Add a Google Partner Interconnect to a Cloud Router

Process overview

The basic steps to adding a Google connection to a PacketFabric Cloud Router are as follows:

From the Google side: Create a Google Cloud Router with ASN 16550.
From the Google side: Create a VLAN attachment.
From the PacketFabric side: Create a Cloud Router connection.
From the Google side: Accept the connection.
From both sides: Configure BGP.

Create a VLAN attachment in Google Cloud Console

Click the menu in the upper right to open the product list.
Scroll down to Networking and select Hybrid Connectivity > Interconnect.
If you already have previous VLAN attachments, click Add VLAN Attachment. Otherwise, click Get Started.
Select Partner Interconnect and then click Continue.
Click I already have a service provider.
Complete the following fields:
- Header row
  - Field
  - Description
- r1
  - Redundancy
  - Select whether you are creating a single attachment, redundant attachments, or adding a redundant attachment.
- r1
  - VLAN Network
  - Select the VPC to which you will be connecting.
    
    For more information about creating VPCs, see Google Cloud - Using VPC networks.
- r1
  - Region
  - Select the region in which you want to connect. PacketFabric on-ramps can serve all of Google’s U.S. regions and northamerica-northeast-1 (Montreal).
    
    Internationally, all of Google’s European regions are accessible from our London on-ramp.
    
    Our Sydney on-ramp serves Google’s australia-southeast-1 regions.
- r1
  - Cloud Router
  - Note - This refers to Google’s Cloud Router product, which is not related to the PacketFabric Cloud Router.
    
    If you have already configured a Cloud Router for the selected region, you can select it. If you are creating redundant VLAN attachments, each attachment requires its own Cloud Router.
    
    Otherwise, create a new cloud router.
    
    IMPORTANT: You must select or create a Cloud Router with its Google ASN set to 16550. This is a Google requirement for all Partner Interconnects.
- r1
  - Description
  - Optionally, enter a description for this VLAN attachment.
Click Create.
Copy the pairing key. You need this when creating your hosted connection from the PacketFabric portal.
Leave the Enable option unselected.
Click OK.

Create a PacketFabric Cloud Router connection

Log in to the PacketFabric portal and select Network > Cloud Routers.
From the Cloud Router overflow menu, select Create Connection.
Select Google Cloud.

Configure

Complete the following fields and then click Next.

Google On-Ramp and Capacity

On-Ramp: This is the Google on-ramp location you would like to use. This cannot be changed after it is provisioned.
Capacity: This is the speed/capacity you are setting for your VLAN attachment.; NOTE: The capacity you select determines the hourly price Google charges you for your VLAN attachment. See Google’s Partner Interconnect Pricing for more information.

Connection Details

Pairing Key: Enter your GCP pairing key. This is generated when you create a VLAN attachment.; IMPORTANT: Ensure your pairing key ends with /1 or /2. You’ll get a provisioning error if it ends with /any.

The trailing /1 and /2 indicate which interconnect path your PacketFabric circuit should follow. The primary VLAN attachment ends in /1 and the redundant attachment ends in /2.
VLAN attachment name: Enter the exact VLAN attachment name you provided to Google.
Connection description: Enter a description for the connection.

Billing

Select a billing account and then click Place Order.

The connection should provision within a few minutes.

Activate the connection in Google Cloud Console

Once provisioning is complete on the PacketFabric side, return to the Google Cloud Console.
Refresh the page. Note that the VLAN attachment status is now Activation needed.

NOTE: If you do not see the Activation needed status, wait a a few minutes and then refresh the page again.
Click Activate.
Click Accept.

This might take a few minutes to process.

Next steps

Configure the BGP session for this connection.

Updated on 08 Feb 2021