[28170] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: Peering Table Question
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jeff Barrows)
Wed Apr 19 11:22:36 2000
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 11:19:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jeff Barrows <jsb@UU.NET>
To: Jeff Lentz <jeff@sbtek.net>
Cc: nanog@nanog.org
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.10.10004191031390.7691-100000@preg.org>
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One shouldn't necessarily believe any third-party web
pages, documents, articles, or verbal statements about
which networks any given network is peered with.
Though I have seen many articles, web pages, and other
tables that detail which networks are 'peering,' I
have never seen an accurate representation of this
type of data from a third party.
It is difficult for a shared-medium (or direct) exchange
point operator to keep this type of information up-to-date
and accurate. ...and, more importantly, many of their
customers consider this type of information confidential.
To further complicate matters, many networks out there
are mis-representing themselves as [cost-free-] peering
with other networks when they are actually customers, or
in some type of 'settlement' arrangement.
As for your second question about the locations that
networks interconnect, many networks consider this
information sensitive as well-- though during your
conversations with them, they will typically exchange
that data with you-- though probably under a mutual
NDA. Some choose to peer in locations where it is
the most cost-effective between the two networks,
while others peer in a smaller set of locations that
make sense from a network hierarchy/topology perspective.
The decision about whether to peer with a given network
privately/directly versus at a public exchange point
is often based on the amount of traffic to be exchanged,
the network coverage area, and other such criteria.
With a bit of knowledge, tools, routing table vantage
points, and time, you should be able to find out most
of what you want to know on your own.
You might start by asking the operators of the exchange
points (where you intend to connect) who their current
customers are-- then you can contact those networks
individually. Some exchange points will give you an
"I want to peer with you" form and a list of e-mail
addresses, so that you can mass-request.
Don't get cook'ed by the wealth of misinformation out
there.
- jsb
--
Jeff Barrows
Director, Internetwork Engineering
UUNET, an MCI-Worldcom Company
> Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 09:20:03 -0500
> From: Jeff Lentz <jeff@sbtek.net>
> To: nanog@nanog.org
> Subject: Peering Table Question
>
>
> I apologize if this question is not relevant to your discussions, but
> Susan Harris, e-mail address srh@merit.edu, suggested that I ask it
> here...
>
> The peering table that appears on the London Internet Exchange web site
> www.linx.net/peering.html...... is this something that can be generated
> for different peering locations? Also with this information would it
> be
> possible to create a table that lists companies and the cities that
> they
> are peering in? Any insight would be of great help to me thank you.
>
> Once again any advice on how or where to obtain this info would be of
> great benefit to me. Thanks
>
> Jeff Lentz
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
