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Tuesday, November 28, 2017

UTP Vendor Alert #2017 - 14
UTP SIP to Introduce “Test Broadcast” IP Multicast Channels Q1 2018

Markets Impacted:

Products Impacted:

Contact Information:

What you need to know:

  • The UTP SIP plans to introduce new “Test Broadcast” IP Multicast Channels dedicated to evening format and content testing. With the introduction of the dedicated test channels, the UTP SIP will no longer send test data over production channels during weeknight testing.
  • Implementation of these new Multicast Channels and weeknight testing changes are scheduled to take place in Q1 2018.
  • In order to continue to provide direct data recipients with extensive testing opportunities, the UTP SIP will introduce the following changes to weeknight testing:
    • Connectivity - The production dissemination multicast groups will continue to publish data until 9:30pm ET using that trading day’s session identifier; the data will be limited to protocol-specific heartbeat messages. No application-specific market data (e.g. quote data, trade data, halts, etc.) will be published over the production dissemination multicast groups during this period as per the current practice.
    • Format and Content - New dedicated multicast groups named “Test Broadcast” channels will be defined and provisioned in the production network for all direct data recipients. Canned application test data will be published over these new multicast groups during the weeknight testing period from 9:30pm until 10:30pm ET.
  • These proposed changes will protect against misinterpretation of application test data as live market data while providing direct data recipients with the same level of connectivity, format, and content testing opportunities afforded to them today.

Background

The UTP SIP currently provides direct recipients of UTP data feeds with a variety of opportunities to test these data feeds:

  • Weekend Testing: the production system is available for participant testing nearly every Saturday morning*; this participant activity is published on the production multicast feeds
  • Weekday Testing: the test system is available for participant testing every trading day during normal business hours in the Nasdaq Test Facility (NTF); the participant activity is published on the NTF multicast feeds
  • Weeknight Testing: application test data produced from other sources is published nightly**, outside of system hours; the application test data is published on the production multicast feeds

*The system is unavailable on holiday weekends and on rare occasions when some type of maintenance may be required

** This is done on a “best effort basis”, and typically excludes holidays

Why is the weeknight testing changing?

The goal of introducing the new “Test Broadcast” multicast services is to provide direct recipients of UTP data feeds with the testing opportunities they require while minimizing the potential for application test data to be misinterpreted as live market data.

Customers have occasionally misinterpreted weeknight application test data published on the production multicast feeds as live market data; this unintentional use of application test data is a risk which we are attempting to mitigate with this new release.

What type of UTP testing do recipients require?

There are three essential types of testing that UTP direct data recipients require, connectivity, format and content.

Connectivity testing with the production multicast feeds obviously requires the production environment to conduct such testing; message format and content testing do not necessarily require the production multicast feeds, and can be conducted through other means.

In order to continue to provide direct data recipients with extensive testing opportunities, the UTP SIP will introduce the following changes to weeknight testing:

  • Connectivity - The production dissemination multicast groups will continue to publish data on weeknights until 9:30pm ET using that trading day’s session identifier; the data will be limited to protocol-specific heartbeat messages. No application-specific market data (e.g. quote data, trade data, halts, etc.) will be published over the production dissemination multicast groups during this period.
  • Format and Content - New dedicated multicast groups named “Test Broadcast” channels will be defined and provisioned in the existing UTP network for all direct data recipients. Canned application test data will be published over these new multicast groups during the weeknight testing period from 9:30pm until 10:30pm ET. With the introduction of the dedicated test channels, the SIP will no longer send test data over the production channels.

Where can a data recipient find the new testing multicast groups?

The UTP SIP will introduce new dedicated multicast groups named “Test Broadcast” channels. These will be defined and provisioned in the existing UTP network for all approved direct data recipients. The new multicast groups will be supported only in the primary data center and only via the “A” groups.

Canned application test data will be published over these new Test Broadcast channels during the weeknight testing period from 9:30pm until 10:30pm ET.

For an updated list of the UDP/IP Addresses please visit the UTP Plan Technical web page.

Will there be testing opportunities?

Yes, once testing plans have been finalized the UTP will post a notice detailing these opportunities. Implementation of the new Multicast Channels and weeknight testing changes are scheduled to take place in Q1 2018.

Can test data be disseminated during non-market hours?

Yes, while this change is designed to minimize the possibility of data recipients processing test data as production data, during non-market hours the UTP SIP may broadcast unmarked test data. Data recipients should take necessary precautions to protect their systems against database corruption during evenings, weekends, early close and market holidays.

Who should I contact for additional information?