Monday, November 30, 2015

UTP Vendor Alert #2015 - 20
Quarterly Failover Testing Schedule

What has been announced?

The Security Information Processors (SIPs) for the US equity markets, in cooperation with the National Market Plan Operating Committees (CTA, OPRA & UTP), have established a Quarterly Failover Testing Schedule. The next quarterly test will be conducted on Saturday, December 5, 2015 between 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. ET.

What is the scheduled switchover timeline?

In order to simulate an unexpected real-time occurrence, specific switchover times will be unannounced, and could take place anytime between 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. ET. In order to facilitate exchange participants testing and allow the direct data recipient’s time to validate their processing, the SIPs (CTA, OPRA and UTP) will switchover at separate times.

Are direct data recipients required to test?

Direct Data recipients are invited to participate in these scheduled weekend tests to validate their internal processing and ensure that the switchovers are performing as expected within their systems. Direct Data recipients do not need to make any changes and should just observe the data dissemination.

What is the expected behavior on the UTP data feeds during switchover?

Primary site server failovers:

The UTP SIP will execute a series of simulated quote and trade primary data center server failures. Exchange Participants should immediately reconnect to the secondary (backup) server which is running in parallel with the primary server within the primary data center.

Direct data recipients should not experience any interruption of data dissemination.

Failover to secondary data center scenario:

The UTP will execute failure switchover for UTP Quote/Trade services. The UTP SIP will close the input functionality for exchange participants to the primary data center and elevate the secondary data center as the primary. Exchange participants will be required to connect to the secondary data center for all their input connections, within 10 minutes of switchover.

Direct data recipients should observe a wipe out of ALL active quotations and a removal of all price band messages on the UTP data feeds. Once exchanges have reconnected to the secondary data center and begin to enter quote and trade activity the UTP data services will resume dissemination of data.

Will Market Wide Circuit Breaker (MWCB) Testing be conducted?

Yes, Market-Wide Circuit Breaker Decline Level Status messages (Category A Type C) including the Level 1, Level 2 & Level 3 decline level values will be disseminated over the UTP feeds. Randomly, Market-Wide Circuit Breaker Status (Category A Type D) messages announcing Level 1 and Level 2 breaches will be disseminated over the UTP feeds.

Once Market-Wide Circuit Breaker Decline Level Status messages are disseminated, listing exchanges are anticipated to generate Cross SRO trading action messages (Category A Type H) for all securities and not re-open for 15 minutes (Level 1 and Level 2). After 15 minutes have expired each for Level 1 and Level 2 breaches, listing exchanges are anticipated to resume trading in all securities. As the Level 3 breach required functionality is to halt and not resume all securities for the remainder of the trading day, Level 3 testing will not be conducted as part of this test.

What is the 2016 Quarterly Failover Testing Schedule?

Both the SIAC and UTP SIPs will participate in simulated failover scenarios requiring switchover to the affected SIPs Secondary site on the following Saturdays:

• Saturday, March 12, 2016
• Saturday, June 11, 2016
• Saturday, September 24, 2016
• Saturday, December 3, 2016

Where can I find additional information?

• Refer to the UTP Technical Specifications page.
• For questions regarding the UTP Data Feeds, please contact products@utpplan.com.