Express Connect: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 chosen, and 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 Letter of Authorization (LOA) that grants permissions for the installation of an Express Connect circuit in an Alibaba Cloud data center and present it to the Alibaba Cloud data center provider. The data center provider is China Telecom, China Unicom, or China Mobile. 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 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 outbound data transfer billing rules, 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 homepage of the Express Connect console, and go to the buy page of the Express Connect circuit.

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 paid. Otherwise, the Connection Status column displays Down.

   Parameter	Description
   Region	Select the region where you want to create a connection over the Express Connect circuit. In most cases, the region is the one where the virtual private cloud (VPC) to which 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.
   Connectivity Provider	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 are not allowed to lease lines from other connectivity providers. If you choose China Unicom, China Telecom, or China Mobile as the connectivity provider, bare optical fibers are not supported. You must lease lines from the selected connectivity provider.
   Access Point	Select an access point that is the nearest to your data center.
   Cloud Box 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. In this case, the 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 over the Express Connect circuit and click Apply for LOA in the Apply for LOA 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.

   Parameter	Description
   Company Name	For a corporate account, enter the company name specified when the Alibaba Cloud account was created. For an individual account, 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 leased line provider or the colocation provider is responsible for the installation.
   Leased Line Type	Select a type of Express Connect circuit. Valid values: MSTP MPLSVPN Fiber Connection Others
   Construction Schedule	Set the time when the Express Connect circuit is installed.
   Customer Data Center Location	Enter the location of your data center.
   Leased Line Bandwidth	Enter the bandwidth of your Express Connect circuit. Note The 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 who need to enter the Alibaba Cloud data center. You can specify one or more field engineers. Important The field engineer information 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 will review 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 Alibaba Cloud approves the application.

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

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

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 a region.

3. On the Physical Connection page, find the dedicated connection you created and click View LOA in the View LOA column.

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

5. Send the LOA to the connectivity provider and ask the connectivity provider to connect the Express Connect circuit to the access device outside the Alibaba Cloud data center. The connectivity provider must follow the instructions in the LOA during the installation.

   Note

   • You must submit the LOA issued by Alibaba Cloud and send an on-site installation form to the field engineers of Alibaba Cloud one day before the connectivity provider 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 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, 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 connectivity provider 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 complete the installation by installing the fiber pigtail.

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

6. After the connectivity provider completes the installation, contact the connectivity provider to obtain the leased line ID, or the information about the cable or the port on the patch panel.

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 will install the fiber pigtail within two business days. After the fiber pigtail is installed, the Status of the dedicated connection changes to Pending for Payment.

   Note

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

Step 4: Pay the resource occupation fee

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 dedicated connection you created 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 CEN transit router, add a route to the VBR, and then configure health checks. Then, your on-premises data center can communicate with the VPC. For more information, see Connect a data center to ECS by using an Express Connect circuit.

Related operations

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 dedicated 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, change the name and bandwidth of the dedicated connection, and the location of your on-premises data center. Then, click OK.

Upgrade an Express Connect circuit

1. To apply for an Express Connect circuit that supports larger bandwidth, perform the operations in Step 1: Apply for an Express Connect circuit.

2. Migrate the existing configurations and the existing connection to the newly applied 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

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 dedicated connection that you want to delete and click Delete in the Actions column.

4. In the message that appears, click OK.

References

• OpenPhysicalConnectionService: enables billing for outbound data transfer.

• CreatePhysicalConnection: creates a connection over an Express Connect circuit.

• ApplyPhysicalConnectionLOA: applies for an LOA.

• DescribePhysicalConnectionLOA: queries information about the LOA of an Express Connect circuit.

• CompletePhysicalConnectionLOA: verifies that an Express Connect circuit is installed.

• CreatePhysicalConnectionOccupancyOrder: creates a resource occupation order.

• ConfirmPhysicalConnection: confirms a connection over an Express Connect circuit. After confirmation, the status of the connection changes to Confirmed.

• EnablePhysicalConnection: enables a connection over an Express Connect circuit that is in the Confirmed state. After the connection is enabled, the status of the connection changes to Enabled.

• DescribePhysicalConnections: queries the connections over Express Connect circuits in a specified region.

• ModifyPhysicalConnectionAttribute: modifies the configurations of a connection over an Express Connect circuit.

• CancelPhysicalConnection: cancels the application for an Express Connect circuit before the Express Connect circuit is enabled.

• TerminatePhysicalConnection: disables a connection over an Express Connect circuit.

• DeletePhysicalConnection: deletes a connection over an Express Connect circuit.