Section II — Connecting to the Core of the Internet

Now that you understand how to connect to the edge of the Internet (the way 90% of connections are made) it’s time to learn how to do it better. The rest of this book is about Internet Peering, connecting your network at the core of the Internet.

This section provides the necessary foundation for understanding the Internet Peering Ecosystem and Internet Peering Playbooks.

We will explore the Internet Peering Model; the Business Case for Internet Peering; the Top Ten Internet Exchange Point Selection Criteria; and the Public vs. Private Peering Tradeoffs.

By the end of this section you will understand the concept of Internet Peering. You will understand the Internet Peering model enough to prove — not convince — but prove when it makes sense to pursue peering and when it doesn’t, from a purely objective financial perspective. You will learn the processes of Internet Peering, the financial value derived from peering, and the processes proven most effective to find, contact, and negotiate with peers. We will walk through the ten criteria that ISPs have claimed were the most important to them when selecting among Internet Exchange Points. We will finish with a discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of Public Peering and Private Peering.

Chapters in this section

• Chapter 4 — Internet PeeringThe peering service model and how it differs from transit.
• Chapter 5 — The Business Case for Internet PeeringCost of peering, break-even point, and the financial math. Includes the interactive Peering Break-Even Calculator.
• Chapter 6 — Selecting an IXPTen criteria peering coordinators use to pick where to peer.
• Chapter 7 — Public vs. Private PeeringThe trade-offs between shared-fabric and direct interconnect.