How far can you get with IX Route Servers?#

Ben Cartwright-Cox (bgp.tools)

• Why: Peers rarely question whether route server routes are actually imported; this replaces that folklore with measurement across many exchanges. Evidence-based peering strategy at a large scale.
• What: A quantification of route server effectiveness — how relevant they are, how many participants actually import from them, and who those importers are — using the bgp.tools route collector network's deployment footprint across many internet exchanges. (from abstract only)
• How: Collector-based observation at many IX fabrics, comparing routes offered by route servers against what participant networks actually accept.
• Where applicable: IXP participants of all sizes; findings depend on bgp.tools's collector footprint (large but not exhaustive). Useful input for deciding how much to invest in bilateral peering vs. relying on the RS.