Decoupling Distributed Systems from IP Networks Take a trip with Derek Collison into the history of distributed systems, the good and the bad, and now how to move forward.

1. Time to Think Different:
Decoupling distributed systems from
IP networks
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Derek Collison / @derekcollison
Founder and CEO at Synadia
๏ Creator of NATS
๏ Founder and Former CEO at Apcera
๏ CTO, Chief Architect at VMware
๏ Architected CloudFoundry
๏ Technical Director at Google
๏ SVP and Chief Architect at TIBCO

3. Think Different

4. Distributed Systems

5. “A distributed system is one that prevents you
from working because of the failure of a machine
that you had never heard of.”
Leslie Lamport

6. How did we get here?

7. Distributed Systems History
1. We created this problem
2. There used to be just one computer
3. Security was a guard that was posted, sometimes
4. Want to do more, buy a faster machine

8. Networks

9. Network Protocols

10. IP Won

11. TCP/IP Won

12. IP Networks
1. Based on network addressing and routing
2. Network elements can route packets
3. Used to be NO network elements but NICs
4. Now, lots of network elements - try traceroute!

13. IP Networks
1. Mostly 1:1 (src -> dst)
2. But could do broadcast, kindof
3. Could do select broadcast, e.g. multicast, kindof
4. Management and admin nightmare
5. So mostly 1:1 via TCP/IP, clouds don’t support 1:N

14. Ports?

15. Oh yea, Ports..

16. IP Ports
1. 2 bytes - max 65k per src addr
2. Allows multiple “apps” on a single “machine”
3. Defined scale problems with Web Scale 🤔
4. Defined the Firewall era (punch a hole!)
5. Ports == app, e.g. 22, 80, 443, 4222
6. Why is everything HTTP(S)? 😏

17. Numbers Suck!

18. Thought too small
too!

19. IPv4 vs IPv6

20. You know your BF’s
Phone number?

21. DNS

22. ��

23. When in Doubt...

24. Always Blame DNS

25. ��

26. DNS
1. Generally does not include the port
2. Generally is not secured
3. Can be compromised easily, e.g. hotels, GoGo
4. Can be hard to register new hostname

27. Detour

28. Modern Software Systems
1. Decomposable software
2. Services and Streams to Connect
3. Platform technology is maturing
4. Compute and Storage are ubiquitous, but can $$
5. Machine -> VM -> Container -> Serverless -> ????
6. Systems Arch still important, but being forgot

29. What About?

30. Security?

31. Trust?

32. Cryptography

33. Cryptography
1. Symmetric
2. Asymmetric or PKI
3. Both - Diffie Hellman
4. Prime Based -> Elliptic Curve
5. Encrypted Communications, Authenticated, a bit.
6. X509 certificates - TLS, SSL, HTTPS

34. x509
1. Public Key Certificates - PKI
2. Chains of trust (or self signed)
3. A way to trust who you are speaking to
4. Mostly one way
5. Cumbersome, painful, surprising!

35. Thank You!
Let’s Encrypt

36. Summary

37. Summary
1. Communications over IP networks
2. DNS converts name to IP, but not a port
3. Apps bind to a port, but mostly HTTPS
4. Moderns software systems lots of moving parts
5. They use TLS for encryption and some identity
6. Based off a name, returned as IP from DNS
7. And everything is moving and changing

38. Houston..

39. We need our own
Tesla Moment

40. Stop making things
more complicated

41. Think Different

42. Think different
1. Do not use IP for addressing/discovery and comms
2. Do not depend on DNS to get the right IP
3. PKI is good, passwords bad. Lose them!
4. Don’t restrict to 1:1 communications
5. Don’t force everything through HTTP(S)
6. Allow scalable Services and Streams, same tech
7. Secure by default, decentralized by design

44. NATS
1. Based on routing of subjects (topics) not IP
2. Message based, not packet
3. Can do Services and Streams
4. Can do N:M, and queue delivery, not just 1:1
5. Secure and isolated, decentralized by design
6. A Simple, Lightweight, Self Healing System
7. Simple things are Simple, Hard is Possible

45. Example

46. NATS Slack
1. Decentralized, no central control or SPOF
2. Secure by default
3. Can run anywhere, on any cloud, platform, or geo
4. Verify messages and users
5. Channels and DMs, DMs private
6. Lightweight
7. Extensible - Your homework

47. We built a demo

48. And its OpenSource!

49. docker run -ti --rm synadia/oscon

50. github.com
ConnectEverything/oscon2019

51. DEMO

52. Thank You!

53. Please Rate this Session
https://conferences.oreilly.com/oscon/oscon-or/public/schedule/detail/75998