VTS Peering Policy

Overview
Virtual Technologies and Solutions (VTS) maintains an open, but selectively managed, peering policy. We are listed on PeeringDB entry, the industry-standard database for network operators, where you can find the most current information on our public and private peering locations. We encourage all prospective peers to review our PeeringDB entry prior to submitting requests.

Peering Guidelines
VTS has an open peering policy with the following conditions:

•  Peering with customers, or the customers of existing peering partners, is strictly prohibited.
• VTS reserves the right to terminate any peering session if the peer is found to be a customer, or a customer of an existing peering partner.
• Consistent, accurate, and reliable routing announcements are mandatory for maintaining a peering relationship.

 

Requesting Peering
Network operators interested in peering with VTS can reach out via email at peering@vts.bf or submit a request form through our website form. When making a request, please ensure that the following information is included:

•  Your Autonomous System Number (ASN).
•  A list of peering points where we have a common presence
•  A current PeeringDB entry is highly recommended, and in most cases, required.

A single request can cover several locations: the request form lists the Internet Exchanges (public peering) and facilities (private interconnects) where both networks are present on PeeringDB. Existing peers can sign in with PeeringDB on the form to see their current sessions with us.

 

Routing Protocol and Practices
VTS peers only over Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). When peering:

• Only send traffic destined for prefixes that we announce. Do not direct default traffic towards us or use static routes for non-announced prefixes.
• Any violation of this policy will result in immediate de-peering.
• Peers may send the GRACEFUL_SHUTDOWN community 65535:0 (RFC 8326) before planned maintenance; AS37721 then sets LOCAL_PREF to 0 on those routes so that traffic moves to other paths first.

 

Operational Requirements
Peers are required to operate a 24/7 x 365 Network Operations Center (NOC) with responsive and up-to-date contact details. NOC information must be published on PeeringDB and should be actively maintained. Peers must be able to respond promptly to issues, concerns, and network incidents raised by VTS.

 

Peering Locations
VTS encourages peering at multiple Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) where both parties share a Point of Presence (PoP). If additional transport is required to establish a peering connection, the costs will be shared under mutually agreed-upon terms. Both parties must agree to these terms before transport arrangements are made.

 

Traffic Volume Considerations
VTS does not impose a minimum traffic volume threshold for peering, either via Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) or Private Network Interconnects (PNIs). However, peers are expected to provide a reasonable business case, detailing expected traffic volumes and justifying the peering request.

 

Routing Policy Documentation
All peers must maintain a publicly accessible routing policy. This information should be registered in a publicly available Internet Routing Registry IRR databases  and kept up to date. Specifically, the following RPSL (Routing Policy Specification Language) objects should be maintained:

• aut-num:  Describes the peer's ASN and its routing policy.

• as-set:  Defines the set of ASNs that the peer announces transit for.

• route/route6/route-set: Specifies the ASN originating each prefix announced by the peer, in both IPv4 and IPv6.

VTS does not build IRR prefix filters for peers: routes received from peers are filtered as described in our Routing Policy (bogon and martian prefixes, prefix lengths outside /8 to /24 for IPv4 and /16 to /48 for IPv6, IX LAN ranges, bogon ASNs, AS_PATHs longer than 50 ASNs or not starting with the peer’s own ASN, route leaks, RPKI-invalid routes and maximum-prefix limits). It is the peer’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of this data to maintain peering.

 

Conclusion
VTS values efficient and cooperative network interconnection relationships. By adhering to these guidelines and maintaining a professional and transparent approach to peering, we aim to foster long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships within the global networking community.

For any inquiries or further clarification, please contact us at peering@vts.bf