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Direct Connect

Direct Connect (DX) feature allows to integrate end-customer's on-premise IP subnets with VPC networks into a single routing domain. Physical link is provided by the network provider, which has equipment (point of presence) in the Location's data center.

Creating such kind of connection requires joint actions of following parties:

  • Customer (You)
  • Network Provider (Telecom provider, which has own equipment in datacenter)
  • Datacenter team (which owns Meet-Me-Rooms)
  • Operator's team

Note

Usually all communication between teams should be covered with Letter of Authorization / Connecting Facility Assignment (LOA/CFA).

One LOA/CFA is from Operator to Datacenter team, another LOA/CFA is from Network Provider to Datacenter team.
Basically, this letter authorizes Datacenter team and describes technical details of how to make cross-connect Network Provider equipment to the Operator’s equipment.

  1. Customer requests from the Operator’s team the possibility of DirectConnect link with specified bandwidth and the list of Network Providers which have a point of presence in the Location’s datacenter and select best suited.

  2. Operator's team links networking hardware into patch-panel and send LOA/CFA to Datacenter team (with a copy to stakeholders)

  3. A customer makes an aggrement with Network Provider on the connection from their own location to ICDC Location's datacenter. Usually, Network Providers offers following options:

    • L2VPN (VLAN). In this case, end-customer should allocate at least /31 IPv4 Transit Subnet that is not used in his routing domain
    • L3VPN (IP subnet). In this case Network Provider allocates Transit Subnet and it should be at least /31 IPv4.

  4. Network Provider sends LOA/CFA to Datacenter team (with a copy to stakeholders), which make cross-connection.

  5. The Customer (or Network Provider) sends additional CFA to Operator's team with information:

    • 3 IP addresses allocated from Transit Subnet for VPC's hardware routers
    • Customer-side gateway IP address
    • List of Customer's subnets for static routing

  6. The Operator's team configures transit VLAN and subnet, service network, virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) instance, and static routes on networking hardware for the Account's DirectConnect purpose.

  7. The customer in the ICDC Networking service configures VPC routes to subnets via DirectConnect Gateway (Account's VRF IP address).

Note

Routing protocols are not supported. We do not provide global availability of routing protocols in Direct Connect.
Static routing is the recommended option currently.