Core Network and Backbone Connectivity

Our fully redundant core network and backbone connectivity is unsurpassed in its efficiency and performance. With six separate sites, located in five different states on both coasts and central US, our network offers extremely low latency, no packet loss, and, best of all, direct connectivity to all major global tier 1 backbones. This unique combination provides a superior network infrastructure with an unmatched quality of service.

Our network is legacy-free and only utilizes the latest in Cisco internetworking equipment. The network is fully redundant at each and every level possible, there being no single point of failure. The network is fully fault tolerant and able to withstand a major disaster.

Further Advantages of Our Network

The northern Virginia / DC area is an ideal location for a network. A very large portion of the world's Internet traffic passes through here, and the area is not subject to earthquakes, tornadoes, floods or other natural disasters.

We are located at the true heart of the Internet, and in a very safe and secure area. This central location ensures optimal connectivity, speed, and routing, minimizing the number of hops - and thus the chance of any problems. We are located in between a great number of of private and public peering points, in one of the most densely and best connected areas in the world, including directly peering at the Equinix Exchanges (IBX'es) in Ashburn, Virginia, Chicago, Illinois, at the NYIIX in NYC, New York, and at PAIx in Palo Alto, CA. All providers have multiple, redundant routes into the DC/VA area. This is further built upon by our redundant connectivity to multiple Tier 1 providers via separate circuits, terminating at diverse locations in Virginia and the District of Columbia. We are redundantly set-up Internet connectivity wise (multiple backbone connectivity providers), as well as physically. In terms of fibre optics, we have multiple private OC-12 SONET rings with multiple financially-healthy fibre providers, taking different physical paths. Furthermore, we have a dedicated, exclusive, dual OC-48 (2 x 2488 Mb/s) Cogent POP on-site at our DCA2 NOC, built and available exclusively for our and our customers' sole use.

We have built our facilities in the best possible area for Internet connectivity, and then further reinforced it with redundancy in all possible forms and factors. For example, due to two nearby yet separate NOCs (DCA1 & DCA2), we are able to offer two-location hosting with the advantages, such as low latency (essential for redundant database servers) of a single site, yet the redundancy and security of two separate NOCs in two different states. Also, our network is not constrained to the metro DC area: we are present in New York, Illinois and California as well!

To ensure the best routing of our customers' data, in addition to peering, we also pay for commercial top-priority transit network capacity to our tier 1 backbone providers and have full burst capacity available at all times on all circuits. Thus we receive the highest level of service, including 99.99% or 100% uptime and no packet-loss guarantees, from all our connectivity providers. 90%+ of traffic from us to end users only passes over one or two backbones on its way to reaching the end destination. In addition, we are committed to under 50% network capacity utilization at all times; we ensure that our network always has double the capacity it needs, even at peak hours.

Partial Peer List:

# AARNet - Australia Research & Education Network
# AboveNet
# Accretive Networks
# Adelphia
# Advanced Telecom Group
# Akamai
# Allstream
# ASNet - Academic Services Network
# Atlantech
# BBC
# Black Oak Reliable Hosting
# Blue Stream
# British Telecom (Ignite)
# Bungi Communications
# Cable & Wireless
# CableCom GmbH
# CableVision
# CENIC
# China Telecom
# COLT Telecom
# Comindico Australia
# Cox Cable
# CRNC
# DACOM
# DAL.net
# Data Pipe
# Demon / Thus
# DoubleClick
# EarthLink
# EasyNet
# eBay
# ED Net (UK)
# Electric Lightwave
# Electronic Arts
# Elisa / Kolumbus (FinNet)
# Emirates Telecom
# Energy Sciences Network (ESnet)
# Equinix
# EUnet Finland
# EWE Telecom
# ExpertCity
# ezzi.net
# FastNet
# FLAG Telecom
# GigaMedia
# Global Access Telecom (GATel)
# Global Innovations
# Global Naps
# Globix
# Google
# Group Telecom / 360 Networks
# HanseNet
# HiNet (Chunghwa Telecom)
# Host Centric
# Hurricane Electric
# Ibis 7 / WV Fibre
# ICC Internet
# ICG.net
# Infonet (eqip.net)
# Init 7
# Internet Initiative Japan
# Internet Solutions
# Interoute
# ISC (Root Name Servers)
# ISPrime
# Japan Telecom
# Jupiter Hosting
# KDDI
# Kidz Online
# KomTel
# Korea Telecom
# LambdaNet
# Limelight Networks
# McLeodUSA
# Mediascape
# Merit Network
# Microsoft / MSN
# Mobilcom CityLink
# Mzima Networks
# Net2Phone
# NetCologne
# Netifice Communications (Epoch)
# New Edge Networks
# nLayer
# Nokia
# Novia
# NYI.net
# OneCall Internet
# Optigate Networks
# Packet Clearing House
# PCCWBtN-CAIS
# Peer 1
# Plus Line
# Portugal Telecom
# PoweredCom
# Primus Canada
# Primus Telecom
# QSC AG
# RCN
# RealConnect
# RIPE NCC\'s RIS Project
# Rogers Cable
# Route Views
# SeedNet Taiwan / Digital United
# ServePath
# ShawCable
# Singapore Telecommunications
# SpeakEasy
# Spectrum Access
# Starlan
# StarNet
# Stealth Communications
# SunRise
# Swisscom Enterprise Solutions / IP Plus
# TANet / Taiwan Ministry of Education
# TDS Telecom
# Telecom New Zealand
# Telefonica Data
# Telekom Malaysia Bhd.
# Telenor Nextra
# Telewest Broadband
# Tellurian Networks
# TELUS
# Thorn Communications
# Thruport
# Time Warner Telecom
# Tiscali
# TTSG
# TW Gate (Chunghwa Telecom)
# Ultra DNS
# UPC (Aorta - Chello)
# ViaNet
# Webair Internet
# WebEx Communications
# WIDE Project Japan
# Witbe.net
# XMission
# Yahoo
# Yipes

Our network in summary

located in McLean, VA - "the centre of the Internet" and a natural disaster free zone
UPS & diesel generator power backup & redundancy
200+ tons of AC power
fibre redundancy through multiple private OC-192 SONET rings
redundant architecture Gigabit Ethernet-based internal network, using Cisco backbone-grade equipment
redundant, geographically dispersed, connectivity to all of the world's major backbones