The Gorgon's Knot. Was: Re: Verio Peering Question

Sat Sep 29 01:12:02 UTC 2001

On Fri, 28 Sep 2001, Sean M. Doran wrote:

> Because some of them, unlike you, understood (or at least were told)
> that we DID need the filter, otherwise the Internet would start
> becoming too expensive to continue growing.
>
> The entire Internet, not just Sprintlink.

Other providers never adopted filters, Sprint has since dropped its
filters.  The Internet is still growing.

It even continued to grow faster because Sprint couldn't control its
own route announcements.

> similar filters got installed.  Blame Sprint's then-competition
> for being too stupid to protect their market share (and incidentally
> simultaneously act altruistically!).

Its difficult to view the act as altruistic, when in the face of
impending  doom, it continued to spew forth as many different routes
as it did.  But perhaps we didn't recognize the behavior as a cry
for help. Much like and addict, it couldn't stop itself from prostituting
itself while at the same time criticizing other providers for the same
behaivor.  Many a politician and religious leader has condemned the
sinner, only to be found in bed with the sinner themselves.

A hypocritic condemns others for what he does himself.

If you really believed the Internet was facing immenient doom, why
not also save it by also filtering the outbound announcements.  Why
engage in the very behaivor your condemnded?

Its not that difficult to apply the same filter on both the inbound
and outbound route announcements.  I'm sure someone on this list
can post the appropriate Cisco and Juniper configs if you don't
have them.