PRDB Report Changes

Thu Apr 21 20:35:02 UTC 1994

FYI:  Reports from the Policy Routing DataBase (PRDB) will be changing in
the next days to reflect new PRDB funcitonality.

The most visible new feature today is the "UNCONFIGURE" flag.  This is a flag
that can be turned on for any network.  It has the effect of removing
that network from the AS690 configuration files, while keeping it in the
PRDB for registry and analysis purposes.  (Information about *all* nets
is also copied over to the new Merit Routing Registry every config run).

  whois <net> - has been updated to include a new "flags:" field.  
	Currently, the field is either empty or contains a message
	that the net "is not to be configured."  This syntax will
	become more elaborate later, as new features evolve.

  nets.unl.now - has just been updated to include four more fields.
	These fields have been added at the end of the current records,
	so, hopefully, current applications that use nets.unl.now will
	not break.  The definitions of the contents of these fields
	has not been finalized, but they will be used to present information
	about UNCONFIGURE status, Proxy Aggregation status, and Offnet
	information.  For now, field #14 contains an "N" for all nets
	that have the UNCONFIGURE bit set.

  nets.tag.now - will also have these new fields added.

  other reports (ans_core.now, corenets, and country.now) will not change,
	except that "UNCONFIGUREd" networks will no longer appear in them.

Metric:AS(NSS) - The long-awaited demise of "Fake ASs" is also soon to
happen.  As soon as next week you may the new "Metric:AS(NSS)" syntax in
all PRDB reports that include AS announcement lists.

--Dale