Technology
Infrastructure specifications and technical architecture of the NCIX platform
Switching Architecture
NCIX operates a modern, high-density Ethernet switching fabric designed for Internet Exchange deployments. The platform provides a non-blocking, low-latency interconnection environment across all supported port speeds.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Capacity | 10.8 Tbps non-blocking |
| Port-to-Port Latency | < 1 µs |
| Redundancy | N+1 switch configuration |
| Management | 24/7 NOC, out-of-band access |
| Available Ports | 500+ |
| Supported Speeds | 1GbE, 10GbE, 40GbE, 100GbE, 400GbE |
| Layer 2 Protocols | 802.1Q, 802.3ad |
| IP Protocols | IPv4, IPv6 (dual-stack) |
Peering VLANs
Public Peering LAN
The public peering fabric is segmented into isolated VLANs to limit broadcast domains. Members connect to an assigned segment and peer with other networks either bilaterally or via the NCIX route server.
- Multiple isolated /24 (IPv4) and /64 (IPv6) subnets
- Multicast enabled for route server operations
- BFD supported for fast failure detection
Private Peering
Private peering is available as direct cross-connects between co-located members or via dedicated VLAN assignments on the switching fabric. Custom SLAs are available for private peering arrangements.
Route Server
NCIX operates a redundant route server deployment for simplified multilateral peering.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Route Server ASN | AS64512 (private) |
| IPv4 Address | 192.0.2.1 |
| IPv6 Address | 2001:db8::1 |
| Software | BIRD 2.x |
| RPKI Validation | Enabled (ROV strict) |
| ASPA | Enabled |
| Communities | Standard IXP community set |
| Prefix Limits | Enforced per-peer |
One BGP session to the route server establishes adjacency with all participating route server members. Bilateral sessions remain available for members who prefer them.
Data Centre Facilities
NCIX-1 — Primary Facility
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Northern Canada (primary hub) |
| Floor Space | 5,000+ sq ft |
| Cabinet Capacity | 150+ |
| Power Capacity | 800 kW (N+1) |
| Generator Autonomy | 72+ hours |
| Cooling | In-row, precision control |
| Carrier Feeds | 8+ diverse providers |
NCIX-2 — Secondary Facility
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Secondary northern hub |
| Floor Space | 3,000+ sq ft |
| Cabinet Capacity | 75+ |
| Power Capacity | 400 kW (N+1) |
| Interconnect to NCIX-1 | Diverse dark fibre |
Routing Security
NCIX enforces the following security measures across all peering sessions:
- RPKI Route Origin Validation (ROV) — invalid RPKI prefixes are rejected on the route server
- ASPA — Autonomous System Provider Authorization validation
- IRR Filtering — prefix lists generated from IRR data (ARIN, RIPE, APNIC) with a maximum prefix length policy
- Prefix Limits — per-session prefix limits with configurable threshold alerting
- RTBH — Remote Triggered Blackhole support for DDoS mitigation
Monitoring & Operations
- Real-time traffic graphs via SNMP polling (5-minute granularity)
- NetFlow/sFlow export available to members on request
- 24-month historical data retention
- Proactive alerting on traffic anomalies, session drops, and threshold breaches
- Maintenance windows announced minimum 30 days in advance
Service Level Agreements
| SLA Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Platform Uptime | 99.99% (≤52 min/year) |
| BGP Route Server Availability | 99.95% |
| NOC Response (P1) | ≤15 minutes |
| NOC Response (General) | ≤4 hours |
Roadmap
2026 — 2027
- 400GbE and 800GbE port availability expansion
- Enhanced DDoS signalling integration (DOTS)
- Additional peering location in northern hub
- Member self-service portal for configuration management