Mailing List Archive

Susan Harris writes:
...
>MAE Phoenix, and the Tuscon NAP.

Can we agree that there's no longer any difference between MAE, NAP, and
Interconnect? [with the exception of ``the four priority NAPs'']

Nit: Tucson has the C before the S...

Ehud

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gavron@Hearts.ACES.COM
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> Date: Wed, 03 Jan 1996 12:03:48 -0700 (MST)
> From: Ehud Gavron <GAVRON@ACES.COM>
> Subject: Re: Interconnects at NANOG
> To: srh@merit.edu
> Cc: nanog@merit.edu, GAVRON@ACES.COM
>
> Can we agree that there's no longer any difference between MAE, NAP, and
> Interconnect? [with the exception of ``the four priority NAPs'']
>
> Nit: Tucson has the C before the S...

It is probably still appropriate to use the term "NAP" to refer to those
interconnect points which are sponsored by the NSF under solicitation
93-52.

The solicitation specifies the duties of a NAP Manager organization;
read it for details.

I believe that the NSF has three or four contracts (Cooperative Agreements
to be more precise) in place with NAP Managers for the Sprint, MFS,
Ameritech and PacBell NAPs. (I don't know whether Ameritech and PacBell
are one or two Cooperative Agreements, although it is probably easy
to look it up.)

-tjs

I think the term "interconnect" is fairly generic. I have often heard
some of the providers refer to the MAEs and NAPs as "public interconnects"...

However, I think folks use the term "MAE" and "NAP" to refer to different
implementations of a "public interconnect"... It is probably an
oversimplification to say they are all the same thing.

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>Can we agree that there's no longer any difference between MAE, NAP, and
>Interconnect? [with the exception of ``the four priority NAPs'']

There never has been, I think.

> I think the term "interconnect" is fairly generic. I have often heard
> some of the providers refer to the MAEs and NAPs as "public interconnects"...
>
> However, I think folks use the term "MAE" and "NAP" to refer to different
> implementations of a "public interconnect"... It is probably an
> oversimplification to say they are all the same thing.

When the TLA's are expanded into their actual meanings, Metropolitan Area
Exchange, and Network Access Point, there does not appear to be a great deal
of difference between the two, except that one is a term that MFS Datanet
started, and the other is one that the government sited as the term for the
exchanges they were helping to fund/promote.

I tend to agree with what you say about implentation, but there are exceptions
to every rule (The Sprint NAP uses MAE-like technology). The Tucson NAP
uses a mixture of NAP-like and MAE-like ideas, but also is not funded by the
NSF. The choice of naming had little to do with technical implementation
style, that much is certain.

As for the original topic, other regional exchanges, perhaps Eric at
Structured would like to talk about the Northwest Internet eXchange? (NIX)

Eric?

Dave

--
Dave Siegel President, RTD Systems & Networking, Inc.
(520)623-9663 Network Engineer -- Regional/National NSPs (Cisco)
dsiegel@rtd.com User Tracking & Acctg -- "Written by an ISP,
http://www.rtd.com/~dsiegel/ for an ISP."

>As for the original topic, other regional exchanges, perhaps Eric at
>Structured would like to talk about the Northwest Internet eXchange? (NIX)
>
>Eric?

The prospects for me being able to attend the next NANOG are marginal right
now, so I cannot commit to doing so. Some other things take higher precidence.

--
Eric Kozowski Structured Network Systems, Inc.
kozowski@structured.net Better, Cheaper, Faster -- pick any two.
(503)656-3530 Voice "Providing High Quality, Reliable Internet Service"
(800)881-0962 Voice 56k to DS1

On Jan 3, 3:43pm, Dave Siegel wrote:
> When the TLA's are expanded into their actual meanings, Metropolitan Area
> Exchange, and Network Access Point, there does not appear to be a great deal
> of difference between the two, except that one is a term that MFS Datanet
> started, and the other is one that the government sited as the term for the
> exchanges they were helping to fund/promote.

I've also heard a rumor that at least part of the convention was due to the MAE
being called Metropolitan Area Ethernet which was, again, I believe coined by
Andrew Partan of UUNET.

Perhaps term IXP, IntereXchange Point could be used. Too many acronyms has
long been a trend in technology. :-)


-jh-

>
> On Jan 3, 3:43pm, Dave Siegel wrote:
> > When the TLA's are expanded into their actual meanings, Metropolitan Area
> > Exchange, and Network Access Point, there does not appear to be a great deal
> > of difference between the two, except that one is a term that MFS Datanet
> > started, and the other is one that the government sited as the term for the
> > exchanges they were helping to fund/promote.
>
> I've also heard a rumor that at least part of the convention was due to the MAE
> being called Metropolitan Area Ethernet which was, again, I believe coined by
> Andrew Partan of UUNET.
>

I think I told John Hardie a couple years back (when MAE-East) went
to FDDI) that we could still use MAE as Metro Area Exchange.

--
--bill

> > I've also heard a rumor that at least part of the convention was due to th
e MAE
> > being called Metropolitan Area Ethernet which was, again, I believe coined
by
> > Andrew Partan of UUNET.

I had thought that MAE was the acronym MFS used to descibe the service
which provided a virtual ethernet over the MFS fiber infrastructure.
>
> I think I told John Hardie a couple years back (when MAE-East) went
> to FDDI) that we could still use MAE as Metro Area Exchange.

I guess the "A" could also stand for ATM ;-)

Jeff

At 20:08 96/1/4, William Allen Simpson wrote:
>> From: "Jonathan Heiliger" <loco@mfsdatanet.com>
>> Perhaps term IXP, IntereXchange Point could be used. Too many acronyms has
>> long been a trend in technology. :-)
>>
>I have always liked Deering's MIX (Metropolitan Internet eXchange),
>since the acronym also described the activity (MIXing).
>
>Perhaps have the region/location: LA-MIX, Chicago-MIX, et alia.
>
>NB: NAP has always struck me as overly generic ("access point"), and a
>description of sedentary inactivity.
>
>Bill.Simpson@um.cc.umich.edu
> Key fingerprint = 2E 07 23 03 C5 62 70 D3 59 B1 4F 5E 1D C2 C1 A2

Funny, I've always thought of diapers.

Robert.

> Date: Fri, 5 Jan 96 00:08:12 GMT
> From: "William Allen Simpson" <bsimpson@morningstar.com>
> To: nanog@merit.edu
> Subject: Re: Interconnects at NANOG
> [...]
> I have always liked Deering's MIX (Metropolitan Internet eXchange),
> since the acronym also described the activity (MIXing).
> [...]

Minnesota Supercomputer Center (NET-MIXNET)
1200 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55415

Netname: MIXNET
Netnumber: 192.122.253.0

-tjs

> From: "Jonathan Heiliger" <loco@mfsdatanet.com>
> Perhaps term IXP, IntereXchange Point could be used. Too many acronyms has
> long been a trend in technology. :-)
>
I have always liked Deering's MIX (Metropolitan Internet eXchange),
since the acronym also described the activity (MIXing).

Perhaps have the region/location: LA-MIX, Chicago-MIX, et alia.

NB: NAP has always struck me as overly generic ("access point"), and a
description of sedentary inactivity.

Bill.Simpson@um.cc.umich.edu
Key fingerprint = 2E 07 23 03 C5 62 70 D3 59 B1 4F 5E 1D C2 C1 A2