Getting started

SCION_GETTING_STARTED.md

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+# Getting started with SCION
+
+SCION is a new routing protocol for the internet. It uses "paths", which are attached to each
+packet, to predetermine the route a packet takes. Advantages include:
+
+* Ability to select routes following user defined properties, such as fastest (low latency and/or
+  high bandwidth), cheapest, lowest CO2, safest (avoid geographic regions, multipath), ...
+* Failure resilience: fast recovery after link failures.
+* Heterogeneous trust. SCION allows independent trust roots, e.g. for certificates.
+
+## References
+
+* [SCION foundation] (https://scion.org)
+* [SCION documentation] (https://docs.scion.org/en/latest/overview.html)
+* [SCION projects] (https://github.com/scionproto/awesome-scion)
+
+## SCION Networks
+
+There are different types of networks available.
+
+* **"Production network"**/**"Public SCION network"**: This is the world wide SCION network, it is
+  "part" of the public internet.
+* **"ScionLab"**: [ScionLab](https://www.scionlab.org/) is a world wide **testing** network. This is
+  an overlay network which means:
+    * Good: It can be accessed from anywhere with a normal internet connection.
+    * Good: You can set up your own AS.
+    * Bad: Unlike the real SCION network, ScionLab often provides only a single path to any given
+      destination.
+    * Bad: Its performance is likely worse than normal internet.
+* **"Local topologies"**: The [scionproto](https://github.com/scionproto/scion) library contains
+  everything required to use SCION.
+  For testing, it also contains a system to run local network topologies, however these local
+  topologies cannot be connected to any public network.
+* **"Private networks"**, such as the
+  [SSFN](https://www.six-group.com/en/products-services/banking-services/ssfn.html),
+  can be used to connect one or more institutions in private networks without public access.
+
+## How do I connect to SCION?
+
+To use SCION, you need *software that uses it* (for
+example [here](https://github.com/scionproto/awesome-scion)) and an *internet connection that
+is SCION enabled*.
+
+* [List of ISDs and ASes with SCION connectivity](https://docs.anapaya.net/en/latest/resources/isd-as-assignments/#as-assignments)
+* Check if your ISP has SCION, for example [here](https://haveiscion.ddns.net) (click "Test your
+  network"). If you are at an institution (e.g. University) that is connected to the GEANT network,
+  then you may already have SCION connectivity or it should at least be easy for the institution to
+  set it up.
+* Cloud providers, such as AWS, offer instances with
+  [SCION connectivity](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/alps/connecting-scion-networks-to-aws-environments/)
+
+## Key terminology
+
+* **AS** (Autonomous System). These already
+  [exist in the current internet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_system_(Internet)).
+  For example, majors ISP (internet service providers) usually form one or more ASes.
+* **ISD** (Isolation domain). These are groups of ASes that share "trust", e.g. have a common CA.
+  For
+  example, the country of Switzerland has one ISD for their public internet.
+  Another example for an ISD is [GEANT](https://geant.org/), a world wide network of universities
+  and research institutions.
+* **ScionLab**. A world wide SCION test network. Not to be confused with the real SCION network.
+  ScionLab is good for testing applications, but is likely to perform much worse than the real
+  SCION network. It is *not* connected to the public SCION network.
+
+
+
+