Internet Routing Black Hole

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Internet Routing Black Hole
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Example

• 23 Apr 1997
• Internet service providers lost contact with
  nearly all of the U.S. Internet backbone
  operators
• Much of the Internet was disconnected, some parts
  for 20 minutes, some for up to 3 hours
• Small Virginia Internet service provider (MAI
  Network Services) misconfigured its router
• Advertise that it was the best route to the
  entire Internet
• Provided Sprint and other backbone providers with
  incorrect routing tables
• 50,000 routing addresses all pointed to MAI

Illustrated how the effects of a seemingly small
inadvertence and other collateral factors can
cause widely propagating problems