Hi Lincoln, The term you're looking for is "physically diverse". If you get both access circuits from the same provider, you should be able to achieve this, though it may cost. If you go with two different providers, you run into problems. All the folks who own the fiber, AT&T, Sprint, MCI, WorldCom, etc. swap capacity as needed. If you buy from the same provider, all the circuit routing information will be in the same database. If you buy from two different providers, there will be no way to tell whether or not their two OC3's ride the same OC48 bundle. Try to look at the Worldcom/fiber-cut threads of the last few days. There's some good info in them.

I'm charged with the task of finding out about dual homing and BGP4. We currently have a reliable internet connection with our ISP, but are looking to sign up another ISP for redundancy. Can anyone help me figure out how to maximize redundancy with BGP4? For instance, what kind of questions should I be asking a potential second ISP?

Am I on the right track if I insist that the second ISP is coming into our router from a different fiber line than our current ISP? If so, how much more in-depth can I get to make sure that the second ISP is as "different" from our current one (eliminating single points of failure). If ANYONE can help me wrestle with this dual homing issue (I'm very new at all this), I would really appreciate it!

Thanks! Lincoln Silver FlyCast Communications Corporation www.flycast.com 123 Townsend Street, Suite 226 San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 975-5374

-- Rusty