Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!PUCC!GETTES From: GETTES@PUCC.BITNET (Michael R. Gettes) Newsgroups: bit.listserv.nodmgt-l Subject: Re: Pathalias, Genroutes, and topologies... Message-ID: Date: 12 Feb 90 21:46:58 GMT Sender: Node Management Discussion Reply-To: Node Management Discussion Organization: Princeton University, CIT Network Systems Lines: 33 Approved: NETNEWS@PSUVM Gateway In-Reply-To: Message of Mon, 12 Feb 90 20:15:41 N from On Mon, 12 Feb 90 20:15:41 N Eric Thomas said: >Another important point is that, as soon as we start having multiple >connections between BITNET and EARN (and I think that is a highly >desirable goal - I'm confident it will happen anyway, for political >reasons if not just to improve the connectivity), even if CREN were to >decide that pathalias is to be used for CREN routing, it will not be >enough. EARN will also have to use the same software, at least on the >nodes with BITNET connections, or we run the risk of getting some >interesting loops. And EARN might well have formulated a directive saying As long as international connections have equally high weights I do not believe loops are possible. What would be possible is that routing with EARN may be different than CREN would imagine it to be since EARN would be doing different routing, and vice-versa. Eric, as for the proof that loops would or would not exist, we could discuss this offline. >that GR is an EARN standard and everybody should use it, so we might have >a very interesting situation to sort out. Why wouldn't EARN accept >pathalias? Well, EARN is paying money for the development of GR and I >doubt that the politicians can act in a way that might suggest this money >has been, basically, wasted on something completely useless. Pathalias is free and in the public domain. Yes, this is a problem. This is exactly why I brought up the whole issue. In my mind, this is a political problem. First, I feel, it is necessary to put it out that there are alternative, and I believe better, ways of doing things. Putting pathalias into NETSERV would not be difficult -- just make pathalias look like GENROUTS to NETSERV and NETSERV won't care. I would hope that there are members of EARN who are aware of this issue. I don't think the US should just jump at GR, the future has to be considered and an agreement between CREN and EARN reached with respect to routing software. /mrg