global BGP instability

Tue Feb 19 15:43:28 UTC 2002

> Several providers announced scheduled maintenance last week.
> UUNET/Worldcom listed 60+ different cities in its maintenance
> announcement  for Tuesday 2/19, and more on Thursday.  Abovenet
> said they would be upgrading some of their routers on Monday 2/18
> and Tuesday 2/19.  Sprint had a few maintenance items scheduled
> for Tuesday.  It wouldn't surprise me if other providers had
> also scheduled maintenance for Tuesday morning.
> 
> There doesn't seem to much variation in the total BGP announcements,
> average latency or packet losses, so I don't think it was someone
> tickling lots of BGP routers.

Thanks to all who responded.  It looks very much as if this surge 
corresponds precisely with one of the above-mentioned maintenance windows 
(further this deponent sayeth not).   If you own enough routers, 
and tickle enough of them at once, you can cause quite a stir.   --jim 