the position statement, for presentation at the workshop (these talks will form the "Introductions" at the beginning of the workshop)
• agree to serve on one or two informal panels at the workshop (the panel topics and assignments will be hashed out via e-mail prior to the event; potential topics are listed below)

Panel topics:

Current state of the routing system

• Measurement
  (routing tables, protocol messages, beacons)
• Characterization
  (analysis software, simulation, black-box testing)
• Models
  (protocol convergence, behavioral models)
• Scalability
  (convergence delay/overhead, table size, network size)
• Forwarding behavior
  (relationship to signaling, loops, deflections)

Control of the routing protocols

• Goals of the protocols
  (reachability, load-balancing, policy, backups)
• Management
  (traffic engineering, anomaly detection, provisioning)
• Protocol enhancements
  (security, multi-path routing, QoS)
• Edge boxes
  (overlays, route control, interaction effects)

Local information:

The workshop will be held at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood outside of Portland Oregon, see timberlinelodge.com from Tuesday October 7th to Wednesday October 8th). This allows folk from Europe and the eastern United States to use Monday for travel. We suggest you arrive Monday evening and depart Thursday morning.

The lodge is about 1.5 hours East of the Portland airport (PDX). Van service is available for about $25 each way, but will need to be coordinated. Once we have your arrival time we will help with the coordination. It would be kind if folk renting cars offer to share rides.

Arrangements include room and three usually quite good meals. Costs, including meals, will be approximately $210 for a single room and $140 per person for a double room including all taxes and gratuities. It is a beautiful location, with hiking, walking, swimmable lakes (car needed), etc., so you might consider bringing significant other(s).

We have blocked a set of rooms at Timberline Lodge. To arange your reservation at Timberline please send us the filled in Registration form by 4th August 2003. Note it is important to make your reservations through us since Timberline Lodge is usually fully booked. Do not count on getting a room after the deadline.