ML/Pax use a version of Sterling and have their own network infrastructure and it does on balance run fine with issues that all electronic platforms do have over time. It does make a difference to what sever you are pointing to and who is feeding the data and what execution pipes you are on. Find out who runs the back end and you can have a significant different experience.
<b>Thanks for that and I am aware there is a server edition of the platform and I have seen it in operation. However, the question still begs to be asked, to what does that local server attach ? To a separate set of servers at Sterling, or directly to the data provider or exchange or ???</b> I think you read his post too quickly and forgot to answer his questions. Can you please try to answer his questions, I am curious about this too?
I more or less did. Most Sterling users connect directly to Sterling's servers. Some of us connect to servers at our own firms. But you need to connect to a server running the Server version of Sterling. So that would preclude connecting directly to an exchange or data provider.
Thank You, So you connect to a server at your firm and that server connects to Sterling's servers and then goes to the exchange. So you are just connected to a different Sterling server than the two guys that had problems this morning, so it really isn't your firm's server that prevented the problem from happening to you? It was that you were connected to a different Sterling server? I hope those guys know that if you do have a problem like that you can just switch to the backup server for your account. This way you switch to another server that isn't having a problem or that isn't jammed up by traders.
I think you misunderstood me. My firm connects directly to a data service and clearing firm. It does not connect to Sterling. What cannot connect directly to an exchange or data provider directly is your client side Sterling platform.
Backup didn't work this morning. They had to reset the servers so it was a black out for 10 minutes. Then trading wasn't safe for a while. Of those 20 something orders I sent out, some of them got filled but it didn't show up on my position monitor so I *thought* I was flat. It was only 15 minutes later when I restarted Sterling that they showed up on my position monitor to my shock (and pleasure ). Then when I tried to exit the positions the orders got stuck. I restarted Sterling thinking it would fix the problem again but that's when they decided to reset the servers. So I'm just sitting there twiddeling my thumbs hoping my positions don't go against me while I wait for that green "On-line" box to show. Yeeeee-hawwwww! But I still like it when everything is running smoothly.
OK, I understand now, thank you for straightening that out for me. So your firm has its' own Connection Lines to each ECN and Exchange for executing?