About

The CNIX switching centre is located in Cork Internet Exchange (CIX), a secure neutral data centre based in Hollyhill Industrial Estate, Cork. CNIX provides a Layer2 & Layer3 Internet Exchange. Rapid Broadband has provided 2 Cisco 3550 Switches for the Layer2 IX, with Cork Community Broadband providing 2 Quagga BGP Routers for the Layer3 IX.

The Internet Exchange provides a location in Cork which brings many advantages to the region, including;

1. Improved speed and reduced latency
Members are able to keep traffic local by exchanging it closer to the source or destination of the traffic over LAN infrastructure rather than sending via upstream providers which may prefer routes learnt further away. This means that the time it takes for a data packet to reach its destination is reduced. This is particularly important for latency sensitive applications such as Voice over IP and IPTV, but affects even web browsing and the time it takes for images to load on a web page. By peering with other networks at CNIX you may be shortening the route of a packet by several hundred miles, by up to a dozen routers, and it will be over a faster LAN network.

2. Improved availability
Network Managers are increasingly aware of the need for a more diverse network which is not reliant on one carrier or central point, and can remain functional in the event that one of their providers or sites being no longer available. Members of CNIX will add additional peers to their network and this will create a higher level of resilience by providing a more diverse network. Also by using the Multilateral Interconnect Peering service they will achieve a safer interconnection since the filters of CNIX ensure the accuracy of the routing information that passes through them. This filtering prevents the widespread propagation of network outages caused by accidental misconfiguration of routers. 

3. Technical Knowledge
Smaller regional and local networks often have a smaller technical team. If they are connecting to an exchange for the first time, as is often the case with new exchanges, they typically lack expertise in the area of multi-homed routing. Multilateral Interconnect Peering can greatly accelerate the turn-up of such new exchanges by allowing each participating network to configure a single logical routing adjacency ("peering session") with CNIX rather than a full mesh of individual adjacencies with each of the other participants. As new participants join the exchange, they receive the immediate benefit of full use of the exchange as soon as they peer with CNIX, rather than incrementally gaining use of the exchange as they configure each of many peering sessions.

4. Networking
CNIX is an organisation whose membership is mainly Internet Service Providers or Content Providers who run their own data networks. This means that it is an excellent chance for members to get to know each other, and use the opportunity to make new contacts, including finding potential suppliers.