What is changing?

Nasdaq will be moving its Disaster Recovery (DR) site for U.S. equities and options markets from Ashburn, Virginia to Chicago, Illinois, that will begin in August. The new DR will be located on the 8th floor of the Equinix CH4 facility at 350 E. Cermak. In addition to offering expanded geographic diversity, this new DR location enables firms to easily connect to a multitude of multi-asset engines currently housed in or near this Chicago facility helping to potentially reduce overall networking costs.

During the migration of all markets from Ashburn to Chicago, Chicago will be treated as a live Point of Presence (POP) for firms receiving market data as well as sending orders. Following the DR launch, Tuesday, September 1, 2015, Chicago will be considered a “hot” site in which customers can both receive market data and send orders even when the matching engine is live in Carteret, just as Ashburn is configured today.

Which data feeds are being affected?

What is the timeline of the migration?

Other Nasdaq post-trade, back office and reporting services will be moved to Chicago in early 2016. Nasdaq will alert participants accordingly, so that preparation can be made by the customers.

Is there a testing period?

Nasdaq will offer a parallel period for data feeds starting on August 15th, 2015 through January 29th, 2016.

In addition to the parallel period, Nasdaq will also support the following UATs:

• August 15, 2015
• August 29, 2015
• September 12, 2015
• September 26, 2015
• October 10, 2015
• October 24, 2015
• November 7, 2015

A hot-cut from the Ashburn facility will occur on January 29th, 2016.

Which facility will data be recovered from during the parallel period?

If a disaster recovery plan needs to be activated during the parallel period (August 15, 2015 through January 29, 2016) customers who have already moved to Chicago will receive the data from the Chicago DR data center. Customers who are still connected in Ashburn, during the parallel period, will still be able to receive the data in the Ashburn data center, as Nasdaq will be sending the data from Chicago to Ashburn in this case.

When will IP addresses be made available?

Further announcements of IP addresses will be made when additional information is available regarding launch.

Is it mandatory for firms to connect to the Chicago DR?

Nasdaq will not mandate firms to connect to the Chicago Disaster Recovery Data Center, however, we highly recommend connecting to ensure diverse resiliency.

Are there additional market data charges associated with this migration?

While there are no additional direct market data charges, certain connectivity fees may apply. Please contact your Nasdaq account representative or reach out to Trading Services, or at +1 212-231-5180.

What do firms need to do to connect to Chicago DR?

Existing firms will need to complete the Data Feed Request Form to receive the data.

New firms need to complete the following agreements to receive the data:

• Data Feed Request Form - Required for all firms.
• Nasdaq Global Data Agreement - Required for all firms prior to initiation of the first Nasdaq data service only.
• System Application - Required for firms only if the data will be displayed or used in a system that is not yet approved by Nasdaq.

If you need assistance with the application process, please contact your Nasdaq Account Manager.

Contact Information

For questions regarding the Disaster Recovery Migration, please contact Nasdaq Global Data Products at +1 301 978 5307.