(Note: Akamai used as a generic CDN name in the context of this email
and could be any CDN provider)
Context: regulatory filings where wireless carriers states that zero
rating of certain selected streaming music is done based on the "from
IP" in packets coming into its network.
When a content provider such as jf_music.com (fictitious) makes use of
one or more content distribution networks, does the "from IP" in packets
belong to the CDN, or to jf_music.com ? (if Akamai uses IPs provided by
jf_music, this has inteteresting routing questions).
If I setup such a service with Akamai, does Akamai provide me with an
authoritative list of IPs that will be generating my traffic in various
cities ? Are these IPs stable or would they typically change fairly
often as Akamai builds more nodes etc ?
And do various CDNs have very different implementations ?
And in fictitious case of jf_music.com hiring Akamai, would the Akamai
server(s) have a dedicated IP for jf_music in each city (or re-use same
IP via anycast) or would the CDN servers use the same IP address to
deliver multiple services from totally different content providers ?
(Considering BGP routing limits , I have to assume that routing of
individual IPs can't be done).
In the case of Akamai, for a standard streaming or HTTP service, the IP address is not dedicated to a single customer. Also, Akamai is not going to give you a list of IP addresses serving your content.
This is specific to Akamai, and for a general Akamai customer. Obviously anything _can_ be done with enough money and negotiation. (Also, neither of the two tidbits of info above is confidential or even difficult to find on the Internet.)
I am unsure how other CDNs handle these requests. I -suspect- it would be easier for other CDNs to guarantee certain content is always served from certain IP addresses.
As for who owns the IP address of the Akamai server, Akamai is very public about putting servers inside networks. It is called their AANP program. AANP servers are frequently numbered with the hosting ISP’s space. But an AANP node is not guaranteed to have the ISP’s IP space, and not all servers are in AANP nodes.
And in fictitious case of jf_music.com hiring Akamai, would the Akamai
server(s) have a dedicated IP for jf_music in each city (or re-use same
IP via anycast) or would the CDN servers use the same IP address to
deliver multiple services from totally different content providers ?
Generally the CDN provider would have a cluster of machines/IP's on each of
their locations that are reused by different customers and are probably
divided by service/content. They would probably be stable but can vary due
to service improvements or disruptions. As it was noted Akamai is putting
servers into the ISP's, I don't think that others like L3 or Limelight do
it (or seen evidence that they do).
