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    Express Connect:ECR supports fast failover among multiple VBRs

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    Express Connect:ECR supports fast failover among multiple VBRs

    Last Updated:Nov 17, 2025

    If an Express Connect circuit fails, the system takes 10 seconds or more to detect the failure and complete the route switch. The exact time depends on the number of routes. Alibaba Cloud Express Connect optimizes this failover time. If you attach multiple virtual border routers (VBRs) to an Express Connect Router (ECR), you can enable fast failover for two or more VBRs. When Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) detects a fault, traffic is automatically switched from the faulty VBR to a backup VBR. This process completes in seconds and ensures a smooth transition for your services.

    Notes

    • Each VBR can join only one failover group. A failover group can contain up to 8 VBRs. You can create a maximum of 64 failover groups.

    • VBRs in the same failover group must connect to different physical devices and be in the same region.

    • If a VBR is already in a failover group, you must delete that failover group before you can add the VBR to a new one on the ECR. For more information, see Configure a failover group.

    • Only VBRs for which BFD is enabled can join a failover group.

    • You can enable a failover group only when all VBRs in the group have a Status of Normal.

    Prerequisites

    • You have created multiple VBRs at different access points in the same region. The VBRs are connected to your on-premises data center through their respective Express Connect circuits. For more information about how to connect VBRs to an on-premises data center, see Add and manage route entries.

    • The VBRs that you want to add to the same failover group must meet the following requirements:

      • The attached dedicated connection ports support the multiple failover groups advanced feature.

      • BFD is enabled for the VBRs, and the VBRs are attached to the same ECR. For more information, see Enable BFD.

    Procedure

    1. Log on to the Express Connect console.

    2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Express Connect Router (ECR). Then, click the ID of the target ECR instance.

    3. In the Failover Group ID column of the VBR instance, click the edit icon, select a failover group ID, and then click OK.

      Failover Group ID

      Status

      Configuration

      Enabled

      VBRs that have the same failover group ID belong to the same failover group.

      Not supported

      If the dedicated connection port attached to a VBR does not support the multiple failover groups feature, you cannot configure a failover group for the VBR after it is attached to the ECR. The Failover Group ID column displays Not Supported.

      Disabled

      To disable the failover group, click the edit icon in the Failover Group ID column, select Disabled, and then click OK.

      Note

      You can select the target VBRs, and then click Batch Modify at the bottom of the VBR tab to configure failover group IDs in batches.