As organizations scale, connecting Local data centers to the AWS cloud is crucial to ensuring seamless performance, security, and cost-efficiency. AWS Direct Connect (DX) is a dedicated network service that provides high-speed, low-latency, and secure connectivity between your on-premises infrastructure and AWS resources, bypassing the public internet.
In this step-by-step guide, we will walk through the process of setting up AWS Direct Connect to establish a dedicated, private connection between your on-premises network and AWS.
Table of Contents:
What is AWS Direct Connect?
AWS Direct Connect is a network service that allows you to establish a dedicated, private network connection from your data center or office to AWS. With Direct Connect, data travels directly to AWS, avoiding public internet. This leads to lower latency, higher security, and more consistent performance for hybrid cloud deployments.
When to Use AWS Direct Connect?
AWS Direct Connect is ideal for the following scenarios:
Low-latency workloads: Applications requiring high performance with minimal network jitter and latency.
High data transfer volumes: If your organization needs to transfer large amounts of data between your on-premises environment and AWS.
Secure private connection: For sensitive applications where a secure, private connection is essential.
Hybrid cloud architecture: For organizations that maintain on-premises infrastructure alongside AWS resources.
Prerequisites for Setting Up AWS Direct Connect
Before setting up AWS Direct Connect, ensure you have the following in place:
On-premises infrastructure: Data center or corporate network that will connect to AWS.
AWS Account: Access to the AWS Management Console.
Access to a Direct Connect location: Ensure that you have access to an AWS Direct Connect location near your on-premises infrastructure.
Network equipment: Appropriate routers and networking equipment that support BGP (Border Gateway Protocol).
Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up AWS Direct Connect
Let’s walk through the key steps to set up AWS Direct Connect.
Step 1: Create a Direct Connect Connection
Open the AWS Management Console and go to AWS Direct Connect.
Create a Connection:
In the Direct Connect Dashboard, click on Create a Connection.
Choose Location: Select an AWS Direct Connect location near your on-premises data center. AWS provides a list of available locations.
Select AWS Region: Choose the AWS region where your resources are located (e.g., us-west-2 for Oregon).
Bandwidth: Select your required connection speed (e.g., 10 Gbps, 100 Gbps, etc.).
Connection Name: Give your connection a recognizable name like
MyDXConnection.
Request Connection:
AWS will provision a port for you at the Direct Connect location.
Once the request is processed, you will receive an LOA-CFA (Letter of Authorization and Connecting Facility Assignment), which authorizes you to establish a physical connection between your network and the AWS Direct Connect location.
Step 2: Set Up a Virtual Interface (VIF)
After establishing a physical connection, the next step is to create a Virtual Interface to route traffic to AWS.
Create a Virtual Interface:
- In the AWS Direct Connect Console, navigate to Virtual Interfaces and click Create Virtual Interface.
Select the Virtual Interface Type:
Private Virtual Interface: Connect to your VPC over a private IP connection.
Public Virtual Interface: Access AWS public services like S3, DynamoDB, etc.
Configure the Virtual Interface:
Virtual Interface Name: Name the VIF (e.g.,
PrivateVIFToMyVPC).Connection: Choose the AWS Direct Connect connection created in Step 1.
VLAN: Assign a VLAN ID (e.g., 101).
BGP ASN: Provide your on-premises network’s ASN for Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing.
Peer IP Address: Provide your on-premises IP addresses for BGP routing.
Associate with a VPC:
- For Private Virtual Interface, you need to associate the VIF with a specific VPC in your AWS account.
Save the Configuration.
Step 3: Configure a Direct Connect Gateway Create a Direct Connect Gateway:
In the AWS Direct Connect Console, navigate to Direct Connect Gateway and click Create Direct Connect Gateway.
- Name the gateway (e.g.,
MyDXGateway).
- Name the gateway (e.g.,
Attach Virtual Interface to the Gateway:
- Attach the Virtual Interface (VIF) created in Step 2 to the Direct Connect Gateway.
Associate VPCs:
- Associate one or more VPCs with the Direct Connect Gateway to establish routing between the on-premises network and AWS VPCs.
Step 4: Test and Monitor the Connection
Ping the VPC:
- From your on-premises network, initiate a ping command to the private IP addresses within your VPC to verify the connection.
Monitor Connection Health:
- Use AWS CloudWatch to monitor the health of the Direct Connect connection, checking for any connectivity issues.
Enable BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection):
- To enhance the failover performance, configure BFD on your routers for faster detection of link failures.
Use Cases of AWS Direct Connect
AWS Direct Connect is commonly used for:
Enterprise Applications: Establish a secure, private connection for mission-critical applications hosted on AWS and avoid the unpredictability of the public internet.
Data Migration: Large-scale data transfers to and from AWS, providing cost savings and reducing data transfer times.
Hybrid Cloud Architectures: Integrate on-premises infrastructure with AWS cloud resources for better scalability and flexibility.
Disaster Recovery: Use Direct Connect for low-latency, high-performance connections in a disaster recovery scenario between your data center and AWS.
Conclusion
AWS Direct Connect provides a secure, reliable, and high-performance network connection that enables organizations to build hybrid cloud environments, migrate large amounts of data, and ensure low-latency access to AWS resources. By following this step-by-step guide, you can create and test a Direct Connect connection, giving your enterprise a faster, more secure way to access AWS services.
Key Takeaways
Dedicated Private Connection: AWS Direct Connect bypasses the public internet, providing a secure, high-performance connection between your data center and AWS.
Lower Latency and Predictable Performance: Direct Connect reduces network latency and provides more consistent network performance, which is ideal for high-throughput and latency-sensitive workloads.
Data Transfer Cost Savings: Transferring large amounts of data using Direct Connect can be more cost-effective than using public internet-based solutions.
Seamless Integration with VPCs: AWS Direct Connect integrates seamlessly with VPCs through private virtual interfaces and Direct Connect Gateways, enabling secure access to AWS resources.
High Availability and Resilience: With support for multiple connections, BGP failover, and routing policies, AWS Direct Connect ensures high availability for your hybrid cloud architecture.