Subject: Hard to find info, pointers, please!

From: Alan Clegg <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 08:02:32 -0500

Greetings, all.  I'm looking for (current) information on the state of 
the Mbone (points of contact, current topolology, etc).  I've not been
involved since my days at CONCERT when we provided the multicast source
for some of the shuttle launches... (1993?!?)

I'm back, and would now like to re-attach to the Mbone, but everything 
out there on http://www.mbone.com is at least 2 years out-of-date, and
doing web searches is about as useless as.. well, I won't go there..
E-mail to [email-masked]' bounces with "we do not relay".

After fighting with Majordomo@isi about getting on the right list,
I'm still without a clue as to a good source of current documentation.

Can someone please provide me with a pointer to some current information?

Sorry for the intrusion (it would be nice if this information was
included in the 'welcome to the list' e-mail that you get when upon
subscription to the mailing list).

Thanks,
-abc
-- 
              Alan Clegg                       [email-masked]
          Greenpeas Consulting              http://www.greenpeas.org
                 a division of Firehouse Network Services

---

From: Hugh LaMaster <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 09:19:25 -0800 (PST)

> for some of the shuttle launches... (1993?!?)

Many people are converting their external (AS-level, think BGP)
connections to use BGP4+ (AKA Cisco MBGP) and native PIM.  This
architecture doesn't recognize "The Mbone" as being a separate
virtual network.  The intention is to become a fully operational
capability which any ISP might provide their customers.

Local site capabilities can be provided by PIM+(native unicast routing),
PIM+DVMRP, mrouted/DVMRP, or MOSPF, depending on what you require
and what your provider has.

In other words, MBGP at the AS-AS level permits previous multicast
protocols to be used like multicast IGPs.

> subscription to the mailing list).

It appears that you are a customer of "Intrex".  I would contact
them about providing multicast service.

BTW, NASA is currently broadcasting the ongoing shuttle mission,
and for yesterday's launch I saw the largest number of low-loss
receivers that I have ever seen.

--
 Hugh LaMaster, M/S 233-21,    ASCII Email: [email-masked]
 NASA Ames Research Center     Or:          [email-masked]
 Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000  No Junkmail: USC 18 section 2701
 Phone: 650/604-1056           Disclaimer:  Unofficial, personal *opinion*.

---

From: John Meylor <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 10:01:43 -0800

> receivers that I have ever seen.

That's great news.

---

From: Alan Clegg <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 14:26:31 -0500

> capability which any ISP might provide their customers.

Understood. This, however, requires an ISP with clue.  I've already
contacted mine (as you noted, Intrex) and they "don't understand what
it is, what it is for, and don't intend to support it."  For that
reason I decided to go to the list.  My ISP has very little in the way
of intelligence, but for what I am paying, I'm not expecting much... 

> and what your provider has.

Correct.  I'm currently running mrouted/DVMRP on a BSDi system at 
209.42.203.43 that would love to have a connection to the world.  I'm
a one-person site running on a 128k ISDN line, so the load won't be
much. Since I can't find any [current] topology maps (and, from your
mail, it seems that nobody would necessarily show DVMRP connection
points anyway) I asked (with a bit too little background, I admit)
for what I thought would be a normal request.

> them about providing multicast service.

See above.

> receivers that I have ever seen.

Great!  When we were doing it NASA did not have the hardware
to do the broadcast, thus coNCert Network helped out.  8)

Now, if anyone can provide me with information on who might allow a
low-bandwidth DVMRP tunnel I'd appreciate it.  (I've sent e-mail to
Cable & Wireless, as they are my provider's provider (Intrex is actually
dual-homed with CW/Alternet [I've not talked to Alternet yet], but have
not heard anything yet).

-abc
-- 
  "The box said 'Requires Windows 95, NT, or better,' so I installed BSD/OS" 
      Alan Clegg, Member of Technical Staff, Berkeley Software Design
          http://www.bsdi.com / 1-800-800-4BSD / 1-719-593-9445