Whirlpool

OK. This FAQ was written to show users what WAIX is, who's connected to it and what there is on it. P2P matters should be directed to the WAIX P2P FAQ: forum-replies.cfm?t=150585

THIS FAQ IS NOT OFFICIAL OR ENDORSED BY THE WAIA.
Though Gavin does pop in from time to time :)
For more info, visit www.waia.asn.au

Contents.
1.) What is WAIX?
2.) How does it work?
3.) Who is connected to it?
4.) How do I know if it's WAIX or not?
5.) Current ISPs on WAIX
6.) FTP Mirrors on WAIX
7.) IRC
8.) WAIX Gaming
9.) WAIX Chatter

Comments: To suggest changes, additions etc, click here to WhIM me :)
FAQ Creation Date: 3rd October 2003

1.) What is WAIX?

WAIX is the Western Australian Internet eXchange. It is a 'Peering' Network (Peering meaning the arrangement of traffic exchange between Internet service providers (ISPs). Larger ISPs with their own backbone networks agree to allow traffic from other large ISPs in exchange for traffic on their backbones. They also exchange traffic with smaller ISPs so that they can reach regional end points).

WAIX allows members access to all networks connected to WAIX. For example, if ISP A and B connect to WAIX in Perth and ISP C connects in the South-West and ISP D connects from the Pilbara then information between each of the four ISPs are shared at no cost.
This provides an excellent scheme for reducing costs of data, etc etc.

2.) How does it work?

Essentially, all ISPs lay down a link between them and the WAIX Datacentre at QV1 in the city. All inter-WAIX traffic is routed through these pipes, and because the pipes are so fast, data between WAIX ISPs are routed through WAIX. Thus, cheaper and quicker!!

3.) Who is connected to it?

For the latest updates, see the WAIA's own list at www.waia.asn.au/waix/participants.shtml

As a general rule of thumb, try all ISPs in WA except for the Big 4 (Telstra, Optus, OzEmail, AOL) and Comindico. However!, Comindico resellers are not members of WAIX. Check with your ISP, or check the WAIA's list.

4.) How do I know if it's WAIX or not?

This part of the FAQ has been reproduced from the Westnet Website at www.westnet.com.au/produ...d/adsl/waix.shtm
Nice work fellas!

CONNECTED TO WAIX?

If you know the destination address (Hostname or IP Address) of a site that you would like to download files from you can perform a few simple checks to determine if the site is on WAIX or not.

Example:

I would like to download a file from Mega Mirror located at: www.megamirror.com

To check to see if this particular site is connected via WAIX you can perform a simple trace route test which will plot all the hops between your computer and the site from which you would like to download the file from.

C:\>tracert www.megamirror.com

Tracing route to megamirror.com [203.220.0.2]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 202.72.129.1
2 1 ms 3 ms 1 ms cisco1.westnet.com.au [203.10.1.2]
3 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms bdr1.westnet.com.au [203.10.1.1]
4 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms comindico.ix.waia.asn.au [198.32.212.53]
5 97 ms 64 ms 63 ms 203.194.58.61
6 64 ms 63 ms 64 ms s3-0.cor01-kent-syd.comindico.com.au [203.194.1.21]
7 64 ms 64 ms 64 ms ge1-0.wsr01-kent-syd.comindico.net.au [203.194.29.249]
8 65 ms 65 ms 63 ms content-delivery-syd.comindico.net.au [203.194.26.6]
9 64 ms 63 ms 64 ms megamirror.com [203.220.0.2]
Trace complete.

From the results of this test we can now see if the host is connected to WAIX by identifying the host’s WAIX peering point. In this case hop number 4 in the trace route test above corresponds to Mega Mirror’s peering point into WAIX: comindico.ix.waia.asn.au

However, just because a particular host has WAIX connectivity doesn’t necessarily mean that all traffic being transferred between WestNet and the particular host (say Planet Mirror for the sake of this example) will travel via WAIX all of the time. The reason for this is that with the dynamic nature of routing and the self trouble-shooting nature of the Internet, it is possible that the routes information takes to and from a particular host can be different and even change from one moment to the next as a result of outages and so on.

VIA WAIX?

Unfortunately, for end users the only real way of telling if data from a particular site is coming in via WAIX is to do a trace back from the download site to WestNet (or your machine). The easiest way to achieve this is to make use of an online trace route utility or similar that the download host may offer.

Similar to that made available here by Mega Mirror: www.megamirror.com/cgi-bin/trace

Using this utility to do a trace back to WestNet we are again looking for the WAIX peering points, and any other hops along the way that would indicate that each ISP is connected to WAIX (and that the traffic between each ISP is flowing via WAIX).

Traceroute Output

FROM megamirror.com TO www.westnet.com.au.

traceroute to westnet.com.au (203.10.1.20), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets
1 fe0-0.core0.megamirror.com (203.220.0.1) 0.514 ms 0.326 ms 0.296 ms
2 ge2-0.wsr01-kent-syd.comindico.net.au (203.194.26.5) 0.728 ms 0.516 ms 0.468 ms
3 ge6-2.1000.cor02-kent-syd.comindico.com.au (203.194.29.253) 62.406 ms 62.421 ms 63.717 ms
4 s3-0.cor01-stge-pth.comindico.com.au (203.194.1.22) 64.171 ms 62.877 ms 62.292 ms
5 203.194.58.55 (203.194.58.55) 63.220 ms 62.287 ms 62.354 ms
6 westnet.ix.waia.asn.au (198.32.212.6) 62.549 ms 62.754 ms 63.104 ms
7 * * *
8 wombat.wn.com.au (203.10.1.20) 63.683 ms 64.104 ms 63.372 ms

Hop number 6 in the trace route output above represents WestNet’s peering point into WAIX (westnet.ix.waia.asn.au). This also indicates that data from Mega Mirror is coming into WestNet via WAIX .

Another way of determining if files that you would like to download from a particular host will come through via WAIX is to first download a small file from the site in question. When the file download is complete check your usage logs (made available at the web address below) and check to see which category of traffic the download counted against.

5.) Current ISPs on WAIX
Last Updated: 6/7/04, 9:00pm WST

AceOnline
Alias Internet
Amnet
ArachNet
AsiaNetcom
Avon Global Communications
Bekkers IT
Canning College
Central-Data
Comindico
Comdek
Commerce Australia
Conceptual Networks
Connect.com
Daniels Printing Craftsmen
DART Internet
DDS (Formerly known as Cynergic)
E-Span
E-Wire
Eftel
Eon Technology
Fleet Broadband
FoxGold
Games On Demand
Global Web
Highway 1
IDCS
iExec
iiNet
Informed Technology
Internode
Intrapower
iPrimus
J-Corp
JWH Group
Netspace
Netway
Parnet / WA Uni's
Pacific Internet
PerthIX
Request DSL
Reynolds Technology
ServiceNet / WA Government
Swiftel
Terminus Network Services
TPGi
Up'N'Away
Veridas Communications
Vianet Australia
WANet
Westnet
West Australian Networks

WAIX Network Map @ www.waia.asn.au/waix/network-map.png
(Cheers to Gavin Tweedie, the WAIX Technical Manager, for this list and the network map)

6.) FTP Mirrors on WAIX

Well, you didn't just think that WAIX was only about file sharing, did you? Many ISPs provide file mirrors and FTP sites that are quota free... here are a few of the choice ones.

3FL File Mirror - mirror.wa.3fl.net
Arachnet FTP - ftp://redback.arach.net.au
iiNet Tucows - tucows.ii.net
iiNet FTP - ftp://ftp.ii.net
MegaMirror - www.megamirror.com

More listed on waix.bur.st

7.) IRC

Ther are two IRC servers avaliable on WAIX, both linking to national networks www.austnet.org (Austnet) and www.oz.org (Oz.org).

A dedicated WAIX IRC network has been launched. WAIXCentral (www.waixcentral.net) caters for the IRC needs of the WAIX Community, since it is run by longtime WAIX users. It can be connected to at irc://irc.waixcentral.net on ports 6667 (non SSL) or 6668 (SSL-encryption).

The Austnet server is hosted by iiNet, and can be reached at irc://irc.iinet.net.au or irc://iinet.wa.au.austnet.org.
The Oz.org server is hosted by the WAIA, and can be reached at irc://waix.perth.oz.org

(To use those links you will need to have your IRC Client configured correctly, else simply type /server <server address here> where the server address is the bit after the irc:// in the links above.

8.) WAIX Gaming

Just about every ISP runs/sponsors a gaming network as part of their day-to-day operations. Servers are run for just about every game - from Counter Strike, to Unreal Tournament 2004 or Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. These game servers are free for anyone to utilise, and count as free traffic on your usage.

iiNet Games - games.iinet.net.au
EFTel Games - games.eftel.com
3FL (3 Frags Left, sponsored by Westnet) - www.3fl.net
Arachnet Gaming - games.arach.net.au
GOD (Games On Demand) - www.gamesondemand.com.au
Internode Gaming - games.internode.on.net
iPGN (iPrimus Gaming Network) - www.ipgn.com.au

And if your ISP isn't listed here, try putting games.yourispaddress and see what you come up with ;)

9.) WAIX Chatter

A number of forums have sprung up on the WAIX network. Please note that the WAIA does not endorse nor sponsor any of the forums or community sites listed below.

WAIX Source - source.waix.net
Massive discussion board, some parts of which are still under construction. Plenty of discussion and news on the portal site.

10.) Music

The WAIX Network is also home to a pair of user-operated radio stations, as well as a number of restreams of popular music from overseas.

WAIXRock - www.xwaix.net:9000 (Listen @ www.xwaix.net:9000/listen.pls)
With no particular DJ and no particular format, WAIXRock plays whatever is popular in the current day. It leans towards Rock, Top 50, and just about any music format bar Trance/Dance. It's got expansion plans - so stay tuned!

WAIXWAVE - www.waixwave.com (Listen @ www.waixwave.com/index.php?p=listen)
WaixWave is a community based online streaming radio station which focuses on live content. There's plenty of online streams out there that play 24/7 music but we find live content is much more entertaining, for both the DJs and the Listeners. All our DJs volunteer their time, skills, and bad senses of humor to the cause and have a great time doing it. We play all sorts of music, have live DJs mixing it up live, idiots with microphones pumping their politically incorrect views into your soft malleable minds, and even talk back radio so you can return the favor.

Trance @ iiNet - forum-replies.cfm?t=110573&p=1
This is a number of restreams by iiNet. However, it's only accessable to iiNet subscribers!

Internode Radio - www.internode.on.net/radio
More restreams provided by Internode but, again, only avaliable to Internode subscribers!

Pacific Internet Radio - radio.pacific.net.au
Another load of restreams, but accessable to everyone on WAIX!!!

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