What the Hell is INEX? An IXP?

In a few recent posts, I’ve mentioned INEX.

INEX is a neutral, industry-owned association, founded in 1996, that provides IP peering facilities for its members. INEX membership is open to all organisations that can benefit from peering their IP traffic and there are currently 57 members.

INEX can also be considered Ireland’s IP Peering Hub. INEX membership provides high-speed, reliable and resilient IP traffic exchange facilities for both Irish and International organisations, allowing them to route IP traffic efficiently thereby providing faster, more reliable and lower-latency internet access for their customers.

So what the hell is an IXP? Well, Euro-IX commissioned the following, the Internet Revealed: A file about IXPs, a couple of years ago which brilliantly explains IXPs.