HKIX Site Access Procedure Revision
Starting from 1 Dec 2005, HKIX will implement new Data Centre access procedures; only pre-registered personnel (representative) of HKIX members can make site access appointment by sending e-mail to hkix-access@cuhk.edu.hk. The details of the HKIX Data Centre policies and representative list update form are available at here.

Started from 1 October 2005, HKIX will apply new procedures on processing filter update requests. HKIX members are required to submit the requests at http://www.hkix.net/hkix/filter/filterupdate.html. A ticket number will be issued for each request so that HKIX members can check the status by providing of this ticket number. Other form of applications on filter updating will NOT be accepted in due course.

HKIX has revised its route server policy on filtering of BGP route announced by the HKIX members. For HKIX members who are using AS filtering and advertising more than 2500 prefixes for 200+ different ASes to the HKIX are entitled to apply for the Closer Peering Arrangement (CPA) with the route server. Please read here for details.

The i.root-servers.net DNS root name server was attached to the HKIX in March, 2004. This local root server was maintained by Autonomica and provides nameserver service to local community of operators. For details, please click here.

In order to enhance reliability and to provide value-added services, HKIX has entered into a collaboration arrangement with CITIC DATA 1616 Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the CITIC Pacific group, in order to establish a joint venture, which will in turn operate a second site in Central, Hong Kong. The second site under the joint venture will act as a back-up mirror site, and will also aim to establish Hong Kong as the internet hub for the Asia-Pacific region.

Details about the joint venture and the arrangements for connection to the second site will be provided later.

The original HKIX operation remains unchanged in its ownership, its physical location in Shatin, and its present policy of providing free local internet peering service to the community.

Temporary Disruption of HKIX Services
Due to a failure of the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) at 11:35am today, main power supply to the Central Machine Room of ITSC was switched off for safety precaution. After emergent restoration, HKIX network equipment were up and running at 2:40pm.

HKIX is pleased to announce that Hong Kong IPv6 Internet eXchange (HK6IX) service on the existing layer2 network is available for members with immediate effect. You can announce your IPv6 networks with the prefix length less than or equal to 64 on the existing HKIX connections, or you can establish a dedicated connection to HKIX for IPv6 traffic only. Both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic will traverse on the same Catalyst 6513. Besides, all existing regulations and guild-lines applying to HKIX are also valid to HK6IX. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us by email at hkix-noc@cuhk.edu.hk.

HKIX will perform switch upgrade on 17 January 2004 from 0700-0830, HKT(GMT+8). During the maintenance, HKIX connections may drop intermittently and BGP peers with the route servers will also be affected.

HKIX is going to support 10/100/1000BaseTX and 10 Gigabit Ethernet connection on the new switch in early 2004. If you will upgrade your routers or transmission equipment, please do consider to make them support aforesaid connections. GBIC ports for 1000Base-SX and 1000Base-LX connections will not be supported on the switches in due course. Because of equipment aging, HKIX may also stop the direct support on ATM IRB connection in late 2004.

HKIX will perform IOS upgrade on core switch and route servers from 0800-0830, HKT(GMT+8) on 2 August 2003. During the maintenance, HKIX connections may drop intermittently and BGP peers with the route servers will be affected.

System maintenance in HKIX will be carried out from 0800 to 0830 on 01 April 2003. BGP connections will drop occasionally during this period.

The first Asia Pacific F root server is attached to HKIX. The local root server was maintained by the Internet Software Consortium (ISC) and provides nameserver service to local community of operators. For details, please click here.

Due to hardware problem of backup route server, all BGP connections were disconnected around 0948 this morning. The BGP connections were resumed at 1000 after removed the faulty hardware from HKIX.

The annual maintenance of electricity system will be carried out from 0830 to 1400 on 02 June 2002 at HKIX data center. All network equipment except FTNS facilities will be run on UPS and power generator during that period. FTNS operators had been informed to make their own arrangement against this event. It is expected that city power will be resumed after the maintenance.

MRTG data was lost between 0930-1530 on 21 March 2002 in reporting HKIX Switching Statistics. The graph was flatten but actually there was no traffic dropped on HKIX connections within that period. The graph data was resumed normal after 1530 and later on.

HKIX would not perform hard reset on BGP session for members after the ip address or AS filter update. Instead, we would perform soft reset for them in order to make the change in effect. Members are required to hard reset the BGP session if they are using IOS release prior to 12.1 which does not support soft route refresh capability.

Members are entitled to use AS number filtering on HKIX route server provided that members have more than 5 Autonomous Systems (AS) connected and each AS contains at least one /20 or shorter prefix announced to HKIX.

HKIX encountered multicast storms at 13:15 and 16:30 on 27 July 2001. The normal traffic was dropped and all BGP sessions were down. The abnormal traffic was received from four members which were connected to the same fixed network operator. The fixed network operator reported that abnormal traffic was stopped by disconnecting a backup trunk on their high speed data network. They added that the equipment involved in this incident was different from that causing the broadcast storm on 6 June. The service was resumed at 13:30 and 17:00 respectively.

Live image from HKIX is available at http://www.hkix.net/hkix/ops/ix_oper.htm

An electrical work for system upgrade and safety will be carried out on 07 July and 08 July. In order to shorten the down time, all network equipment will be detached from UPS power and directly connected to city power at 06:30, 07 July. It is expected that UPS power will be resumed normal at 06:30, 09 July and the individual down time for two switch-overs will not be longer than 15 minutes.