Nan:2008-12-13-news.admin.peering-rfd3

From: board@lists.big-8.org (Big 8 Management Board)
Newsgroups: news.announce.newgroups,news.groups.proposals,alt.usenet.peering,news.software.nntp,news.admin.misc
Subject: 3rd RFD news.admin.peering - LCC/Last Call for Comments
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:29:33 EST
Message-ID: <1irvo45.3eg9ajuq2kk1N%board@lists.big-8.org>

               FINAL CALL - REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION (RFD)
                  unmoderated group news.admin.peering

This is the Final Call for Comments regarding the Request for
Discussion (RFD) for the creation of the unmoderated newsgroup
news.admin.peering.


NEWSGROUPS LINE:

news.admin.peering      Article flow, server peering requests, & offers.


SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION:

The fact that an alt.* group had been created and has been successful,
plus comments made during the first round of discussions, indicate
that some have apprehension regarding the use of news.admin.misc for
such a purpose.  Some in favor would like to see a specific peering
group.  Some opposed feel that such would be redundant to the .misc
group.  Some don't believe that alt.usenet.peering would be abandoned
and/or removed (or even removable).  The Newsgroups Line has been shortened and
the tab fixed.


RATIONALE:

In a discussion about itself, it was suggested that "alt.usenet.peering" should
have been created as "news.admin.peering" (or "news.admin.connectivity") - a
"big-8" group. A few participants in that discussion indicated that they would
favor such. Although it will probably be a low volume group, it serves a
critical infrastructure need to Usenet as a whole. It is expected that the
majority of group participants will be news server administrators and those
wishing to start new servers. The general Usenet population is not expected to
participate but may do so if they wish.

HISTORY BEHIND RATIONALE:
Some time ago in 2007, it was noted that there was no "in band" (i.e.
via NNTP) way for a news server administrator to make general requests
for [additional] peering.  Thus, in December 2007, newsgroup
"alt.usenet.peering" was created.  It has had success and about 100
posts, mainly peering requests and offers, and a couple of discussions
regarding organized peering arrangements (how to pick peers - from
anarchy to following a plan), and a discussion about itself.  As an
"alt.*" group, it didn't need a charter nor a vote, so rapid
deployment occurred. "Alt.usenet.peering" is an unmoderated group.

A survey of Usenet servers by "groupsearch.aacity.net" indicates that
18 of the 49 servers it surveys (about 37%) carry "alt.usenet.peering"
(3 servers have no articles):


http://groupsearch.aacity.net/cgi-bin/prop.pl?action=search&group=alt.usenet.pee
ring&sorting=group

Newzbot.com reports an additional 10 servers which carry the group.
Newzbot generally reports only newsservers "open" for reading and/or
posting.

  http://www.newzbot.com/search.php?t=group&q=alt.usenet.peering

It is also noted that some of the current participants in
"alt.usenet.peering" have posted articles sourcing from servers not in
either of the lists cited above.

Currently, there is also one "out of band" (HTTP - web site) way of
requesting peering that is viable.  A second web site exists but has
experienced constant abuse since about March 2008 thus rendering it
unusable.

Should "news.admin.peering" be created, users of "alt.usenet.peering"
will abandon it in deference to the new group. 


CHARTER:

News.admin.peering is an unmoderated group where news server
administrators may request or offer peering with other news servers.
Queries regarding connectivity problems and server closing
announcements are also permitted.  Discussions on how to best pick
peers (at random or via some plan) is also on-topic.  Discussions
regarding hierarchy propagation may be permitted (however, also see
"news.admin.hierarchies").

Issues regarding spam or network abuse are better posted to the
"news.admin.net-abuse.*" groups.

Posters are expected to abide by normal Usenet standards of decorum,
and to ignore articles intended to disrupt the group.  The usual
suspects are prohibited (spam, binaries, direct advertising, etc.).



MODERATION POLICY:

None.  News.admin.peering is an unmoderated group.



PROCEDURE:

Please refer to the newsgroup creation policies listed here:
 
         http://www.big-8.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=policies:creation

All discussion of active proposals should be posted to
news.groups.proposals.

To this end, the followup header of this RFD has been set to
news.groups.proposals.

If desired by the readership of closely affected groups, the discussion may be
crossposted to those groups, but care should be taken to ensure that all
discussion appears in news.groups.proposals as well.



DISTRIBUTION:

This document has been posted to the following newsgroups:

  news.announce.newgroups
  news.groups.proposals
  alt.usenet.peering
  news.admin.misc
  news.software.nntp



PROPONENT:

D. Stussy, replies@newsgroups.kd6lvw.ampr.org



CHANGE HISTORY:

2008-12-02     1st RFD (informal)
2008-12-10     2nd RFD
2008-12-13     Last Call for Comments
                          - DISCUSSION SUMMARY section added
                          - LCC requested (last call for comments)