F R E Q U E N T LY A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S
VMware vCloud Air Direct Connect
Q.What is VMware vCloud® Air™ Direct Connect?
Q.What are the advantages to using Direct Connect?
A. Direct Connect is a private, high-throughput, dedicated
connectivity option available with vCloud Air, which connects
your on-premises or co-located environment to vCloud Air
Dedicated Cloud, Virtual Private Cloud, and Disaster Recovery.
VMware works with leading network providers to establish
these secure network links.
A. High Throughput
Hybrid applications spanning locations require large amounts
of data transfer and bandwidth throughput at predictable
speeds. Additionally, Recovery Time Objective (RTO) can be
reduced for Disaster Recovery.
Low Latency
Traffic over the public Internet can have variable latency as
packets travel different routes to reach the destination. Video
and voice applications that are sensitive to variable latency
will generally perform better with the Direct Connect option.
Private and Secure
Direct Connect is inherently more secure as it provides a
private link between your data center and vCloud Air.
Multi-Point Connections
You can set up secure connections from multiple endpoints,
providing branch or remote office access to VMware
vCloud Air.
Custom Compute, Storage or Network
You can maximize performance of applications requiring
custom compute, storage or networking hardware located
outside of vCloud Air.
There are two parts to the Direct Connect service:
Your onsite data center to vCloud Air data center:
Your network provider manages the connection from
your onsite data center (or co-located environment) to
the vCloud Air data center you’ve selected. Your network
provider handles order management and provisioning of
this connection.
vCloud Air data center to your vCloud Air environment:
VMware provides a port connection used to connect your
private line to your vCloud Air Edge Gateway service.
VMware manages order management and provisioning
and of this connection.
Q.What are the differences between the included vCloud Air
connectivity options and Direct Connect?
A. The standard vCloud Air connection is routed over the
public Internet whereas Direct Connect is a dedicated private
connection. The key differences are highlighted below:
Q.Is VMware partnering with any network providers to
deliver Direct Connect?
S TA N DA R D
CONNECTION
DIRECT
CONNECT
A. Yes, VMware is partnering with network providers to deliver
Direct Connect.
Dedicated Cloud: Up to 1
Gbps Virtual Private
Cloud and Disaster
Recovery: Up to 300
Mbps
Dedicated Cloud: Up
to 10 Gbps
Connection
Type
Routed over Internet
Dedicated link
Secure
Connection
Via IPsec VPN
Private by default
Single or MultiPoint
IPsec is point-to-point
Point-to-point or
multi-point (Varies
by network
provider)
Remote sites can have a private line connection into your
vCloud Air environment via a network provider’s demarcation
point or you can have a high-speed cross connect in the same
co-location facility.
Pricing
Included in Core:
Monthly port
connection fee;
Additional circuit
fees vary by
network provider
Private line Direct Connect is provided by a network provider
and is a separate contractual obligation and billing relationship
from your vCloud Air subscription.
Speed
Dedicated Cloud: 50
Mbps
Virtual Private Cloud
and Disaster Recovery:
10 Mbps
Virtual Private Cloud
and Disaster
Recovery: Up to 1
Gbps
The list of authorized network providers for each data center
is accessible on vcloud.vmware.com and on the web form
when you order Direct Connect.
Q.Can I only use Direct Connect to connect my vCloud Air
environment with my remote data center?
A. No; you can use Direct Connect to connect from a remote
site or from within the same co-location facility in which your
vCloud Air environment resides.
FAQ / 1
VMware vCloud Air Direct Connect
Cross-connect capabilities are typically provided by data
center facilities, as they own the intra data center fiber
connections.
VMware provides the fiber and port connection from the
network provider’s demarcation point to your vCloud Air
Edge Gateway.
Q.What deployment architectures are available for each
Data Centers?
A. The architectures will vary based on the network provider.
Please contact your authorized network provider for more
information.
Q.What do I purchase from VMware?
Q.What are the steps needed to get Direct Connect implemented?
A. You purchase either a 1 or 10 Gbps port connection as an
add-on to your vCloud Air environment. The available options
for each cloud type are below:
A. Step 1: Contact one of our authorized network providers, or
data center partners for cross connecting, to set up your
private line.
D E D I C AT E D C LO U D
V I R T UA L P R I VAT E
C LO U D A N D
DISASTER
R E C OV E R Y
Step 2: Wait for the setup of your private line. For long
distance WAN connections, this process can take between
30 and 60 days, or more, depending on the location of your
on-premises environment or remote data center. The
provisioning time may be shorter if you are cross connecting
to vCloud Air from within the same data center.
Step 3: Once your private line connection is established,
you can place your order for Direct Connect. As with other
add-on orders, you can submit a PO through your partner or
order from the MyVMWare portal.
Step 4: Once you place an order, you will be sent a Letter of
Authorization (LOA-CFA). You will need to pass on this letter
to your network provider.
Step 5: Your order will take less than 72 hours to provision
after it is placed. Once Direct Connect is provisioned, your
network provider will work with VMware and the data center
owner to set up and verify the end-to-end network
connection.
1 Gbps
10 Gbps
Your Direct Connect service will co-term with your Core
Virtual Private Cloud or Dedicated Cloud service. Monthly
and Prepaid billing options with applicable term and prepaid
discounting are available.
Q.When will the service be available?
A. Direct Connect is available in all US and EMEA data centers.
New data center locations will generally have Direct Connect
options at launch.
Q.What is required within my vCloud Air environment to
implement the service?
A. You will have to be subscribed to vCloud Air and have one
port available within your Edge Gateway.
Additionally, you must arrange the network service
connection from an authorized network provider prior to
ordering Direct Connect.
Q.Can I select any network provider to provide my private
line or cross connect service?
Q.Where can I get further information about the service?
A. Please contact your reseller or sales representative for
more information. As always, you can also visit vcloud.
vmware.com’s “How to Buy” section where you can chat
with a sales representative.
A. No, your circuit connectivity must be provided by an
authorized vCloud Air Direct Connect network provider.
The list of authorized network providers for each data center
is accessible on vcloud.vmware.com and on the web form
when you order Direct Connect.
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