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Shorthand for the London Internet
Exchange, a neutral interconnection point for many British isps and the largest ixp
(point of network interconnection) in Europe, acting as a central hub where
data can be moved quickly between carriers and backbones. Link, which
is housed in London's Telehouse, is designed to speed traffic between
isps by providing a direct link between them at a single central point.
The flaw in this apparently good idea became abundantly clear in 1997, when
a power surge at Telehouse caused much of the UK's internet to disappear for
10 minutes. Several other ixps have since appeared, including manap
in Manchester and scotix in Scotland, with the aim of spreading the risk of
future network failures. |
