FlexEthernet
This document is an informative description of the standard Inter.link FlexEthernet service. The applicable service order, Service Level Agreement (SLA), and Master Services Agreement (MSA) prevail in the event of any conflict.
Service overview
Section titled “Service overview”Inter.link FlexEthernet is a private Layer 2 Ethernet transport service. It connects two or more customer endpoints in a single Ethernet broadcast domain across the Inter.link network. Point-to-point services have two endpoints, while multipoint services have three or more.
Endpoints may use different physical port speeds, VLAN presentations, and ordered bandwidths. Multiple endpoints may terminate on the same physical port or Link Aggregation Group (LAG). Adding or removing an endpoint preserves traffic between the remaining endpoints.
The service is available at every Inter.link point of presence (PoP). The service order records the endpoints, ports, bandwidths, VLAN presentations, diversity, term, and charges. Current port speeds and bandwidth options must be confirmed in the customer portal or with Sales.
The standard service boundary extends from the Inter.link provider edge to the Inter.link patch panel in each building meet-me room (MMR). Customer equipment, cabling, power, and any extension beyond that demarcation remain the customer’s responsibility. A data-centre cross-connect may be ordered directly by the customer or supplied by Inter.link as a separately quoted item.
Physical and logical handoff
Section titled “Physical and logical handoff”All physical interfaces operate in full-duplex mode. Auto-negotiation is not supported. Inter.link supplies and maintains the transceiver installed in Inter.link equipment; the customer supplies and maintains the transceiver in the customer equipment.
Supported transceivers
Section titled “Supported transceivers”| Interface | Standard transceiver | FEC behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| 1G | 1G-LX | — |
| 10G | 10G-LR | — |
| 25G | 25G-LR | RS-FEC by default; FC-FEC is available |
| 100G | 100G-LR or 100G-LR4 | RS-FEC where required by the optic |
| 400G | 400G-LR4 | — |
All listed optics use single-mode fibre. Connector type, reach, wavelength, and optical operating limits follow the selected transceiver. Other optical options may be quoted separately.
Ethernet presentation
Section titled “Ethernet presentation”Each endpoint may use a tagged or untagged handoff. Only one untagged service may be configured on a physical port. For a tagged handoff, the outermost VLAN ID must exactly match the configured service VLAN. Inter.link translates the outermost VLAN at egress, allowing each endpoint to use a different VLAN ID.
| Attribute | Standard behaviour |
|---|---|
| Tagged service | Outer TPID 0x8100; VLAN IDs 1–4094 are available per port or LAG |
| Untagged service | One untagged service per physical port |
| Additional tags | Tags below the outermost service tag are preserved; there is no explicit tag-depth limit within the service MRU |
| PCP and DEI | Preserved but not interpreted or honoured for traffic priority |
| Ethernet MRU | 9,100 bytes for the complete frame as received, including Ethernet headers, VLAN tags, payload, and FCS |
| IEEE 802.3x PAUSE and PFC | Transported transparently as customer Layer 2 traffic; not used to provide a service class or flow-control guarantee |
Link-loss propagation is not provided. Loss of an endpoint link is not propagated to the other service endpoints.
Link aggregation
Section titled “Link aggregation”LACP is supported with one or multiple members. All members must have identical speeds and terminate on the same Inter.link router. Fast LACP timers are used, and no minimum members are configured.
Traffic is distributed using available Layer 2, IPv4, IPv6, and TCP or UDP header fields. Hashing preserves flows under normal operation but does not guarantee equal byte distribution between members. If a member fails, flows are redistributed across the remaining active members while the LAG remains operational.
Layer 2 transparency
Section titled “Layer 2 transparency”FlexEthernet transports otherwise valid Ethernet frames within the service MRU without interpreting their EtherType. The following matrix records observed transparency tests. A passed test means that the traffic was observed to pass under the tested conditions; it is not an unconditional guarantee for every packet variant or future implementation. Not tested means that no conclusive result is asserted and does not indicate a known failure.
| Control protocol or traffic | Untagged | Single tagged | Double tagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARP | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| BFD Control | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| BFD Control (Micro-BFD) | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| BFD Echo | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| BFD Echo (Async) | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| BGP | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| CDP | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| CFM | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| EIGRP v2 | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| E-LMI | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| LACP | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| LLDP | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| ICMP | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| ICMPv6 | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| IGMPv3 Query | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| IGMPv3 Response | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| IS-IS L1 Hello | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| IS-IS L2 Hello | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| ES-IS IS-to-ES | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| ES-IS ES-to-IS | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| IPv4 Multicast | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| IPv6 Multicast | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| MACsec | Passed | Passed | Not tested |
| MLDv2 Query | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| MLDv2 Response | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| OAM | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| OSPFv2 Hello | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| OSPFv2 LSA | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| OSPFv3 Hello | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| OSPFv3 LSA | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| PVST+ | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| RARP | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| STP/RSTP/MSTP | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| UDLD | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| VRRP v2 | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| VRRP v3 | Passed | Passed | Passed |
| VTP | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
Inter.link does not terminate or operate customer CFM, Y.1731, Ethernet OAM, or loopback functions; those frames are carried as customer traffic. LACP transported as customer payload is distinct from LACP terminated on an Inter.link access LAG. Encryption, including MACsec, is entirely customer-managed.
MAC learning and forwarding
Section titled “MAC learning and forwarding”FlexEthernet dynamically learns source MAC addresses. A service supports 1,000 learned MAC addresses across all endpoints, independent of endpoint count. Entries age after 300 seconds of inactivity. Once the learning limit is reached, new addresses are not learned, but traffic continues to be forwarded.
A MAC address that moves between endpoints five times within 180 seconds has any further moves suppressed. Broadcast, unknown-unicast, and multicast traffic is replicated to every endpoint except the ingress endpoint. Endpoint isolation, storm control, and loop protection are not provided; the customer is responsible for preventing Layer 2 loops.
Bandwidth and traffic treatment
Section titled “Bandwidth and traffic treatment”Bandwidth is ordered independently per endpoint and is symmetric. Traffic entering the Inter.link service is policed to the endpoint’s ordered bandwidth. The ingress policer permits bursts within its configured burst allowance; traffic exceeding the policer profile is discarded. Destination egress is not policed, and contention is handled on a best-effort basis without per-sender fairness.
The policer measures the complete Ethernet frame, including headers, VLAN tags, payload, and FCS. Customer priority information is preserved but is not used to provide class-based QoS.
Resilience and diversity
Section titled “Resilience and diversity”FlexEthernet may be ordered with varying levels of diversity. Sales can confirm which diversity levels are available.
Each path receives its full ordered bandwidth and remains forwarding-ready. Because FlexEthernet is a Layer 2 service, the customer controls path selection and is responsible for preventing loops when multiple paths are connected.
FlexConnect
Section titled “FlexConnect”A FlexConnect Key allows another party to connect to a specific port and VLAN. The key is generated and may be revoked in the customer portal. It is single-use and does not expire. The party that uses the key to create the connection is billed; the party that generated the key is not billed, and the charge is not split.
Responsibilities
Section titled “Responsibilities”| Activity | Inter.link | Customer or third party |
|---|---|---|
| Network and provider edge | Operates the provider edge and transport network | — |
| Service configuration | Provisions the ordered endpoints, VLAN translations, and ingress bandwidth | Supplies complete and accurate order data |
| Transceivers and customer equipment | Supplies and maintains the Inter.link-side transceiver | Supplies and maintains the customer-side transceiver, equipment, cabling, power, and configuration |
| Cross-connect | May supply it when separately quoted | Orders and maintains it unless included in the Inter.link quote |
| Capacity | Delivers the ordered endpoint bandwidth | Selects sufficient port capacity and manages customer-side contention |
| Layer 2 design | Provides the ordered broadcast domain | Prevents loops and manages any customer-controlled encryption |
| Diverse delivery | Provides full ordered bandwidth on each path and the ordered diversity boundary | Operates all customer-side paths and controls forwarding topology |
| Fault isolation | Tests to the demarcation and manages the support ticket | Provides access, evidence, and customer-side testing |
Service levels and support
Section titled “Service levels and support”Availability and performance commitments, incident priorities, response and restoration targets, maintenance rules, exclusions, remedies, and service credits are defined exclusively in the applicable SLA. Nothing in this informative specification changes those terms.