URL: http://www.equinix.com/pdf/whitepapers/PeeringWP.2.pdf
http://www.equinix.com/resources/whitepapers/ Entry Date: 2004-06-30 Abstract: Internet Service Provider (ISP) peering has emerged as one of the most important and effective ways for ISPs to improve the efficiency of their operation. Peering is defined as "a business relationship whereby ISPs provide connectivity to each others' customers." ISPs seek peering relationships primarily for two reasons. First, peering decreases the reliance on and therefore the cost of purchased Internet transit. As the single greatest operating expense, ISPs seek to minimize these telecommunications costs. Second, peering lowers inter-Autonomous System (AS) traffic latency. Peering traffic exchanged between two peering ISPs is necessarily taking the lowest latency path. So how is peering done? This paper details the ISP peering decision-making process from selection of potential peers through implementation Interviews with Internet Service Providers have highlighted three distinct phases in the peering process: Identification (Traffic Engineering Data Collection and Analysis), Contact & Qualification (Initial Peering Negotiation), and Implementation Discussion (Peering Methodology). The first phases identifies the who and the why, while the last phase focuses on the how. The appendix includes the description of a Peering Simulation Game that has been used in workshops to play out peering negotiations.