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Internet Exchange FAQs

What are some of the key benefits of peering at Equinix?​

  • More campus environments with (1,700+) peering partners at Equinix:

    • Reduces the network equipment needed and eliminates hops
    • Improves performance and lowers costs

  • Multiple options to support full bandwidth scaling model

    • IP Transit – Equinix Connect manages internet connectivity to your destinations through the public internet
    • Public Peering – Peering over a public peering platform (IX) to exchange traffic to key destinations through the same port (or multiple ports)
    • Private Peering – Peering through a cross connect that directly connects you to the highest volume

What are the components of Equinix Internet Exchange (IX)?​

IX comprises of:

  • Internet Exchange port (includes Cross Connect to IX); available port speeds are 1, 10, and 100 Gbps
  • As required, IX also includes a Metro Connect at no additional charge, depending on data center location and proximity to the IX platform.

Can I exchange IPv6 traffic over their Equinix IX port?​

Yes, Equinix IX supports assignment of IPv6 addresses and reverse DNS for dual-stack peering on the same peering port as IPv4. Customers can request their IPv6 address by submitting a trouble ticket. For instructions, see the Open a Ticket procedure in Submit a Trouble Ticket. To ensure that the ticket is routed to the correct support team, use these values:

  • Problem Category – select Internet Exchange
  • Problem Description – select General

Does Equinix IX provide a central switching fabric?​

Yes. Equinix IX provides a Layer 2 Ethernet switch fabric over which networks can exchange IP traffic.

Can I connect my Ethernet switches to the Equinix IX switch?​

Yes. All connections to Equinix IX are over Ethernet. Our policies limit participants to a single MAC address per port, and do not allow Layer 2 protocols such as Spanning Tree to be shared between customer devices over the Equinix switching fabric.

Does Equinix provide route servers on its IX fabrics to automate peering with open peers?​

Yes. Equinix offers Multi-Lateral Peering Exchange (MLPE), and maintains a redundant pair of route servers at each IX for this purpose. We support IPv6 at all MLPE locations and BGP communities for route control. For full description of this service and to request participation, visit MLPE Registration Page on the IX portal.

Are there Equinix peering discussion lists?​

No. Equinix does not currently run peering discussions lists.

Does Equinix validate the prefix advertised with the Black Hole community?​

Yes. The RTBH prefix is a subset of the IRR-validated prefixes from the advertising ASN.

Is this RTBH solution IETF-compliant?​

Yes. The Equinix RTBH feature is based on an IETF draft standard

Does the Equinix RTBH feature support IPv6?​

Yes. The feature supports IPv6. MLPE route server changes the next-hop IPv6 address to the Black Hole host (example 2001:2:4115:240) if your prefixes are tagged with BGP community 65535:666. The Black Hole host then responds to IPv6 Neighbor Discovery.

What is the acceptable prefix by the MLPE servers for RTBH requests?​

Equinix MPLE route servers accept /32 IPv4 prefix announcements with BGP community tag for RTBH filtering.

What physical connections or media types are supported on the IX ports?​

Single Mode Fiber (SMF) for 1G LX, 10G LR and 100 LR4.

What Ethertypes are allowed?​

ARP IPv4 and IPv6 are the only Ethertypes allowed.

Is (.1Q) tag supported on the IX ports?​

Yes. Ports can be tagged or untagged.

What are the BUM storm-control settings?​

BUM storm-control settings include Broadcast, Multicast, and unknown Unicast limited to 10 Mbps each on ingress, regardless of the port size. There are no settings for the Private VLAN.

How many MAC are allowed per physical port?​

Only one MAC is allowed per physical port.

How many VLANs and IP addresses are required for IX peering?​

One VLAN and one IP is required for multi-lateral and bilateral peering. VLAN ID can be different depending on the location.

How many IP addresses are allowed per port?​

One IP address per port is assigned by Equinix from local IX IP address pool.

Can I use the same IP address for both multi-lateral and bilateral peering?​

Yes.

How are primary and secondary ports provisioned?​

When you identify a port as a secondary port, Equinix provisions that port on a separate IX chassis. As Equinix does not distinguish between primary and secondary ports, you can manage the selection and switching of the traffic. Equinix provides the same SLA on all ports.

Is QOS supported?​

No, QOS is not supported. All the packets are forwarded as FIFO without blocking.

Are Jumbo Frames supported?​

Yes. Jumbo Frames up to 9000 byte are supported.

Is there a support for Multicast?​

No. Currently, Multicast is not supported on the IX.

No.

How many ports are supported on a Private VLAN?​

Two ports are supported on a Private VLAN.

Are there any L2, L3, or L4 restrictions on a PVLAN?​

No.

Is static MAC entry required on a Private VLAN?​

No.

How many MAC addresses are allowed for Private VLAN?​

Currently, there is no limit to the number of addresses allowed.

Who assigns the VLAN ID for a Private VLAN?​

Equinix assigns a VLAN ID from a predefined range that is unique within a metro. This range is used across all metros.

Who assigns IP addresses for a Private VLAN?​

You can assign your own IP schema for Private VLAN. Equinix passes through the L3 information.

Can I use Private VLANs only on the IX?​

No. Private VLANs can be used on top of bilateral or multi-lateral peering too.

Can I deploy a Private VLAN and IX VLAN on the same physical port?​

Yes. With .1Q tags, a port can participate on both VLAN domains.

Can I deploy multiple Private VLANs on same physical port?​

Yes. With .1Q tags, a port can be a part of multiple VLANs.

Can a live interconnection service be physically moved from one cage or cabinet to another? How do I request this migration service?​

Physically moving one end of any live interconnection service is referred to as migration. This involves moving the A-side or Z-side of the service from one cage or cabinet to another within the metro.

To migrate an interconnection service, you must submit a request for scheduled maintenance. Gather details about the physical connection, the cages, and the maintenance schedule. Send this information to the region’s migration team. For details about submitting information to the migration team, and an overview of the workflow, see Request an Interconnection Service Migration.

  • If the circuit is not live, you can use the Equinix Customer Portal to submit a de-install order and an install order with the new demarcation required. There is no need to contact the migration team.
  • If internal patching is required, use the Customer Portal to create a Smart Hands order, and choose the Move Cables order type.

Does IX support Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) ?​

IX does not support Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) for Multi-Lateral Peering Exchange (MLPE). Support for BFD between bilateral peers is at the discretion of the participants.