Add an IBM Direct Link Connection to a Cloud Router
Process overview
The basic steps to adding an IBM Cloud connection to a PacketFabric Cloud Router are as follows:
- From the PacketFabric side: Create a Cloud Router connection.
- From the IBM side: Accept the connection.
- From the IBM side: Add a virtual connection to your IBM virtual private cloud (VPC).
- From the IBM side: Set up VRF.
- From the PacketFabric side: Configure BGP.
Create a PacketFabric Cloud Router connection
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Log in to the PacketFabric portal and select Network > Cloud Routers.
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Click the Cloud Router to open its side panel.
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Select Create Connection.
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Select IBM Cloud.
Configure
Complete the following fields and then click Next.
IBM On-Ramp and Capacity
- Create a NAT-capable connection
- Select this option if you want to be able to enable NAT for the connection. This ensures the connection will provision on a device that allows NAT.
- On-Ramp
- This is the IBM 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 the connection.
- Availability Zone
- Select a zone.
- PacketFabric availability zones represent physical diversity; each availability zone is a unique chassis. Allocating connections within different zones supports redundancy.
Connection Details
- IBM Account ID
- Enter your IBM account ID.
- This allows PacketFabric to send API requests to IBM creating your connection.
- Connection description
- Enter a name for the connection.
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NOTE: This is used as the connection name in IBM Cloud, so it must follow the IBM Cloud naming rules. It can only contain letters, numbers, underscores, and dashes.
Billing
Select a billing account and then click Place Order.
To complete provisioning, you must accept the Direct Link connection from the IBM side. Select one of the following:
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Accept Now: Open the IBM portal in a new tab. Skip to step 4 in the procedure below.
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Accept Later: Return to the PacketFabric Cloud Connectivity page. The connection remains in the Provisioning state until accepted.
IMPORTANT: Once created, we poll IBM every 30 seconds to check if you have accepted from the IBM side. If after a week you have not accepted, the PacketFabric connection is automatically deleted.
Accept the Direct Link connection
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Log in to the IBM Cloud portal.
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Click the navigation menu in the upper right and select Interconnectivity.
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Click Direct Link.
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Locate and expand the Direct Link connection you created earlier.
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Click Review.
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If everything is correct, click Accept.
If something is incorrect and you reject the connection, the PacketFabric connection automatically deletes. -
Under Finalize creation, complete the following fields:
- Header row
- Field
- Description
- Row 1
- Resource group
- A resource group allows you to manage billing and cascade permissions to resources within that group.
- Row 1
- Billing
- This determines how IBM bills you for the Direct Link connection. This is separate from PacketFabric’s billing. For more information, see IBM’s Direct Link pricing.
- Metered: You are charged a port fee based on bandwidth, and then are charged on a per-GB basis for data transfer. The data transfer cost depends on location.
- Unmetered: You are charged a flat fee for both the port and data transfer.
- Row 1
- Routing
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- Local: Includes unlimited ingress and egress traffic, but you can only reach IBM Cloud resources within your local market. For more information, see Direct Link Overview.
- Global: You can reach IBM Cloud resources anywhere outside the local market, but you are charged an additional flat fee. For more information, see Pricing for the global routing add-on.
- Header row
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Review and accept the IBM Direct Link terms and prerequisites.
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Click Create.