To allow network instances in different regions to communicate with each other, you must purchase a bandwidth plan and create inter-region connections. Network instances within the same region can communicate with each other through transit routers. You do not need to purchase a bandwidth plan or create inter-region connections. This topic describes how to purchase and manage bandwidth plans.
Background information
When you purchase a bandwidth plan, you must specify the areas to be connected. An area consists of one or more Alibaba Cloud regions. You can select areas to be connected based on the regions that you want to connect. The following table describes the relationship between regions and areas.
Area | Region |
Chinese mainland | China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Shenzhen), China (Heyuan), China (Guangzhou), China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Nanjing - Local Region), China (Fuzhou - Local Region), and China (Chengdu) |
North America | US (Silicon Valley) and US (Virginia) |
Asia Pacific | China (Hong Kong), Singapore (Singapore), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Japan (Tokyo), Indonesia (Jakarta), Philippines (Manila), South Korea (Seoul), and Thailand (Bangkok) |
Europe | Germany (Frankfurt) and UK (London) |
Billing methods
Bandwidth plans support the subscription billing method. You can subscribe to bandwidth plans on a monthly basis. For more information, see Billing rules.
Limits
You can associate multiple bandwidth plans with a Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN) instance. However, the pair of connected areas specified by each bandwidth plan must be unique.
For example, if a CEN instance is associated with a bandwidth plan that connects networks in the Chinese mainland, you cannot associate the CEN instance with another bandwidth plan that also connects networks in the Chinese mainland. However, you can associate a bandwidth plan that connects the Chinese mainland to North America with the CEN instance.
After you purchase a bandwidth plan, you cannot modify the connected areas.
Prerequisites
If you want to purchase bandwidth plans that can be used in the Chinese mainland on the Alibaba Cloud International site, your Alibaba Cloud account must pass real-name verification. For more information, see Real-name registration FAQs.
Bandwidth plans that can be used in the Chinese mainland refer to the following types of bandwidth plan:
Bandwidth plans that connect networks in the Chinese mainland
Bandwidth plans that connect networks in the Chinese mainland to networks outside the Chinese mainland
Purchase a bandwidth plan
Log on to the CEN console.
On the Instances page, click the ID of the CEN instance that you want to manage.
On the details page of the CEN instance, choose , and click Purchase Bandwidth Plan (Subscription).
On the buy page, configure the following parameters, click Buy Now, and then complete the payment.
Parameter
Description
CEN ID
Select the CEN instance for which you want to purchase a bandwidth plan.
After you purchase the bandwidth plan, it is automatically associated with the CEN instance.
Area A
Select one of the areas where you want to enable inter-region communication.
NoteYou cannot change the area after the bandwidth plan is purchased.
Area C
Select the other area where you want to enable inter-region communication.
Billing Method
The metering method of the bandwidth plan is displayed. Default value: Pay-By-Bandwidth.
Bandwidth
Select a maximum bandwidth value for the bandwidth plan. Unit: Mbit/s.
Bandwidth Package Name
Enter a name for the bandwidth plan.
Order time
Select a subscription duration for the bandwidth plan.
You can select Auto-renewal to enable auto-renewal for the bandwidth plan.
Disassociate a bandwidth plan from a CEN instance
After you purchase a bandwidth plan, the system automatically associates it with the CEN instance. You can disassociate a bandwidth plan from a CEN instance and associate the bandwidth plan with another CEN instance.
Before you disassociate a bandwidth plan, make sure that you have closed the inter-region connections that are associated with the bandwidth plan. For more information, see Delete an inter-region connection.
Log on to the CEN console.
On the Instances page, click the ID of the CEN instance that you want to manage.
On the details page of the CEN instance, choose , find the bandwidth plan that you want to manage, and then click Unbind in the Actions column.
In the Disassociate from Bandwidth Plan message, confirm the bandwidth plan that you want to disassociate and click OK.
You are still charged for bandwidth plans that are not associated with CEN instances. The billing of a bandwidth plan stops only after you delete the bandwidth plan. For more information, see Delete a bandwidth plan.
Associate a bandwidth plan with a CEN instance
After you disassociate a bandwidth plan from a CEN instance, you can associate the bandwidth plan with another CEN instance.
Log on to the CEN console.
On the Instances page, click the ID of the CEN instance that you want to manage.
On the details page of the CEN instance, choose , find the bandwidth plan that you want to manage, and then click Bind in the Actions column.
In the Associate with Bandwidth Plan message, confirm the bandwidth plan that you want to associate and click OK.
Delete a bandwidth plan
Bandwidth plans are subscription resources that are automatically released upon expiration. For more information, see Expiration of bandwidth plans.
If you need to delete a bandwidth plan before it expires, Submit a ticket to cancel the subscription of the bandwidth plan. The bandwidth plan is automatically deleted when its subscription is canceled.
References
CreateCenBandwidthPackage: purchases a bandwidth plan.
ModifyCenBandwidthPackageAttribute: modifies the name and description of a bandwidth plan.
AssociateCenBandwidthPackage: associates a bandwidth plan with a CEN instance.
UnassociateCenBandwidthPackage: disassociates a bandwidth plan from a CEN instance.
DescribeCenBandwidthPackages: queries bandwidth information.
DescribeCenGeographicSpans: queries the areas connected by a bandwidth plan.
DescribeGeographicRegionMembership: queries the regions that are included in a specified area.