Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpcc01!hp-ptp!hp-ses!wunder
From: wunder@hp-ses.SDE.HP.COM (Walter Underwood)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: Netpower: Support via Internet (was: Apollo/HP contrast)
Message-ID: <920065@hp-ses.SDE.HP.COM>
Date: 24 Jul 90 17:28:06 GMT
References: <1990Jul23.100007.2429@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU>
Organization: HP SW Engineering Systems - Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 39


   I addressed this in my posting <1990Jul18.102038.22220@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU>,
   where I argued that the NSFNET acceptable use guidelines do *not* prohibit
   the kind of activities we are asking HP to undertake on the network.  In
   particular, I said:

   ]In any case, the statement invites review by the NSFNET Project
   ]Office.  Has HP made a submission to the Office for review?  If
   ]so, could we be told what the Office said?  Even if HP *has* asked
   ]in the past and failed, I suggest that a well structured *JOINT*
   ]submission from HP *and* interested US academic institutions could
   ]well be successful.

I agree that a proposal to support only academic institutions, only in
the US, would probably fly.  It might not even need review, since it
is pretty clearly within the limits of the policy.

I don't think that is adequate.  We have a *lot* of customers that
need this support, and only a small percentage of them are at research
institutions in the US.  We must address reasearch and commercial
institutions world-wide -- that is our customer base.  Right now, we
have private IP links to some customers, but that is obviously not a
long-term solution.

I *believe* in IP networks.  I ran the project to build HP's IP
network (now at 20K hosts).  I also think that the use restrictions on
the charity networks are a royal pain in the ass.  They are
reasonable, because the US government has decided that it wants those
tax dollars to support research in the US.  As a result, CSNET and
NFSNET are very useful the people in HP doing research, and almost
useless to the people trying to support customers.  That is exactly
what the National Science Foundation intends.

Since the Commerce Department doesn't seem interested in building a
subsidised network, it is up to private companies to build IP networks
for commercial use.  HP is checking out the commercial IP networks
(ALTERNET and PSI) so that we can do business over IP.

wunder