Anapaya Knowledge Base

Welcome to the Anapaya Knowledge Base. Here you can find technical information about the Anapaya EDGE, CORE and GATE products. Refer to the index on the left to jump to the desired topic or use the search function to search the entire knowledge base for specific search terms.

The Anapaya EDGE, CORE and GATE product lines together are designed to enable the deployment and operations of a SCION-based Internet. The CORE product is used by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide the core functionality and the backbone of the SCION Internet, while the EDGE product enables the use of the SCION Internet by transparently encapsulating IP-based traffic into SCION-based traffic (IP-in-SCION Tunneling) and ensuring optimal usage of the SCION Internet by choosing optimal network paths through SCION’s path control and multipath capabilities. The GATE product is used by service providers to provide SCION connectivity to their residential customers. It runs in the backbone of an ISP but provides similar functionality as the EDGE product.

On a technical level, the CORE, EDGE and GATE products are implemented as network appliances - both physical and virtual - that can be deployed in existing network infrastructures. One or multiple CORE and/or EDGE appliances together implement a SCION Autonomous System (SCION AS) - the basic unit of the SCION Internet. Each appliance contains a SCION control plane module (control service) and a SCION data plane module (router). The control service takes part in the SCION control plane that creates and disseminates SCION path information, and the router processes and forwards SCION packets according to the path information included in the packet header. Additionally, an EDGE appliance contains an IP-in-SCION tunneling module that encapsulates IP-based traffic into SCION-based traffic. A GATE appliance only contains the IP-in-SCION tunneling module but no control plane or data plane modules.

Given that the Anapaya CORE and EDGE network appliances are similar in their functionality and building blocks, the following sections will commonly refer to them as the appliance or Anapaya appliance. Where appropriate, the text indicates the differences between the two versions.