Bring Your Own Server#

M-Lab is committed to evolving with the Internet and now welcomes servers in cloud, edge, access networks. 

The Bring Your Own Server (BYOS) project is a host-managed deployment model that allows network providers to run M-Lab’s software on their own infrastructure and join an open source global measurement platform. 

The goal of BYOS is to expand M-Lab’s platform to measure more of the Internet from new network locations and make it easier for partners to contribute to the platform. 

Development of BYOS took place throughout 2023, and from 2024-2026 we have gone through a series of pilots. We are expecting to make it generally available in 2027. Until then, we welcome pilot partners to test the BYOS system. 

Network providers interested in hosting an M-Lab measurement site can review the requirements and submit an Infrastructure Contribution Form to participate in the platform.

When you become a BYOS partner you…#

Join the largest open Internet measurement platform 

• Contribute to 15 years of measuring the Internet at scale
• Support Internet openness, transparency and equity

Have real world impact#

• Enable users measure their Internet connections with a free open source tool
• Improve school connectivity through partnership with UNICEF Giga 
• Advance initiatives like the Internet Quality Barometer to redefine Internet quality and improve the Internet

The Benefits of Becoming a BYOS Partner#

Gain insights about your network!#

• You don’t have to do your own monitoring systems; you get M-Lab’s data for free!
• Even if you have your own monitoring, M-Lab’s data are on TCP layer (end-to-end connection information).

Gain insights about other (e.g.,  competing) networks#

• You can compare your vs others’ (i.e., other networks hosting M-Lab servers) performance measurements; if you don’t have a server, data are not directly comparable.

Help your customers & peering ecosystem#

• Deploying an M-Lab server close(r) to a metro, gives higher quality results for users & network operators in this or neighboring metros.
• Helps your peering: other networks will be encouraged to peer with you so that performance results for their customers are more representative (aka. “Show better performance”).
• More “download” traffic → from your network (i.e., M-Lab server) to other networks (i.e., where users taking speedtests are).