Editing London Internet Exchange (section)

==History==
In November 1994, using a donated piece of equipment no bigger than a video recorder and without any written contracts, five UK-based [[Internet service provider]]s (ISPs) linked their networks to exchange data and avoid paying high transatlantic bandwidth costs.

LINX effectively began when two ISPs ([[PIPEX]] and UK Net) linked their networks via a 64-kilobit serial link to save the cost and time delay involved in routing data across the Atlantic to US Internet exchanges.<ref name=":1" />

When [[Demon Internet]], [[UKERNA]] – the UK academic network – and other ISPs showed interest in establishing similar serial links, Keith Mitchell, then chief technical officer of PIPEX, initiated a meeting with BT to discuss the creation of a London-based Internet exchange.

PIPEX provided the LINX founders with a Cisco Catalyst&nbsp;1200 switch with eight 10-megabit ports. Rack space was leased at a then virtually empty data center operated by Telehouse International Corporation of Europe Ltd at Coriander Avenue in London's Dockland.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Darren |first=Echo by |title=History of LINX |url=https://www.linx.net/about/history-of-linx/ |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=LINX |language=en}}</ref>

Switching the first data through the Telehouse hub was accomplished by primarily technical specialists who were unconcerned about the formalities of legal contracts. However, while PIPEX continued to provide administrative and technical oversight, the need for a formal constitution was eventually recognized.

The solution was to form a company limited by guarantee. Lawyers produced a draft memorandum and constitution which was extensively modified by members. The company was formed in 1995, and a board of five non-executive directors was elected, with Keith Mitchell as the initial chairman.

===Not for profit organization===
From the beginning, it was agreed that LINX would be a non-profit organization run for the benefit of members and governed collectively through regular member meetings, a practice which continues to this day.

While PIPEX continued to provide administrative oversight – charged at cost to LINX – member meetings were held every two months (now every three months) to decide strategic direction. Eventually, it was accepted that the purely co-operative system of operation at LINX was becoming overly demanding. Then, in late 1996, Keith Mitchell accepted the role of full-time chairman, working with a personal assistant from offices in Peterborough.

In the summer of 1996, LINX became the first Internet exchange in the world to deploy a 100-megabit switch – a Cisco Catalyst 5000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Darren |first=Echo by |title=History of LINX |url=https://www.linx.net/about/history-of-linx/ |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=LINX |language=en}}</ref> In January 1999, it pioneered the implementation of a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) running over gigabit Ethernet connections.

As the Internet grew in popularity, legislators and law enforcement agencies began to call for its regulation. LINX increasingly found itself taking on non-core activities, such as providing expert advice on behalf of its members (and, therefore, the whole industry) to a wide range of official agencies.

In 1999, LINX appointed its first full-time regulation officer in Roland Perry to advise organizations such as the Home Office Internet Task Force, the [[National Hi-Tech Crime Unit]], the Department of Trade and Industry and relevant departments of the EU Commission. In 2003, Roland was succeeded by Malcolm Hutty when Roland left to form his own advisory group.

LINX also actively and financially supports the [[Internet Watch Foundation]] which, since 1996, has worked to eradicate child abuse images from the UK Internet. Initial funding from LINX was instrumental in enabling the IWF to launch and the decision to create the IWF and define its charter was taken at a LINX member meeting in Heathrow.

===LINX in the twenty-first century===
2000 –  A training manager was appointed to introduce an accredited training program for Internet engineers and technicians.

2001 – LINX amended its corporate structure to make the post of chairman non-executive and appointed its first chief executive officer, John Souter, previously UK managing director of German-owned Varieties Communications.

2002 – LINX was the first exchange to introduce 10G Ethernet operation, using equipment from Foundry Networks – in fact, the second of their worldwide customers to deploy their technology.

2003 – This year saw the launch of the 'LINX from Anywhere' service, a facility that permits smaller ISPs to piggyback on the networks of existing members to obtain a secure, virtual presence on the LINX exchange without incurring the manpower and Rackspace costs of having their own installation in London.

2004 – LINX considerably expanded its footprint, with four new points of presence (Pop's) – all in the Docklands area of London.

2005 – LINX members voted to make public affairs one of the company's "core functions", placing it on an equal footing with peering and interconnection.

2006 – LINX membership reached 200.

2008 – LINX expanded again opening three new PoPs, this time adding considerably to the geographical diversity by doing so in the City of London, North Acton and Slough. It also heralded new relationships with data centre operators, with the addition of Interxion and Equinix (to the pre-existing ones of Telehouse and Telecity).

2011 – The LINX primary LAN was redesigned to a VPLS-based infrastructure with a new vendor, Juniper Networks.

2012 – The Connection reseller Programme launched. Also this year LINX became the first Internet exchange in the world to install a Juniper PTX5000 in a live network and the exchange opened its first site outside London in Manchester (IX Manchester).

2013 – Two additional local exchanges, IX Scotland in Edinburgh and LINX NOVA in [[North Virginia|North Virginia, USA]], were launched. They were the exchange's first sites outside England.

2014 – Another local exchange, IX Cardiff in [[Wales]], was launched.

2016 – Sees the introduction of new hardware and a restructuring of LON2 with hardware from [https://www.epsglobal.com/manufacturers/edgecore EdgeCore Networks]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Mark |date=2016-08-16 |title=The London Internet Exchange Preps Big Network Upgrade |url=https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2016/08/london-internet-exchange-preps-big-network-upgrade.html |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=ISPreview UK |language=en}}</ref>

2017 – Following the passage of the [[Investigatory Powers Act 2016|Investigatory Powers Act]], a new constitution was proposed which would ban directors from reporting the installation of surveillance equipment to members. This caused dissension among members, many of which are non-UK based ISPs operating from countries where mass surveillance is, like in the UK, not legal.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|title=UK Snoopers' Charter gagging order drafted for London Internet Exchange directors|last=Campbell|first=Duncan|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/02/17/linx_snoopers_charger_gagging_order/|access-date=17 February 2017|work=The Register|date=17 February 2017}}</ref> This interpretation of the constitutional change was disputed on the official LINX website.<ref>{{cite web|title=LINX response to Article in The Register|url=https://www.linx.net/communications/press-releases/linx-response-to-article-in-the-register|access-date=17 February 2017|archive-date=18 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218005339/https://www.linx.net/communications/press-releases/linx-response-to-article-in-the-register|url-status=dead}}</ref> Voting on the constitutional revision took place during a hastily called Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 21 February; although a majority supported the change the number attending was too small for the motion to be carried.<ref>{{cite news|title=London Internet Exchange members vote no to constitution tweak|last=Campbell|first=Duncan|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/02/22/linx_members_vote_to_block/|access-date=22 February 2017|work=The Register|date=22 February 2017}}</ref>

2021 – LINX reported a record level of UK Traffic at 6.05&nbsp;Tbit/s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Mark |date=2021-04-12 |title=London Internet Exchange Sees Record UK Traffic of 6.05Tbps |url=https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2021/04/london-internet-exchange-sees-record-uk-traffic-of-6-05tbps.html |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=ISPreview UK |language=en}}</ref>

2022 – LINX joined the long list of organizations supporting [[Ukraine]] by disconnecting Russian services from its networks.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-03-15 |title=Rostelecom and MegaFon Disconnected from London Internet Exchange |url=https://hostingjournalist.com/rostelecom-and-megafon-disconnected-from-london-internet-exchange/ |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=Hosting Journalist.com |language=en-US}}</ref>