North American Network Operators Group

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Re: MAE-West is up again ( RA Contract Value )

  • From: Tim Bass (@NANOG-LIST)
  • Date: Sat Jun 01 18:09:12 1996

Interestingly enough, there are now 5 Pentium Pro marks available
for linux.  The performance is awesome and the 'processing value'
compared to many COTS FOO-UNIXs is truely amazing (not that
the P5 100+ figures were *poor*, they are not!, but the Pentium
Pro numbers suprised me.

That is why, when I cruise the 'Files' and review the dollar
amount of projects such as the RA (also awe-struck by the 
dollar amount, BTW ;-) it seems ironic that projects of
such importance to the IP World can be configured to not to
withstand a single platform crash (and as pointed out,
you don't need P Pros and other higher end processors for
hot and cold secondaries in this application).

For example, for the 'public files':

-------------------------------------------------------- 
NSF Org     : NCR
Latest
Amendment
Date        : August 17,  1995
File        : a9321060

Award Number: 9321060
Award Instr.: Cooperative Agreement
Prgm Manager: Priscilla Jane Huston
              NCR  DIV OF NETWORKING & COMMU RES & INFRASTR
              CSE  DIRECT FOR COMPUTER & INFO SCIE & ENGINR
Start Date  : July 1,  1994
Expires     : June 30,  1998 (Estimated)
Expected
Total Amt.  : $10,360,637  (Estimated)
Investigator: Eric M Aupperle
Sponsor     : Merit Inc
              2200 Bonisteel Blvd
              Ann Arbor, MI  481092099                    313/764-9423

NSF Program : 4091     NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE
Fld Science : 31       Computer Science & Engineering
Fld Applictn: 0206000  Telecommunications
Abstract    :
     9321060  Merit, Inc.  Aupperle    The major project elements for the
     routing arbiter include  advancement of Internet routing algorithms with
     respect to scaling  and stability issues, routing information registration
     and  dissemination for the network service providers serving the
     Internet, deployment of route servers to aid in the dissemination  and
     real time maintenance of the global Internet routing system,  and
     coordination and sharing of technical information in support of  the
     Internet operations community.  A key task for the routing  arbiter will
     be to enhance the use of new switched services offered  by the
     telecommunications carriers, sucy as ATM, in place of  dedicated point to
     point technology that is widely deployed in wide  area internets.    This
     proposal is a part of a collaborative effort with USC.  Merit  will take
     the lead responsibility for the Management and  Coordination, Transition,
     Routing Registry Dababase, Routing  Operations Center (ROC) and GateD
     software development and  collaboration.  It will provide consultation to
     USC in routing  engineering who will take the lead in research and
     development.    Both the Merit and USC teams will collaborate in all
     areas, but  Merit will take the lead for operations, for communications
     with  clients relative to the services provided and for overall
     coordination.

--------------------------end database file-----------------------------


I think there is a mistake (maybe?) in the database because the 
$10,149,218 dollar program with RA as the 'major project element'
is award #9321043; but award #9321060 has the *exact* same
abstact for $10,360,637....  (I plead guilty for not understanding
why the same abstract appears twice under two awards with similar
but different dollar amounts and different award numbers...)

I'll stop now, I can't explain why there are two $10 M awards in
the database to Merit. Except that it must be an operator entry 
error in the database...

Certainly, in either event, a couple of redundant foo-unix servers
would not break the bank of the Investigator and would have greatly
been appreciated by the MAE-WEST RA user and provider community.

Happy Trails,


Tim

---

And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

			-Roger Waters
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