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Express Connect:Create and manage a dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit

最終更新日:Mar 07, 2024

To create a dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit, you must apply for an Express Connect circuit in the console, contact your internet service provider (ISP) to install the Express Connect circuit, and then pay the relevant fees. This way, you can use the dedicated connection over the Express Connect circuit in a secure and efficient manner.

Prerequisites

  • Billing for outbound data transfer is enabled. For more information, see Enable billing for outbound data transfer.

  • An access point is selected, and the pre-installation site survey is completed by your ISP. For more information, see Preparations.

  • In the following scenario, you must sign a Letter of Authorization (LOA) that grants permissions for the installation of an Express Connect circuit in a data center of Alibaba Cloud and provide the LOA to your ISP. The ISP is China Telecom, China Unicom, or China Mobile, and the data center of Alibaba Cloud is deployed in the China (Beijing), China (Shanghai), China (Hangzhou), or China (Shenzhen) region.

    Make sure that the seals of your company and Alibaba Cloud are affixed to the LOA. To apply for a seal from Alibaba Cloud, contact your account manager.

Step 1: Apply for an Express Connect circuit

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.

  2. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  3. On the Physical Connection page, click Create Physical Connection.

  4. You can create a connection over an Express Connect circuit only after you enable billing for outbound data transfer. To enable billing for outbound data transfer, perform the following steps:

    1. In the Sign Agreement dialog box, read and agree to the billing rules of outbound data transfer, and then click Continue.

    2. On the page that appears, read and agree to the Terms of Service, and then click Activate Now.

    3. Go back to the Physical Connection page of the Express Connect console and click Create Physical Connection.

  5. On the Physical Connection Interface Initial Installation page, configure the parameters that are described in the following table.

    Note

    The Connection Status column displays the actual status of an Express Connect circuit only after the Express Connect circuit is installed and the order is paid. Otherwise, the Connection Status column displays Down.

    Parameter

    Description

    Region

    Select a region in which you want to create a connection over an Express Connect circuit.

    In most cases, select the region in which your virtual private cloud (VPC) is deployed. If you want to connect to a VPC that is deployed in a different region, you must use a Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN) instance and pay for the cross-region connection.

    Leased Line Provider

    Select an ISP. The available access points vary based on the ISP.

    Note
    • If you choose China Unicom, China Telecom, or China Mobile as the ISP, you can lease lines only from the selected ISP. You are not allowed to lease lines from other ISPs.

    • If you choose China Unicom, China Telecom, or China Mobile as the ISP, bare optical fibers are not supported.

    Access Point

    Select an access point that is the nearest to your data center.

    CloudBox Name

    Select a CloudBox device cluster. To purchase an Express Connect circuit for CloudBox, contact your account manager from Alibaba Cloud to apply for the required permissions.

    Port Type

    Select a port type. Valid values:

    • 100 GE Single-Mode Optical Port

    • 40 GE Single-Mode Optical Port

    • 1 GE Single-Mode Optical Port

    • 10 GE Single-Mode Optical Port

    An optical port refers to an optical fiber port. The rate of an optical port is based on the negotiated speed of the optical transceiver module. The port rate can be 1 Gbit/s, 10 Gbit/s, 40 Gbit/s, or 100 Gbit/s.

    Note
    • Different access points provide different port specifications. We recommend you check the port specifications available for purchase before you apply for an Express Connect circuit.
    • By default, Alibaba Cloud provides optical transceiver modules with 1 Gbit/s and 10 Gbit/s ports. This type of optical transceiver module supports a maximum transmission distance of 10 km.

      If you want to use optical transceiver modules with 40 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s ports or optical transceiver modules that support a maximum transmission distance of greater than 10 km, purchase them from a third party. If you purchase an optical transceiver module from a third party, you must contact your customer business manager from Alibaba Cloud before you install the Express Connect circuit in the Alibaba Cloud data center.

    • To use optical ports, make sure that the connectivity provider uses optical fiber cables to connect to the access device of Alibaba Cloud.
    • Alibaba Cloud does not host fiber optical transceivers for customers. Therefore, make sure that the connectivity provider uses the supported type of cable to connect to the access device of Alibaba Cloud.

    Tags

    Tag Key

    Enter a complete tag key.

    You can specify up to 20 tag keys. A tag key can be up to 128 characters in length. It cannot start with aliyun or acs: and cannot contain http:// or https://.

    Tag Value

    Enter a complete tag value.

    You can specify up to 20 tag values. A tag value can be up to 128 characters in length. It cannot start with aliyun or acs: and cannot contain http:// or https://.

    Redundant Physical Connection ID

    Specify a redundant Express Connect circuit in the same region to configure equal-cost multi-path (ECMP) routing.

    • If the Express Connect circuits are connected to different access points, you do not need to specify the redundant Express Connect circuit.

    • If the Express Connect circuits are connected to the same access point, you must specify one of them as the redundant Express Connect circuit. The primary and redundant Express Connect circuits are allocated to different access devices.

  6. Select I have read and understand the billing rules and click OK.

    For more information about billing, see Billing overview.

Step 2: Apply for an LOA

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.

  2. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  3. On the Physical Connection page, find the connection that you create and click Apply for LOA in the Actions column.

  4. In the Apply for LOA panel, enter the information about the construction and the field engineers. Then, click OK.

    Parameter

    Description

    Company Name

    If you are an enterprise user, enter the company name that is specified when the Alibaba Cloud account is created.

    If you are an individual user, enter the name of the Alibaba Cloud account owner.

    Construction Company That Enters Data Centers of Alibaba Cloud

    Enter the name of the company that is in charge of installing the Express Connect circuit. In most cases, the ISP or the colocation provider is responsible for the installation.

    Leased Line Type

    Select a type of the Express Connect circuit. Valid values:

    • MSTP

    • MPLSVPN

    • Fiber Connection

    • Others

    Construction Schedule

    Specify the date to install the Express Connect circuit.

    Customer Data Center Location

    Enter the location of your on-premises data center.

    Leased Line Bandwidth

    Specify the bandwidth of your Express Connect circuit.

    Note

    The bandwidth that you specify does not affect the billing of your Express Connect circuit. In addition, this value does not limit the actual bandwidth when you use the Express Connect circuit.

    Add Field Engineer

    Click Add Field Engineer to add information about the field engineers that need to enter the Alibaba Cloud data center. You can specify one or more field engineers.

    Important

    The information about the field engineers is required.

    After you apply for an LOA, the Status of the dedicated connection changes to In Application. Alibaba Cloud reviews your application within two business days. After your application is approved, the Status of the dedicated connection changes to Approved LOA. Then, you can download the LOA file from the console.

    Note
    • If the access point is deployed outside the Chinese mainland, Alibaba Cloud reviews your application within three business days.

    • You cannot download the LOA file when your application is in the Under Review state. You must wait until the application is approved by Alibaba Cloud.

    • After the LOA is approved, you can log on to the Express Connect console and view the locations of the access point and data center of the connection that you create in the Access Point column on the Physical Connection page.

    • If you want to apply for an LOA again, repeat the operations in Step 2: Apply for an LOA.

Step 3: Contact the ISP to install the Express Connect circuit

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.

  2. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  3. On the Physical Connection page, find the connection that you create and click View LOA in the Actions column.

  4. On the View LOA page, click Download to download the LOA file.

  5. Contact the ISP to connect the Express Connect circuit to the access device in the Alibaba Cloud data center based on the LOA information.

    Note
    • You must submit the LOA that is approved by Alibaba Cloud and send an on-site installation form to the field engineers of Alibaba Cloud at least one day before the ISP enters the Alibaba Cloud data center. You can obtain the on-site installation form by submitting a ticket or contacting your account manager.

    • After the ISP completes the installation, you can request a survey report from the ISP to ensure that the Express Connect circuit runs as expected.

    • If the access point is deployed in the Chinese mainland, Alibaba Cloud engineers will assist the connectivity provider in installing the Express Connect circuit. After you click Confirm Delivery in the console, Alibaba Cloud engineers will install the fiber pigtail and connect it to the corresponding physical port.

    • If the access point is deployed outside the Chinese mainland, the ISP independently completes the installation. The access device that is connected to the Express Connect circuit can be an optical distribution frame (ODF) or a patch panel. After you click Confirm Delivery in the console, Alibaba Cloud engineers will install the fiber pigtail and connect it to the corresponding physical port.

    • If the ISP needs to enter the Alibaba Cloud data center after the installation is complete, contact your account manager to apply for the required permissions.

  6. After the ISP completes the installation, contact the ISP to obtain the ID of the Express Connect circuit, the IDs of other cables, or the specifications of the ODF port.

  7. On the Physical Connection page, click Confirm Delivery. On the Confirm Delivery page, enter the information about the Express Connect circuit and click OK.

    Then, the Status of the dedicated connection changes to Waiting for Pigtail Installation. Field engineers from Alibaba Cloud install the fiber pigtail within two business days. After the fiber pigtail is installed, the Status of the dedicated connection changes to Pending for Pay.

    Note

    If the access point is deployed outside the Chinese mainland, field engineers from Alibaba Cloud install the fiber pigtail within three business days.

Step 4: Pay the resource occupation fees

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.

  2. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  3. On the Physical Connection page, find the connection that you create and click Pay Resource Occupation Fees in the Pay Resource Occupation Fees column.

  4. On the page that appears, select a subscription duration and a renewal method, click Buy Now, and then complete the payment.

    After you complete the payment, the Status of the dedicated connection changes to Enabled.

What to do next

After you create a dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit, you must create a virtual border router (VBR), create a connection between the VBR and the VPC on the transit router (TR) of the CEN instance, add a route to the VBR, and configure health checks. Then, your on-premises data center can be connected to the VPC. For more information, see Connect a data center to ECS by using an Express Connect circuit.

Related operations

Modify the O&M information of an Express Connect circuit

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.

  2. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  3. On the Physical Connection page, find the connection that you create and choose ellipsis-v3.png > Line O&M in the Actions column.

  4. In the Line O&M panel, configure the parameters that are described in the following table and click OK.

    Parameter

    Description

    Provider

    The name of the ISP.

    Leased Line ID/Cable ID

    Contact the ISP or the line supplier.

    ODF Port Specifications

    Contact the ISP or the line supplier.

    O&M Contact Information

    The contact information of the O&M personnel of the ISP.

Modify a dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.

  2. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  3. On the Physical Connection page, click the ID of the connection that you want to modify.

  4. In the upper-right corner of the page, click Edit.

  5. In the Edit Physical Connection Interface panel, modify the name and bandwidth information of the connection and the location of your on-premises data center. Then, click OK.

Upgrade an Express Connect circuit

Warning

After you upgrade an Express Connect circuit, the related data is migrated and modified. For example, the VBR that is associated with the original Express Connect circuit is deleted. This causes temporary service interruptions. Therefore, we recommend that you back up the data before you upgrade an Express Connect circuit.

  1. Perform Step 1: Apply for an Express Connect circuit to apply for an Express Connect circuit that supports larger bandwidth.

  2. Migrate the existing configurations and connection to the new Express Connect circuit.

  3. Create a VBR for the new Express Connect circuit, create a VBR-to-VPC connection, add a route to the VBR, and then configure health checks.

Delete a dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit

You can delete a dedicated connection that meets one of the following conditions:

  • The dedicated connection is in the Locked (Overdue Payment) state.

  • The dedicated connection is in the Disabled state.

    If the dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit remains active, you can find the dedicated connection on the Physical Connection page and click Terminate Connection in the Actions column.

  • No VBR is associated with the dedicated connection and no hosted connection is created over the Express Connect circuit. For more information about how to delete a VBR and a hosted connection, see the following sections of the "Operation guide for Express Connect partners" topic:

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.

  2. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  3. On the Physical Connection page, find the connection that you want to delete and click Delete in the Actions column.

  4. In the message that appears, click OK.

Related API operations