[arin-ppml] What is Open-IX and why does it matter? Was: Re: What the heck is OIX? (was RE: Draft Policy ARIN-2014-21: Modification to CI Pool Size per Section 4.4)

[Martin Hannigan]

Keith,

Open-IX is trade association. It operates the association on behalf of
dues-paying members and provides a framework, funding and legal cover (G&A,
anti-trust) for standards development related to interconnection; IXP and
Data center specific. The members are primarily peering coordinators, their
data center equivalents, data center operators, IXP operators and anyone
with a reasonable interest in interconnection. The Association has made an
anti-trust related NCRPA filing, is incorporated in Delaware, is approved
by the USG under 501c6, is Open Stand compliant, is operating in compliance
with the law as well as operating the first community organized neutral
interconnection conference in April 2015 http://www.open-ix.org/summit1/
Open-IX is driven by independent committees.

The internet has three buckets of operational importance; real estate,
energy and interconnection. OIX was founded to focus on the third,
currently competitively-lacking aspect of the network, Interconnection.
Interconnection has lacked in data center standards to make it reliable and
efficient. It's too concentrated in some aspects e.g. a single building
failure can kill a whole region of the country. Who cares? Hopefully you
do.

Standards typically drive markets in a direction the customers want (e.g.
dog wagging the tail) and the Association underscores the competition
aspect. You can see some of the results here:
http://www.open-ix.org/certification/directory/ and you can view some of
the effects on openness, transparency and competition created with OIX by
clicking the compliance links on the right hand side of the page (pricing
transparency, government request transparency, etc.)

ARINs focus is number resource policy. Open-IXs focus is interconnection
standards. The two will collide from time to time since numbers and ASNs
are needed to operate interconnection, but from their respectful corners.

    Open-IX Website:          http://www.open-ix.org/
    NCRPA filing:                 http://bit.ly/1tm0Ysu
    Open-IX 501c6 notice:   http://bit.ly/144KIRh
    Exempt Filing:                http://bit.ly/13K1Hro
    Finance Reports:           http://www.open-ix.org/finance


There's no reason or need to require 175 odd Open-IX members to join an
ARIN mailing list to express support in one fashion or another or
vice-versa. It seems like an artificial roadblock for each community. Many
trade associations establish process for reliable input in compliance with
their standards through MoUs or other agreements e.g. Metro Ethernet Forum
and others.

I checked. You're right. You can't find the discussions. I'll ask the web
team to make sure mailing list archives are easily findable on the website.
Mea culpa, that's an oversight. We're growing rapidly and missed that
unintentionally. In the meantime, this should work
http://mailman.open-ix.org/pipermail/public/

Hope that was helpful. Questions offline or --> over there at OIX.

Best,

Martin Hannigan (marty at open-ix.org)
Open-IX Association/Treasurer
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