Network Connectivity

A Multi-homed UK Network

• BGP4 Routing on a fully redundant all Cisco Network
• 3 x Tier-1 Internet carrier upstreams
• Member of LINX - peering directly with major UK & European ISPs
• Member of RIPE, Autonomous System AS30827

Xtraordinary owns and operates an Autonomous System ("a network"), one of c.17,000 Autonomous Systems worldwide that together form the Internet.

Our multi-homed network runs BGP4, with diverse local connections to some of the largest, high capacity internet carriers in the world.

Our 'best of the best' Tier-1 Connection Policy

The internet is a 'network of networks' and some networks are more extensive and better connected than others. 'Tier-1' networks typically have large global networks and strong inter-connection agreements with each other in multiple locations around the world. To ensure an internet provider's traffic is visible to the whole of the internet an ISP must purchase a connection to one of the Tier-1 networks (either directly or indirectly through another ISP).

By having a policy of only connecting directly to some of the largest Tier-1 internet providers, we reap the following benefits:

• Fewer Network 'Hops'. Less need to traverse through different networks (so fewer potential points of failure) and increased availability of more direct routes.
• Greater Capacity. With large quantities of bandwidth capacity available the largest networks are less prone to performance problems and can cope more easily with network attacks or disruption.
• Faster Data Throughput. High capacity networks enable your data to travel faster, resulting in faster download speeds.
• Increased diversity of routes. In the event of internet congestion in one location, large global networks have much greater capability to re-route traffic through alternative cities.
• Paid Transit. We pay for our traffic to be delivered and have service level agreements with our bandwidth providers to ensure your traffic gets to its destination with minimum latency (round trip time).

Profiling Our Bandwidth Providers

Global Crossing

Global Crossing manages (end to end) an extensive global IP-based fiber optic network, covering over 100,000 route miles, four continents, 27 countries, and more than 200 major cities.

more about Global Crossing, including network map

Cable & Wireless

C&W is a leading international telecommunications company, with customers in 80 countries. C&W own, or have investments in, 78 major international cable systems.

more about Cable & Wireless, including network map

Tiscali International Network

Tiscali International Network is one of the largest, truly pan-European Tier-1 ISP networks covering 15 European countries (over 55 PoPs) plus the USA (6 PoPs). AS3257 is now largest European AS according to PriMetrica's TeleGeography, Global Internet Geography survey.

more about Tiscali, including network map

Member of RIPE Network Co-ordination Centre, Running our

own Autonomous System (AS)

The size of our hosting network (a /19 or 8,192 IP address) coupled with route advertisement by major global internet providers ensures full visibility across the internet.

LINX

We are members of LINX, the London Internet Exchange. More than 90 per cent of the Internet traffic exchanged between ISPs in the UK passes through LINX. Peak traffic flows across LINX equipment now total more than 84 Gigabits per second, making LINX one of the largest Internet exchange points in the world.

High capacity 'on-net' Bandwidth Connections.

We are in the enviable position of having our servers within the same data-centre as the major backbone ISPs. This gives us access to a range of quality internet carriers with high capacity connections.

Private direct connections within the data-centre mean we're not reliant at any point on BT for a local loop connection - removing a common point of failure for some internet providers.

Resilience Through Multi-homing

Our network runs BGP4 protocol on Cisco routers. BGP4 routing:

• optimises the routing internet traffic takes
• routes traffic via the alternative networks in the event of one failing.