RE: What Worked - What Didn't

["Daniel Golding" <dgolding () sockeye com>]

The big lessons seem to be these...

1) The Internet, as currently constituted makes a lousy news propagation
method, for large audiences. The one to many model in unicast IP puts too
large of a load on the source. Good multicast (which we don't have yet) may
fix this. Until that happens, the TV is still a better broadcast news
medium. Mechanisms like Akamai's Edgesuite are a pretty good solution until
that occurs, as they distribute the load pattern, from a "one to many" to a
"many to many" model.

2) The Internet is superior to circuit switched services for one to one
communications during this sort of condition. Fast busies were the order of
the day in NYC and DC for the PSTN and cell phone networks. Instant
Messanger services, IRC and email were more reliable than the telephone
network by several orders of magnitude.

3) Since the transient from normal conditions was server-limited, there were
not any significant network congestion issues. The next time a major event
like this happens (and, of course, there will be a next time), news sites
may be better prepared, which could cause the next transient from normal
conditions to be network-limited.

The big winners were cable TV, email, packet networks and IM applications.
The big losers with cell phones, circuit switching, PSTN, non-akamized news
sites.

(My apologies if this post if perceived to be on-topic, operational, or has
anything to do with internetworking. We will now return to our regularly
scheduled, off-topic posts)

- Daniel Golding
  Sockeye Networks

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nanog () merit edu [mailto:owner-nanog () merit edu]On Behalf Of
Marshall Eubanks
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 1:17 PM
To: Sean Donelan
Cc: nanog () merit edu
Subject: Re: What Worked - What Didn't



Sean Donelan wrote:

> As the New York Stock market re-opens, and some things are returning
> to normal, I'd like to look at how well the Internet performed last
> week.
>
> At the Oakland NANOG I'd like to give a presentation about what worked,
> and what didn't work during the last week in regards to the Internet.  I
> would like to gather what details I can from both small and large
> providers in New York, the rest of the USA, and even overseas about
> what they saw, what problems they experienced, and what things worked.
>
> You can send me private mail if you wish, with or without attribution.
> This is a personal effort, not assocated with my employer.
>
> Oakland NANOG is several weeks away, so I don't expect an immediate
> response.  I expect many ISPs will be conducting their own internal
> reviews.  But if you could, please consider responding.  I'm looking
> for input from small, medium and large providers. Thank you.
>
> A few questions, all related to the time between Sept 11 and 17:
>
>  1. Briefly tell me who you are, and generally where your operations
>     were located?
>
>  2. What worked?
>
>  3. What didn't work?
>
>  4. Did you activate your emergency response plan?
>
>  5. Were you required to do anything different operationally?  Did you
>     make preventive operational changes?
>
>  6. Were any infrastructure administration functions impaired, such
>     as DNS registration, routing registry, address delegation?
>
>  7. Were you able to communicate NOC-to-NOC when needed?
>
>  8. Were any means of communications nonfunctional or impaired (direct
>     dial telephone, toll-free telephone, pager, e-mail, fax) when you
>     attempted to communicate with other NOC's?
>
>  9. Did you ask for or receive a request for mutual aid from any other
>     providers?  Was it provided?
>
> 10. Within the limits of safety and rescue efforts, where you able to
>     gain access to your physical facilities?
>
> 11. Did hoaxes or rumors impact your operations?
>
> 12. Do you have any recommendations how Internet providers could have
>     responded differently?

Sean;

   Multicasting worked. It handled a big traffic spike without a hiccup.


                                 Regards
                                 Marshall Eubanks



T.M. Eubanks
Multicast Technologies, Inc
10301 Democracy Lane, Suite 410
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Phone : 703-293-9624       Fax     : 703-293-9609
e-mail : tme () multicasttech com
http://www.on-the-i.com

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