Route Server Next Generation

Launched in 1997, Merit's "Route Server Next Generation" (RSng) project was one of the successful follow-on projects to the NSFNET backbone service. This commercial venture provided for continued operation of the Route Servers, which were developed as part of the NSF-funded Routing Arbiter project.

Installed in pairs at each of the Network Access Points (NAPs, now known as Internet Exchange Points), the Route Servers were centralized computers that coordinated routing at the NAPs. The Route Servers freed up significant amounts of processing time for ISP routers at the exchanges, providing a considerable boost in throughput for each peer router. The Route Servers were configured using routing policy definitions from the Internet Routing Registry.

Route Server operations at the Network Access Points were supported by the National Science Foundation until January 1, 1997. NSF made the decision to commercialize Route Server and Network Access Point operations following the 24-month review of the Routing Arbiter and the four NAP projects in July 1996. NSF noted that all these projects had completed their basic missions ahead of schedule, and stated that the Routing Arbiter and the NAPs "have now proven that multiple network providers can work together in a competitive marketplace, and so can be scheduled for transition to commercial operations themselves."