Re: IXP

[bmanning () vacation karoshi com]

On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 05:30:41AM +0000, Stephen Stuart wrote:
> > Not sure how switches handle HOL blocking with QinQ traffic across trunks,
> > but hey...
> > what's the fun of running an IXP without testing some limits?
>
> Indeed. Those with longer memories will remember that I used to
> regularly apologize at NANOG meetings for the DEC Gigaswitch/FDDI
> head-of-line blocking that all Gigaswitch-based IXPs experienced when
> some critical mass of OC3 backbone circuits was reached and the 100
> MB/s fabric rolled over and died, offered here (again) as a cautionary
> tale for those who want to test those particular limits (again).

        Ohhh... Scary Stories!  :)

> The real lesson from the last fifteen or so years, though, is that
> bear skins and stone knives clearly have a long operational lifetime.

        well...  while there is a certain childlike obession with 
        the byzantine, rube-goldburg, lots of bells, knobs, whistles 
        type machines... for solid, predictable performance, simple 
        clean machines work best.

> Stephen

--bill