Re: DC fiber cut: field report

[owen () DeLong SJ CA US (Owen DeLong)]

> > As we left it struck me that this cut was not if, but when. And more cuts
>
> > like it. There was no protection for the cable, no markers of the cable 
> > location. 
>
> One of the interesting things about the startup of Wiltel was pulling fiber
> through decommisioned gas pipelines; not only do you get a 1/4" steel
> backhoe fade margin, but you get scary yellow signs that say "DANGER: HIGH
> PRESSURE NATURAL GAS LINE"; cut a piece of innerduct and your boss yells at
> you. Bust a gas pipeline and they can bury what's left of the offender in a
> thimble - if they can find it.
Gee, makes a good case for putting innerduct inside conduit and putting
gas through it just to discourage BIFF. :-)

The thing that doesn't make sense to me in all of this is that SONET
is supposed to be built as RINGS.  With a Service side and a Protect side
to each switch.  BIFF should, in theory, only take out one or the other,
but not both.  WHY, with what we pay these carriers every month, do they
not divergent-path route these critical wide-area links so that this isn't
fatal?

>

Anyone from MFS/WilTel/WorldCom/UUNET/AlterNet/whoever-else-they-buy-but-
still-don't-fix-what-they-have care to comment?

Owen DeLong
Exodus