Here at EFTM we know how important Star Wars is to the fans, It’s featured in several guest “top 3 movies of all time” and we know the work that went into valuing the real cost of the Death Star. Perhaps though as far as nerdy fandom goes this homage to Star Wars by a networking guru might just take the cake.
For the uninitiated, every device connected to the internet has a unique number – an IP Address. That IP Address is the unique address which allows all those bits and bytes to circulate the internet and get to you or wherever they are intended.
To travel around the internet, every request for data (like typing a webpage address) goes through a huge number of stops in a split second to ensure it gets there efficiently and of course to ensure it actually makes it to the right place.
In true nerdy style you can actually view the route taken to get from your computer to any destination in the world – by simply typing “Traceroute” followed by the “IP Address” of the computer at the other end.
What you get is a long list of hops and stops along the way. First your computer, then your home router, then your ISP for a few stops, then out onto the big wide internet before making its way down to the final destination.
The stops along the way are normally quite boring. Here’s where it gets interesting. One of the Star Wars geeks at Beagle Networks has taken a little time out of their day to route a bit of traffic through certain devices or stops – and given each of those stops a very specific name.
Let’s take a look:
traceroute to 216.81.59.173 (216.81.59.173), 64 hops max, 52 byte packets
1 192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1) 0.467 ms 0.324 ms 0.260 ms
2 1x.xx.xx.xx (1xx.xx.xx.xx) 19.245 ms
58x.xx.xx.xxx(5X.XX.XX.XX (removed to protect my network! / Trevor Long) 10.481 ms 7.527 ms
3 5x.xx.xxx.xxx (5x.xx.xxx.xx) 17.038 ms 17.129 ms 9.085 ms
4 172.18.239.233 (172.18.239.233) 27.174 ms 27.045 ms 23.966 ms
5 bundle-ether15.ken43.sydney.telstra.net (110.142.193.141) 12.981 ms 13.582 ms 11.624 ms
6 bundle-ether9.ken-core4.sydney.telstra.net (203.50.11.30) 13.975 ms 23.558 ms 11.751 ms
7 bundle-ether1.pad-gw2.sydney.telstra.net (203.50.6.29) 9.305 ms 13.655 ms 11.836 ms
8 203.50.13.114 (203.50.13.114) 10.199 ms 29.545 ms 10.410 ms
9 i-0-3-0-0.paix-core01.bx.telstraglobal.net (202.84.140.117) 149.188 ms 149.164 ms 172.271 ms
10 i-0-0-0-5.paix02.bi.telstraglobal.net (202.84.251.18) 154.278 ms 146.535 ms 149.822 ms
11 * * *
12 10gigabitethernet9-3.core1.sjc2.he.net (72.52.92.70) 158.139 ms 160.442 ms 170.295 ms
13 10gigabitethernet5-3.core1.lax2.he.net (184.105.213.5) 165.241 ms 166.848 ms 165.585 ms
14 10gigabitethernet2-3.core1.phx2.he.net (184.105.222.85) 176.950 ms 182.992 ms 176.386 ms
15 10gigabitethernet5-3.core1.dal1.he.net (184.105.222.78) 202.240 ms 198.857 ms 195.502 ms
16 10gigabitethernet5-4.core1.atl1.he.net (184.105.213.114) 216.579 ms 227.235 ms 225.595 ms
17 216.66.0.26 (216.66.0.26) 216.023 ms 233.097 ms 215.915 ms
18 * * *
(Here's where it gets interesting)
19 episode.iv (206.214.251.1) 251.742 ms 266.521 ms 255.707 ms
20 a.new.hope (206.214.251.6) 263.870 ms 254.669 ms 251.729 ms
21 it.is.a.period.of.civil.war (206.214.251.9) 256.740 ms 264.679 ms 262.910 ms
22 rebel.spaceships (206.214.251.14) 256.333 ms 258.213 ms 257.637 ms
23 striking.from.a.hidden.base (206.214.251.17) 253.217 ms 262.795 ms 253.278 ms
24 have.won.their.first.victory (206.214.251.22) 256.429 ms 261.245 ms 255.262 ms
25 against.the.evil.galactic.empire (206.214.251.25) 252.918 ms 262.643 ms 252.307 ms
26 during.the.battle (206.214.251.30) 252.923 ms 256.093 ms 252.355 ms
27 rebel.spies.managed (206.214.251.33) 256.726 ms 263.554 ms 252.612 ms
28 to.steal.secret.plans (206.214.251.38) 257.709 ms 255.780 ms 257.558 ms
29 to.the.empires.ultimate.weapon (206.214.251.41) 256.351 ms 258.877 ms 256.668 ms
30 the.death.star (206.214.251.46) 259.169 ms 253.935 ms 256.381 ms
31 an.armored.space.station (206.214.251.49) 251.462 ms 255.309 ms 254.547 ms
32 with.enough.power.to (206.214.251.54) 263.200 ms 254.648 ms 252.242 ms
33 destroy.an.entire.planet (206.214.251.57) 265.696 ms 252.753 ms 251.513 ms
34 pursued.by.the.empires (206.214.251.62) 253.296 ms 254.501 ms 262.156 ms
35 sinister.agents (206.214.251.65) 257.060 ms 254.918 ms 254.954 ms
36 princess.leia.races.home (206.214.251.70) 252.155 ms 259.746 ms 261.278 ms
37 aboard.her.starship (206.214.251.73) 257.709 ms 256.007 ms 252.087 ms
38 custodian.of.the.stolen.plans (206.214.251.78) 253.283 ms 262.404 ms 258.335 ms
39 that.can.save.her (206.214.251.81) 255.395 ms 265.889 ms 252.135 ms
40 people.and.restore (206.214.251.86) 257.109 ms 263.717 ms 257.302 ms
41 freedom.to.the.galaxy (206.214.251.89) 256.563 ms 255.781 ms 256.288 ms
42 0-------------------0 (206.214.251.94) 273.322 ms 252.772 ms 255.758 ms
43 0------------------0 (206.214.251.97) 257.834 ms 261.888 ms 257.004 ms
44 0-----------------0 (206.214.251.102) 261.184 ms 255.880 ms 251.683 ms
45 0----------------0 (206.214.251.105) 257.287 ms 256.745 ms 257.793 ms
46 0---------------0 (206.214.251.110) 255.783 ms 259.427 ms 255.207 ms
47 0--------------0 (206.214.251.113) 256.184 ms 255.260 ms 258.448 ms
48 0-------------0 (206.214.251.118) 260.707 ms 257.186 ms 254.242 ms
49 0------------0 (206.214.251.121) 257.083 ms 257.964 ms 260.834 ms
50 0-----------0 (206.214.251.126) 254.478 ms 263.215 ms 257.579 ms
51 0----------0 (206.214.251.129) 254.775 ms 255.097 ms 252.326 ms
52 0---------0 (206.214.251.134) 280.076 ms 264.503 ms 252.008 ms
53 0--------0 (206.214.251.137) 263.479 ms 253.130 ms 254.686 ms
54 0-------0 (206.214.251.142) 253.453 ms 260.761 ms 253.264 ms
55 0------0 (206.214.251.145) 255.631 ms 297.516 ms 257.008 ms
56 0-----0 (206.214.251.150) 270.275 ms 260.922 ms 254.476 ms
57 0----0 (206.214.251.153) 259.527 ms 258.659 ms 256.256 ms
58 0---0 (206.214.251.158) 257.505 ms 256.252 ms 256.578 ms
59 0--0 (206.214.251.161) 256.734 ms 265.347 ms 262.121 ms
60 0-0 (206.214.251.166) 257.162 ms 258.006 ms 256.588 ms
61 00 (206.214.251.169) 258.769 ms 259.464 ms 257.424 ms
62 i (206.214.251.174) 257.491 ms 253.937 ms 257.034 ms
63 by.ryan.werber (206.214.251.177) 256.849 ms 253.046 ms 276.437 ms
64 when.ccies.get.bored (206.214.251.182) 253.068 ms 257.327 ms 262.596 ms
Those lines, from 19-41 you might recognise. They are the words that appear on-screen after the all important “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..” In what was the original – Episode IV – Star Wars.
Episode IV, A NEW HOPE It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet. Pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy….
Full Credit to Ryan Werber, he’s done a great job with this one!
Web:Beagle Networks
