Current Internet model is a recipe for disaster. .

A terrorist attack or other disaster that destroys key telecommunications equipment in major cities would disrupt the Internet much like severe storms at airline hubs tie up the nation's air traffic, suggests an Ohio State University, Columbus, study. Researchers conducted experiments in which they simulated what would happen if a disaster crippled major nodes of the Internet--places that house the equipment where Internet traffic is collected and distributed.

The results showed that major cities that serve as Internet nodes would continue to have network access in most scenarios, although it would probably be much less functional. However, smaller and medium-sized cities that link to the Internet through these major hub cities could be disconnected from the entire network.

"The Internet functions much like our air traffic system," explains Tony Grubesic, who co-authored the study. "If weather stops or delays traffic in a major airport hub, like Chicago's O'Hare, air passengers throughout the country may feel the effects--even if they are not traveling to Chicago. The same is true of the Internet hubs. They can affect Internet traffic through much of the country."

As the Internet has become commercialized, the major network providers have moved toward a "hub-and-spoke" model that funnels Internet connections through major hub cities. "If you would pick up an octopus, all of its tentacles would come up with it," indicates Morton O'Kelly, professor of geography. "The major Internet nodes have tentacles that connect to many other cities. If you destroyed a major Internet hub, you also [would] destroy all the links that are connected to it. It would have ripple effects throughout the Internet."

The actual impact of a network disruption would depend on a variety of factors, such as the cities affected by the disruption. The most-severe impacts probably would...

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