Whirlpool

I am the owner of AppleTV and recently, Apple has introduced a movie renting and purchasing feature for AppleTV and iTunes in Australia.

As iiNet is now offering "free zone" for all Apple-related downloads, I am wondering if Amnet has or is planning to offer something similar.

If not, would anyone know if Apple downloads would be counted as WAIX traffic, as I believe Apple is using Akamai servers for data transfers in Australia.

Doubt it...

AppleBoy writes...

I believe Apple is using Akamai servers for data transfers in Australia.

And guess which ISP has them inside of thier network and can offer the traffic as Free Zone?

Normal WAIX rules would apply here. If it Akamai servers are on waix then you should be able to reach them and use your waix allowance.

AppleBoy writes...

If not, would anyone know if Apple downloads would be counted as WAIX traffic, as I believe Apple is using Akamai servers for data transfers in Australia.

It's listed on the their website that Apple Trailers are counted as WAIX downloads, and they are (as far as my usage shows). I'd assume that music and movie downloads are then too, counted onto the WAIX meter instead of normal peerage.

Obviously the usual disclaimers about internet routing being dynamic and Amnet not being able to guarantee that the traffic will come through WAIX will apply.

Remember that whilst most Akamai traffic will come through WAIX from iiNets mirror, Akamai is a global content distribution network. Content will come from whichever server is under least load, closest, etc. Therefore, you can't guarantee that it will come from iiNet's mirror.

However, most large downloads that I have done from iTunes and Windows updates, etc, seem to come via WAIX.

Thank you for replies.
I will download a few larger vodcasts and see how it goes. I'll be happy if it comes under WAIX traffic.

just be careful, Video/audio podcasts are distributed by the publisher not apple, saying that some like revision3 have a local waix cache thanks to a recent peer BitGravity

I have been downloading some large vodcasts (around 8 Gb in total) in the last couple of days – they all came via WAIX :)

As Yammoky said, maybe I was just lucky. Might rent one movie on AppleTV and see if that goes via WAIX as well.

I wish you luck that it does. I know I have been lucky with all my PlayStation Network downloads coming via WAIX.

Did a trace route on the apple trailers section and it went through waix – see "paix"

H:\>tracert trailers.apple.com

Tracing route to a772.x.akamai.net [72.247.247.155]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

3 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 237.33-dslgw.amnet.net.au [203.153.237.33]
4 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms ge1-6.cr02.wa.amnet.net.au [203.161.64.50]
5 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms ge0-2.br01.wa.amnet.net.au [203.161.64.9]
6 100 ms 1 ms 2 ms vlan462.o6ss.optus.net.au [59.154.14.113]
7 226 ms 226 ms 226 ms paix.akamai.com [198.32.176.127]
8 224 ms 223 ms 223 ms a72-247-247-155.deploy.akamaitechnologies.com [7
2.247.247.155]

RIP Sarkiss writes...

Did a trace route on the apple trailers section and it went through waix – see "paix"

'PAIX' is not 'WAIX'

WAIX – Western Australian Internet eXchange
PAIX – Peering And Internet eXchange (formally Palo Alto Internet Exchange)

Based on the latency, it appears you are seeing Akamai content via the USA.

Dont forget here, is that just because the trace to trailers.apple.com doesnt come up waix, it doesnt mean the actual video streams wont.

Based on Akamai's systems, the more bandwidth intensive material (downloads, streams) will be sources from better locations than other traffic (ICMP (so your trace), HTTP (the raw html anyway) etc.)

So while every trace you do might come up USA servers, without monitoring the source of the stream you are watching, you dont know where it will come from.

So why doesn't Amcom get some Akamai servers? (Grab some from Limelight while your at it).

What a great idea. Im sure Amnet have loads of rack-space in their datacentres and gigs of spare bandwidth they can throw away so that you can get free stuff.
Why didnt anyone think of this before!

Better yet, seeing as Waix is cheaper than international traffic, hence the larger allowance, why dont amnet just mirror THE WHOLE INTERNET!!! Then you can get everything faster and cheaper!!!!

Get my point???

hehe Owned!

Downloaded a movie yesterday from iTunes new movies thingy and it counted towards my peering allowance so I'm assuming that the akamai data farm is somehow connect to WAIX (or PAIX for smarty pants iiNet man)

RIP Sarkiss writes...

Downloaded a movie yesterday from iTunes new movies thingy and it counted towards my peering allowance

Yeah, I am getting the same result. Not that I am complaining though, a very good use for my otherwise generous WAIX quota :)

RIP Sarkiss writes...

my peering allowance so I'm assuming that the akamai data farm is somehow connect to WAIX (or PAIX for smarty pants iiNet man)

1) WAIX is generally counted as peered usage – it says it in the plan details and T&Cs of your contract. PAIX however is in the U.S. confirmed by a quick (and dirty) check right here: http://www.maxmind.com/app/locate_ip?ips=72.247.247.155

2) "smarty pants iiNet man" just happens to be the Managing Director and one of the initial partners of iiNet, back when it was modems in their garage. The man has earned a little more respect than that.
I also know he has decent business sense... every decent ISP I've been with for the last 15 years has been borged by iiNet (way back to OIS in Midland).

FostWare writes...

2) "smarty pants iiNet man" just happens to be the Managing Director and one of the initial partners of iiNet, back when it was modems in their garage. The man has earned a little more respect than that.

Wrong Michael :) but cheers.

RIP Sarkiss writes...

Downloaded a movie yesterday from iTunes new movies thingy and it counted towards my peering allowance so I'm assuming that the akamai data farm is somehow connect to WAIX (or PAIX for smarty pants iiNet man)

Not trying to be smart – the peering point in WA is WAIX, compared to a USA peering point called PAIX, i was simply trying to clarify.

You would be seeing iTunes traffic via WAIX, as iiNet operate a large akamai farm in Perth that alot of that sort of content comes down via. There are a number of ISP's with Akamai farms on the peering fabic, however i'm not sure how many of them announce them to WAIX.

Michael Davis writes...

Wrong Michael :) but cheers.

lol, it *was* late when I posted

FostWare writes...

lol, it *was* late when I posted

You call 10:56pm Late?!?!?!?!

Given the sleep my wife and I get with a 6 week old child, 9pm is getting late some night :P

thepenguin writes...

What a great idea. Im sure Amnet have loads of rack-space in their datacentres and gigs of spare bandwidth they can throw away so that you can get free stuff.
Why didnt anyone think of this before!

Ok, I'll bite.

http://www.akamai.com/html/partners/network_program.html

A Typical Configuration
A typical configuration is three servers, and larger configurations are available based on traffic. An Ethernet switch is used to provide inter-server communications, as well as a connection to the network. The rack-mounted servers are extremely easy to install and typically are functioning with no changes to a provider's network topology or configuration.

http://www.amcom.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=24

Now don't you feel silly, as it would appear that Amcom DOES have the rack space.

As for bandwidth, I wonder what is cheaper... Data that comes from a local server or data that comes through Amcom's VERY expensive international uplinks.

Hmmm I wonder...

You obviously dont realise that its not cost benficial.

They have to mirror it in the first place – a HUGE amount of data i am sure.

And also – iinet mirror it, via WAIX. Amcom has a big datacentre which is all in the WAIX area – why on earth would they spend the money on an akamai host when most of the time the data come through the cheap WAIX network (comparable to int'l)....maybe 20% of akamai comes from international, but who cares? A vast majority comes from iinets WAIX-linked servers, so its cheap for amcom, and you wont see them hosting akamai!

Matt writes...

Now don't you feel silly, as it would appear that Amcom DOES have the rack space.

Not Really.

Lets look at this in a non technical way.

You own a clothes shop. You have 1000 places to hang clothes in your shop for sale.
You buy YOURSELF a bunch of new outfits but there isnt any room in your wardrobe
Are you going to hang them up in your shop?

So, there is no way Amcom are going to sacrifice Saleable space in their new datacentre for a free service. This is what internal racks are for. Their own systems. If they dont have space there, then its not going to happen.

Additionally, having emailed Akamai to find out what their hosting requirements are (out of curiosity, didnt think they'd respond but they did) the need 2x1RU locations with an 100Mbit uplink. Thats nothing to sneeze at even if the links only use 0.5Mbit generally, you are still dedicating alot of bandwidth.