%include "template.mgp" %page %center, fore "red", back "white", size 8, vgap 300 Internet eXchange points Stephane Bortzmeyer Gitoyen AFNOG, May 2002 %page Why an exchange point (IX)? speed predictability independance money %font "thick" "Keep local traffic local" %page By the way, what is an IX? (architecture) a point where Internet operators exchange traffic (hardware) a set of switches where members plug themselves in %page Peering As an operator, you are no longer connecting to a provider only. You also connect to peers. %page IX for speed No need to go through slown and overused international lines. %page IX for predictability Less hardware, less lines. ping times are more predictable. %page IX for independance Traffic between two countrymen should not go through a different country (what if they have a political crisis?) %page IX for money saving Peering through an IX is typically gratis. (Peering is specially interesting if you do not pay a flat rate for your Internet links.) %page IX, layer 1/2 An IX is typically an Ethernet switch (Or a group of switches connected at the layer 2.) 100 Mb/s is more than enough for most IX. %page Location If located in a data center, members may connect from their nearby router. (Ethernet-only IX.) Otherwise, members may install a router in the IX. Annd install a leased line to their network. %page IX, layer 3 Most IX does not provide any layer 3 service, besides IP addresses allocation for the routers. Some provide a route server. Members establish peering relations by running BGP between their routers. The IX is not involved. %page IP addresses for the IX (ep.net can provide them.) %font "smalltw" inetnum: 80.67.175.0 - 80.67.175.63 netname: POUIX descr: POUIX internet exchange country: FR admin-c: SB4267-RIPE admin-c: PB401 admin-c: FC2409-RIPE tech-c: GI1036-RIPE status: ASSIGNED PA %page Small reminder about IP routing BGP allow providers to exchange routes. Exchange of traffic can then occur. The BGP speaker and the actual forwarding router may be different. Units of routing for BGP are Autonomous Systems (AS), not networks. %page IX, layer 7 Statistics, monitoring, looking glass, Usenet, NTP, multicast exploders, etc. %page Connecting to an IX Cabling (from an Ethernet cable to a leased line) Configuring your router (IP address) Finding peers (if no route servers) Configuring BGP Updating Afrinic info :-) %page BGP, route server %font "smalltw" neighbor 80.67.175.6 remote-as 65432 neighbor 80.67.175.6 update-source eth0 neighbor 80.67.175.6 next-hop-self neighbor 80.67.175.6 description Pouix route server neighbor 80.67.175.6 prefix-list announce-out out neighbor 80.67.175.6 filter-list 1 out neighbor 80.67.175.6 prefix-list peer-in in neighbor 80.67.175.6 route-map pouix-in in ... route-map pouix-in permit 10 set local-preference 2000 %page BGP, peer %font "smalltw" neighbor 80.67.175.3 remote-as 8975 neighbor 80.67.175.3 description Claranet neighbor 80.67.175.3 soft-reconfiguration inbound neighbor 80.67.175.3 prefix-list peer-in in neighbor 80.67.175.3 prefix-list announce-out out neighbor 80.67.175.3 filter-list 1 out neighbor 80.67.175.3 route-map pouix-in in %page Registry Internet Routing Registry: Afrinic, RIPE, etc Some people derive filters from IRRs. %page Keep registry data up to date %font "smalltw" as-name: GITOYEN-MAIN-AS descr: The main Autonomous System of Gitoyen (Paris, France). tech-c: GI1036-RIPE remarks: Open peering policy: just ask peering@gitoyen.net remarks: Looking Glass: http://lookinglass.gitoyen.net/ import: from AS6461 action pref=100; accept ANY export: to AS6461 announce AS-GITOYEN import: from AS13049 action pref=100; accept AS-FRONTIER export: to AS13049 announce AS-GITOYEN import: from AS8975 action pref=100; accept AS-CLARANETFR export: to AS8975 announce AS-GITOYEN %page Building an IX Technically, very simple. Financially, unexpensive. Politically, may be difficult. "Commercially", may require a lot of effort (neutrality required). %page Building, technical Decide if your IX will be at layer 2 (Ethernet switch) or 3 (IP router). Most are layer 2. Buy (or borrow) one Ethernet switch. (A spare PC for housekeeping tasks is recommended). %page Housing Put it somewhere. Finding a good place can be the most difficult if there are no existing data centers. 99.999 % reliability is not necessary: an IX is never the only way to reach the Internet. %page Building, financial Decide on a business model (in Europe, unlike the USA, most IX are not intended to earn money). %page Building, legal Write a contract. A typical IX: bans transit mandates IP mandates BGP (and mandates to follow its routes) %page An example: Pouix Pouix is small but so are many IX. Pouix is managed by Gitoyen, an operator. %page Who runs the IX? Some IX depend on an operator (in Paris: Sfinx, FreeIX, Pouix), perceived as neutral. Some IX are commercial companies. Some IX are non-profit organizations. %page Why Pouix? Gitoyen, as a small operator, wanted more peerings and even exchange of transit (forbidden at many IX). And because it is fun :-) %page Hardware of Pouix Nortel Ethernet switches, 100 Mb/s (may be soon 1 Gb/s). PC/Unix route server (not a forwarding router) using Zebra. MRLG looking glass. %page Route server of Pouix Great but not a commercial success :-) %font "smalltw" pouix-rs> show ip bgp summary BGP router identifier 80.67.175.6, local AS number 65432 2 BGP AS-PATH entries 0 BGP community entries Neighbor V AS MsgRcvd MsgSent TblVer InQ OutQ Up/Down State/PfxRcd 80.67.175.1 4 20766 18912 18968 0 0 0 01w6d03h 1 80.67.175.4 4 13049 18916 18918 0 0 0 01w6d03h 3 Total number of neighbors 2 ... pouix-rs> show ip bgp BGP table version is 0, local router ID is 80.67.175.6 Status codes: s suppressed, d damped, h history, * valid, > best, i - internal Origin codes: i - IGP, e - EGP, ? - incomplete Network Next Hop Metric LocPrf Weight Path *> 80.67.160.0/19 80.67.175.1 0 20766 i *> 195.5.197.0 80.67.175.4 0 13049 i *> 195.5.204.0 80.67.175.4 0 13049 i *> 213.161.192.0/19 80.67.175.4 0 13049 i Total number of prefixes 4 %page Software of Pouix Monitoring and statistics on free software (MRTG, mon) A few scripts (list of members in a XML file, all configurations automatically produced from it). %page Contract of Pouix Almost everything is authorized, even exchanging transit (full routes). Almost nothing is mandatory (no need to peer with Gitoyen, for instance). %page Pouix and money Gratis at the present time %page Convincing By far the most complicated. Pouix is not serious Gitoyen is not serious We already peer with you elsewhere We are not (yet) located in the same data center We don't have free Ethernet ports on our expensive router F... you %page Various IX KIXP in Kenya PAIX in Palo Alto Linx in London Sfinx in Paris etc... %page Useful information %font "typewriter" http://www.ep.net/ http://www.kixp.net/ http://www.sfinx.tm.fr/ http://www.pouix.net/