- An Internet Exchange point (IX or IXP) is the common foundation of an IP network that allows participating Internet service providers (ISPs) to exchange data sent to their respective networks.
- Most IXPs are each of the separate non-profit associations that make up the participating network (i.e. the group of ISPs participating in that IXP), and the main alternative to the IXP is private peering, where ISPs directly connect their networks to each other.
- IXP reduces the portion of traffic that ISPs must deliver through their upstream transmission providers, thereby reducing the average cost per bit of delivery for their services.
An Internet Exchange point is a physical location
An Internet Exchange point (IXP) is a physical location through which Internet service providers (ISPs) and Internet infrastructure companies such as CDNS connect to each other. These locations exist at the “edge” of different networks and allow network providers to share transmissions outside of their own networks. By having a point of presence within the IXP location, companies are able to shorten the transmission path with other participating networks, thereby reducing latency, improving round-trip times, and potentially reducing costs. The IXP is the essential technical infrastructure where the network connects and exchanges Internet traffic.
Some network types that connect to exchange traffic include: Internet service providers (ISPs), mobile carriers, and content delivery networks (CDNS), such as Google, Baidu, Akamai, and Facebook.
Building a successful IXP is more than just a technical engineering effort, it takes time and effort to build trust, consensus and mutual agreement in the local community.
Many of the people and organisations involved in building IXP have traditionally been competitors. By deciding to work together, they contribute to a better and more resilient local Internet infrastructure. That’s what happens when someone is on the ground supporting Internet access for everyone and building a community to support the cause. For IXP, a strong community is the foundation for success.
Also read: JPNAP, JPIX, and BBIX to build IXPs at AT TOKYO CC3
Working principle of IXPs
If you want to meet your neighbors, taking a route that takes you through town and back again is not the fastest or most efficient way to get there.
However, this often happens to Internet traffic in many parts of the world. The email you send to your neighbors may pass through an entirely different country or even continent before reaching their inbox. This happens when the infrastructure that allows your email to travel the shortest route to your neighbor’s house is not in place.
IXP helps create shorter, more direct routes for Internet traffic. They offer a more affordable alternative to sending local Internet traffic abroad while simply returning that traffic via an international link, which can be an expensive business.
For an IXP to function properly, it needs: switches, routers, servers, neutral locations, proper power supply, cooling systems, security, and technical experts to run and manage it. For it to work well, it also needs people who believe that by building human relationships we can build stronger technical networks.
At its core, an IXP is essentially one or more physical locations that contain network switches that route traffic between different member networks. In various ways, these networks share the cost of maintaining physical infrastructure and related services. Similar to the costs incurred when shipping goods through third-party locations, such as through the Panama Canal, when traffic travels through different networks, sometimes those networks charge shipping fees. To avoid these costs and other drawbacks associated with sending traffic over third-party networks, member companies connect to each other via IXP to reduce costs and reduce latency.
An IXP is a large Layer 2 LAN (OSI networking model) built from one or more Ethernet switches that are interconnected across one or more physical buildings. IXP is no different from home networking in basic concept, the only real difference is scale. IXP can range from 100s MB/S to many terabytes of exchange traffic per second. Regardless of size, their main goal is to ensure that the routers of many networks are connected together cleanly and efficiently. In contrast, at home there is usually only one router and many computers or mobile devices.
Over the past two decades, there has been a major expansion of network interconnection, parallel to the huge expansion of the global Internet. This expansion includes new data centre facilities being developed to house networking equipment. Some of these data centres have attracted large numbers of networks, thanks in large part to the thriving Internet exchange points that operate within them.
Why are Internet Exchange points important?
Without an IXP, traffic from one network to another might rely on an intermediate network to deliver traffic from the source to the destination. These are called transmission providers. In some cases, this is fine: most international Internet traffic flows this way, because it’s expensive to maintain a direct connection to every ISP in the world. However, relying on backbone ISPs to deliver local traffic can have a detrimental impact on performance, sometimes because backbone operators send data to another network in a completely different city. This situation can lead to what is known as a trombone, and in the worst case, traffic from one city to another ISP in the same city may have to travel a long distance to exchange and then return again. A CDN with an IXP presence has the advantage of optimising the path through which data flows in its network and reducing inefficient paths.
Advantages of Internet Exchange points
IXP is critical to bringing faster, more affordable Internet to people. They made the Internet:
Cheaper: Because IXP ensures that traffic between local senders and local receivers uses a relatively cheap local connection rather than an expensive international link, ISPs can save a lot of money – 20% or more in some countries.
Better: The switching feature of the IXP allows Internet traffic to be redirected in the event of a connection problem on the network. So, for example, an IXP can keep local traffic flowing within the country if an international connection breaks down. This helps make the Internet more resilient.
Faster: By providing a more direct network connection, IXP improves the quality of access for local users. With IXP, local content is accessed 10 times faster because traffic is routed more directly.
More opportunities: IXP attracts a range of local and international operators as they offer them a more cost-effective way to access potential local Internet users. This spurs innovation and creates business opportunities – it encourages local people to produce more relevant local content and apps.
