> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.megaport.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configuring IX Redundancy

> This help topic provides an overview of how IX redundancy works.

export const Image = ({src, alt = '', caption, width, height, shadow}) => {
  const errorPrefix = '\x1b[31;1;4mERROR\x1b[0m: Image -';
  if (typeof src !== 'string') {
    src = String(src);
  }
  if (!src || src === 'undefined') {
    console.error(`${errorPrefix} \`src\` is required — rendering an empty string instead`);
    return <></>;
  }
  const img = <img className={['mega-image-style', shadow ? 'shadow' : ''].join(' ')} src={src} alt={alt} width={width} height={height} style={{
    display: 'block'
  }} />;
  return caption ? <figure>
      {img}
      <figcaption style={{
    textAlign: 'center',
    width
  }}>{caption}</figcaption>
    </figure> : img;
};

To ensure high availability and reliability of your IX service, it's critical to follow best practices for redundancy. This topic describes the recommended configuration, along with the configurations to avoid.

The following is a summary of requirements:

* **Peering**: Every IX service must peer with both route servers.
* **Layer 2 isolation**: Customer routers must not share the same Layer 2 domain.
* **Redundancy**:

  * Requires two separate Ports.
  * Both IX services must peer with both route servers.
  * Each router must operate on a distinct Layer 2 domain.

## Recommended configuration: single and redundant IX

### Single IX configuration

For basic configuration:

* Peer with both route servers to ensure redundancy within the IX.
* Do not share a Layer 2 domain on the customer side, that is, avoid using a switched network.

<Image src="/images/ix/ix-single.png" alt="Single and Redundant IX configuration" shadow={true} />

### Redundant IX configuration (recommended method)

For optimal redundancy and reliability, we recommend the following configuration:

* Use two separate Ports to connect to the same IX.
* Each IX service must peer with both route servers.
* Ensure each router is on its own Layer 2 domain (do not share a switched network between routers).

This approach ensures high availability and minimizes the risk of service disruptions caused by network failures.

<Image src="/images/ix/ix-preferred.png" alt="Recommended and Redundant IX configuration" shadow={true} />

## Configurations to avoid

### Not recommended or unsupported configuration

These configurations are problematic and prone to outages:

* Using a switched Layer 2 network on the customer side, which can introduce loops and instability.

  <Image src="/images/ix/ix-unsupported-firewall.png" alt="Unsupported Configurations" shadow={true} />

* Using two services for redundancy and only peering with one route server.

  <Image src="/images/ix/ix-unsupported-double.png" alt="Unsupported Configuration double router" shadow={true} />

### Invalid configuration

This configuration will not work and is unsupported:

* Connecting a single IX service to a switched network with multiple customer routers.

  <Image src="/images/ix/ix-invalid.png" alt="Invalid Configurations" shadow={true} />