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Creating a connection from your location to Equinix Fabric

Using Control Center, you can create a Colt® Dynamic Connections Ethernet connection from your location (from your list of available UNIs) to Equinix Fabric.

Once you create the connection in Control Center, you'll use the A-side token that Equinix Fabric creates to set up the virtual cross connect (completing your connection) in the Equinix Fabric portal.

To create a connection from your location to Equinix Fabric:

1. Create the connection in Control Center
2. Create the virtual cross connect in the Equinix Fabric portal

Step 1: Create the connection in Control Center

To create the connection in Control Center:

  1. Click Services.

    Control Center shows the Services console. Use the console to access an inventory of your services, check the status of orders, and manage your services.
Services console
  1. In the Service and Ordering Tools box, click Dynamic Connections - Ethernet.

    Control Center lists all your connections with a status and brief summary for each connection.
Dynamic Connections (showing Ethernet tab)
  1. Click Create Connection.
Ethernet Create Connection
  1. In the Connection Name field, type a name for the connection you're creating. (Be sure to use something memorable. This name will appear on your invoice.)
  1. In the From Connection Type field, select My Locations.
  1. In the To Connection Type field, select Equinix.
Ethernet Create Connection (showing a connection to Equinix)
  1. Fill in the information for the connection:

    1. In the From Location field, select the connection origination endpoint. (To view a list of available locations and status for each, click MY PORTS.)

    2. In the Ce-Vlan field, type an unused VLAN ID between 1 and 4094. (If you type in a VLAN ID and it's already in use, Control Center highlights it in red.)

    3. In the To Location field, select the Equinix Fabric on ramp you want to use. (Currently, only two options are available, but we're adding more soon.)
  1. Use the Billing Method buttons to select whether you want monthly or hourly billing for the connection.
  1. In the Class of Service field, select whether you want Basic, Enhanced, or Dedicated. (Higher classes of service offer higher availability SLAs and allow you to increase traffic prioritization for your EVC.)

    • Basic (best effort): The service may be oversubscribed on the Colt network.

    • Enhanced (mid class): Enhanced EVCs (ethernet virtual circuits) can still be oversubscribed like Basic class of service EVCs; however, traffic is marked with an internal class of service marking which will prioritize your traffic over best-effort traffic during times of congestion. For EVCs with this class of service, bandwidth is not reserved on the Colt network and traffic will not take priority over real-time traffic in the network.

    • Dedicated (real time): The quality of service offering with highest priority on the Colt network. In addition, Colt reserves the bandwidth for this EVC across the network on each ring that the EVC touches. Once it is dedicated to you, that bandwidth (and the corresponding CE-VLANs) sits in reserve regardless of how much bandwidth you use.
  1. In the Bandwidth field, select the bandwidth for the connection. (You can't change the bandwidth once you create the connection. If you need to choose a different bandwidth after creating a connection, disconnect the connection and create a new one.)

    Control Center shows pricing for the bandwidth you selected.
  1. Review your connection information and then click the I agree with the terms and conditions checkbox. (To enable the checkbox, scroll to the bottom of the terms and conditions.)

  1. Click Submit.

    Control Center creates the request for the connection and places it in Pending Activation status.
Dynamic Connections Ethernet (showing Equinix acknowledgement)
  1. Click Acknowledge.

    Control Center sends the connection information to Equinix and Equinix send you an email with the A-side service token. Use this service token to finish setting up the connection in the Equinix Fabric portal. (If you don't receive an email with the A-side service token, you can find the information by viewing details for the connection in Control Center.

Note: The A-side service token is valid for 30 days from when you create the connection in Control Center.

Step 2: Create the virtual cross connect in the Equinix Fabric

To create the virtual cross connect:

  1. Sign in to the Equinix Fabric portal. (If you don't have access the portal, you can register for an account.)
  1. In the upper-right corner of the Fabric portal homepage, click Create Connection.
  1. Select the tile for the type of connection you will be making.

    1. Service Provider: Cloud- or IT-service provider who hosts services using Equinix Fabric.

    2. Equinix Fabric Customer: Equinix IBX tenants who have Fabric ports available.
  1. Use search function to find the specific destination, and select services.
  1. Click Create Connection.
  1. In the window that appears, select Use a Token.
  1. Paste the A-side service token emailed to you from Equinix (or copied from the connection details in Control Center).

    The Colt Fabric port that you selected when you built your Dynamic Connection will auto populate and the corresponding destination location will be available for you to select. (Colt does not allow virtual cross connects to other Equinix markets, so you will be limited to the same market that your selected Colt Fabric port is in.)
  1. Click Next, then fill in your vendor-specific details to complete the virtual cross connect. (This page varies based on the provider you selected. The Equinix Fabric portal fills in the VLAN ID for you.) Not all destinations on the Equinix Fabric have detailed steps for completing your connection. If your intended target is not documented in the Equinix Fabric documentation, contact Equinix for more information.

    Bandwidth options are limited by the destination vendor and may not exactly match the bandwidth you selected when you created the Dynamic Connection in Control Center. We recommend you select at least the same size virtual cross connect as your Dynamic Connection to the Equinix Fabric to ensure your connection can be fully used. You can also select a higher bandwidth for the virtual cross connect to help ensure you get the full bandwidth you selected in Control Center. Virtual cross connects are billed as an monthly recurring charge and will be prorated to a daily charge if your virtual cross connect isn't used for a full billable month.
  1. Click Next.

    The Equinix Fabric portal shows a summary of the connection.
  1. Submit the order.

    The Equinix Fabric portal shows the next steps to connect within your provider's console and additional information about your connection. Once you have completed the steps in the vendor's console, your service may be up. You can check your status by going to your connection inventory and checking the Provider status and Equinix Status (under overview). Some vendors must accept the connection before your service can be accepted. Those connections will show Pending status until the provider accepts. Your service should be up and functioning once the Equinix Staus shows Provisioned and the Provider Staus shows Accepted.