AWS Direct Connect FAQs

General Questions

Q. What is AWS Direct Connect?

AWS Direct Connect is a network service that provides an alternative to using the Internet to utilize AWS cloud services.

Q. What can I do with AWS Direct Connect?

Using AWS Direct Connect, data that would have previously been transported over the Internet can now be delivered through a private network connection between AWS and your datacenter or corporate network.

Q. What are the benefits of using AWS Direct Connect and private network connections?

In many circumstances, private network connections can reduce costs, increase bandwidth, and provide a more consistent network experience than Internet-based connections.

Q. Which AWS services can be used with AWS Direct Connect?

All AWS services, including Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), and Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) can be used with AWS Direct Connect.

Q. Can I use the same private network connection with Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and other AWS services simultaneously?

Yes. Each AWS Direct Connect connection can be configured with one or more logical connections. Logical connections may be configured to access AWS services such as Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3 using public IP space, or resources in a VPC using private IP space.

Q:If I’m using Amazon CloudFront and my origin is in my own data center, can I use AWS Direct Connect to transfer the objects stored in my own data center?

Yes. Amazon CloudFront supports custom origins including origins you run outside of AWS. With AWS Direct Connect, you will pay AWS Direct Connect data transfer rates for origin transfer.

Q. Where is AWS Direct Connect available?

AWS Direct Connect is currently available at the following facilities:

AWS Direct Connect Location	AWS Region
CoreSite One Wilshire	US West (Northern California)
Equinix DC1 - DC6	US East (Virginia)
Equinix SV1 & SV5	US West (Northern California)
Equinix SG2	Asia Pacific (Singapore)
Equinix TY2	Asia Pacific (Tokyo)
TelecityGroup, London Docklands'*	EU (Ireland)

* Includes Sovereign House, Harbour Exchange 6/7, Harbour Exchange 8/9, and Meridian Gate

Additional AWS Direct Connect locations are planned worldwide in 2012.

Q. Can I use AWS Direct Connect if my network is not present at an AWS Direct Connect location?

Yes. AWS Direct Connect Solution Providers can help you extend your preexisting data center or office network to an AWS Direct Connect location. Please see AWS Direct Connect Solution Providers for more information.

Q. How can I get started with AWS Direct Connect?

Please complete the AWS Direct Connect Connection Request form to initiate the process. On this form, you will be asked to select the AWS Direct Connect location you wish to use, the number of ports, and the port speed. You will also have the opportunity to request to have an AWS Direct Connect Solution Provider contact you if you need assistance extending your office or data center network to the AWS Direct Connect location.

Billing

Q. Are there any setup charges or a minimum service term commitment required to use AWS Direct Connect?

There are no setup charges, and you may cancel at any time. Services provided by AWS Direct Connect Solution Providers may have other terms or restrictions that apply.

Q. How will I be charged and billed for my use of AWS Direct Connect?

Pricing is per port-hour consumed for each port type. Partial port-hours consumed are billed as full hours. Data Transfer via AWS Direct Connect will be billed in the same month in which the usage occurred. Standard Internet Data Transfer usage incurred by using other AWS services in regions where AWS Direct Connect is available will be charged the following month. For example, if you transfer 500 GB over AWS Direct Connect and 1500 GB over the Internet in June, you will be charged for 500 GB of Data Transfer at AWS Direct Connect rates on your June billing statement and 1500 GB of Data Transfer at Standard Internet Data Transfer rates on your July billing statement.

For AWS Direct Connect pricing information, please see AWS Direct Connect pricing.

Q. Will regional data transfer be billed at the AWS Direct Connect rate?

No, data transfer between Availability Zones in a Region will be billed at the regular regional data transfer rate in the same month in which the usage occurred.

Q. What defines billable port-hours?

Port-hours are billed once the connection between the AWS router and your router is established. If you no longer wish to be charged for your port, you must send a cancellation request to directconnect-requests@amazon.com.

Q. How does AWS Direct Connect work with consolidated billing?

AWS Direct Connect data transfer usage will be aggregated to your master account.

Technical

Q. What connection speeds are supported by AWS Direct Connect?

1Gbps and 10Gbps ports are available.

Q. Are there limits on the amount of data that I can transfer using AWS Direct Connect?

No. You may transfer any amount of data up to the limit of your selected port speed.

Q. What are the technical requirements for the connection?

AWS Direct Connect supports 1000BASE-LX or 10GBASE-LR connections over singlemode fiber using Ethernet transport. Your device must support 802.1Q VLANs. See the AWS Direct Connect Getting Started Guide for more detailed requirements information.

Q. What AWS region(s) can I connect to via this connection?

Each AWS Direct Connect location enables connectivity to the geographically nearest AWS region. You can access all AWS services available in that region.

Q. What Availability Zone(s) can I connect to via this connection?

Each AWS Direct Connect location enables connectivity to all Availability Zones within the geographically nearest AWS region.

Q. Are connections to AWS Direct Connect redundant?

Each connection consists of a single dedicated connection between ports on your router and an Amazon router. We recommend establishing a second connection if redundancy is required. When you request multiple ports at the same AWS Direct Connect location they will be provisioned on redundant Amazon routers.

Q. Can I extend one of my VLANs to the AWS Cloud using AWS Direct Connect?

No, VLANs are utilized in AWS Direct Connect only to separate traffic between logical connections.

Q. Does AWS Direct Connect offer a Service Level Agreement (SLA)?

Not at this time.

Q: What are the technical requirements for logical connections to AWS services such as Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3?

This connection requires the use of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) with a public or private Autonomous System Number (ASN) and IP Prefixes. For more details, consult the AWS Direct Connect Getting Started Guide.

Q: What is an Autonomous System Number (ASN) and do I need one to use AWS Direct Connect?

Autonomous System numbers are used to identify networks that present a clearly defined external routing policy to the Internet. AWS Direct Connect requires an ASN to create a public or private logical connection. You may use a public ASN which you own or you can pick any private ASN number between 64512 to 65535.

Q. What IP address will be assigned to each end of a logical connection?

If you are configuring a logical connection to the public AWS cloud, the IP addresses for both ends of the connection must be allocated from public IP space you own. If the logical connection is to a VPC, the IP address space for both ends of the connection will be allocated by AWS in the 169.254.0.0/16 range.

Q: Can I connect to the Internet via this connection?

No.

Q: If I have more than one logical connection, can I exchange traffic between the two ports?

No. AWS Direct Connect can only be used to exchange traffic between your network and AWS services or your VPC.

Q: When creating a logical connection to work with AWS services using public IP space, what IP prefixes will I receive via BGP?

You will receive all Amazon IP prefixes for the region that you are connecting to. This includes prefixes necessary to reach AWS services, and may include prefixes for other Amazon affiliates, including that of www.amazon.com. For the current list of prefixes advertised by AWS, please watch the AWS Direct Connect community forum for updates. Standard AWS Direct Connect data transfer rates apply for all traffic routed through your AWS Direct Connect connection.

Q. What IP prefixes should I advertise over BGP for logical connections to public AWS services?

You should advertise appropriate public IP prefixes that you own over BGP. Traffic from AWS services destined for these prefixes will be routed over your AWS Direct Connect connection.

Q. Can I locate my hardware next to the equipment that powers AWS Direct Connect?

You can procure rack space within the facility housing the AWS Direct Connect location and deploy your equipment nearby. However, AWS customer equipment cannot be placed within AWS Direct Connect racks or cage areas for security reasons. For more information, contact the AWS Direct Connect Solution Provider for the particular facility. Once deployed, you can connect this equipment to AWS Direct Connect using a cross-connect.

Using AWS Direct Connect with Amazon Virtual Private Cloud

Q. What are the technical requirements for this connection?

This connection requires the use of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). You may use either a public ASN that you own or a private ASN to connect to a VPC. You can advertise the default route via this BGP session.

Q. How does AWS Direct Connect differ from an IPSec VPN Connection?

A VPC VPN Connection utilizes IPSec to establish encrypted network connectivity between your intranet and Amazon VPC over the Internet. VPN Connections can be configured in minutes and are a good solution if you have an immediate need, have low to modest bandwidth requirements, and can tolerate the inherent variability in Internet-based connectivity. AWS Direct Connect does not involve the Internet; instead, it uses dedicated, private network connections between your intranet and Amazon VPC.

Q. Can I use AWS Direct Connect and a VPN Connection to the same VPC simultaneously?

Yes.

Q. Can I establish a Layer 2 connection between VPC and my network?

No, Layer 2 connections are not supported.