Introduction:

We often have customers asking us to price up two seemingly separate connections to the same location in an attempt to offer resilience. While this can seem a good idea, it may not always be as resilient as you may think.

In the UK Openreach provides a lot of the network infrastructure to service providers, with varying levels of support and management. As a result you often find prices can vary from provider to provider.  A budget connection may not come backed with the same level of support or same options for resilience as a premium grade service.

In this post, we will explore how an Openreach Resilience Option 2 (RO2 formerly known as RAO2) delivered by the same provider, can offer distinct advantages over the traditional approach of relying on two different providers that may be going to the same local Exchange and or Point of Presence (PoP).

Understanding RA02 Resilient Internet Circuits:

Unlike “carrier resilient” setups, where businesses opt for two different providers to enhance redundancy –  RO2 focuses on providing resilience through guaranteed diverse routing, diverse local exchanges, as well as Core POP (Point of Presence) separacy, all under the same provider umbrella.

Diverse Routing for Enhanced Reliability:

One of the key advantages of an RO2 circuit is its implementation of diverse routing paths. During the planning stages, an RO2 pairs route can be planned from the customer premises.

Diverse routing ensures that data travels along multiple, physically separate paths to reach its destination. In the event of a network disruption or failure on one path, traffic can seamlessly reroute via an alternative path, minimising downtime and ensuring uninterrupted connectivity.

In many cases, a scenario where two different providers are utilised for redundancy, there will likely be elements of shared underlying infrastructure on the same physical routes, leaving the network vulnerable to common points of failure. 

With RO2, the emphasis on diverse routing provides a higher level of resiliency, reducing the risk of a single point of failure affecting both paths:

Think of it like this – if two motorbikes taking a rare blood type to a hospital are travelling down the same road, they could potentially both run into delays due to roadworks or a crash.

If the bikes take two completely different roads, the chances of hitting the same problems at the same time are greatly reduced. Route 2 may be further, running via a different town, but this can improve the likelihood of not encountering the same hiccups that could occur on route 1, ensuring the important package gets to the destination on time.

DIY and Dual Provider Approach

The info below is from an Openreach document and explains how a DIY or Dual Provider approach may sound appealing, but may not provide the level of resilience you think.

Different resilience strategies

DIY approach – A do-it-yourself approach might sound attractive, but in reality it rarely creates true resilience. There are several reasons for this. • You can’t ask for two independent, single access circuits to be provided separately or with diverse local routing. Openreach always delivers both using the shortest and simplest route to the site, so they’d share the same routing. Even if you offered to pay for a new route, this wouldn’t be supported. To get diversity between two circuits, they must be ordered as a dual-circuit package, referred to by Openreach as Resilient Option 2 (RO2). • Even if it’s possible to request for two single, individual circuits to be routed to different access nodes with a provider, this is not creating true resilience. The circuits would still share the same local site routing and ducting, for instance. And although the access nodes in the network for the service itself might be different to one another, the circuits will likely route through the same local serving exchange to get onto the network in the first place.

This approach is unlikely to provide an end-to-end resilience solution.

The dual-provider approach – Another alternative is to try and have two circuits from different service providers and networks. • The idea is that this would offer you full diversity, even in the event of the total failure of one provider’s network and platform. It’s common to consider one circuit delivered by Openreach and one by another service provider with their own network infrastructure. Although this might initially sound like a good idea, the routing of those circuits may be far from the resilient solution you want. • For instance, if only a single circuit is being ordered from Openreach, they’ll only install it via the main route into your site. So it’s likely to share the same route into your site as the other provider’s circuit. Openreach won’t create a separate route unless it’s ordered as part of an RO2 dual-circuit package. • Different providers might have different access nodes and exchanges. Or it might be possible to manually select an alternative exchange location for one of the circuits. However, this is unlikely to create any separation at the network level. The routing might share a pinch point via your same local serving exchange, or once it hits a provider’s network and platform, several parts of the routing might be shared.

Again, this option won’t offer you true end-to-end resilience.

Core POP Separacy for Added Resilience and Security:

The concept of Core POP separacy is another crucial aspect that sets RA02 apart. Core POP separacy involves maintaining independent Points of Presence at the core level of the network infrastructure. This ensures that even if there is an issue or outage at one Core POP, the other remains operational, offering a level of redundancy that surpasses the traditional model of relying on two different providers sharing the same POP.

When employing two different providers to the same PoP/Exchange, businesses may face challenges associated with shared infrastructure, equipment, or points of failure. RO2’s approach to Core POP separacy adds an extra layer of security by maintaining distinct core points, mitigating the risk of a simultaneous failure at both locations.

You will usually find that the cost of the secondary link incorporates additional distance based charges, as it will need to go to an alternative POP, to the main link, which may be further away. 

There may sometimes be 2 x different local POPs that are the same distance away, but in different directions, but it is always advisable to check so that you do not fall into the false sense of security assuming they are fed from different local exchanges AND different CORE PoPs. Having diversely routed services to different local exchanges but ultimately from one main core PoP, also adds a single point of failure. 

Conclusion:

In the quest for resilient and dependable internet connectivity, RO2 delivered circuits provide a belts and braces solution. By ensuring diverse routing and Core POP separacy within a single provider, businesses can enjoy enhanced reliability and security without the complexities and potential pitfalls associated with relying on two different providers. 

As the digital landscape continues to evolve RO2 stands as a testament to the importance of proactive and innovative approaches to meet the growing demands for robust internet connectivity.

If you would like to talk to HM Network about internet, wide area network or resilience needs please contact us via www.hm-network.com/contact