Mock RouteViews Observatory -- by Greg Bryant

Watch the Internet decide where packets should go.

RouteViews-style data is not packet traffic. It is a public telescope for BGP routing state: which networks announce which address blocks, which AS paths are visible from different vantage points, and how those paths change during outages, leaks, hijacks, maintenance, and normal churn.

BGP UPDATE streamRIB snapshotsCollectorsAS pathsPrefix originRoute leaks & hijacks

2. Global routing view

Stable routing: multiple collectors see AS 64510 originating the prefix, but each sees a path from its own position in the topology.

selected/valid path alternate/leaked path suspicious or withdrawn collector
Cleanorigin-AS consistency
4distinct AS paths seen
0withdrawals in window
Lowoperator attention level

What RouteViews-style data lets people ask

“Is my prefix visible?”

Operators can check whether collectors around the world see their route, which origin AS is attached to it, and whether paths are unexpectedly long or absent.

“Did someone hijack or leak it?”

If a prefix suddenly appears with a new origin AS, or via an implausible transit path, the UPDATE stream can reveal when and where the suspicious route propagated.

“How did the Internet recover?”

By comparing collectors, RIB snapshots, and UPDATE sequences, researchers can estimate propagation, convergence, outage blast radius, churn, and routing policy effects.