Express Connect:Connect to Alibaba Cloud over a dedicated Express Connect circuit

Connect to Alibaba Cloud over a dedicated Express Connect circuit

The following figure shows how to connect to Alibaba Cloud over a dedicated Express Connect circuit.

Step 1: Preparations

Before you apply for a dedicated Express Connect circuit, you must select an access point, check the stock, and contact your ISP to complete the pre-installation site survey.

1. Select an access point

   Access points indicate the geographical locations where Express Connect circuits are connected to Alibaba Cloud. Two access devices are deployed at each access point. Each region contains one or more access points. You can connect your data center to a virtual private cloud (VPC) through an access point that meets your requirements. For more information about access points, see Locations of access points.

   When you choose an access point, take note of factors such as the region, connectivity provider, and port.

   Factor	Description
   Region	We recommend that you select the access point nearest to your data center. The connectivity providers and bandwidth limits vary based on the access point.
   Connectivity provider	We recommend that you choose a connectivity provider based on your business requirements. You can lease an Express Connect circuit from China Unicom, China Telecom, China Mobile, or other connectivity providers. Note When you install an Express Connect circuit in a data center, you must follow the rules of the colocation provider. For more information about connectivity providers, see Locations of access points. You are not allowed to install Express Connect circuits in data centers of China Unicom, China Telecom, or China Mobile if the Express Connect circuits are leased from connectivity providers other than the preceding ones. If you choose China Unicom, China Telecom, or China Mobile as the connectivity provider, bare fiber is not supported. You must lease lines from these connectivity providers. For more information, contact your connectivity provider.
   Port	You can use a copper Ethernet port or an optical port. The switches in the access points of Alibaba Cloud support RJ-45 copper Ethernet ports. The default port specification is 10 GE. 100BASE-T and 1000BASE-T copper Ethernet ports are also supported. The port rate depends on the port specification. Optical ports are known as bare optical fibers. Connectivity providers use optical cables of the transmission network to connect to Alibaba Cloud. The speed of an optical port depends on the negotiated speed of optical transceiver modules on both ends of the connection. 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.

2. View resources

   After you choose an access point, you can check whether the Express Connect circuit that you apply for is available for purchase on the payment page.

   1. Log on to the Express Connect console.

   2. Click Create Physical Connection.

   3. On the Purchase Port page, specify the endpoint, port type, and other parameters, and then click Buy Now.

   4. On the Confirm Order page, confirm the configurations, select Terms of Service, and then click Pay.

   5. Check whether inventory is sufficient on the payment page.

      • If the payment page appears after you click Pay, the Express Connect circuit is in stock.

        Important

        Do not click Confirm Payment.

      • If a message that shows that the activation fails appears after you click Pay, the Express Connect circuit that you apply for is out of stock. Select another access point and try again.

3. Pre-installation survey

   After you verify that the specified access point is available and obtain the information about the location of the access point, contact your connectivity provider for details about connecting your data center to Alibaba Cloud. In addition, contact the connectivity provider to perform a site survey.

   Important

   • If the access point is located in the Chinese mainland, you must acquire the permissions from Alibaba Cloud before your connectivity provider can perform a site survey in the data center of Alibaba Cloud.

   • If the access point is located outside the Chinese mainland, you do not need to acquire permissions from Alibaba Cloud. The engineer in charge of the installation must be authorized by the data center where the access point is deployed to perform the site survey. The site survey is performed in the meet-me room (MMR) instead of the server room dedicated to Alibaba Cloud.

   1. Contact your connectivity provider for details about installing the Express Connect circuit and connect the Express Connect circuit to the specified access point.

   2. After you confirm the plan, submit a ticket to apply for a site survey.

      You must provide the required information, such as the name, ID number, and contact information of the engineer to perform the site survey.

   3. After the application is approved, Alibaba Cloud will assist the site survey personnel to complete the site survey within two business days.

   4. Contact the connectivity provider to perform a site survey and confirm the end-to-end fee.

      For more information, see Billing overview.

Step 2: Apply for an Express Connect circuit in the console

1. Enable billing for outbound data transfer. For more information, see Enable billing for outbound data transfer.

2. Apply for an Express Connect circuit, contact the ISP to install the Express Connect circuit, and complete the payment. For more information, see Create and manage a dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit.

Step 3: Connect to Alibaba Cloud over the Express Connect circuit

Connect your data center to Alibaba Cloud over the Express Connect circuit.

1. Create a virtual border router (VBR). For more information, see Create and manage a VBR.

2. Attach the VBR and a virtual private cloud (VPC) to a Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN) instance, add routes to the VBR and configure health checks, and then verify the network connectivity. For more information, see Connect a data center to ECS by using an Express Connect circuit.

Install an Express Connect circuit

The installation process of an Express Connect circuit may vary based on the network topology. The following figures show the installation process of Express Connect circuits in two commonly used network topologies. You can contact your ISP to obtain more installation details.

• The following figure shows how to install an Express Connect circuit if your data center and the access point are deployed in different campuses.

• The following figure shows how to install an Express Connect circuit if your data center and the access point are deployed in the same campus.

Status of an Express Connect circuit in different stages

The connection over a dedicated Express Connect circuit involves operations performed by you, your ISP, and Alibaba Cloud. The Express Connect console displays the status of an Express Connect circuit in different stages except Under Construction and provides relevant instructions. You can check the installation process of an Express Connect circuit on the Physical Connection page in the Express Connect console.Construction Procedure