1.
Burning Man
Scaling an extreme
temporary event
network
Matt Peterson
matt@burningman.com
Matt Peterson

2.
Terry Ratcliff
Reuters/Jim Urquhart
Black Rock City, NV
duncan.co

3.
2 01 4 B ur n i ng M an IP N etwo r k
Team I.T.S. is Backbone, Camera Girl, Cat, Domo, Huckleberry,
Little Meat, MattStep, Mushroom, Prof. Fox, PornStar, Ralf,
Reset, Sawdust, Spank Me, Taz, Whiskey Devil, and Wild Card
gw-noc
lo0 - 162.212.145.252
Primary
Cost 100
Tertiary
Cost 400
Secondary
Cost 150
Channel 5
TX 11.385GHz
RX 10.895GHz
gw-depot
lo0 - 162.212.145.254
Channel 2
TX 11.265GHz
RX 10.775GHz
Secondary
Cost 150
Channel 150
5.750GHz
Channel 140
TX 5.700GHz
RX 5.750GHz
dw-tower-noc
port1 - 162.212.144.26
dw-noc-tower
port1 - 162.212.144.27
High Desert
Internet
dw-tower-depot
port1 - 162.212.144.10
dw-depot-tower
port1 - 162.212.144.11
dw-noc-depot
port1 - 162.212.144.75
dw-depot-noc
port1 - 162.212.144.74
ap-tower
br0.2 - 162.212.144.2
st-noc-tower
br0.6 - 162.212.144.34
Poito Eagle Ridge
st-depot-tower
br0.4 - 162.212.144.18
ge0/3 - 162.212.144.25 ge0/2 - 162.212.144.9
Primary
Cost 100
Tertiary
Cost 400
m a t t @ b u r n i n g m a n . c o m 2 0 1 4 - 1 0 - 0 2 1 8 : 1 0
Channel 5
TX 10.895GHz
RX 11.385GHz
Channel 2
TX 10.775GHz
RX 11.265GHz
Channel 1
TX 17.765GHz
RX 19.325GHz
Channel 1
TX 19.325GHz
RX 17.765GHz
sw-noc2
vl7 - 162.212.144.123
sw-noc1
vl7 - 162.212.144.122
v94 - NOC LAN
v111 - First Camp
v114 - Media Mecca
v115 - NOC Inside
v121 - Webcast
v94 - NOC LAN
v103 - Artery
v210 - Digerati & Devas
ap-noc2
br0.25 - 162.212.144.146
ap-noc10
br0.25 - 162.212.144.149
ap-noc7
br0.25 - 162.212.144.148
sw-depot
vl8 - 162.212.144.130
Channel 6
2.437GHz
apb-noc-local
br0 - 100.96.94.2
Channel 1
2.412GHz
apb-depot-local
br0 - 100.96.91.2
Channel 1
2.412GHz
apb-noc1-inside
br0 - 100.96.115.2
v122 - OC1/West Wing
Radio Frequency
UTP Ethernet
Licensed
Unlicensed
OSPF weight
Transit
Channel 147
5.735GHz
Channel 153
5.765GHz
Channel 151
5.755GHz
Channel 157
5.785GHz
apa-noc
br0.33 - 162.212.145.35
Channel 165
5.825GHz
v91 - Depot, Logistics
st-light-depot
br0.17 - 162.212.144.210
st-light-noc
br0.27 - 162.212.144.202
st-airport
br0.101 - 100.96.101.2
v107 - Commissary Office
v113 - Laminates
v125 - Big Office
v126 - Human Resources
v127 - Container Office
gw-light
lo0 - 162.212.145.248
v100 - Accounting
v197 - Commissary Public
v215 - GPE Camp
v221 - Ticketfly
v224 - Boob
sw-commissary
mgmt.34 - 162.212.146.142
ap-depot-omni
br0.10 - 162.212.144.66
Channel 163
5.815GHz
Channel 11
2.462GHz
apb-commissary-local
br0 - 100.96.107.2
st-poopdudes
br0.216 - 100.96.216.2
st-quad4-depot
br0.15 - 162.212.144.106
st-quad4-noc
br0.23 - 162.212.144.170
v104 - BMIR
v108 - DMV
v120 - Ranger HQ
gw-quad4
lo0 - 162.212.145.249
v118 - Playa Info
v120 - Ranger HQ
sw-quad4
mgmt.35 - 162.212.146.130
Channel 6
2.437GHz
apb-quad4-local
br0 - 100.96.95.2
st-cafe
br0.216 - 100.96.216.2
Channel 11
2.462GHz
apb-cafe-local
br0 - 100.96.106.3
st-pgepoint1
br0.117 - 100.96.117.2
Channel 6
2.437GHz
apb-pgepoint1
br0 - 100.96.117.4
st-ghetto
br0.211 - 100.96.211.2
Channel 1
2.412GHz
apb-ghetto-local
br0 - 100.96.211.3
br0.22 - 162.212.144.162
gw-esd
st-esd-depot
br0.14 - 162.212.144.98
st-esd-noc
lo0 - 162.212.145.253
v20 - ESD Comm.
v111 - Incident Comm. Post
st-box-depot
br0.13 - 162.212.144.90
st-box-noc
br0.21 - 162.212.144.154
gw-box
lo0 - 162.212.145.250
v105 - Box Office
v116 - GPE
st-power-depot
br0.18 - 162.212.144.218
st-power-noc
br0.28 - 162.212.144.226
gw-power
lo0 - 162.212.145.247
v119 - Power Camp
Channel 11
2.462GHz
apb-power-local
br0 - 100.96.97.2
st-heavy-depot
br0.16 - 162.212.144.114
st-heavy-noc
br0.24 - 162.212.144.178
gw-heavy
lo0 - 162.212.145.251
v96 - Heavy Camp
v109 - HGH "Rampart"
v112 - Heavy Office
Channel 6
2.437GHz
apb-heavy-local
br0 - 100.96.96.2
st-esdstation9
br0.130 - 100.96.130.2
st-esdstation3
br0.129 - 100.96.129.2
ap-noc5
br0.25 - 162.212.144.147
ap-depot-sector
br0.10 - 162.212.144.67
Channel 153
5.795GHz
Channel 6
2.437GHz
apb-depot-dispatch
br0 - 100.96.91.3

4.
Where We Started
• The network worked, but it wasn’t easy
– Large L2 bridged architecture, minimal L3
segmentation, multiple NAT layers
– Two distinct “business units”
– Manual configuration, “tribal knowledge”
– Numerous single points of failure

5.
Where We Went
• Needed to operate as a unified team
– Consistent support experience, improved RF
spectral efficiency, coordinated IP allocations
• Standardized COTS equipment
– “CCIE off the street” factor, escalation path
• Standardized service offerings
– Org department handoff’s always wired gigE; as
aggregated “islands” or single demarc
– Participant camps supply very prescriptive
equipment, “self-install” provisioning

6.
Where We Went
• Route, always
– No L2 segments past a single device
– OSPF everywhere, core backbone & “islands”
– Segment where possible, even over WiFi
• Automation
– Initially covering all routers & switches
– Target goal to cover any device with a config or
supplemental service (DNS, monitoring)

7.
Automation!
• Held bakeoff (mid 2011 evaluation)
– Homegrown YAML  config templates
– Prototyped NCG (see NANOG49 Tutorial
“Automating Network Configuration”)
• NCG won (3 yrs ago)
– Open source, vendor agnostic
– Initial steep curve, very easy to embrace
– Principal developer already a team member

8.
Actual git example

9.
Summary Overview
• {Automation} data modeling isn’t easy
– Imagine all your inputs & outputs (device configs,
DNS, monitoring, billing, etc.)
• Single source of truth
– Git, a wiki, fancy IPAM: choose what fits your
organization’s workflow, stress level, & budget
• Start at L8 and L1, meet in the middle
– People + physical layer = organic processes
– End goal is to be efficient, not become a SW dev

10.
More.. unconference?
Matt Peterson
matt@burningman.com