Peering versus Transit

Mon Sep 30 00:51:11 UTC 1996

  Hello,

> > You mean that if I have data to go to Sprint, typically a Sprint customer
> > who has requested said data, that I'm not supposed to route it to Sprint
> > unless *I* have some agreement with Sprint?!?
> 
> It scares me to see this question on this list.

  Aiyee.

  Let us imagine, if we will, a truck.  This truck has a rather odd
  reddish-orange circle-ish emblem, and the letters S-P-R-I-N-T on
  it.

  You notice inside a cellular phone.

  By what logic would you use the cellular phone for a personal
  call to a chap who happens to have Sprint as an LD provider?

  And by what logic would you send packets to a node you aren't
  "authorized" to?

  Silly analogies often provoke interesting defenses.... :-)

  * _Peering_ means that A and B agree to exchange routes and traffic
  for a certain set of  customers/dependants of A and B.

  * _Transit_ means that A agrees to takes B's packets and get them to
  their destination (regardless of where it is) and that A will
  accept/advertise traffic/routes for B.

  * _Stealing_ is when B uses A's resources without permission or
  agreement.

  At least, that's what I understand....

  -alan