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Express Connect:Apply for high-reliability mode

Last Updated:Mar 25, 2025

High-reliability mode supports the following combination types: optimal disaster recovery (apply for two access points and establish four independent dedicated connections), powerful disaster recovery (apply for two access points and establish two independent dedicated connections), development and testing (apply for one access point and establish two independent dedicated connections), and load balancing for large bandwidth (apply for multiple physical ports on the same access device). This topic describes how to apply for physical ports using different combination types of high-reliability mode.

Prerequisites

You have enabled outbound traffic billing.

Notes

  • Your port configuration must support the creation of multiple ports. If the port quota is exceeded, log on to the Quota Center to increase the quota.

  • When you purchase multiple ports, if the creation of any port fails, the entire purchase process fails. In this case, delete all the physical connection ports created in this purchase and reapply for physical ports in the corresponding mode.

Procedure

Step 1: Apply for physical ports in high-reliability mode

High-reliability mode allows you to apply for physical ports by selecting the following combination types:

Optimal disaster recovery

image.png

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console, click Create Physical Connection Port, and select High Reliability Mode to apply for ports.

  2. Select Optimal Disaster Recovery, click Next, configure the following parameters, and then click Next.

    Parameter

    Description

    Port Type

    You can select 1 GE Single-Mode Optical Port or 10 GE Single-Mode Optical Port.

    Port connection requirements

    • Requirements for ports on the Alibaba Cloud side:

      • By default, Alibaba Cloud provides single-mode optical transceivers that support data transmission over a distance of 10 kilometers or less (compatible with GE single-mode optical ports and 10GE single-mode optical ports of Alibaba Cloud).

      • Only dual-fiber Express Connect circuits are supported.

    • Requirements for ports on the client side: You must purchase optical transceivers for the client side. Make sure that the specifications of the optical transceivers on the client side are the same as those on the Alibaba Cloud side.

    Advanced Configuration

    Click Advanced Configuration. You can select VBR Bandwidth Limits, IPv6, BFD, MPBGP, MPBGP-v6, QOS, and VBR-HA.

    If the backend resources do not have ports with the advanced capabilities that you select, the creation fails.

    Advanced capabilities

    • VBR Throttling: This feature supports bandwidth throttling at the VBR level to prevent a single VBR from consuming excessive traffic and causing abnormal port utilization.

    • IPv6: Physical ports support IPv6 traffic transmission, which allows IPv6 dedicated connection communication between on-premises data centers and VPCs in the cloud.

    • BFD: This feature supports the detection of direct link connectivity between physical ports and peer devices (such as optical fiber breaks and optical module failures).

    • MPBGP: This is an extension of the BGP protocol that supports the transmission of multi-protocol routing information in BGP sessions.

    • MPBGP-v6: This is an extension of the MPBGP protocol that supports the transmission of IPv6 routing information in BGP sessions.

    • QoS: QoS policies define different priorities for different services to ensure that high-priority services can obtain the required bandwidth first.

      Important

      The QoS policy feature is in invitational preview. To use this feature, contact your account manager to apply for it.

    • VBR-HA: This feature allows you to configure two VBRs as a failover group. When BFD detects a link failure, traffic is automatically switched to the backup VBR, achieving sub-second switching and smooth service transition.

    Resource Group

    Select an existing resource group to manage physical ports by group.

    Tag Key

    Select existing tag keys and tag values, or enter new tag keys and tag values. You can bind specific tags to physical port instances for categorized management.

    Tag Value

    Region

    Select Express Connect circuit regions for access points 1 and 2. You can select two different regions.

    Connectivity Provider

    Select connectivity providers for access points 1 and 2. Different connectivity providers support different access points.

    Note

    China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile can use only their own dedicated connections and do not allow the use of dedicated connections provided by other carriers. Bare optical fiber access is not supported.

    Access Point

    Select appropriate access points for access points 1 and 2.

  3. Confirm the connection information, select the billing rules, and click Submit.

  4. After you select optimal disaster recovery to apply for ports, the system creates four physical port instances. Configure these four physical port instances according to Step 2 and Step 3.

    Note
    • After the purchase is successful, each line has no direct resource association and is identified only by the numbering in the name. For example, if you purchase two ports in Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A and two ports in Shanghai-Baoshan-C, the four ports created are named: Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A-PConn1, Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A-PConn2, Shanghai-Baoshan-C-PConn1, and Shanghai-Baoshan-C-PConn2.

    • If you receive an error message indicating that resources are insufficient at an access point, the port configuration exceeds the limit, or the resource port cannot meet your requirements, follow the instructions to resolve the issue.

Powerful disaster recovery

image.png

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console, click Apply For Physical Port, and select High-reliability Mode to apply for ports.

  2. Select Powerful Disaster Recovery, click Next, configure the following parameters, and then click Next.

    Parameter

    Description

    Port Type

    You can select 1 GE Single-Mode Optical Port or 10 GE Single-Mode Optical Port.

    Port connection requirements

    • Requirements for ports on the Alibaba Cloud side:

      • By default, Alibaba Cloud provides single-mode optical transceivers that support data transmission over a distance of 10 kilometers or less (compatible with GE single-mode optical ports and 10GE single-mode optical ports of Alibaba Cloud).

      • Only dual-fiber Express Connect circuits are supported.

    • Requirements for ports on the client side: You must purchase optical transceivers for the client side. Make sure that the specifications of the optical transceivers on the client side are the same as those on the Alibaba Cloud side.

    Advanced Configuration

    Click Advanced Configuration. You can select VBR Bandwidth Limits, IPv6, BFD, MPBGP, MPBGP-v6, QOS, and VBR-HA.

    If the backend resources do not have ports with the advanced capabilities that you select, the creation fails.

    Advanced capabilities

    • VBR Throttling: This feature supports bandwidth throttling at the VBR level to prevent a single VBR from consuming excessive traffic and causing abnormal port utilization.

    • IPv6: Physical ports support IPv6 traffic transmission, which allows IPv6 dedicated connection communication between on-premises data centers and VPCs in the cloud.

    • BFD: This feature supports the detection of direct link connectivity between physical ports and peer devices (such as optical fiber breaks and optical module failures).

    • MPBGP: This is an extension of the BGP protocol that supports the transmission of multi-protocol routing information in BGP sessions.

    • MPBGP-v6: This is an extension of the MPBGP protocol that supports the transmission of IPv6 routing information in BGP sessions.

    • QoS: QoS policies define different priorities for different services to ensure that high-priority services can obtain the required bandwidth first.

      Important

      The QoS policy feature is in invitational preview. To use this feature, contact your account manager to apply for it.

    • VBR-HA: This feature allows you to configure two VBRs as a failover group. When BFD detects a link failure, traffic is automatically switched to the backup VBR, achieving sub-second switching and smooth service transition.

    Resource Group

    Select an existing resource group to manage physical ports by group.

    Tag Key

    Select existing tag keys and tag values, or enter new tag keys and tag values. You can bind specific tags to physical port instances for categorized management.

    Tag Value

    Region

    Select Express Connect circuit regions for access points 1 and 2. You can select two different regions.

    Connectivity Provider

    Select connectivity providers for access points 1 and 2. Different connectivity providers support different access points.

    Note

    China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile can use only their own dedicated connections and do not allow the use of dedicated connections provided by other carriers. Bare optical fiber access is not supported.

    Access Point

    Select appropriate access points for access points 1 and 2.

  3. Confirm the connection information, select the billing rules, and click Submit.

  4. After you select powerful disaster recovery to apply for ports, the system creates two physical port instances. Configure these two physical port instances according to Step 2 and Step 3.

    Note
    • After the purchase is successful, each line has no direct resource association and is identified only by the numbering in the name. For example, if you purchase one port in Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A and one port in Shanghai-Baoshan-C, the two ports created are named: Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A-PConn1 and Shanghai-Baoshan-C-PConn1.

    • If you receive an error message indicating that resources are insufficient at an access point, the port configuration exceeds the limit, or the resource port cannot meet your requirements, follow the instructions to resolve the issue.

Development and testing

image.png

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console, click Apply For Physical Port, and select High-reliability Mode to apply for ports.

  2. Select Development And Testing, click Next, configure the following parameters, and then click Next.

    Configuration

    Description

    Port Type

    You can select 1 GE Single-Mode Optical Port or 10 GE Single-Mode Optical Port.

    Port connection requirements

    • Requirements for ports on the Alibaba Cloud side:

      • By default, Alibaba Cloud provides single-mode optical transceivers that support data transmission over a distance of 10 kilometers or less (compatible with GE single-mode optical ports and 10GE single-mode optical ports of Alibaba Cloud).

      • Only dual-fiber Express Connect circuits are supported.

    • Requirements for ports on the client side: You must purchase optical transceivers for the client side. Make sure that the specifications of the optical transceivers on the client side are the same as those on the Alibaba Cloud side.

    Advanced Configuration

    Click Advanced Configuration. You can select VBR Bandwidth Limits, IPv6, BFD, MPBGP, MPBGP-v6, QOS, and VBR-HA.

    If the backend resources do not have ports with the advanced capabilities that you select, the creation fails.

    Advanced capabilities

    • VBR Throttling: This feature supports bandwidth throttling at the VBR level to prevent a single VBR from consuming excessive traffic and causing abnormal port utilization.

    • IPv6: Physical ports support IPv6 traffic transmission, which allows IPv6 dedicated connection communication between on-premises data centers and VPCs in the cloud.

    • BFD: This feature supports the detection of direct link connectivity between physical ports and peer devices (such as optical fiber breaks and optical module failures).

    • MPBGP: This is an extension of the BGP protocol that supports the transmission of multi-protocol routing information in BGP sessions.

    • MPBGP-v6: This is an extension of the MPBGP protocol that supports the transmission of IPv6 routing information in BGP sessions.

    • QoS: QoS policies define different priorities for different services to ensure that high-priority services can obtain the required bandwidth first.

      Important

      The QoS policy feature is in invitational preview. To use this feature, contact your account manager to apply for it.

    • VBR-HA: This feature allows you to configure two VBRs as a failover group. When BFD detects a link failure, traffic is automatically switched to the backup VBR, achieving sub-second switching and smooth service transition.

    Resource Group

    Select an existing resource group to manage physical ports by group.

    Tag Key

    Select existing tag keys and tag values, or enter new tag keys and tag values. You can bind specific tags to physical port instances for categorized management.

    Tag Value

    Region

    Select an Express Connect circuit region for access point 1.

    Connectivity Provider

    Select a connectivity provider for access point 1. Different connectivity providers support different access points.

    Note

    China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile can use only their own dedicated connections and do not allow the use of dedicated connections provided by other carriers. Bare optical fiber access is not supported.

    Access Point

    Select an appropriate access point for access point 1.

  3. Confirm the connection information, select the billing rules, and click Submit.

  4. After you select development and testing to apply for ports, the system creates two physical port instances. Configure these two physical port instances according to Step 2 and Step 3.

    Note
    • After the purchase is successful, each line has no direct resource association and is identified only by the numbering in the name. For example, if you purchase two ports in Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A, the two ports created are named: Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A-PConn1 and Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A-PConn2.

    • If you receive an error message indicating that resources are insufficient at an access point, the port configuration exceeds the limit, or the resource port cannot meet your requirements, follow the instructions to resolve the issue.

Load balancing for large bandwidth

image.png

  1. Log on to the Express Connect console, click Apply For Physical Port, and select High-reliability Mode to apply for ports.

  2. Select Load Balancing For Large Bandwidth, click Next, configure the following parameters, and then click Next.

    Configuration

    Description

    Port Type

    You can select 1 GE Single-Mode Optical Port or 10 GE Single-Mode Optical Port.

    Port connection requirements

    • Requirements for ports on the Alibaba Cloud side:

      • By default, Alibaba Cloud provides single-mode optical transceivers that support data transmission over a distance of 10 kilometers or less (compatible with GE single-mode optical ports and 10GE single-mode optical ports of Alibaba Cloud).

      • Only dual-fiber Express Connect circuits are supported.

    • Requirements for ports on the client side: You must purchase optical transceivers for the client side. Make sure that the specifications of the optical transceivers on the client side are the same as those on the Alibaba Cloud side.

    Number Of Ports

    The number of physical ports to purchase. Valid values: 2 to 16.

    Advanced Configuration

    Click Advanced Configuration. You can select VBR Bandwidth Limits, IPv6, BFD, MPBGP, MPBGP-v6, QOS, and VBR-HA.

    If the backend resources do not have ports with the advanced capabilities that you select, the creation fails.

    Advanced capabilities

    • VBR Throttling: This feature supports bandwidth throttling at the VBR level to prevent a single VBR from consuming excessive traffic and causing abnormal port utilization.

    • IPv6: Physical ports support IPv6 traffic transmission, which allows IPv6 dedicated connection communication between on-premises data centers and VPCs in the cloud.

    • BFD: This feature supports the detection of direct link connectivity between physical ports and peer devices (such as optical fiber breaks and optical module failures).

    • MPBGP: This is an extension of the BGP protocol that supports the transmission of multi-protocol routing information in BGP sessions.

    • MPBGP-v6: This is an extension of the MPBGP protocol that supports the transmission of IPv6 routing information in BGP sessions.

    • QoS: QoS policies define different priorities for different services to ensure that high-priority services can obtain the required bandwidth first.

      Important

      The QoS policy feature is in invitational preview. To use this feature, contact your account manager to apply for it.

    • VBR-HA: This feature allows you to configure two VBRs as a failover group. When BFD detects a link failure, traffic is automatically switched to the backup VBR, achieving sub-second switching and smooth service transition.

    Resource Group

    Select an existing resource group to manage physical ports by group.

    Tag Key

    Select existing tag keys and tag values, or enter new tag keys and tag values. You can bind specific tags to physical port instances for categorized management.

    Tag Value

    Region

    Select an Express Connect circuit region for access point 1.

    Connectivity Provider

    Select a connectivity provider for access point 1. Different connectivity providers support different access points.

    Note

    China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile can use only their own dedicated connections and do not allow the use of dedicated connections provided by other carriers. Bare optical fiber access is not supported.

    Access Point

    Select an appropriate access point for access point 1.

  3. Confirm the connection information, select the billing rules, and click Submit.

  4. After you select load balancing for large bandwidth to apply for ports, the system creates multiple physical port instances. Configure these physical port instances according to Step 2 and Step 3.

    Note
    • After the purchase is successful, each line has no direct resource association and is identified only by the numbering in the name. For example, if you purchase two ports in Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A, the two ports created are named: Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A-PConn1 and Hangzhou-Xiaoshan-A-PConn2.

    • If you receive an error message indicating that resources are insufficient at an access point, the port configuration exceeds the limit, or the resource port cannot meet your requirements, follow the instructions to resolve the issue.

Step 2: Apply for Express Connect circuit construction

Note

Alibaba Cloud supports secondary LOA applications. To apply, repeat the operations in Step 2: Apply for Express Connect circuit construction.

  1. On the Physical Port page, find the port and click Apply for LOA.

  2. In the Apply For LOA (letter Of Authorization For Express Connect Circuit Construction) panel, enter the following information and 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

    The name of the construction company, typically the connectivity provider or IDC operator.

    Leased Line Type

    You can select MSTP, MPLSVPN, Fiber Connection, or Others.

    Construction Schedule

    The time when the construction company will enter the data center.

    Customer Data Center Location

    The location of the data center.

    Leased Line Bandwidth

    Enter the bandwidth value specified in your Express Connect circuit contract.

    Note

    The bandwidth value here is only used as a reference for Alibaba Cloud service configuration. Your actual fees and bandwidth limit are based on the contract you signed with the carrier. Please fill in the actual contract bandwidth.

    Add Field Engineer

    Click Add Field Engineer to add information about the personnel who need to enter the Alibaba Cloud data center for construction. You can specify one or more field engineers.

    Important

    The field engineer information is required.

    After you apply for an LOA, the LOA Status of the instance becomes LOA Being Applied. After the Alibaba Cloud reviewer approves the application, the LOA Status changes to LOA Approved.

    Note

    The review is completed within two business days for access points in mainland China and within three business days for access points outside mainland China.

  3. Receive a text message notification and perform the following steps:

    Note

    You can skip this step if your access point is a third-party data center access point, or an access point in Hong Kong (China) or an international data center.

    1. Obtain an entry credential: Click the entry credential link in the text message and log on to the entry application platform. Select the data center information and Confirm Visit, then click Entry Credential to obtain the entry QR code.

    2. Complete your personal information:

      1. Copy the text message link to a computer browser and access the link. Read and agree to the privacy protection statement and the Alibaba Cloud data center entry agreement.

      2. Fill in your personal information and click Submit Information. When the page displays Submitted Successfully, you can close the browser window.

Step 3: Implement Express Connect circuit construction and pay the resource occupation fee

  1. Implement Express Connect circuit construction

    1. On the Physical Port page, find the instance, view, and download the LOA file.查看LOA

    2. Based on the LOA information, contact the Express Connect circuit construction company to connect the Express Connect circuit to the equipment outside the Alibaba Cloud data center room according to the survey plan.

      Note
      • Data centers in mainland China: Alibaba Cloud engineers assist the Express Connect circuit construction company in connecting the Express Connect circuit to the Alibaba Cloud data center room.

      • Data centers outside mainland China: The Express Connect circuit construction company connects the Express Connect circuit to the access equipment (ODF or Patch Panel, etc.) outside the Alibaba Cloud data center room.

      The process for entering the data center room is as follows:

      • Third-party data center access points: Submit the LOA file to the on-site engineer at least one day in advance.

        Third-party data center access points

        Xi'an-Xixian-A, Beijing-Fengtai-A, Dalian-Pulandian-A, Changsha-Yuelu-A, Shanghai-Minhang-A, Tianjin-Jinnan-A, Shanghai-Baoshan-E, Hangzhou-Jianggan-B, Shanghai-Pudong-E-Neutral, Shanghai-Baoshan-C, Shenzhen-Nanshan-A, Beijing-Yizhuang-A, Guangzhou-Huangpu District-C, Beijing-Chaoyang-C, Qingdao-Licang-A, Shanghai-Pudong-C, Jinan-Gaoxin-A, Beijing-Haidian-A-Ali, Shenzhen-Bao'an-B, Guangzhou-Huangpu District-B, and Zhengzhou-Gaoxin-A

      • China (Hong Kong) and international region data center access points: Contact the on-site engineer.

      • Other data center access points: Show the entry QR code obtained in Step 2 and enter the data center by scanning the QR code.

    3. After construction is completed, obtain the Express Connect circuit test report from the construction company and contact the carrier personnel to obtain the carrier's Express Connect circuit ID, in-building cable label, or patch panel port information.

  2. Alibaba Cloud fiber pigtail construction

    1. On the Physical Connection page, find the target instance, click Confirm Dlivery, enter the line information you obtained, and click OK. The instance status changes to Alibaba Cloud Pigtails Connection.

    2. The Alibaba Cloud on-site engineer inserts the Express Connect circuit into the specified Express Connect circuit port in the Alibaba Cloud data center. After the connection is successful, the instance status changes to Pay Resource Occupation Fees.

      Note

      Fiber pigtail laying and Express Connect circuit port connection are completed within two business days for access points in mainland China and within three business days for access points outside mainland China.

  3. Pay the resource occupation fee

    1. On the Physical Connection page, find the instance and click Pay Resource Occupation Fees.

    2. Select the subscription duration and renewal method, and click Buy Now to complete the payment. When the instance status becomes Active, the Express Connect circuit is successfully activated.

What to do next

After the Express Connect circuit port is activated, follow the steps in Connect an on-premises data center to a VPC through an Express Connect circuit for subsequent operations.

References

For information about applying for physical ports in other modes, see:

For related API operations, see: