How Networks Interact — Peering and Transit Explained 92
Raindeer writes to share his article about peering and transit between networks, which begins:
"In 2005, AT&T CEO Ed Whitacre famously told BusinessWeek, 'What they [Google, Vonage, and others] would like to do is to use my pipes free. But I ain't going to let them do that...Why should they be allowed to use my pipes?'
The story of how the Internet is structured economically is not so much a story about net neutrality, but rather it's a story about how ISPs actually do use AT&T's pipes for free, and about why AT&T actually wants them to do so. These inter-ISP sharing arrangements are known as 'peering' or 'transit,' and they are the two mechanisms that underlie the interconnection of networks that form the Internet. In this article, I'll take a look at the economics of peering and transit in order to give you a better sense of how traffic flows from point A to point B on the Internet, and how it does so mostly without problems, despite the fact that the Internet is a patchwork quilt of networks run by companies, schools, and governments."
Obligatory (Score:3, Funny)
L. Bob Rife approves.
Re:Summary Clarification (Score:5, Funny)
There's just one problem with this analogy: the Internet is not a truck, it's a series of tubes.
Re:These guys are worse then the cellular companie (Score:3, Funny)
At least the cellphone carriers only overcharge *one* end of the conversation for airtime
Is that why I pay for my incoming SMS and calls? ;)
Re:Summary Clarification (Score:1, Funny)
OK, instead of trucks think bits of pasta sauce.. hang on thats cannelloni/penne..
ok, instead of pasta sauce think of cars going between Edgeware Rd and Victoria.. oh, thats the London Tube..
ok, how about those vacuum tubes they used to transport memos & papers between departments in old offices & large buildings. What was this discussion about again?
Re:Summary Clarification (Score:3, Funny)
There's just one problem with this analogy: the Internet is not a truck, it's a series of tubes.
Here at /., we understand things best when they come with car analogies.
I'd say you must be new here, but your UID is half of mine.