FIX-WEST started in 1989. In October 1994, Ames was asked to extend this connectivity to everyone. The Space Act does allow for reimbuseable use of NASA facility. MAE-WEST is a secure colocated FDDI interconnect at NASA Ames. This facility includes a Gigaswitch core, 24x7 support from NSI, escorted access to the facility, the ops folks can do some button pushing and resetting (given some notification), and a PAC*BELL OC-48 facility is also in place. MFS is coming their in March to provide an alternate access. There is also a GTE C-BAND ground station access. If PAC*BELL were to extend the FDDI NAP to Ames, that would be fine with Milo. There is also a UPS that can provide seven days of support. MFS will provide lower speed access from San Jose which will more or less duplicate MAE-EAST. General access will be available from MFS. Alternet, Databank and NET99 will be connecting initially. Also, due to construction issues, MFS will be initially be using a DS3 from PAC*BELL. There will also be an RA server coming. ICM will provide transit for a FedNet to FIX-WEST that can't get there themselves.
The costs are $5K install and $2K/month to Ames. Loop charges are extra. Sprint and ANS are at FIX-WEST. MCI will be attached by February 20th. The GigaSwitch is not in yet. It should be in in March. medin@nasa.gov is the place to send for information on the contracts. The NetEdge can fill a DS-3 as long as the packet sizes are bigger than the minimum. MFS does not know how they would behave under congestion. Milo believes that getting to higher speed will be done as needed.
Milo believes that some day there will be a working B-ISDN infrastructure. When that happens, there will no longer be a need for interconnection points like MAE-WEST.
There is limited space at Ames, but Milo believes that there is space for about 5 more entities. MFS will have more space in their facility, but no specific number of open "slots" was given.
There is some talk of having FIX-EAST connected to MAE-EAST in a simliar way. This is still being discussed. The Feds agree that FIXes don't need to exist if they can get it elsewhere. However, there is a worry issue with the Feds about the ease of moving elsewhere. It is clear that all the FedNets want to interconnect at the same place.
Eric Bennett said that there is 25Mb/sec limit with the NetEdge products from testing that AADS did. Steve Feldman says that NetEdge continues to improve their product,but he does not know the current limits of the product. Kent England asks if other groups have tested the NetEdge. Noone in the room responded.