Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site gatech.CSNET Path: utzoo!decvax!bellcore!petrus!scherzo!allegra!ulysses!cbosgd!gatech!usenet From: usenet@gatech.CSNET Newsgroups: mod.map,net.news Subject: The USENET Backbone (Last changed: 13 August 1985) Message-ID: <1103@gatech.CSNET> Date: Sun, 1-Sep-85 00:19:54 EDT Article-I.D.: gatech.1103 Posted: Sun Sep 1 00:19:54 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 1-Sep-85 11:49:29 EDT Expires: Fri, 11-Oct-85 00:19:54 EDT Sender: spaf@gatech.CSNET Organization: School of Information and Computer Science, Georgia Tech Lines: 76 Approved: spaf@gatech.CSNET Xref: cbosgd mod.map:2 net.news:4626 Original-from: Gene Spafford (gatech!spaf) [Most recent change: 13 August 1985 by spaf] A Usenet "backbone" site is one which exchanges every (non-local) news article it receives with at least two other backbone sites; or which is the main newsfeed for a particular area (e.g., Australia) and exchanges news with at least one other backbone site. This exchange is done (theoretically) with minimum delay. Thus, any article submitted to a backbone site is supposed to propagate to all other backbone sites within a very short time period. (Under actual conditions, your milage may vary.) Each backbone site normally feeds some number of well-connected secondary sites, most of which are not "leaf" (terminal) nodes. These secondary sites feed the news out to other distribution and leaf nodes, and so on. For optimal news distribution, each site should establish an "L" type link with a site closely connected to a backbone site. This will help ensure that any articles submitted from that site get propagated to the whole net with a minimum of delay. Sites should *not* request a news feed from a backbone site unless they are willing to feed at least five or six (or more) other, non-terminal sites. Note that some backbone links (viz., seismo--munnari, uw-beaver--ubc-vision, seismo--mcvax) do not carry all newsgroups, including some "net" and "mod" newsgroups. The European component of Usenet receives a limited number of "net" and "mod" groups, as well as having a number of active "eur" newsgroups, and exchanges all those articles via X.25 links. To send mail to the administrators of all the backbone sites, address your mail to "backbone@cbosgd.UUCP". If you wish to send mail to the administrator of a particular site, consult the uucp map for the name and address of the appropriate individual(s). Here is the backbone as of 1 September 1985: mgnetp--------ihnp4-----------------------cbosgd | | | | alberta ulysses | | | | | | | ubc-vision burl---------clyde--------watmath---------utzoo | | | | uw-beaver----tektronix--------------------decvax---------linus | | | | | | hplabs-------sdcrdcf mcnc---------philabs | | | | | | hao sdcsvax | | | | | munnari--------seismo------------------------------------cmcl2 | | kddlab---------mcvax-------- This is the European backbone: enea penet diku \ | / \ | / \ | / \ | / vmucnam----mcvax------cernvax / | \ / | \ / | \ / | \ ukc prlb2 i2unix Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com