QuickFAST

QuickFAST is an open source, low latency, C++ implementation of FAST developed by OCI. Additionally it is available wrapped with .NET to enable "managed code" users to access the FAST libraries in a more familiar manner. Contact sales@ociweb.com for more details on support. The open source code, with compile and installation instructions is available for download from GoogleCode at http://code.google.com/p/quickfast/. The licensing model for QuickFAST is "Berkeley," also known as BSD and is also non-viral. To learn more about the services and product we offer click here.

Why OCI?

OCI has experience at combining all these finance oriented open source FIX and FAST technologies into high performance trading systems.  All exchanges vary enough to require some tailoring of the standard trading and market data protocols to enable a uniform approach within the trading organization. Exchanges may have their own particular set of session management rules in the case of FIX or use of templates in the case of FAST.

OCI has migrated clients from older exchange protocols and proprietary FIX engines to dramatically reduce trading costs, and improve throughput. OCI's architectural approach with a FIX Exchange Adaptor (FEA), and the use of exchange gateways, helps with the transition stage, subsequent migration, and by exploiting an "exchange strategy" offer easy accommodation of FIX extensions by the various exchanges.In the case of FAST OCI uses the "message builder" feature of QuickFAST to optimize FAST to match your normalized message model. This ensures lowest latency processing and skips the "generic message" intermediate step.

OCI has succesfully dealt with, and understands, the many FIX and FAST dialects offered by the exchanges. The exchange adaptor acts as shock absorber masking changes from either your systems side, or the exchanges side, of the equation. Each FEA is unique to a client's circumstances. However OCI is experienced with many exchanges and how they interpret FIX. That minimizes the cost and time to implement.

In the last few years OCI has assisted clients in connecting to and cerifying with the six US options exchanges: PCoast, Amex, Philadelphia, Boston, ISE, CBOE, plus CME, Currenex, ICE, HotSpot and Montreal. Recently because of the CBOE/CME merger we have also done Globex migration and certifications.User's continue to identify new exchanges where they have succesfully deployed QuickFAST to decode market data.

We recently designed and implemented an Ouch engine for NASDAQ trading.

We have also helped clients connect via providers such as Goldman, Onyx, and Morgan Stanley.

This last year we have been very active in assisting users with migrating and validating their systems for FAST use. Especially with the market leader, Globex. Our most recent activities were on NYSE ARCA. By tuning QuickFAST to the specific message characteristics of ARCA we were able realize substantial performance gains.

To obtain an even more cost and performance effective market data solution we have combined QuickFAST with OpenDDS. For more information read our OCI Middleware NewsBrief. From feed to read, we achieved out-the-box latencies of 28 microseconds across racked (X86) systems just using TCP/IP. Inserting Infiniband in the OpenDDS transport framework would reduce that latency by factor of 10.