The curse seems to still work, my brand new "backup" server was installed in a location between Baltimore and Washington DC this week. A short time later, a nearby train derails. I think Murphy following me. Remember, its not parnoia if people really are out to get you :-) It appears most providers have found ways to re-route around the fiber break/fire in Baltimore. Physical diversity? Why bother, it only takes a day to have techs patch around the cut. Some individual customers still say they have problems, but generally things seem much better along the easter seaboard. Alternet/UUNET/Worldcom Abovenet/MFN Mindspring PSI Verio Other providers may have also been affected, but I have no information about the status of their network. The CSX and Amtrack routes are the primary fiber routes through Baltimore, so it was a crap shoot which provider got hit. Were they in the Amtrack right-of-way or the CSX right-of-way. The Baltimore Fire Department started removing train cars from the tunnel this morning, but stopped when the fire flared up again.
On Thu, Jul 19, 2001 at 11:11:14AM -0700, Sean Donelan wrote:
The Baltimore Fire Department started removing train cars from the tunnel this morning, but stopped when the fire flared up again.
Once the fire is back under control, we'll hear: It has been reported by sources close to the BFD that one of the cars was a flatbed carrying a load of backhoes. This cargo explains the extensive fiber cuts that happened in the tunnel around the time of the accident and had previously been blamed on the fire. -- Jeff Gehlbach, Concord Communications <jgehlbach@concord.com> Senior Professional Services Consultant, Atlanta ph. 678.265.6067 fax 770.384.0183
Abovenet/MFN
At least from what I can see with Above, they have rerouted via a 95ms path from NY > ORD > DFW > IAD. Many hundreds of OC-x systems are still down; MFN is apparently digging nearby to run some temporary, parallel fiber for the time being, but 30+ hours later, it's not complete. -- Alex Rubenstein, AR97, K2AHR, alex@nac.net, latency, Al Reuben -- -- Net Access Corporation, 800-NET-ME-36, http://www.nac.net --
Unnamed Administration sources reported that Alex Rubenstein said:
Many hundreds of OC-x systems are still down; MFN is apparently digging nearby to run some temporary, parallel fiber for the time being, but 30+ hours later, it's not complete.
I'm not sure where they could run temporary fiber... Next to the fire hoses snaking down the street? This is right through the heart of Baltimore. It may not be the equal of say, Midtown or the Loop...but it's not Waverly Wisc., either.... -- A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz@nrk.com & no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433 is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433
On Fri, Jul 20, 2001 at 08:28:37AM -0400, David Lesher wrote:
I'm not sure where they could run temporary fiber... Next to the fire hoses snaking down the street?
You'd be surprised what they can come up with on short notice. For temporary fixes fiber can be quickly rolled out next to railroad tracks (yes, just laying on the ground) or down other right of way (sometimes even public roads). They generally put it in an innerduct for some protection and then just roll it out. Ariel grade fiber can be very quickly attached to poles temporarily in some cases as well. Various people with conduit underground tend to be helpful, if for a price, of course after they repair their own cables. Clearly running it across a downtown street is not an option, but there are probably a couple alternatives and it's going to all come down to what's on hand, and what they can get permission to do fast. (A good time to have emergency clauses in your rights of way agreements.) [Note: I work for AboveNet/MFN on the IP side, and have no idea how exactly our fiber is being rerouted around this particular incident. These are just random musings based on past stories.] -- Leo Bicknell - bicknell@ufp.org Systems Engineer - Internetworking Engineer - CCIE 3440 Read TMBG List - tmbg-list-request@tmbg.org, www.tmbg.org
At 01:47 PM 7/20/2001, Leo Bicknell wrote:
On Fri, Jul 20, 2001 at 08:28:37AM -0400, David Lesher wrote:
I'm not sure where they could run temporary fiber... Next to the fire hoses snaking down the street?
You'd be surprised what they can come up with on short notice. For temporary fixes fiber can be quickly rolled out next to railroad tracks (yes, just laying on the ground) or down other right of way (sometimes even public roads). They generally put it in an innerduct for some protection and then just roll it out.
In this case, they're gonna have a little trouble layin' it next to the track... at least until the fire's out and they're allowed into the tunnel. I realize there are other ways around it - they can hang fiber on poles through downtown if necessary... What would make more sense to me (and what has likely occurred) is to move the traffic over to other fiber routes where dark fiber is already available - and I do understand that it's not always possible, due to termination, availability and other issues.
participants (6)
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Alex Rubenstein -
Dave Stewart -
David Lesher -
Jeff Gehlbach -
Leo Bicknell -
Sean Donelan