Bogon list
Sean M. Doran
smd at clock.org
Tue Jun 4 23:49:28 UTC 2002
| Messy traceroutes make the helpdesk phone ring.
Messy architecture is worse!
There's two ways to deal with the "messy traceroute problem":
1. looking glasses - use them to compare traceroutes,
point people at them, couple them with ample notes
on how to interpret the results of multiple traceroutes
launched from a variety of sources
utility & education leads to wisdom, and away from
"nuisance" phonecalls. everyone wins.
2. if you'd rather stem the tide of calls without
helping your users much, break traceroute.
a/ make it not work in practically all cases
on the grounds that the catharsis of its spurious
reputation as a powerful diagnostic tool is LONG overdue
b/ intercept low-ttl packets and return them with "better"
information
some MPLS people have documented ways to do this, even
it works, although if you do it some ways, you generate
media attention. check your nanog records
Basically, arguing that the routing system should carry around
even more information is backwards. It should carry less.
If IXes need numbers at all (why???) then use RFC 1918 addresses
and choose one of the approaches above to deal with questions
about why 1918 addresses result in "messy traceroutes."
Fewer routes, less address consumption, tastes great, less filling.
Sean.
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