Newsgroup: comp.risks

RISKS-LIST: Risks-Forum Digest  Friday 30 May 2003  Volume 22 : Issue 75

   FORUM ON RISKS TO THE PUBLIC IN COMPUTERS AND RELATED SYSTEMS (comp.risks)
   ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator

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This issue is archived at
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  Contents:
Algeria earthquake cuts Internet connectivity of major Greek ISP 
  (Diomidis Spinellis)
  [...]

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Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 12:45:32 +0300
From: Diomidis Spinellis <dds@aueb.gr>
Subject: Algeria earthquake cuts Internet connectivity of major Greek ISP

OTEnet, the Greek ISP associated with the incumbent telephone operator,
appears to be cut off from the (non-Greek) Internet for almost two
consecutive days, due to damage from the Algerian earthquake.  According to
a note on their home page (http://www.otenet.gr/ - May 23rd - in Greek), the
May 21st Algerian earthquake damaged a number of international cables (Flag,
SMW2, SMW3, Columbus2) that passed through the area, cutting-off OTEnet's
international IP connectivity.  Dial-up customers are advised to use their
Web proxy server as a temporary measure.

A different page <http://www.otenet.gr/company/whyus.htm> boasts that
OTEnet's network is the largest and most important [sic] Greek network
featuring 65 points of presence, a 155Mbps backbone, a 100Mbps peering
connection, and 310Mbps international connections.  Apparently physically
redundant international connections or peering agreements that would cover
such an emergency were not foreseen.

A number of Greek companies serviced by the particular ISP appear also
to be cut off.  Other ISPs and the Greek academic network were not
affected, probably because they depend on different cables.  The risk? 
Although IP technology supports the rerouting of packets around failed
links, short-sighted network deployment architectures and peering
agreement practices often fail to exploit this capability.

Diomidis Spinellis - http://www.dmst.aueb.gr/dds

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End of RISKS-FORUM Digest 22.75
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