AWS Direct Connect (DX) Highlights

AWS Direct Connect:

• Private connection to transfer data between AWS Cloud and on-premise data center
• You need a local DX partner to using DX. You connect to the DX partner via fiber optic link. This is a physical link. In the physical link, you can create many virtual interfaces to connect to AWS VPC or AWS Services.
• AWS DX support dedicated connection with 1Gbps and 10 Gbps
  • 1Gbps or higher: Work with AWS Partner Network or network provider to connect DX location.
  • Less than 1Gbps: Work with AWS Partner Network who can create hosted connection for you.
• AWS DX support hosted connection capabilities of 1, 2, 5, 10 Gbps.
• Support AWS Transit Gateway, aside from configuring site-to-site VPN connections.

Common use cases:

• Transfer large datasets
• Hybrid cloud to satisfy regulatory requirements of private connectivity
• Develop and run real-time application data feeds

Tech Specification

• Virtual interfaces is a logical channel that divided from physical dx link. You must create a virtual interface to begin using your DX connection. There are 2 types of virtual interfaces:
  • Virtual Private interface: Connect to AWS VPC. One private virtual interface for each VPC or you can use AWS DX Gateway.
  • Virtual Public interface: Connect to AWS public services such as S3, DynamoDB
• To access public resources on the remote AWS location, you have to setup public virtual interface and enable BGP session.
• Autonomous System Number (ASN) are used to identify networks that present a clearly defined external routing policy to the Internet.
• MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit):
  • Virtual private interface: 1500 or 9001 (jumbo frames)
  • Transit virtual interface for VPC transit gateway: 1500 or 8500 (jumbo frames)
  • Virtual public interface: does not support jumbo frames
• LAG (Link Aggregation Group) group multiple DX connection into a single, managed connection.
  • All connection in a LAG has same connection bandwidth
  • Maximum connections in a LAG: 4
  • All connections in the LAG must terminate at the same DX endpoint
  • All connection is a LAG working in active/active mode
  • Only available for dedicated 1G or 10GB connections
• DX Gateway is to use to connect multiple VPC in same or different AWS Regions via virtual private interface.
  • DX Gateway is global available resource
  • Enable to connect your on-premise data center to any AWS region (except China region).
  • Can associate up to 10 VPC in different accounts with DX Gateway. The accounts must be in same AWS payer account ID.
• Monitoring
  • CloudTrail captures all API calls for DX as events
  • Setup CloudWatch alarms to monitor metrics.
  • You also can use tags for DX.
• Pricing:
  • Network ports you use and data transfer over the connection
  • Pricing is per hour consumed per each port type.
  • Data transfer out will be charged per GB
  • Data transfer in is free in all locations

Limitations

Reference:

• https://docs.aws.amazon.com/directconnect/latest/UserGuide/limits.html