The Cost-Effective and Efficient Solution for Internet Traffic Exchange
Ohio IX is an Internet exchange that allows carriers, ISPs, content providers, and other Enterprise users to exchange traffic inexpensively. It reduces delivery costs, improves routing efficiency, and enhances fault-tolerance. Members can peer with the router servers provided by Ohio IX or with other members through a bilateral peering agreement.
Cost-Effective
Ohio IX provides a cost-effective way for carriers, ISPs, content providers, and other Internet users to exchange traffic, which can help to reduce delivery costs.
Fast & Reliable
By reducing the amount of traffic that must be delivered through upstream transit providers, Ohio IX can help you deliver faster, more reliable service to your customers.
Enhanced Availability
Ohio IX offers multiple layers of redundancy and fault-tolerance, which helps to ensure that Internet traffic is always available and running smoothly.
What is Ohio IX?
Ohio IX is an Internet exchange (IX), also known as an Internet exchange point (IXP) or peering point that allows Internet transport carriers, Internet service providers (ISPs), mobile and content providers, and other significant Internet users to exchange Internet traffic inexpensively through a common switch fabric usually on a settlement-free basis.
Ohio IX reduces the portion of an ISP’s traffic that must be delivered via their upstream transit providers, thereby reducing the average per-bit delivery cost of their service.
Furthermore, the increased number of paths learned through Ohio IX improves routing efficiency and fault-tolerance. By connecting to Ohio IX, members can peer with the router servers provided by Ohio IX, or with any other member, provided the members in question have reached a bilateral peering agreement.
Ohio IX resides inside the Cologix data center and carrier hotel in Columbus, Ohio. For added convenience, access is also provided through remote switch operators located throughout the state, who extend transport back to the Ohio IX core.
Questions? We have answers!
Frequently Asked Questions
Ohio IX offers its members complimentary use of redundant route servers to enhance scalability. Route servers enable members to take advantage of multi-lateral peering and thus immediately start exchanging routes, and traffic, with all other members also connected to the route servers. Use of multi-lateral peering via route servers also greatly reduces the configuration overhead compared to the traditional bi-lateral BGP mesh.
You can peer with any of the members of the Ohio IX
and a growing number of content providers.
An approved Ohio IX member must provide for the following:
- A border router connection (note: can be remote) to the port on an Ohio IX switch
- Configuration of such border router
- An exchange point IP address for the border router provided by Ohio IX
- An Autonomous System Number (ASN) to identify the member
- Two BGP sessions with the Ohio IX Route Servers (optional) or a bilateral peering agreement with one or more Ohio IX members or content providers (note: most often this is a verbal or “handshake” agreement)
Member Port Summary
- Spanning tree shall be disabled (no BPDUs)
- Ethernet frames with a payload of up to 1500 bytes are supported. MTU settings must be configured accordingly
- Multicasts, Broadcasts, and Unknown Unicasts are limited to 100M
- Only one MAC address per port is allowed
- For recommendations on how to configure your equipment, see the excellent AMS-IX Config Guide
Code of Regulations
Ohio IX has established a Code of Regulations that all members are required to adhere to.
Tax Exemption
Ohio IX is tax-exempt and the note from the Department of the Treasury confirming this can be viewed below.