As part of efforts to sensitise about the importance of localising traffic and growing the Internet ecosystem in Nigeria, the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) has organised a capacity building programme on Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for members.
Described as an eye-opener, the trainees noted that the training afforded them the opportunity to have knowledge of new global trends, and best practices in the interconnectivity of networks, particularly when it comes to peering with an Internet eXchange Point (IXP).
“The Border Gateway Protocol training with IXPN was informative and I learned some new things when it comes to peering with an Internet exchange point,” said one of the participants, Philip Omugbe, IP Engineer at Hoop Telecoms Limited.
According to them, the training bridges the knowledge gap that exists within the Internet ecosystem, as they can now gain a proper understanding of how the Border Gateway Protocol works and how they can fully utilize their connectivity to the exchange point for maximum impact.
The training came at an ideal time for Bunmi Adeleye, GM Technical Operations, Syscodes Communications Ltd, because many network operators and engineers are unfamiliar with the workings of the Internet Exchange Point.
“The training was quite hands-on, interactive, and expository as there were practical live LAB sessions. Many thanks to the IXPN team, and I hope they sustain the momentum,” he said on the sideline of the training at the IXPN Academy located at its corporate headquarters in Lagos.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the IXPN, Muhammed Rudman, described BGP earlier in his opening remarks as a gateway protocol that allows the internet to exchange routing information between autonomous systems (AS). He went on to say that the BGP training is a value-added service provided by IXPN to its member organizations and other stakeholders.
He stated that the training is necessary because the dynamics of the Internet ecosystem are changing. As a result, it is only natural to educate member organizations and other sector stakeholders on current technology trends and best practices, particularly as they relate to connectivity to the eXchange Point.
“The goal of today’s training is to provide members of the Internet eXchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) with the fundamentals and workings of BGP, which is critical to us as a one-stop peering point for service and content providers,” he said.
He also revealed that capacity building for its members will be carried out across Nigeria, having previously done so in Kano and Lagos. According to him, the next bus stop will be Abuja, followed by Port Harcourt later this year.