FD-IX Connection Guide
BGP Configuration and Route Server Setup Documentation
1. Overview
This document provides comprehensive technical instructions for connecting to FD-IX internet exchange points. FD-IX operates carrier-neutral exchange facilities across multiple locations with standardized connection procedures.
Purpose
FD-IX enables direct peering between networks, reducing latency, improving reliability, and lowering transit costs. This guide covers the complete connection process from physical cross-connect to BGP configuration.
1.1 Key Benefits
- Direct Peering: Exchange traffic directly with hundreds of networks
- Reduced Latency: Eliminate unnecessary network hops
- Cost Savings: Reduce transit bandwidth requirements
- Improved Reliability: Multiple peering paths for redundancy
- 24/7 Support: Round-the-clock NOC monitoring and support
1.2 Network Architecture
┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Member A │────────────────────│ FD-IX │────────────────────│ Member B │
│ AS64512 │ BGP Session │ Route Server │ BGP Session │ AS64513 │
└─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └─────────────┘
│ │ │
│ │ │
└───────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────┘
Direct Peering via Exchange Fabric
2. Prerequisites
Before connecting to FD-IX, ensure you meet the following requirements:
2.1 Technical Requirements
| Requirement | Specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ASN | Valid public ASN | Registered with appropriate RIR |
| IP Space | Publicly routable prefixes | Minimum /24 for IPv4, /48 for IPv6 |
| Router | BGP-capable device | Must support BGP4 and communities |
| Port Speed | 100M, 1G, 10G, or 100G | Based on traffic requirements |
2.2 Policy Requirements
| Policy | Requirement | Enforcement |
|---|---|---|
| MAC Limit | 1 MAC address per port | Automatic port shutdown on violation |
| Traffic Type | Unicast only | No broadcast/multicast allowed |
| Protocols | BGP only | No STP, CDP, or other protocols |
| ARP | Proxy ARP disabled | Required on all interfaces |
Important
Violation of connection policies may result in automatic port shutdown. Ensure your configuration complies with all requirements before connecting to the exchange.
3. Connection Process
Follow these steps to establish your connection to FD-IX:
3.1 Order Cross-Connect
- Contact your data center provider to order a cross-connect to FD-IX
- Specify the FD-IX meet-me room (MMR) location for your facility
- Choose your port speed: 100Mbps, 1Gbps, 10Gbps, or 100Gbps
- Request single-mode fiber (SMF) with LC or SC connectors
Cross-Connect Specifications
Fiber Type: Single-mode (9/125μm)
Connectors: LC (preferred) or SC
Distance: Typically < 100 meters within facility
3.2 IP Assignment
Upon approval, FD-IX will assign IP addresses from the peering LAN:
| Location | IPv4 Subnet | IPv6 Subnet |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis | 206.53.139.0/24 | 2001:504:41:200::/64 |
| Chicago | 206.53.140.0/24 | 2001:504:41:201::/64 |
| Cleveland | 206.53.141.0/24 | 2001:504:41:202::/64 |
3.3 Interface Configuration
Configure your router interface with the assigned IP addresses:
# Cisco IOS Example
interface GigabitEthernet0/0
description FD-IX Indianapolis
ip address 206.53.139.10 255.255.255.0
ipv6 address 2001:504:41:200::10/64
no ip redirects
no ip proxy-arp
no ip directed-broadcast
no cdp enable
no lldp transmit
no lldp receive
mtu 9000
no shutdown
# Juniper JunOS Example
set interfaces ge-0/0/0 description "FD-IX Indianapolis"
set interfaces ge-0/0/0 unit 0 family inet address 206.53.139.10/24
set interfaces ge-0/0/0 unit 0 family inet6 address 2001:504:41:200::10/64
set interfaces ge-0/0/0 mtu 9000
4. BGP Configuration
Configure BGP sessions with FD-IX route servers for multilateral peering.
4.1 Route Server Details
| Route Server | IPv4 Address | IPv6 Address | ASN |
|---|---|---|---|
| RS1 (Primary) | 206.53.139.1 | 2001:504:41:200::1 | 33495 |
| RS2 (Secondary) | 206.53.139.2 | 2001:504:41:200::2 | 33495 |
4.2 Cisco Configuration
router bgp 64512
bgp router-id 192.0.2.1
bgp log-neighbor-changes
no bgp default ipv4-unicast
!
neighbor FD-IX-RS peer-group
neighbor FD-IX-RS remote-as 33495
neighbor FD-IX-RS ebgp-multihop 2
neighbor FD-IX-RS password 7 YOUR_MD5_PASSWORD
!
neighbor 206.53.139.1 peer-group FD-IX-RS
neighbor 206.53.139.1 description FD-IX-RS1
neighbor 206.53.139.2 peer-group FD-IX-RS
neighbor 206.53.139.2 description FD-IX-RS2
!
address-family ipv4
neighbor FD-IX-RS send-community
neighbor FD-IX-RS soft-reconfiguration inbound
neighbor FD-IX-RS route-map IX-IN in
neighbor FD-IX-RS route-map IX-OUT out
neighbor FD-IX-RS maximum-prefix 50000 90
neighbor 206.53.139.1 activate
neighbor 206.53.139.2 activate
exit-address-family
!
address-family ipv6
neighbor FD-IX-RS send-community
neighbor FD-IX-RS soft-reconfiguration inbound
neighbor FD-IX-RS route-map IX-IN-V6 in
neighbor FD-IX-RS route-map IX-OUT-V6 out
neighbor FD-IX-RS maximum-prefix 10000 90
neighbor 2001:504:41:200::1 activate
neighbor 2001:504:41:200::2 activate
exit-address-family
4.3 Juniper Configuration
protocols {
bgp {
group FD-IX-RS {
type external;
multihop ttl 2;
local-address 206.53.139.10;
family inet {
unicast {
prefix-limit {
maximum 50000;
teardown 90;
}
}
}
family inet6 {
unicast {
prefix-limit {
maximum 10000;
teardown 90;
}
}
}
authentication-key "YOUR_MD5_PASSWORD";
export IX-OUT;
import IX-IN;
peer-as 33495;
neighbor 206.53.139.1 {
description "FD-IX-RS1";
}
neighbor 206.53.139.2 {
description "FD-IX-RS2";
}
}
}
} 4.3 Arista Configuration
router bgp 64512
router-id 192.0.2.1
maximum-paths 32
neighbor FD-IX-RS peer group
neighbor FD-IX-RS remote-as 33495
neighbor FD-IX-RS ebgp-multihop 2
neighbor FD-IX-RS password 7 YOUR_MD5_PASSWORD
neighbor FD-IX-RS send-community
neighbor FD-IX-RS maximum-routes 50000 warning-limit 45000
neighbor FD-IX-RS route-map IX-IN in
neighbor FD-IX-RS route-map IX-OUT out
neighbor 206.53.139.1 peer group FD-IX-RS
neighbor 206.53.139.1 description FD-IX-RS1
neighbor 206.53.139.2 peer group FD-IX-RS
neighbor 206.53.139.2 description FD-IX-RS2
!
address-family ipv4
neighbor FD-IX-RS activate
!
address-family ipv6
neighbor FD-IX-RS activate
neighbor 2001:504:41:200::1 peer group FD-IX-RS
neighbor 2001:504:41:200::2 peer group FD-IX-RS
5. Routing Policies
Implement proper routing policies to ensure secure and efficient peering.
5.1 Prefix Filtering
Inbound Filtering (Bogon List)
! IPv4 Bogon Filter
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 0.0.0.0/8 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 10.0.0.0/8 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 100.64.0.0/10 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 127.0.0.0/8 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 169.254.0.0/16 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 172.16.0.0/12 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 192.0.0.0/24 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 192.0.2.0/24 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 192.168.0.0/16 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 198.18.0.0/15 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 198.51.100.0/24 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 203.0.113.0/24 le 32
ip prefix-list BOGONS deny 224.0.0.0/3 le 32
!
! Accept legitimate prefixes
ip prefix-list IX-IN permit 0.0.0.0/0 ge 8 le 24
Outbound Filtering
! Define your prefixes
ip prefix-list MY-PREFIXES permit 192.0.2.0/24
ip prefix-list MY-PREFIXES permit 198.51.100.0/24
!
! Route map for outbound announcements
route-map IX-OUT permit 10
match ip address prefix-list MY-PREFIXES
set community 64512:100
!
route-map IX-OUT deny 999
5.2 BGP Communities
FD-IX supports standard BGP communities for traffic engineering:
| Community | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0:peer-as | Do not announce | Prevent announcement to specific peer |
| 0:33495 | Do not announce | Prevent announcement to any peer |
| 33495:peer-as | Announce only | Announce only to specific peer |
| 65535:666 | Blackhole | Blackhole traffic (DDoS mitigation) |
Community Usage Example
To prevent announcement to AS64999:
set community 0:64999
To announce only to AS64999:
set community 33495:64999
6. Verification and Testing
After configuration, verify your connection is working properly:
6.1 BGP Session Status
# Cisco
show ip bgp summary
show bgp ipv6 unicast summary
# Juniper
show bgp summary
# Arista
show ip bgp summary
show ipv6 bgp summary
Expected output should show established sessions with both route servers:
Neighbor V AS MsgRcvd MsgSent TblVer InQ OutQ Up/Down State/PfxRcd
206.53.139.1 4 33495 123456 12345 1234567 0 0 1w2d 45678
206.53.139.2 4 33495 123457 12346 1234567 0 0 1w2d 45679
6.2 Route Verification
- Check routes received from route servers:
show ip bgp neighbors 206.53.139.1 routes
- Verify your announcements:
show ip bgp neighbors 206.53.139.1 advertised-routes
- Test connectivity to route servers:
ping 206.53.139.1 source 206.53.139.10
- Verify MTU path:
ping 206.53.139.1 size 8972 df-bit
6.3 Traffic Monitoring
Monitor your IX traffic using standard tools:
- Interface statistics:
show interface GigabitEthernet0/0 - BGP statistics:
show ip bgp neighbors 206.53.139.1 | include statistics - NetFlow/sFlow: Configure flow export for detailed traffic analysis
- SNMP: Monitor via standard IF-MIB counters
7. Troubleshooting
7.1 Common Issues
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| BGP session not establishing | IP configuration mismatch | Verify IP addresses and subnet masks |
| Session flapping | MTU mismatch | Set MTU to 1500 consistently |
| No routes received | Inbound policy blocking | Check route-map and prefix-list configuration |
| Routes not announced | Missing network statement | Ensure prefixes are in BGP table |
| Port disabled | Policy violation | Check for multiple MACs or broadcast traffic |
7.2 Debug Commands
Caution
Debug commands can impact router performance. Use with caution in production environments.
# Cisco BGP debugging
debug ip bgp 206.53.139.1 updates
debug ip bgp 206.53.139.1 events
# Juniper BGP tracing
set protocols bgp group FD-IX-RS traceoptions file bgp-trace
set protocols bgp group FD-IX-RS traceoptions flag update
# Arista BGP debugging
trace bgp neighbor 206.53.139.1
7.3 Escalation Process
If you cannot resolve the issue:
- Collect diagnostic information:
- BGP configuration
- Interface statistics
- Error messages
- Packet captures if applicable
- Check FD-IX member portal for service status
- Contact FD-IX with collected information
FD-IX Contact
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 (463) 209-7100 (24/7)
Portal: https://portal.fd-ix.com
8. Appendix
8.1 Reference Links
8.2 Glossary
- ASN
- Autonomous System Number - A unique identifier for networks on the Internet
- BGP
- Border Gateway Protocol - The routing protocol used between autonomous systems
- IX
- Internet Exchange - A physical infrastructure for networks to exchange traffic
- MMR
- Meet-Me Room - The physical location where cross-connects are terminated
- MTU
- Maximum Transmission Unit - The largest packet size that can be transmitted
- RIR
- Regional Internet Registry - Organizations that manage IP address allocation
- Route Server
- A BGP speaker that facilitates multilateral peering at an IX