Peering points

Sean Donelan SEAN at SDG.DRA.COM
Tue Apr 1 20:21:02 UTC 1997


>You need to update your list BAD. We are connected to all but one of your
>NAPs listed. We wanted to be at Sprint-NAP 4 months ago, but they did not
>have the gigaswitch port, or the physical space for our hardware. Please do
>not put information about other provider up without checking it out first.

I guess everyone can see why CERFNET stopped updating their web page
about exchange point connections.

Sorry, I missed your pacbell nap connection.  It appeared down when
I pinged it earlier, but now it appears up.  I'll update my spreadsheet.
I figure people wouldn't be shy about correcting me.  I've also noticed
they haven't been as forthcoming when I listed a connection that isn't
100% operational.

Actually, I'm doing well so far.  The correction responses break down
like this, so far.
    2 AS number corrections
    1 non-operational connection listed as operational
    6 operational connection not listed (4 involving CIX/PAIX)

So far the most common response has concerned the CIX =/= PAIX problem.
When I set up my spreadsheet, there was only the 149.20 CIX network,
and that's what the spreadsheet is based on.  The CIX router at the PAIX
is also connected to the PAIX FDDI ring.  After some mail last night, I
looked at adding the PAIX side; but it quickly got very complicated.  There
are some people on the PAIX side which are peered with the CIX router,
and some that aren't.  But I can't tell just by pinging the network address.
Then I started getting mail asking why I hadn't included a variety of
the other 200+ exchange points that claim to be operating world-wide.

So the question becomes, if I do this again, how do I choose the six
(because I have limited resources, and no government grant money, and
can't get advertising dollars publishing an ISP directory) major, biggest,
most important,or just plain interesting exchange points in the world to
put the the spreadsheet.

Or is the entire thing irrelevant, because everyone is moving to private
bilateral connections.  And the important thing is how many providers
does someone peer, not how many exchange points they're connected to.
For the price of one Sprint-NAP connection, I can get several connections
to Canada.  And we have a lot more customers in Canada than at the
Sprint-NAP.  We already peer with everyone at the Sprint-NAP, or been
turned down by them elsewhere.  So one more exchange point doesn't buy
much.
-- 
Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO
  Affiliation given for identification not representation






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