ATM performance information is
available at ftp.aads.net in the directroy /pub/Chicago_NAP.
[NOTE: The ftp server at ftp.aads.net does
not work well with some browsers.]
ANS terminated their connection to the Chicago NAP. Sprint and MCI are on the FDDI ring. Chicago MREN (education, research, etc) are connected.
The routers are run by the network operations and the hardware is maintained by AADS. The ATM is working.
A number of customers are connected: Alpha Net, Argonne, Databank, Fermi, MCI ...etc.
CRIS (Concentric Research) and others have pending connections.
A Multi-Lateral Peering Agreement (MLPA) has been proposed. It is only a peering (not transit) agreement. Full mesh of PVCs for this group, RA provides the various peering arrangements at a technical level. Bilateral agreements are used for transit arrangements. There are monthly meetings among customers. It appears that the customers here are regionally oriented.
ATM customers at 45mb/sec are using the fourth revision Kentrox ADSU. The OC3c folks are using the Cisco AIP cards which are now shipping. There are distict buffer problems with the Cisco that make certain configurations of the 7000s unworkable when an HSSI is operating at high rates of speed. AIPs work ok. The 2Mb SSPs also help with some of these uses.
A trial is going on with Sprint ATM backbone. The I-WAY project is interconnect to the ATM.