© 2015 IBM Corporation

IBM SoftLayerDirect Link Guide

2016/11/11

Cloud Computing

IBM Japan

Tomoyuki Niijima

© 2015 IBM Corporation

Direct Link Overview

SoftLayer offers Direct Link services to allow customers to establish private connectivity to

SoftLayer from their premise.

There are the following three types.

– Direct Link CSP

• Redundant, law latency, in-house connectivity provided in the same data center

building where a SoftLayer DC is located.

• This type can be provided with co-location rack but this document only covers cross

connects part.

– Direct Link Could

• Single connection over Exchange service provided at PoP by 3rd party service

providers such as ECX (Equinix Cloud Exchange). Cost effective solution especially

for those who will connect multiple clouds.

– Direct Link NSP

• Traditional version of the sevice. Single connection at PoP.

CAUTION: Now BGP is mandatory to manage routing via Direct Link. An account that orders

Direct Link will be migrated to VRF environment. (See P.13 - 15 for details) Inter-account

VLAN spanning will not be allowed in VRF environment. VPN service will be limited.

2

© 2015 IBM Corporation3

Direct Link CSP overview

Customers needs to cover process and cost to establish connect from their premise to the

data center where a target SoftLayer DC is located, including that of cross connect.

Typically requires 30 to 60 days to complete the link.

1Gbps and 10Gbps speeds are available.

Subnets required in between routers will be provided by SoftLayer.

1000BASE-LX or10GBASE-LR, both with single mode fibre will be used for the link.

Double circuit will be provided for redundancy. BGP will be supported.

Customer

Data CenterSoftLayer

Data Center

VM

Private VLAN

Public VLANInternet

Customer’s responsibility SoftLayer’s responsibility

Co-Location

Space

NAT

CER XCR BCR

© 2015 IBM Corporation4

Direct Link CSP ordering process

1. Sign up for SoftLayer.

2. Order a server on SoftLayer to find a subnet on a Private VLAN.

3. Install customer’s routers (CERs) at Co-Location space at the target data center.

4. Order a Direct Link CSP to get LOA (Letter of Agreement) and other information.

5. Order connections from customer’s premise to the data center.

6. Order cross connects to the data center provider.

7. Configure the customer’s routers (CERs).

8. Send SoftLayer a completion notice for the cross connects issued by the data center

provider via a ticket of the Direct Link order.

9. Verify connectivity in between CERs and XCRs.

10.Configure NAT gateway or GRE tunnels based on a design.

11.Verify end to end testing.

12.Notify completion of the connection via ticket.

13.Charge for the link will be started.

© 2015 IBM Corporation5

Direct Link CSP physical wiring

From customer’s premise to the target DC

– Remote network from the customer’s premise to the target data center will be provided by a career, and co-location space at the data center will be provided by a data center provider, based on the customer’s order.

In house connection at the target DC

– 1000BASE-LX or 10GBASE-LR with single mode fibre

– Two circuits will be provided using redundant routers.

– The customer is responsible to the customer’s side connection.

– From the customer’s rack to SoftLayer’s patch panel will be connected by a data center provider based on the customer’s order.

– SoftLayer is responsible to connect from SoftLayer’s side patch panels to SoftLayer’srouters.

CER1

Patch panel

XCR1

Patch panel

Remote lines

To customer’s place

Customer’s

responsibility SoftLayer’s

responsibility

DC provider’s responsibility

@Tokyo SoftLayer DC

XCR2CER2

© 2015 IBM Corporation6

Direct Link Cloud overview

Single connection over Exchange service provided at PoP by 3rd party service providers

such as ECX (Equinix Cloud Exchange).

Customers needs to cover process and cost to establish connect from their premise to the

data center where a target PoP is located, including that of exchange service.

Typically requires 30 to 60 days to complete the link.

1Gbps and 10Gbps speeds are available.

Subnets required in between routers will be provided by SoftLayer.

1000BASE-LX or10GBASE-LR, both with single mode fibre will be used for the link.

VLAN trunking of 802.1Q or 802.1ad will be used.

Customer

PoP

Equinix TY2 SoftLayer

DC

BCR

VM

Private VLAN

Public VLAN

Internet

ECX802.1Q

Or

802.1ad

802.1Q

Customer’s responsibility SoftLayer’s responsibility

CER XCR

BGP

VC

© 2015 IBM Corporation7

Direct Link Cloud ordering process

1. Sign up for SoftLayer.

2. Order a server on SoftLayer to find a subnet on a Private VLAN.

3. Order the following to the exchange service provider such as Equinix.

– Co-location space to install the customer’s router at PoP location

– Exchange service such as ECX

– Cross connect to the exchange service

4. Order a Direct Link for Cloud to confirm connection parameters.

5. Order a VC to the exchange providre.

1. Specify VLAN type

2. Specify VLAN ID for the customer’ s side

3. Specify the ticket number of the Direct Link order as a Service Key.

4. Notify SoftLayer of the VC order completion.

6. Configure the customer’s side router.

7. Verify connectivity in between CERs and XCRs.

8. Configure NAT gateway or GRE tunnels based on a design.

9. Verify end to end testing.

10.Notify completion of the connection via ticket.

11.Charge for the link will be started.

© 2015 IBM Corporation8

Direct Link Cloud physical wiring

From customer’s premise to the target PoP

– Remote network from the customer’s premise to the target PoP location will be provided by a career, and co-location space at the data center will be provided by a data center provider, based on the customer’s order.

In house connection at the target DC

– 1000BASE-LX or 10GBASE-LR with single mode fibre

– The customer is responsible to the customer’s side connection.

– From the customer’s rack to the exchange service will be connected by a data center provider based on the customer’s order.

– Connection in between the exchange service and SoftLayer is done by SoftLayer.

CER

Patch panel

XCR

Patch panel

SoftLayer DC

A Data center of a PoP location

ECX

Remote lines

To customer’s place

Customer’s

responsibility SoftLayer’s

responsibility

SoftLayer PoP

© 2015 IBM Corporation9

Direct Link NSP overview

Customers needs to cover process and cost to establish connect from their premise to the

data center where a target PoP is located, including that of cross connect.

Typically requires 30 to 60 days to complete the link.

1Gbps and 10Gbps speeds are available.

Subnets required in between routers will be provided by SoftLayer.

1000BASE-LX or10GBASE-LR, both with single mode fibre will be used for the link.

Customer

NATPoP

Data Center

SoftLayer

Data center

BCR

VM

Private VLAN

Public VLANInternet

Customer’s responsibility SoftLayer’s responsibility

CER XCRBGP

© 2015 IBM Corporation10

Direct Link NSP ordering process

1. Sign up for SoftLayer.

2. Order a server on SoftLayer to find a subnet on a Private VLAN.

3. Order a co-location space to install the customer’s router at PoP location

4. Order a Direct Link NSP to get LOA (Letter of Agreement) and other information.

5. Order connections from customer’s premise to the data center.

6. Order cross connects to the data center provider.

7. Configure the customer’s router (CER).

8. Send SoftLayer a completion notice for the cross connects issued by the data center

provider via a ticket of the Direct Link order.

9. Verify connectivity in between CER and XCR.

10.Configure NAT gateway or GRE tunnels based on a design.

11.Verify end to end testing.

12.Notify completion of the connection via ticket.

13.Charge for the link will be started.

© 2015 IBM Corporation11

Direct Link NSP physical wiring

From customer’s premise to the target PoP location

– Remote network from the customer’s premise to the target PoP location will be provided by a career, and co-location space at the data center will be provided by a data center provider, based on the customer’s order.

In house connection at the target PoP location

– 1000BASE-LX or 10GBASE-LR with single mode fibre

– The customer is responsible to the customer’s side connection.

– From the customer’s rack to SoftLayer’s patch panel will be connected by a data center provider based on the customer’s order.

– SoftLayer is responsible to connect from SoftLayer’s side patch panels to SoftLayer’srouters.

CER

Patch panel

XCR

Patch panel

A Data center of a

PoP locationCustomer’s

responsibilitySoftLayer’s

responsibility

SoftLayer PoP

SoftLayer DC

Remote lines

To customer’s place

© 2015 IBM Corporation12

Contracts and payments around PoP/DC

Remote connection

– Career will provide a quote

– Data center provider will provide a quote for a co-location space to install customer’s

routers.

Cross connect at PoP/DC

– Data center provider will provide a quote for cross connects

Direct Link

– Direct Link should be ordered on the SoftLayer portal

Customer

NAT

SoftLayer’s scope

VM

Private VLAN

Public VLANInternet

Customer’s responsibility SoftLayer’s responsibility

CER XCR

© 2015 IBM Corporation13

Direct Link routing

A customer’s router at PoP/DC is called as CER (Customer’s Endpoint Router). A

SoftLayer’s side router is called as XCR (Cross Connect Router).

SoftLayer provides subnet (10.254.x.x/31*) in between CER and XCR.

VRF environment will be configured around XCR and BCR which enables routing from the

private VLAN to the customer’s network.

BGP need to be configured in between CER and XCR.

CER advertise routes to customer’s network to XCR, XCR advertise SoftLayer’s network to CER.

CER is inhibited to advertise the following subnets which is reserved by SoftLayer.

10.0.0.0/14, 10.200.0.0/14, 10.198.0.0/15, 169.254.0.0/16, 224.0.0.0/4

Subnet for Direct Link (/31 or /30 size subnet from 10.254.0.0/16 range)

Subnets on Private VLANs

CER BCR

Private VLAN

Public VLAN

VM

XCR

10.254.x.x/31*

VRF

Customer

SoftLayer scope

Customer’s address SoftLayer’s address

*Request /30 subnet if CER will not support /30.

© 2015 IBM Corporation14

Direct Link: some more details about BGP use

1. What AS number can be used?

SoftLayer’s ASN is 13884, for both public and private. SoftLayer will specify private ASNs

as AS PATH attribute for each route advertisements from the range of 65200-65235 and

65400-65435.

Customer can use public ASN (1 - 64495) or private ASN. Private ASN must be defined

based on discussion with SoftLayer.

2. How SoftLayer advertises routes through BGP from XCR to CER?

For each private subnets on Private VLANs that are assigned to the account and should

be reachable through the Direct Link will be advertised.

3. Which attributes are supported?

Well-kwon mandatory and Well-known discretionary are supported.

4. Supported capabilities?

The following capabilities are confirmed to be supported. XCR will just ignore non-

supported capabilities sent through a BGP session and will keep the session.

Multi protocol Extensions Capability (address family IPv4 unicast only)

Route-Refresh Capability

4 Octets-AS Capability

5. keepalive/hold timer setting?

keepalive 30sec / hold time 90sec

© 2015 IBM Corporation15

Direct Link routing (optional)

Address conflict in between customer’s network and SoftLayer network may be avoided by the following method.

Configure GW using Vyatta or Linux server on SoftLayer.

Establish GRE or IPsec tunnel in between GW and CER, or a router that can be reachable by using a route which is advertised in BGP.

Use customer’s address from customer’s side up to GW through the tunnel, use SoftLayer’saddress from CER to SoftLayer side out side of the tunnel.

NAT still may be required at GW depending on IP addresses involved on both end.

CER

Private VLAN

Public VLAN

VMGWNAT

XCR

10.254.x.x/31Customer

SoftLayer scope

Customer’s addressSoftLayer’s address

BGP

GRE tunnel