Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!NSIPO.NASA.GOV!medin
From: medin@NSIPO.NASA.GOV ("Milo S. Medin", NASA ARC NSI Project Office)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: trace route to OZ
Message-ID: <8907191847.AA06030@cincsac.arc.nasa.gov>
Date: 19 Jul 89 18:47:30 GMT
References: <8907182209.aa04438@huey.udel.edu>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 31


First off, it's rather inappropriate for this list to be used for
network debugging, so let me try and categorically explain what is going
here and then carry on a discussion if necessary offline from the tcp-ip
list.  

The Austrailian connection goes via 64 Kbps satellite to Hawaii, where
it is switched over a new 512 Kbps TPC-3 fiber link back to CONUS into
the NSN here at Ames.  From there is it sent into the NSFNET backbone,
as an interim measure through BARRNET, but as soon as the NSS connection
here is operation, directly from NSN into NSFnet.  We also have a DDN
link that is used as a path of last resort for talking to everything
else.  All NSN traffic will use a direct connection to the BMILAMES
mailbridge here at Ames as soon as that system becomes operational
(it's still a bit flaky here after an ethernet controller was
added to it).  

It appears that while 128.250 is known via the NSFNET path, it is not making
it to the UK via this path, but the UK is routing this via the ARPANET/MILNET
path instead.  Those of us who manage the Internet routing system are trying
to find out why the UK is being routed this way and not via the primary path
via NSFNET.

In any case, if you find oddities in routing or other such interesting
tidbits of information, please send this to whoever manages your 
connections to the Internet.  The tcp-ip list is too big and too diverse
to be used for network debugging.  The MERIT folks and NASA both have mailing
lists for operational issues which are appropriate for this type of discussion.

						Thanks,
						   Milo