When an AWS Direct Connect connection is down for maintenance, that connection can be down from a few minutes to a few hours. To prepare for this downtime, consider one or more of the following options:
- Request a redundant Direct Connect connection.
- Configure a virtual private network (VPN) connection as a backup.
To request a redundant Direct Connect connection
If you request multiple connections to the same co-location site from the same AWS account, AWS configures them on separate routers. Maintenance is performed on a single router at a time, so one connection stays up.
If you request a redundant connection at a different co-location site, you'll have a secondary connection if the first is down for maintenance, or if the entire co-location site is affected by an infrastructure event.
For information on requesting a new Direct Connect connection, see Getting Started with AWS Direct Connect.
Configure a VPN connection as a backup
If you want for a shorter-term or lower-cost solution, configure a hardware VPN as a failover option for a Direct Connect connection. Be sure that your use case or application can tolerate a lower bandwidth, because VPN connections generally offer less bandwidth than Direct Connect connections.
For more information on hardware VPNs, see Adding a Hardware Virtual Private Gateway to Your VPC.
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Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2018-05-29
