Re: the Internet Backbone

["David ``Joel Katz'' Schwartz" <stimpson () stimpson igc net>]

On Mon, 8 Apr 1996, Avi Freedman wrote:

> Now, many 2nd level providers that *could* operate default-free choose
> not to.  Even if you have three or more sets of 30k+ routes each, it
> takes balls to risk dropping packets that your customers want you to 
> deliver just so that you can have the packet be dropped at your router
> instead of at your (possibly backup) transit provider's router.
>
> Avi

        Can't anyone who takes full routes from any tier 1 provider 
operate without a default route? And isn't it a reasonable assumption 
that if you don't have a route somewhere, odds are they don't have a 
route to you (assuming you do your own BGP routing) and so a default 
route is mostly pointless anyway?

        What am I missing?

        DS