Peering Point Definitions
- External Connectivity
- Hops
- Latency
- NAP
- Network Topology
- Peering Traffic
- Pipe
- POP
- Telco Access
- Traceroute
- Transit
Definitions
- External Connectivity
- External connectivity refers to a machine being able to reach other
machines not on the local network. A machine at a peering point can normally
only access networks that peer at that peering point. It has no way to reach
the outside world i.e. the Internet. If a machine located at a peering point
needs to reach the outside world then one or several of the networks peering
at the peering point need to carry its traffic to the Internet.
- Hops
- Hops are the number of routers that must examine a packet on the packets way
to its destination (the number or routers a packet must pass through).
See also traceroute.
- Latency
- Latency refers to the minimum time for a packet to traverse part of a
network. Imagine a network with no traffic. If you send a packet from one
machine to another it still takes time even though it doesn't have to compete
with other packets for bandwidth. This time is the latency.
- NAP
- NAP is an acronym for Network Access Point and is a another term for
peering point.
- Network Topology
- This refers to the way a network is constructed - who connects to who.
Saying ISP A connects to ISP B and ISP B connects to
Optus and ISP C connects to
CCA and
Ozemail peers with
Optus is talking about network
topology. Network topology has a great bearing on the speed and reliability
of a network. See also Hops
- Peering Traffic
- This is traffic you send and receive from other networks you peer with.
The origin network and the destination network either have a direct link or
meet at a peering point. This traffic is free. See also
Transit
- Pipe
- By a pipe, unless contrary intention appears, I mean a WAN connection. To
say someone has a "big pipe" means they have a fast connection.
- POP
- A POP is a Point of Presence or a place that a service provider has equipment installed.
- Telco Access
- Telco access refers to how easily assorted telecommunications companies
(Telstra,
Optus et al) can install
their cables. If a building is quite remote or connected to an old phone
exchange, ISPs choice of connection options may be limited or it may be quite
expensive to have things installed. The better the telco access the quicker
(usually) cables are installed.
- Traceroute
- A program (and the output of the program) that shows the path a packet
takes between two points. Under UNIX it is often called traceroute,
DOS users have it as tracert and MacTCP Watcher has it built in for
MacOS users. There are a number of
web interfaces to traceroute, including ones at
Telstra,
Connect.com.au,
and University of
Queensland (connected to Optus).
There is a collection of traceroutes from and to various locations on the
Gold Coast available. See also
Hops
- Transit
- Transit refers to traffic that you pay someone (for example
Telstra,
Optus,
CCA or many others) to carry for you.
They agree to take the traffic from you and pass it on to the Internet and take
traffic from the Internet and pass it on to you. It is by buying transit that
you "get on" the Internet. See also
Peering Traffic