AWS Direct Connect Announces Resiliency Toolkit to Help Customers Order Resilient Connectivity to AWS

Posted on: Oct 7, 2019

AWS Direct Connect has enhanced the AWS management console and added support for the Connection Wizard as part of the Resiliency Toolkit. The Connection Wizard provides AWS customers the ability to achieve highly resilient network connections between AWS and their on-premises infrastructure. The use of the Connection Wizard lets you order Dedicated connections to meet your SLA needs. You can select a resiliency model, and then the Connection Wizard guides you through the Dedicated connection ordering process. The resiliency models are designed to ensure that you have the appropriate number of connections in multiple AWS Direct Connect locations so that you have connectivity to AWS in case of a connection, a device, or a location failure.

The following resiliency models are available:

  • Maximum Resiliency: This model provides you a way to order Dedicated connection to achieve a SLA of 99.99% after you meet all the requirements for achieving the SLA listed here.
  • High Resiliency: This model provides you a way to order Dedicated connection to achieve a SLA of 99.9% after you meet all the requirements for achieving the SLA listed here.
  • Development and test: This model provides you a way to order Dedicated connection for your development and test workloads. This model does not allow you to get any SLA coverage.

Using the Connection Wizard provides following benefits:

  • Provides guidance on how you determine, and then order the appropriate redundant AWS Direct Connect Dedicated connections.
  • Ensures that the redundant connections have the same speed.
  • Automatically configures the connection names.
  • Automatically creates a support ticket for Dedicated connection approval when you are a new AWS customer, or select an unknown (Other) partner.
  • Provides a Dedicated connection(s) order summary that specifies the SLA you can achieve, and the total port-hour cost for ordered Dedicated connection(s).
  • Automatically creates LAGs, and adds the appropriate number of Dedicated connections to the LAGs when you choose a speed other than 1Gbps or 10Gbps.
  • Provides a LAG summary that specifies the SLA, and you can achieve, and the total port-hour cost for ordered Dedicated connection(s) as part of the LAG.
  • Prevents you from attaching connections on the same AWS Direct Connect device.

The best practice is to use the Connection Wizard to order Dedicated connections to achieve desired SLA. The classic interface for ordering connections is available as an alternative to the Connection Wizard. The classic interface is intended for users that have existing connections and want to add additional connections. The Connection Wizard feature is available for all AWS commercial regions. The support for AWS China (Beijing) operated by Beijing Sinnet Technology Co., Ltd. (Sinnet), AWS China (Ningxia) operated by Ningxia Western Cloud Data Technology Co., Ltd. (NWCD), AWS GovCloud (US-East), and AWS GovCloud (US-West) is coming soon. For more information, please read the user guide.