Running my own IX for 3 hobbyist ASNs

As said, I got bored last winter. Three friends with PI space, one switch, a /24 in a carrier hotel in Rotterdam. To be honest, it started as a joke.

• Switch: Edgecore AS4610-54T, 48x1G + 4x10G. €80 at auction.
• Cross-connect: €35/month per fiber pair.
• RIPE NCC fees for the ASNs: already sunk cost.
• Total monthly burn: €105 + power.

We peer over IPv4 and IPv6, no MLPA, no route servers. Just static configs, prefix lists, the usual. Throughput peaks at 340 Mbps during Steam updates. Latency between members: 0.2 ms.

Then the emails started. A regulator asked if we hold an ECN/telecom license. I explained: no paid transit, no resale, just three guys splitting rack space. Their reply: "not in scope." To be honest, I expected a fight.

The absurd part: one member now wants to add a fourth. At what point does "hobby" become "infrastructure"? I have no idea.

interface Ethernet48
  description "IX peering vlan 900"
  switchport mode access
  switchport access vlan 900
  spanning-tree portfast

Dry as it is, it works. No support tickets at 3 AM either.

Caramba, 340 Mbps on a €80 switch!! Nossa, this is beautiful kkkkk

I am not understanding, no license is needed?? Here in brazil you cannot do nothing without ANATEL, nothing, I am not even start with the taxes

Your regulator is good, very good, I am jealous

Just use a real IX

Skill issue

(but actually this is the most dutch thing I've ever read. "got bored" -> builds critical infrastructure. Respect.)

Same dc here, actually , this is very interesting xd

You are sure no license needed, I have friend who want do similar but he is fear police will come xd

I am run kvm on this, not openvz, this is important