Zvika, there is no such notion  as "closest backbone server" in a network
where distances  are determined  dynamically (because  there are  so many
servers that it is not possible for  a human being to decide which is the
closest for all 2500+ nodes in  the network), and where everybody may not
have the  same versions of  the nodes  table, at least  during relatively
short (1 week or so) intervals of  time. What if your closest server is A
on monday, and then  becomes B on tuesday because a  new BITEARN NODES is
out, and yet A  thinks it is still the closest to you  because it has not
yet received  the new BITEARN  NODES? And,  of course, just  telling your
closest server to set the suspend  bit in your entry accomplishes nothing
unless all  the appropriate servers  are also notified, etc.  Finally, if
you  count the  CPU  time that  must  be  spent by  each  server to  keep
informing the "closest" ones of changes to the subscriptions, as compared
to the relatively  small fraction of people who will  indeed do a NETWIDE
suspend, you will see that this does not solve the problem.
 
  Eric