Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Connect

AWS Cloud Connect enables you to establish an AWS Direct Connect circuit directly to the Wanscale Platform. This provides a private, high-bandwidth connection to your VPCs and other AWS resources, bypassing the public internet.

Provisioning Workflow

The diagram below outlines the lifecycle of creating and deploying AWS Cloud Connect:

flowchart LR
    A(Retrieve AWS Account ID) --> B(Create AWS Cloud Connect in the portal) --> C(Connect to AWS) --> D(Accept Hosted Connection in AWS Console)  --> E(Create Virtual Interface in AWS) --> F(Configure BGP sessions in the portal)

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Prerequisites

Step 1 - Retrieve your AWS Account ID

To provision a Direct Connect hosted connection, the Wanscale Platform requires your 12-digit AWS Account ID. You can find this in the AWS Management Console under your account settings.

Configuration Workflow

Step 2 - Create AWS Cloud Connect in the Wanscale portal

1. Navigate to the Home page of the Wanscale Platform.
2. Click the Add Service button.
3. Select AWS Cloud Connect from the service list.
4. Click Go to service form.
5. Complete the following fields:
   • Label: Enter a descriptive name for the AWS Cloud Connect.
   • Tags (Optional): Add metadata for internal organization.
   • Cloud Type: Choose AWS.
   • Speed: Select the bandwidth for your connection.
   • Cloud connection type: Select Redundant for high availability or Single.
   • Virtual Network: Select the VNET to which this circuit will attach.
   • Primary Subnet: Enter the primary BGP peering subnet in CIDR notation (usually a /30 or /31).
   • Secondary Subnet: Enter the secondary BGP peering subnet in CIDR notation (required for redundant setups).
   • Vlan (C-TAG): Enter your C-Tag.
   • AS Number: Enter your Local AS Number for the BGP connection.
6. Click Save.

Step 3 - Connect to AWS

1. From the AWS Cloud Connect service screen, expand General in the left sidebar and select Basic.
2. On the General Details screen, click Connect to the cloud (bottom-left box).
3. In the right sidebar, enter your AWS Account ID.
4. Click Connect to the cloud

Step 4 - Accept the Connection in AWS

Once the service is created in the portal, Wanscale will provision a Hosted Connection to your AWS account.

1. Log in to the AWS Management Console.
2. Navigate to Direct Connect > Connections.
3. Select the new connection from Wanscale (it will be in a pending state).
4. Click Accept to activate the connection.

Step 5 - Create a Virtual Interface (VIF)

After accepting the connection, you must create a Private or Public Virtual Interface (VIF) in the AWS Console to facilitate traffic.

1. In the AWS Direct Connect console, select your connection.
2. Click Create Virtual Interface.
3. Follow the AWS prompts to associate it with your Direct Connect Gateway or Virtual Private Gateway.
4. Note the Amazon Side ASN and the BGP Auth Key provided by AWS.

Step 6 - Configure BGP sessions

Finally, configure the BGP settings in the Wanscale portal to enable routing.

1. Navigate to the Home page of the Wanscale Platform.
2. Select your AWS Cloud Connect service.
3. In the left sidebar, expand Configuration and select BGP.
4. Click the button Add BGP Configuration.
5. Complete the following fields:
   • Neighbor IP: Select the appropriate Neighbor IP (the AWS side of the peering subnet).
   • BGP Password: Enter the BGP Auth Key provided during the VIF creation in AWS.
   • Enable BFD: Toggle to On for sub-second failure detection. Route Policy Settings:
     • Click Add import settings to define rules for incoming routes from AWS.
       • Set Local Preference and specify Import Prefixes if necessary.
     • Click Add export settings to define rules for outgoing routes to AWS.
       • Select Export VNET Space to advertise your platform routes.
6. Click Create.