IP: "Adult Supervision for the Internet" (title suggested by

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

For Information, Contact: Ira Richer, 703-620-8990


Internet Service Providers Team to Form Internet Operators Group


Inter-ISP Group Will Work to Improve Operational Performance and Technical
Integrity of the Internet


Reston, VA, May 20, 1997 Nine of the nation's major Internet service
providers announced today the formation of IOPS.ORG, a group of Internet
service providers (ISPs) dedicated to making the commercial Internet more
robust and reliable. IOPS.ORG will focus primarily on resolving and
preventing network integrity problems, addressing issues that require
technical coordination and technical information-sharing across and among
ISPs. These issues include joint problem resolution, technology assessment,
and global Internet scaling and integrity. IOPS.ORG will provide a
point-of-contact for these industry-wide technical issues.
 
The founding members of IOPS.ORG are ANS Communications, AT&T, BBN
Corporation, EarthLink Network, GTE, MCI, NETCOM, PSINet, and UUNET, and it
is expected that additional national and international Internet operators
will join. IOPS.ORG will work with other Internet organizations, with
Internet equipment vendors, and with businesses that rely on the Internet.
IOPS.ORG members individually will continue to support other Internet
organizations such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the North
American Network Operators Group (NANOG), and the Internet Society.


The Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI), a Reston,
VA-based not-for-profit organization which works with industry, academia,
and government on national-level initiatives in information technology,
will host the initial operations of IOPS.ORG. "IOPS.ORG will play a key
role in the healthy technical and operational evolution of the Internet as
an increasingly important component of the economy," said CNRI President
Robert Kahn.


FCC Chairman Reed Hundt said, "Today, millions of individuals and
businesses use the Internet on a daily basis.  They rely on it not only for
research, but increasingly for education, business, and entertainment, as
well.  For these people, dependable operation of the Internet is a
necessity. I believe it is crucial that Internet service providers work
together to ensure that Internet users get the reliable service they need
and expect. By helping prevent service interruptions, IOPS.ORG can reduce
the growing pressure for government action to ensure the reliability of the
Internet."


Bob Metcalfe, Ethernet inventor and weekly Internet columnist in InfoWorld,
said, "The formation of IOPS.ORG is exciting news for Internet users.
Getting ISPs to cooperate effectively on managing Internet operations is
long overdue. IOPS, if successful, will signal the transition of ISPs to a
mature industry."


CNRI Director of Networking Research, Ira Richer, will serve as the interim
Executive Director of IOPS.ORG. As its initial task, the group is
implementing an interoperable electronic trouble ticket system between ISPs.


=============================================================


STATEMENTS AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR FOUNDING MEMBERS




ANS Communications, Inc.:


Jordan Becker, Vice President of Network Services, said:
 
"The Internet now permeates virtually every part of our business and
personal lives.  It's critically important that companies dedicated to
providing Internet-based services take proactive measures to address
operational issues.  It's equally vital that our organizations work with
each other to ensure that the Internet infrastructure scales to meet this
unprecedented demand.  As providers of the first high-speed commercial
Internet backbone in 1991, ANS has always worked closely with our industry
peers.  IOPS.ORG delivers a welcome and necessary approach for expanding
this type of technical cooperation to the benefit of corporate customers
and individual users alike."


Contact:        Chris Carleton
                Carleton, Heffner, Ewen, Nashawaty, Inc.        
                617-235-2422
                ccarleton () chenpr com


----------------------
AT&T:


Erik K. Grimmelmann, AT&T WorldNet Network and Access Vice President, said:


"As some 900,000 members have joined AT&T WorldNet Service in the past
year, they've told us one thing quite clearly: The Internet is integral to
people's personal and business lives, and they want the same kind of
reliability there that they've come to expect from their other
communications services.  We look forward to bringing our networking
expertise to bear in cooperation with others in the industry to make that
happen."


Contact:        Randy Lankford
                AT&T Public Relations
                408-452-3810
                lankford () attmail com


----------------------
BBN Corporation:


Paul Gudonis, President of BBN Planet, said:


"We're fully behind IOPS.ORG. It will be a very useful organization to help
steer the growth of the Internet. Ever since BBN developed the predecessor
of the Internet in 1969, we've known that consensus among the Internet
community has been the foundation for its growth. Because IOPS.ORG will be
working closely with this Internet community, it should provide a widely
supported medium for issues surrounding the network's continued expansion.
BBN is delighted to give its support to this initiative."


Contact:        Peter Thonis
                617-873-3512
                pthonis () bbnplanet com


----------------------
EarthLink Network:


Sky Dayton, Chairman of the Board, said:


"At EarthLink, we believe the Internet will become the central nervous
system of the Information Age. The Internet provides the fundamental
infrastructure for the future of open planetary communication. But before
IOPS.ORG, the maintainers of this infrastructure operated separately,
almost completely unaware of other portions of the network. As a result,
without strong technical coordination between network operators, the
Internet hasn't lived up to its potential. As founding members of IOPS.ORG,
EarthLink looks forward to helping tie the Internet's many parts together
into a more cohesive, robust whole."


Contact:        Kirsten Kappos
                (818) 296-2467
                kirstenk () earthlink net


----------------------
GTE:


Alex Coleman, Vice President-General Manager, On-line Services, said:


"Building a base of satisfied customers requires a commitment to deliver
the highest level of quality and service, supported by the relentless drive
to work with others to solve the many challenging operational aspects of
the Internet. It is vitally important that Internet Service Providers work
together to ensure the operational integrity and reliability of the
Internet. As a founding member of IOPS.ORG, GTE welcomes the chance to work
closely and proactively with other industry leaders in bringing the full
potential of the Internet to residential and business customers. IOPS.ORG
will help to ensure that the Internet continues to mature, but remains
self-regulating, thereby encouraging the innovation necessary for the
continued rapid growth of the Internet."


Contact:        Bill Kula
                972-718-6924
                william.kula () telops gte com


----------------------
MCI:


Vint Cerf, Sr. Vice President for Internet Architecture and Engineering, said:


"IOPS is an organization whose time has come. As the Internet continues its
rapid evolution and growth as a new global telecommunications
infrastructure, the collection of Internet Service Providers needs
increasing amounts of coordinated effort to sustain worldwide quality of
service. MCI is pleased to participate in the founding of this important
new forum for operational coordination." 


Contact:        Marianne Steiner
                770-280-6306
                1-800 644 NEWS
                marianne.steiner () mci com


----------------------
NETCOM:


Mike Kallet, Senior Vice President of Products and Services, said:


"We are pleased to be a founding member of IOPS.ORG and welcome the
opportunity to work with other leading Internet service providers to help
develop this industry.  NETCOM is dedicated to continually improving
Internet performance and capabilities, and we believe the outcome of the
organization's work will translate to increased Internet user benefits."


Contact:        Emily Chambers
                408-881-3571
                emily.chambers () corp netcom com


----------------------
PSINet:


William L. Schrader, President and CEO, said:


"PSINet is pleased by the formation of IOPS.ORG as an industry response to
the challenges of operational coordination. Because the Internet has become
a critical element for today's businesses, providing reliable, global
Internet services is a requirement for ISPs who are focused on the needs of
corporate customers. PSINet welcomes the prospect of improved service to
all Internet customers as the result of cooperative efforts like this one."


Contact:        Tanya Prather
                703-904-4285
                prathert () psi com


----------------------
UUNET:


Contact:        Mara Radis
                703-206-5441
                marar () uu net


======================================================


STATEMENT FROM THE CROSS-INDUSTRY WORKING TEAM (XIWT):


Charles Brownstein, Executive Director, said:


"This is a great step forward for the ISP industry and for everyone who
uses the Internet.  I and all of the XIWT member companies congratulate the
founders for their leadership. We are pleased to have played a role in the
birth of this new activity.


"Last year, XIWT member representative Stewart Personick of Bellcore
proposed bringing together leaders from industry, academia, and the
government to discuss ways to better understand the complex interactions
which affect Internet performance. Subsequently, an XIWT workshop
identified specific needs for ISP cooperation, and for a locus of
interaction with the commercial user and academic communities. The idea was
so powerful that XIWT invested in the planning for IOPS.ORG, and it is very
gratifying to see the result."


(The XIWT is a group of 47 firms from across the information technology and
services industries. It is dedicated to advancing the national information
infrastructure. Information about XIWT and its activities can be found at
<http://www.XIWT.org/homepage>.)


Contact:        Charles Brownstein
                703-620-8990
                cbrownst () cnri reston va us
================================================


Frequently Asked Questions




What is IOPS.ORG? 


IOPS.ORG is a group of commercial Internet service providers (ISPs)
dedicated to improving Internet operations and performance. The mission of
IOPS.ORG is to promote engineering efforts required to maintain and enhance
an operational global Internet. IOPS.ORG addresses issues that require
joint activity and technical information-sharing across and among ISPs,
including joint problem resolution, technology assessment, and global
Internet scaling and integrity. To accomplish its goals, IOPS.ORG supports
engineering analysis, system simulation and testing, and interaction with
other groups and organizations as appropriate.


How does IOPS.ORG differ from other "Internet organizations"?


IOPS.ORG membership comprises companies which provide access and/or
transport services for Internet traffic. IOPS.ORG focuses primarily on
resolving and on preventing technical and operational problems that require
inter-ISP coordination. IOPS.ORG does not develop standards and it does not
lobby.


Are there similar organizations in other industries?


IOPS.ORG bears some similarity to the Network Reliability Steering
Committee (NRSC) of the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions.
IOPS.ORG performs analogous functions in solving the kinds of network
integrity problems that require cooperation among members of the same
industry. Like the NRSC, IOPS.ORG is concerned with ensuring a continued
high level of network reliability, which means that some level of technical
cooperation among industry players is essential.


Who are the founding members of IOPS.ORG, and how did they get together?


The founding members are ANS Communications, AT&T, BBN Corporation,
EarthLink Network, GTE, MCI, NETCOM, PSINet, and UUNET.


Many of these companies were among participants in a workshop on Internet
performance organized by the Cross-Industry Working Team (XIWT; see
<www.xiwt.org/homepage>) in October 1996, where the concept of IOPS.ORG
emerged from discussions among a diverse set of Internet researchers,
users, and providers. They recognized the need to formally address
interoperability and other technical problems that arise in the rapidly
growing Internet environment.


What commitments must members make?


In order to ensure that IOPS.ORG is effective, members must participate in
IOPS.ORG activities and contribute actively to its goals and objectives.
Members pay annual dues which support IOPS.ORG personnel and activities.


What is the role of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives?


The Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI), a non-profit
corporation located in Reston, VA, is assisting in the startup of IOPS.ORG
by hosting professional staff and by providing ancillary services such as
secretarial and web-site support to facilitate IOPS.ORG's activities. It is
intended that at the appropriate time, IOPS.ORG will become an independent,
self-sufficient organization. For more information about CNRI, see
<www.cnri.reston.va.us>


How will IOPS.ORG interact with non-members who have a stake in Internet
performance?


IOPS.ORG will work as appropriate with others, including other Internet
organizations, the information industry, vendors of Internet equipment, and
other interested entities. IOPS.ORG expects to invite non-members to
participate in focused activities, and it may convene open meetings.


In addition, IOPS.ORG expects to work with the Internet Performance Working
Group which the XIWT plans to create. Such a working group would comprise
Internet users and equipment and service providers. The forums and other
activities the working group sponsors -- which would involve non-XIWT
members -- would be one of the venues for IOPS.ORG to interact with the
broader community that is interested in improving Internet performance.


What specific work will IOPS.ORG do?


During its first year, IOPS.ORG currently plans to initiate the following
four activities:


1. Implement mechanisms for joint resolution of operational and reliability
problems. One of the first tasks will be the electronic exchange and
tracking of trouble tickets.


2. Provide a point of contact between IOPS.ORG and other organizations.


3. Cooperate with other organizations such as the CERT (computer emergency
response team) on engineering issues, to identify and implement
improvements to Internet integrity.


4. Work with equipment vendors to identify improvements, new features, and
software revisions to their products that will enhance the operation of the
Internet.


How will IOPS.ORG accomplish its work?


Currently, the founding members direct the operation of IOPS.ORG through
appointed representatives. Approved technical work is done by employees of
the member companies. An Executive Director will be recruited to manage
IOPS.ORG operations. Over time, additional staff may be added. Ira Richer,
CNRI, is the interim Executive Director


Will IOPS.ORG's technical results be made available to non-members?


The fundamental purpose of IOPS.ORG is to increase the integrity and
reliability of the Internet. The group therefore has a commitment, to the
maximum extent feasible, to make public any results which will contribute
to that end. 


Where can more information about IOPS.ORG be obtained?


For further information, contact Ira Richer at richer () cnri reston va us
(703-620-8990). A web site <www.iops.org> is under construction.