[1762] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Policy routing end-user support
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Sean Donelan)
Tue Dec 17 08:56:46 1991
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1991 7:54:51 CST
From: SEAN@SDG.DRA.COM (Sean Donelan)
To: com-priv@psi.com
X-Vmsmail-To: SMTP%"com-priv@psi.com"
>Hi. I've placed a file describing the filtering restrictions on
>merit.edu, pub/nsfnet/restricted. This currently only lists
>the Dialog network, as I am nearly positive that NSFNET and
>ANSNET do no other filtering. This will also be available on
>nis.nsf.net at some point (those mainframes mystify me). I hope
>this helps.
Depends on what you mean by restricted. There are tons of IP network
numbers that have been assigned by the NIC (or the INA) that don't appear
in the NSFNET routing database. As long as the ANS routing database is
separate from the NSF routing databases I would consider this just one
more network not reachable from the NSFNET backbone. If ANS is sharing
NSF's routing databases that is a different problem. I assume that if
the routing tables run out of room again, NSF routes will be given priority.
For example, DRANET [150.148.0.0] is our backbone connecting a couple of
dozen public libraries around the country for such non-NSF AUP compliant
purposes as connecting to for-pay databases by the public, and sending
book orders. That network number doesn't appear in the NSFNET routing
databases, so it appears unreachable to anything relying on the NSFNET
backbone for routing. I'm sure there are plenty of other IP networks
only accessible from certain connected networks for reasons other than
the NSF AUP (military, industrial, experimental, etc.).
This isn't a new problem, the Internet has been segmented for years. We
can battle on what it means to be "connected" to the "Internet" but that
doesn't seem very valuable. Just state the simple case. DIALOG isn't
connected to the NSFNET, it is connected to ANSNET. While there is
overlap, they aren't synonymous.
--
Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO
Domain: sean@sdg.dra.com, Voice: (Work) +1 314-432-1100
