Re: Encyclopedia Britannica willing to host HTML FAQs

mathew (mathew@mantis.co.uk)
Tue, 05 Apr 1994 18:33:02 +0100

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Next message: Larry W. Virden, x2487: "FYI - from comp.newprod"

In message <199403301839.NAA14094@soccer.cis.ohio-state.edu>,
Thomas A Fine writes:
>>> Unfortunately, Tom Fine's archive is only accessible to people who have
>>> NSFNET routeing -- which excludes many commercial sites.
>
>I also had no idea until I was pointed at this discussion. And I must
>confess to a gap in my Net guru-ness. Can anyone explain to me why/how
>this can be? I was under the impression that all ip addresses can talk
>to all other ip addresses. Is there anything we can do about it?

It's a political problem. Certain IP service providers are unhappy
about allowing the traffic of other service providers to move across
their networks. Also, policy differs with regard to acceptable
traffic.

When we obtained IP connectivity from PIPEX, we got access to all
sites which were attached via Internet links provided by service
providers who are members of CIX, the Commercial Internet eXchange.
We had no way of reaching NSFNET sites, and they had no way of
reaching us, unless they also had a non-NSFNET connection to the
Internet. Mail worked, though, as pipex.net acted as a secondary MX
for us, and was NSFNET-accessible.

We could have lived without NSFNET access, as the only thing I really
missed was not being able to download pretty pictures from NASA.
However, people at some .edu sites in the US complained about not being
able to reach us, so we asked NSFNET to enable traffic to and from us
across the NSFNET.

The process basically entailed filling in a questionnaire, answering
questions like "Is your site commercial?", "What do you intend to
provide which is of benefit to the NSFNET?", and so on. They decided
(after a couple of weeks) to approve of our being accessible. Hence
you can now get to www.mantis.co.uk, and so on, and I can download
pictures of Mars.

There are at least three ways to improve matters.

1. Get NSFNET to change their routeing policy. Fat chance.
2. Set up a mirror of your archive.
3. Get your site connected by some means other than NSFNET.
This is what many .edu sites have done.

mathew
[ Apologies if other people have already explained all this, I've been
away for a few days. ]

Next message: Larry W. Virden, x2487: "FYI - from comp.newprod"

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