Version: 2008
  • On The Insider: Britney's Bikini-Clad Top 10

Comments on: Blackout shows Net's fragility

A dispute between major Internet backbone companies has selectively shut down e-mail and Web sites for many online.

Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (82 Comments)
Level-3 is bad -- Cogent is good
by October 6, 2005 2:41 PM PDT
I've done business with both Level-3 and Cogent.

Cogent is a positive force on the Internet. They are bringing down bandwidth prices. The quality of their service is excellent and their technical support shines too.

Level-3 on the other hand is a brutish, old-fashioned, monopoly-wannabe. They are trying to control the internet. They have always pushed around other companies. Their arrogance is matched only by their business incompetance.

It's important the public come out against Level-3 and for Cogent.

Cogent can make our lives better. Level-3 will make our lives worse.

Level-3 is the enemy of the internet and the people.

Level-3 also mistreats their own employees. They treat their workers like numbered slaves.

Please get involved in the fight.
Reply to this comment
Cogent is bad -- Level-3 is good
by testtest October 6, 2005 3:03 PM PDT
Cogent's network is nothing more than porn, warez and spam. I
frequently am inundated with spam from Cogent's network. I hope
they are forced to actually pay to distribute their crap to other
networks like Level-3.
View reply
B.S. - Level 3 did exactly what it should have done before
by Alex Yuriev October 6, 2005 3:22 PM PDT
That's BS. Level(3) depeered Cogent because cogent probably did not meet its in:out ratios. Cogent can go and BUY transit to get to Level(3) or it can stop dumping IP well below its cost.

Cogent decided it was not going to do that. It bet on Level(3) not pulling the peering. It bet wrong. Now it got caught with its pants down. It seems now it is also rather clear who has larger network - it is Cogent's customers that are ******** about the issues a lot more than the Level(3) customers.
View all 2 replies
Level-3 is bad -- Cogent is good
by October 6, 2005 2:41 PM PDT
I've done business with both Level-3 and Cogent.

Cogent is a positive force on the Internet. They are bringing down bandwidth prices. The quality of their service is excellent and their technical support shines too.

Level-3 on the other hand is a brutish, old-fashioned, monopoly-wannabe. They are trying to control the internet. They have always pushed around other companies. Their arrogance is matched only by their business incompetance.

It's important the public come out against Level-3 and for Cogent.

Cogent can make our lives better. Level-3 will make our lives worse.

Level-3 is the enemy of the internet and the people.

Level-3 also mistreats their own employees. They treat their workers like numbered slaves.

Please get involved in the fight.
Reply to this comment
Cogent is bad -- Level-3 is good
by testtest October 6, 2005 3:03 PM PDT
Cogent's network is nothing more than porn, warez and spam. I
frequently am inundated with spam from Cogent's network. I hope
they are forced to actually pay to distribute their crap to other
networks like Level-3.
View reply
B.S. - Level 3 did exactly what it should have done before
by Alex Yuriev October 6, 2005 3:22 PM PDT
That's BS. Level(3) depeered Cogent because cogent probably did not meet its in:out ratios. Cogent can go and BUY transit to get to Level(3) or it can stop dumping IP well below its cost.

Cogent decided it was not going to do that. It bet on Level(3) not pulling the peering. It bet wrong. Now it got caught with its pants down. It seems now it is also rather clear who has larger network - it is Cogent's customers that are ******** about the issues a lot more than the Level(3) customers.
View all 2 replies
Poor TimeWarnerCable and Roadrunner
by googlefan33 October 6, 2005 3:32 PM PDT
yea when Rita hit , TimeWarner Cable/Roadrunner was cut offline for 3 hours because of generator failed in houston DataCenter and this dispute.. makes me glad i have SBC. i think it time for Congent to go For Profit and let Level 3 do it own thing.
Reply to this comment
Poor TimeWarnerCable and Roadrunner
by googlefan33 October 6, 2005 3:32 PM PDT
yea when Rita hit , TimeWarner Cable/Roadrunner was cut offline for 3 hours because of generator failed in houston DataCenter and this dispute.. makes me glad i have SBC. i think it time for Congent to go For Profit and let Level 3 do it own thing.
Reply to this comment
Multinational wars and the Internet
by CyberWoLfman October 6, 2005 3:34 PM PDT
This could be a prelude to a new kind of war: One between the multinationals. Big companies who don't have any loyalty to any country, but only to the quest to make as much money as possible even though it means the customer gets the shaft.

In the book "Friday" by Robert A. Heinlein, practically all the violence in the book was caused by these companies and factions within them, not by nations at war with each other for territory or dwindling natural resources (those kinds of wars we'll likely be seeing later, as we run out of oil and clean water in the next ten to twenty years as even a certain well-known oceanographer stated that they'll be gone in twenty years back in 1995). Interesting reading if you want to try interpreting the intentions and reasoning behind corporations' facades. LOL But now, the masks are slipping, and we catch glimpses of what they really care about.

"Sometimes, it's all about the gold." The main motivations for humans is power and money (which in many circles is one and the same), fame, and the other one, which I won't name, but leads to increases in population.

The Internet was supposed to be set up so that it could survive in the event of nuclear war, like a fishnet of sorts, back in 1969, when it started as the ARPAnet. One spot gets taken out, and stuff goes around it. Kind of like guerilla warfare in a way, you don't give the enemy a central position to target (if you can be seen, you can be hit, and if you can be hit, you can be killed). But, with control of the Internet in the hands of corporations, we are playthings to their whims. People don't get access to information, their e-mails never get sent to where they sent them, non-profits like the one in the story as well as small businesses suffer... We all lose. Not that we should allow governments to control the Internet, either, or else they'll likely create a neck-crushing grip on what people can say and do on the Internet, attempting to make it so that no single person of any culture gets offended.

As U.S. District Judge Stewart Dalzell wrote: "As the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed, the Internet deserves the highest protection from governmental intrusion." (More quotes here, if you're interested, and no, it's not a real commercial site: www.cyberwolfman.com/quotes.htm)

Oops. I'm ranting again, aren't I? LOL

- CyberWoLfman
Reply to this comment
Multinational wars and the Internet
by CyberWoLfman October 6, 2005 3:34 PM PDT
This could be a prelude to a new kind of war: One between the multinationals. Big companies who don't have any loyalty to any country, but only to the quest to make as much money as possible even though it means the customer gets the shaft.

In the book "Friday" by Robert A. Heinlein, practically all the violence in the book was caused by these companies and factions within them, not by nations at war with each other for territory or dwindling natural resources (those kinds of wars we'll likely be seeing later, as we run out of oil and clean water in the next ten to twenty years as even a certain well-known oceanographer stated that they'll be gone in twenty years back in 1995). Interesting reading if you want to try interpreting the intentions and reasoning behind corporations' facades. LOL But now, the masks are slipping, and we catch glimpses of what they really care about.

"Sometimes, it's all about the gold." The main motivations for humans is power and money (which in many circles is one and the same), fame, and the other one, which I won't name, but leads to increases in population.

The Internet was supposed to be set up so that it could survive in the event of nuclear war, like a fishnet of sorts, back in 1969, when it started as the ARPAnet. One spot gets taken out, and stuff goes around it. Kind of like guerilla warfare in a way, you don't give the enemy a central position to target (if you can be seen, you can be hit, and if you can be hit, you can be killed). But, with control of the Internet in the hands of corporations, we are playthings to their whims. People don't get access to information, their e-mails never get sent to where they sent them, non-profits like the one in the story as well as small businesses suffer... We all lose. Not that we should allow governments to control the Internet, either, or else they'll likely create a neck-crushing grip on what people can say and do on the Internet, attempting to make it so that no single person of any culture gets offended.

As U.S. District Judge Stewart Dalzell wrote: "As the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed, the Internet deserves the highest protection from governmental intrusion." (More quotes here, if you're interested, and no, it's not a real commercial site: www.cyberwolfman.com/quotes.htm)

Oops. I'm ranting again, aren't I? LOL

- CyberWoLfman
Reply to this comment
I Agree. Cogent is Doing Good.
by killerpenguinz October 6, 2005 3:36 PM PDT
Look, Cogent has problems before 2003, we all know this. It's not their fault for this contract dispute. Level 3 did this to Cogent, and several other providers.

Cogent has a comparable Network, and Level 3 wants money.

I have never, had a problem with Cogent, as a CUSTOMER, not as a whiney complainer to their net op's.

2 years and running 1 connection issue that got resolved in 10 minutes. Now that is service. TimeWarner? Lets wait 2 days. Level 3? Lets not talk how long it takes them.

When i called Cogent about the situation, they explained down to detail. Level3 kept claiming it was a business decision, and when i told them that they need to rethink their position, i was told to give my information for submission to their legal counsel. I hope, for the sake of the Internet, Level 3's stock price plummets, they get delisted, and declare bankruptcy, so Cogent can buy them out. Then the end of the problem.
Reply to this comment
They should have learned from past mistakes.
by October 6, 2005 4:52 PM PDT
Why am I not surprised that it happened again? Cogent should have learned from it's past mistakes, like the 2002 outage with AOL/TimeWarner.

And being pre-warned about it, makes it even worse.

Two thumbs down for Cogent.
I Agree. Cogent is Doing Good.
by killerpenguinz October 6, 2005 3:36 PM PDT
Look, Cogent has problems before 2003, we all know this. It's not their fault for this contract dispute. Level 3 did this to Cogent, and several other providers.

Cogent has a comparable Network, and Level 3 wants money.

I have never, had a problem with Cogent, as a CUSTOMER, not as a whiney complainer to their net op's.

2 years and running 1 connection issue that got resolved in 10 minutes. Now that is service. TimeWarner? Lets wait 2 days. Level 3? Lets not talk how long it takes them.

When i called Cogent about the situation, they explained down to detail. Level3 kept claiming it was a business decision, and when i told them that they need to rethink their position, i was told to give my information for submission to their legal counsel. I hope, for the sake of the Internet, Level 3's stock price plummets, they get delisted, and declare bankruptcy, so Cogent can buy them out. Then the end of the problem.
Reply to this comment
They should have learned from past mistakes.
by October 6, 2005 4:52 PM PDT
Why am I not surprised that it happened again? Cogent should have learned from it's past mistakes, like the 2002 outage with AOL/TimeWarner.

And being pre-warned about it, makes it even worse.

Two thumbs down for Cogent.
The Blackout
by October 6, 2005 4:32 PM PDT
How incredibly stupid. The government and the nation have too
much invested in a smooth operating internet to allow this petty
BS to continue. If they want the Gov't to seize them and take
over, let them keep this blackout going.

There is no such thing as excess profits if you are in business
but stealth beats crude tricks like this. I'd rather have $.0001 or
less on every internet connection than risk losing the whole
thing.

Unbelieveable!

SEW
Reply to this comment
The Blackout
by October 6, 2005 4:32 PM PDT
How incredibly stupid. The government and the nation have too
much invested in a smooth operating internet to allow this petty
BS to continue. If they want the Gov't to seize them and take
over, let them keep this blackout going.

There is no such thing as excess profits if you are in business
but stealth beats crude tricks like this. I'd rather have $.0001 or
less on every internet connection than risk losing the whole
thing.

Unbelieveable!

SEW
Reply to this comment
Not the first time for Cogent!
by October 6, 2005 4:38 PM PDT
It is not the first time Cogent has been in peering trouble. Couple of years ago, same thing happened with Cogent and AOL/TimeWarner. At that time it took Cogent weeks to restore service back to their customers.
Reply to this comment
Not the first time for L3 either.
by katamari October 6, 2005 9:40 PM PDT
Look around on the web. This isn't the first time L3 has done this either.
Not the first time for Cogent!
by October 6, 2005 4:38 PM PDT
It is not the first time Cogent has been in peering trouble. Couple of years ago, same thing happened with Cogent and AOL/TimeWarner. At that time it took Cogent weeks to restore service back to their customers.
Reply to this comment
Not the first time for L3 either.
by katamari October 6, 2005 9:40 PM PDT
Look around on the web. This isn't the first time L3 has done this either.
Articles about prior Cogent blackouts
by October 6, 2005 4:43 PM PDT
Searching Google for Cogent AOL turns up quite a few interesting articles.

One of them are:

http://legalminds.lp.findlaw.com/list/cyberia-l/msg42080.html
Reply to this comment
Articles about prior Cogent blackouts
by October 6, 2005 4:43 PM PDT
Searching Google for Cogent AOL turns up quite a few interesting articles.

One of them are:

http://legalminds.lp.findlaw.com/list/cyberia-l/msg42080.html
Reply to this comment
Level 3 and Cogent
by October 6, 2005 4:51 PM PDT
I don't believe I quite understand the views from Level 3 here... Cogent sends traffic across level 3's network. There's also the fact that Level 3 sends traffic accross Cogents network. Why is Level 3 asking for compensation where Cogent has not?
Reply to this comment
Peering goes two ways!
by October 6, 2005 4:59 PM PDT
They are asking for compensation because the traffic ratio between the two networks is way off.

There would probably be no problem if there was an equal balance in the exchange of data over the two networks.
View reply
Level 3 and Cogent
by October 6, 2005 4:51 PM PDT
I don't believe I quite understand the views from Level 3 here... Cogent sends traffic across level 3's network. There's also the fact that Level 3 sends traffic accross Cogents network. Why is Level 3 asking for compensation where Cogent has not?
Reply to this comment
Peering goes two ways!
by October 6, 2005 4:59 PM PDT
They are asking for compensation because the traffic ratio between the two networks is way off.

There would probably be no problem if there was an equal balance in the exchange of data over the two networks.
View reply
Level 3 VS Cogent
by toaaron October 6, 2005 6:06 PM PDT
Current score:

Level-3 3-5 Cogent




http://ahseng.blogsome.com
Reply to this comment
Level 3 VS Cogent
by toaaron October 6, 2005 6:06 PM PDT
Current score:

Level-3 3-5 Cogent




http://ahseng.blogsome.com
Reply to this comment
Personally, I'd like to sue those involved
by ericnn24 October 6, 2005 8:55 PM PDT
My customers have been complaining they cannot reach our website to complete their orders and emails automatically generated to our shipping hub are being undelivered. This started yesterday and with no warning. I'm basically screwed.
Reply to this comment
Personally, I'd like to sue those involved
by ericnn24 October 6, 2005 8:55 PM PDT
My customers have been complaining they cannot reach our website to complete their orders and emails automatically generated to our shipping hub are being undelivered. This started yesterday and with no warning. I'm basically screwed.
Reply to this comment
Showing 1 of 2 pages (82 Comments)
advertisement

Latest tech news headlines

RSS Feeds

Add headlines from CNET News to your homepage or feedreader.

More feeds available in our RSS feed index.

advertisement