The Route-Servers
The Exchange currently operates two BGP route servers that you may consider peering with, easing the administrative burden of adding numerous individual peers. The route-servers also implement a number of BGP communities which you can tag your prefixes with to, for example, prevent the route-servers from advertising your prefixes to specific peers.
The route servers are simply two routers you peer with using BGP. Any routes you announce are then redistributed to other participating TorIX peers. Conversely, you will receive routes which others announce to the route servers. The portal’s list of peers indicates whether a peer utilizes the IPv4 or IPv6 route servers.
Activating the route-servers is performed in our Portal, then you set up your side with sessions to each of the two route servers. Very simple and straightforward. By default the route-servers will use AS path stripping which may require a few more configuration settings for your peering device.
The Route-Servers enforce strict IP address filtering to prevent unintentional or malicious route leaks by a peer to other participants. These filters are built based on IRR registered route-objects or AS-SET’s and you must provide one in order for your prefixes to be accepted by the route-servers. If you do not publish a route-object/AS-SET, the route server’s will reject any prefixes you advertise to them, thus no traffic will be sent to you from other participants. It is very important that you keep your route-objects and AS-SET up-to-date to ensure that any new prefixes you advertise are accepted by the route-servers. Not doing so will result in asynchronous routing and traffic for the filtered prefix would not routed via TorIX but through your more expensive IP transit providers and potentially introduce longer network paths which may introduce additional latency
You can create a route-object/AS-SET at RADB or through your RR (e.g., ARIN). The Seattle Internet Exchange has an excellent tutorial on creating the necessary maintainer, route and as-set objects.
The prefix-filters are updated daily at 04:00 EST (09:00 UTC). Therefore, keep in mind that you will not see ingress traffic from other participants until that time.
Prefixes with private, reserved or transit ASN’s in the path will be filtered regardless of entries of a peer’s IRR objects.
Route hygiene is very, very important
If you set max prefix limits, please set both your IPv4 and IPv6 limits to 150k prefixes.
Make sure you have an up-to-date PeeringDB entry. A number of large peers use the information listed on the site for contact information and to generate maximum prefix limits for peering sessions with you. PeeringDB is a free service for the Internet community by the Internet community.