wet-behind-the-ears whippersnapper seeking advice on building a nationwide network

Tue Sep 20 20:13:57 UTC 2011

On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 4:05 PM, Patrick W. Gilmore <patrick at ianai.net>wrote:

> On Sep 20, 2011, at 3:18 PM, Chris Adams wrote:
> >  Once upon a time, Patrick W. Gilmore <patrick at ianai.net> said:
> >> In the way that you are apparently incapable of reading what was
> written.  Jon very clearly states that if the GRE tunnel goes over the same
> physical infrastructure, it is not multihoming.  Then you go on to explain
> how you have two physical lines.
> >
> > Devil's advocate: if you have links to two carriers, but they are
> > delivered via the same LEC on the same fiber, are you multihomed?  What
> > about if you have two LECs at your facility, but the two circuits share
> > a common path elsewhere (outside of your knowledge)?
>
> Fair question.
>
> As a customer, if your two transit circuits are in the same conduit, I do
> not consider that redundant.
>
> However, I believe the spirit of the NRPM is clear.  Two circuits in the
> same conduit would qualify, one circuit with two BGP sessions does not.
>
> As has been famously and repeatedly mentioned here and just about
> everywhere else John is subscribed, ARIN is a VERY open organization.  If
> you disagree with the NRPM, or even with an interpretation of it, feel free
> to offer up new language that would better fit your view.  If the community
> agrees, POOF!, you have a new rule.
>
>  Ok, I would propose something like:

"full time connection to two or more providers" should be satisfied when the
network involved has (or has contracted for and will have) two or more
connections that are diverse from each other at ANY point in their path
between the end network location or locations and the far end BGP peers,
whether or not the two or more connections are exposed to one or more common
points of failure, as long as their are any failure modes for which one
connection can provide protection against that failure mode somewhere in the
other connection.

Whew :)

I am sure someone can say it better!

-Dorn