Add AWS Direct Connect to a Cloud Router

Process overview

The basic steps to adding an AWS connection to a PacketFabric Distributed Cloud Router are as follows:

  1. From the PacketFabric side: Create a cloud connection.
  2. From the AWS side: Accept the connection.
  3. From the AWS side: Create a gateway.
  4. From the AWS side: Create and attach a VIF.
  5. From the PacketFabric side: Configure BGP.

Prerequisites

You will be asked for your AWS account number. Depending on your account type, this might appear when you sign in to the console or under your user menu. Otherwise, you can click your user name and then select My Account. Your account ID is at the top of the page under Account Settings.

Create a PacketFabric Cloud Router connection

Log in to the PacketFabric portal and select Cloud Routers on the left.

Expand the Cloud Router you are using and click Create a connection.

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Select cloud provider

Select AWS.

Configure
Enable Network Address Translation
Select this option if you want to be able to use NAT for the connection. This ensures the connection will provision on a device that supports NAT.
Source NAT – Translate the source IP address. For example, you can translate a pool of private IP addresses to a public IP address in order to reach an external resource that only accepts public IPs.
Destination NAT – Translate the destination IP address. For example, if you need to translate a public IP address to a private IP addresses in your network. This may be necessary if you plan to make the connection exportable via Quick Connect.
OnRamp
This is the AWS on-ramp location you would like to use. This cannot be changed after it is provisioned.
Zone
Select an availability zone at the on-ramp facility. Allocating connections within different zones supports redundancy. Each availability zone is a unique chassis.
Speed
This is the speed/capacity you are setting for the connection.
Amazon account ID
Enter your Amazon account ID.
This allows PacketFabric to send API requests to Amazon when creating your connection.
Description
Enter a name for the connection.
Use Public VIF
Select this option if you are planning to use this connection with a public VIF to reach AWS public resources.
AWS public resources are resources that are not contained within your VPC. The most commonly used are Amazon S3 and DynamoDB.
NOTE: Public VIFs must be reviewed and approved by Amazon. This process can take up to 72 hours.
Billing

Select a billing account.

You can also optionally include a PO (purchase order) number. The PO number will be included on your monthly invoice.

Click Place order. The connection should provision within a few minutes.

Accept the connection

  1. Sign in to AWS.

  2. From the AWS Management Console, click the Services menu and select Networking & Content Delivery > Direct Connect.

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  3. Click Connections.

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  4. Locate and select the connection you created in the PacketFabric portal.

    NOTE: Connections typically appear in the AWS console within a minute after provisioning from PacketFabric.

    If you do not see your connection listed, wait a few moments and then refresh the page.

  5. Click Accept in the upper right.

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  6. Click Confirm.

Create a gateway

You can skip this step if you are using the public IP/public VIF option.

Our connections are compatible with all AWS gateway types: Direct Connect, virtual private, and transit.

For information on each, including instructions on how to create them, see the AWS documentation on gateways.

IMPORTANT: When creating a gateway, AWS defaults to their public ASN 7224. You should instead set this to a private ASN from 62512 - 65534.

Create a virtual interface

After accepting the connection, click Create virtual interface.

There are three types of virtual interfaces (VIFs):

Public VIF

Private VIF

Transit VIF

Next steps

Configure the BGP session for this connection.

Create an AWS Connection on a Cloud Router - POST

Updated on 18 Jan 2023