In message <199612050110.RAA18589@chimp.jnx.com>, Tony Li writes:
I can't see how ISPACs are anything but a NOOP. If members of the ISPAC connect to different providers then aggregation can't be performed.
? Why not? Yes, they have to provide transit to each other for the full ISPAC prefix....
If the smaller providers aggregate they have to all buy transit from the same provider or agree to transit each others traffic or build their own backbone as an organization at T3 speed in order to peer with other providers as a single entity.
Yup. We expect the most common case would be to touch down at a common set of interconnects and then peer with other providers. Yes, there are details and many options to be considered...
Other than leveraging buying power what purpose does the ISPAC serve?
It allows us to allocate addresses to smaller ISPs (hey ma, I've got a Unix box and three modems, I'm gonna be an ISP and get me a /17 from the NIC!) in a larger block and provide aggregation across all of the ISPs. It allows (some) users to change providers within the ISPAC and not have to renumber.
Do we need an RFC for this?
IMO ISPACs would be almost a NOOP so the RFC would be a NOOP and we have enough junk RFCs already. None of it isn't true so I certainly won't waste energy fighting this if you want to push it through.
Curtis, no one hates stupid wasteful RFCs more than I do. So I'll make you a deal: if we talk this through (and I mean talk - not just an Ohta-style declaration of incompetence, thank you) and folks think that it's pointless, then I'll kill it myself. In return, I ask that you seriously consider all of the angles. Fair 'nuf?
Tony
I think that putting together RFCs that propose that ISDs pursue certain legal and financial arrangements is well outside the scope of the operations area and the IETF for that matter. I don't see this as an allocation issue or a technical issue wrt policy routing. As is applies to operating a small provider and a potential means to cooperate with other small providers by forming some sort of consortium it maybe could be considered an operations area item. I think what you have here is out of scope. Sorry if my note seemed like an out of hand dismissal but I just don't see that this works from a business standpoint and I also think the IETF is the wrong forum for proposing a style of consortium even if it was a great idea. I'll be quiet now and let others comment. Curtis