Before you create a dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit, you must apply for an Express Connect circuit in the console, contact your connectivity provider to install the Express Connect circuit, and then pay the relevant fees. This topic describes how to create and manage a dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit.

Prerequisites

  • Billing for outbound data transfer is enabled. For more information, see Enable billing for outbound data transfer.
  • An access point is selected. A pre-installation site survey is completed by your connectivity provider. For more information, see Preparations.
  • In the following scenario, you must sign an additional authorization document that grants permissions on the installation and present it to the colocation provider of the Alibaba Cloud data center: The colocation provider is China Telecom, China Unicom, or China Mobile. In addition, the Alibaba Cloud data center 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 document. To apply for a seal from Alibaba Cloud, Submit a ticket or contact customer service.

Step 1: Apply for an Express Connect circuit

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.
  2. In the top navigation bar, select the region and click Exclusive Physical Connection in the left-side navigation pane.
  3. On the Exclusive Physical Connection page, click Apply for New Interface.
  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 select the outbound data transfer billing agreement, and then click Continue.
    2. On the page that appears, read and select Terms of Service, and then click Activate Now.
    3. Go back to the homepage of the Express Connect console, and then open the Express Connect circuit buy page.
  5. Enter the required information, click Buy Now, and then complete the payment.
    Note The Connection Status column displays the actual status of an Express Connect circuit only after the installation of the Express Connect circuit and the payment are completed. Otherwise, the Connection Status column displays Down.
    Parameter Description
    Region and Zone Select the region where you want to create a connection over an Express Connect circuit.

    Select the region where the virtual private cloud (VPC) that you want to connect is deployed. If you want to connect to a VPC in a different region, you must use Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN) and pay for the cross-region connection.

    Carriers Select a connectivity provider. The access points that you can choose vary based on the connectivity provider.
    Note
    • If you choose China Unicom, China Telecom, or China Mobile as the connectivity provider, you can lease lines only from the selected connectivity provider. You cannot lease lines from other connectivity providers.
    • 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.
    Access Point Select an access point that is closest to your data center.

    Access points are Alibaba Cloud data centers located in different regions and support different ports. Each region contains one or more access points. For more information, see Locations of access points.

    Understand Billing Rules Read the billing rules and click Yes. For more information about the billing, see Billing.
    Physical Line Specifications The resource usage fee varies based on the port specification. We recommend that you select a port specification based on your business requirements. To upgrade the maximum bandwidth of an Express Connect circuit from 500 Mbit/s to 2 Gbit/s, contact your connectivity provider. Then, contact customer service of Alibaba Cloud to replace the optical transceiver module.
    • To apply for an Express Connect circuit whose maximum bandwidth is no greater than 1 Gbit/s, select 1G and below.
    • To apply for an Express Connect circuit whose maximum bandwidth is greater than 1 Gbit/s, select 10G.
    Note If you want to purchase 40 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s ports, Submit a ticket.
    Port Type 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. Network carriers use optical cables of the transmission network to connect to Alibaba Cloud. The rate of an optical port depends 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.
    Redundant 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. In this case, the Express Connect circuits are allocated to different access devices.

Step 2: Apply for an LOA

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.
  2. In the top navigation bar, select the region and click Exclusive Physical Connection in the left-side navigation pane.
  3. On the Physical Connections page, find the Express Connect circuit that you want to manage and click Apply for LOA in the Actions column.
  4. In the Apply for LOA panel, enter the information about the Express Connect circuit installation and the engineer in charge of the installation. Then, click OK.
    Note To obtain information about the access point location and ports, Submit a ticket.
    Parameter Description
    Company Name For a business account, enter the company name specified when you create the Alibaba Cloud account.

    For a personal account, enter the name of the account owner.

    Construction Company That Enters Data Centers of Alibaba Cloud Enter the name of the connectivity provider that is in charge of installing the Express Connect circuit. In most cases, the Express Connect circuit provider or colocation provider is responsible for the installation.
    Leased Line Type Specify the type of Express Connect circuit. Valid values:
    • MSTP
    • MPLSVPN
    • Fiber Connection
    • Others
    Construction Schedule Specify the time to install the Express Connect circuit.
    Customer Data Center Location Specify the location of your data center.
    Leased Line Bandwidth Specify the maximum bandwidth of your Express Connect circuit.
    Note The maximum bandwidth that you enter does not affect how your Express Connect circuit is billed. 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 add more than one field engineer.
    Notice The field engineer information is required.

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

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

Step 3: Contact the connectivity provider to install the Express Connect circuit

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.
  2. In the top navigation bar, select the region and click Exclusive Physical Connection in the left-side navigation pane.
  3. On the Physical Connections page, find the Express Connect circuit that you want to manage and click View LOA in the Actions column.
  4. On the View LOA page, click Download to download the LOA file.
  5. The installation company must follow the instructions in the LOA file and connect the Express Connect circuit to the access device in the Alibaba Cloud data center.
    Note
    • The LOA must be presented to an Alibaba Cloud engineer on the installation site.
    • After the connectivity provider completes the installation, you can request a survey report from the connectivity provider to ensure that the Express Connect circuit functions as expected.
    • If the access point is deployed in the Chinese mainland, engineers from Alibaba Cloud will assist the installation company to install the Express Connect circuit. After you click Confirm Delivery in the console, the engineers will complete the installation by installing the fiber pigtail.
    • If the access point is deployed outside the Chinese mainland, the installation company 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, the engineers will complete the installation by installing the fiber pigtail.
    • If you need to enter the Alibaba Cloud data center after the installation is completed, contact customer service to apply for the required permissions.
  6. After the installation is completed, contact your connectivity provider for information about the ID of the connection over the Express Connect circuit, or information about the cable or port on the patch panel.
  7. On the Physical Connections page, click Confirm Delivery. On the Confirm Delivery page, enter the Express Connect circuit information and click OK.
    Then, the Status of the Express Connect circuit changes to Waiting for Pigtail Installation. The engineer from Alibaba Cloud installs the fiber pigtail within two business days. After the fiber pigtail is installed, the Status of the Express Connect circuit changes to Pending for Payment.
    Note If the access point is deployed outside the Chinese mainland, Alibaba Cloud will install the fiber pigtail within three business days.

Step 4: Pay the resource usage fee

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.
  2. In the top navigation bar, select the region and click Exclusive Physical Connection in the left-side navigation pane.
  3. On the Physical Connections page, find the connection over the Express Connect circuit and click Pay Resource Occupation Fees in the Actions column.
  4. 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 Express Connect circuit changes to Enabled.

What to do next

After you create the connection, you must create a virtual border router (VBR), attach the VBR and the VPC to CEN, and then configure routing and health checks. Then, your data center can communicate with the VPC. For more information, see Connect to an ECS instance from a data center by using an Express Connect circuit.

What to do next

Modify a connection over an Express Connect circuit

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.
  2. In the top navigation bar, select the region and click Exclusive Physical Connection in the left-side navigation pane.
  3. On the Exclusive Physical Connection page, click the ID of the Express Connect circuit.
  4. In the Basic Information section of the page that appears, click Edit.
  5. In the Edit Physical Connection Interface panel, you can modify the name, maximum bandwidth, and data center location, and then click OK.

Upgrade an Express Connect circuit

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, back up the data before you upgrade an Express Connect circuit.

  1. To apply for another Express Connect circuit that supports larger bandwidth, perform the operations in Step 1: Apply for an Express Connect circuit.
  2. To migrate the existing configurations and connection to the newly applied Express Connect circuit, Submit a ticket.
  3. Create a VBR for the new Express Connect circuit, attach the VBR and VPC to a CEN instance, and configure routing and health checks.

Delete a dedicated connection over an Express Connect circuit

You can delete a dedicated connection that meets the following conditions:
  • The connection is suspended due to overdue payments.
  • The connection is in the Disabled state.

    If the connection remains active, you can go to the Physical Connections page to find the connection and click Terminate Connection in the Actions column.

  • No VBR is associated with the 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 topics:
  1. Log on to the Express Connect console.
  2. In the top navigation bar, select the region and click Exclusive Physical Connection in the left-side navigation pane.
  3. On the Physical Connections page, find the dedicated connection that you want to delete and click Delete in the Actions column.
  4. In the message that appears, click OK.

References