Get Started with NZIX ExchangeNET

Most people joining the exchanges set up multilateral peering via the route servers provided at each exchange. That's not a requirement but often it makes the process easier to start with. You can get a connection at any of the exchanges so that you can create bilateral peering sessions with other participants and, of course, you're free to do that at any time.

If you'd like to peer with the route servers at one or more of the exchanges then you'll need:

  • a router that supports BGP - check with your supplier.
  • a block of IP addresses to advertise - we can't supply these addresses. You'll either have them already or you'll need to get a block of addresses directly from APNIC. The route servers support both IPv4 and IPv6 peering sessions. We'd encourage you to support both protocols.
  • an Autonomous System (AS) number - you may already have one assigned by APNIC.
  • to complete the ExchangeNet application form.
Once you've completed the form we'll send you further details on connecting to the exchange.

Filtering Route Announcements

There are two route servers at each exchange which hold details of the routes exchanged via multilateral peering at that exchange. Participants are free to use these servers and/or make their own bilateral peering arrangements with others.

The route servers only implement basic filtering. A list of bogons is copied from http://www.team-cymru.org/Services/Bogons/bogon-bn-agg.txt and these routes are filtered inbound and outbound. In addition both IPv4 and IPv6 default routes are filtered as well as IPv4 prefixes > /24 and IPv6 prefixes > /48.

There are also filters that limit the number of prefixes that any peer can announce:

  • Default Max IPv4 prefixes: 1000
  • Default Max IPv6 prefixes: 100

Any organisation wishing to announce more than these defaults should contact: peering@citylink.co.nz

Technical Requirements

Physical Connection

Interface Settings

100base and 10base Ethernet interfaces attached to NZIX ports must be set to auto-sensing unless otherwise agreed.

MAC Layer

Ethernet Framing

The NZIX infrastructure is based on the Ethernet II (or DIX Ethernet) standard. This means that LLC/SNAP encapsulation (802.2) is not permitted.

Ethertypes

Frames forwarded to NZIX ports shall have one of the following ethertypes:

  • 0x0800 - IPv4
  • 0x0806 - ARP
  • 0x86dd - IPv6

One MAC address per port

Frames forwarded to an individual NZIX port shall all have the same source MAC address.

No proxy ARP

Use of proxy ARP on the router's interface to the exchange is not allowed.

Unicast only

Frames forwarded to NZIX ports shall not be addressed to a multicast or broadcast MAC destination address except as follows:

  • broadcast ARP packets.
  • multicast ICMPv6 Neighbour Discovery packets.
Please note that this DOES NOT include Router Discovery packets.

No link-local traffic

Traffic for link-local protocols shall not be forwarded to NZIX ports.

Link-local protocols include, but are not limited to, the following list:

  • IRDP
  • ICMP redirects
  • IEEE 802 Spanning Tree
  • Discovery protocols (e.g. CDP, EDP)
  • Interior routing protocol broadcasts (e.g. OSPF, ISIS, IGRP, EIGRP)
  • BOOTP/DHCP
  • PIM-SM
  • PIM-DM
  • DVMRP
  • ICMPv6 ND-RA

The following link-local protocols are exceptions and are allowed:

  • ARP
  • IPv6 ND

IP Layer

No directed broadcast

IP packets addressed to NZIX peering LAN's directed broadcast address shall not be automatically forwarded to NZIX ports.

IP addressing

No export of NZIX peering LAN

IP address space assigned to an NZIX peering LAN shall not be advertised to other networks without explicit permission of CityLink.