A database is populated with geographic locations for network devices by
providing a node on a network and making a connection into a network
service provider (NSP) point of presence (POP) to obtain a connection to
the network via the NSP. A message is then transmitted to the node over
the network connection obtained from the NSP. The message is received at
the node and a source network identifier is extracted from the message.
The source network identifier is then associated with a known geographic
location for the POP in a database. The foregoing steps are then repeated
for multiple different POPs. Also, a database is populated with geographic
locations for network devices by providing a node on a network and making
a connection into a network service provider (NSP) point of presence (POP)
to obtain a connection to the network via the NSP. A message is then
transmitted to the node over the network connection obtained from the NSP.
The message is received at the node and a source network identifier is
extracted from the message. The route over the network between the node
and the POP is then probed to obtain network identifiers for routers along
the route. The foregoing steps are then repeated for multiple different
POPs.
