Internet Exchange

This page outlines the concept and planning vision for VONet’s future community-run Internet Exchange Point (IXP). This system is not yet deployed but forms a key part of our long-term infrastructure strategy.

Community IXP (In Development)

We are planning to build a community-run Internet Exchange Point (IXP) as part of VONet’s infrastructure roadmap. An IXP is a local network facility where internet service providers (ISPs), community networks, and other organizations can exchange internet traffic directly with each other, rather than sending it through distant upstream networks.

Our goals for this IXP include:

• Enabling local peering between community networks, ISPs, hosting providers, and other groups
• Offering open access with minimal barriers, no commercial fees, and no vendor lock-in
• Keeping local internet traffic within the region to improve performance and reduce costs
• Using a nonprofit, community-driven model, similar to NYC Mesh and other grassroots IXPs
• Supporting good routing security practices to protect the network and its participants

Participants will be able to connect to the IXP physically or virtually (for example, over VPN tunnels or remote cross-connects), and exchange routes using standard internet protocols.

Platform and Management Tools

The IXP will use the following core systems:

• BIRD – a high-performance open-source routing daemon used to handle BGP sessions with participants. BIRD is widely used at IXPs around the world due to its flexibility, performance, and support for advanced filtering and validation features.
• IXP Manager – a web-based management system for IXPs. It will be used to generate configurations for BIRD, manage member connections, assign IP addresses, and publish route server and policy documentation. IXP Manager provides a user-friendly interface for maintaining a secure and scalable exchange.

These tools allow us to automate and safely manage complex routing policies while making it easier for new peers to join and participate.

Routing and Network Design (Planned)

Our planned design includes the following technologies and best practices:

• Internal routing between mesh nodes will use OSPF, a fast and lightweight routing protocol that automatically adapts to changes in the network
• External internet routing will use BGP, the standard protocol used between networks (ASNs) on the global internet
• Public route servers at the IXP (powered by BIRD and managed by IXP Manager) will make it easier for members to exchange routes without setting up separate connections to every peer
• RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure) will be used to validate which networks are allowed to announce which IP addresses. This helps prevent accidental or malicious route hijacking
• IRR (Internet Routing Registry) filtering will also be used to ensure routes match what network operators have registered publicly
• We will apply sensible filtering like prefix size checks and maximum prefix limits to keep the routing tables clean and safe
• BGP communities and other features may be used to give participants more control over their announcements and policies

For less technical readers: BGP is the protocol that tells networks how to find each other across the internet. RPKI is like a digital signature that proves a network is allowed to "announce" certain addresses. These protections help make the internet more secure for everyone.

Uplinks and Resiliency

To ensure stable and fast internet access, we plan to have:

• Multiple uplinks from different transit providers to improve reliability
• Load balancing and automatic failover using BGP, so if one connection goes down, traffic shifts to the others
• High-speed wireless or fiber backhaul connecting the IXP to our community mesh network
• Redundant internal routing so that even if part of the system fails, traffic can still move through alternate paths
• Filtering and validation tools to protect against route leaks and other routing issues

Our goal is for the IXP to be both resilient and secure, minimizing outages and keeping traffic as local as possible.

Current Status

The IXP is currently in the planning and development stage. We are working on:

• Researching technical options and best practices
• Reaching out to potential participants and partners
• Testing route server configurations using BIRD
• Integrating and customizing IXP Manager for our environment
• Developing documentation and governance models

Once the IXP is live, we intend to publish:

• Technical setup guides and network documentation
• Peering and participation policies
• Route server configuration and filtering rules
• Onboarding instructions for new participants
• A security and routing hygiene policy covering RPKI, IRR filtering, and related practices

Want to Help or Get Involved?

If you’re part of a nonprofit, network operator, community group, or simply interested in building a more open and resilient internet, we’d love to hear from you. You can contact us at support@vonet.org to express interest in peering, partnership, or volunteering.