Solution Builder

Solution Builder Video

Solution Builder allows you to design end-to-end solutions using drag-and-drop functionality. Design an entire Network Edge solution, and then download your design with a price estimate.

Note: Solution Builder is now generally available for all customer types except end user customers (accounts managed by Reseller accounts). Any feedback or issue can be reported by clicking Give Feedback, instead of opening the support ticket.

Under the Solution Builder, you can select a single virtual device, redundant device, or a cluster device and create multiple virtual connection (non-redundant) to various service providers. A price estimate for your design is generated once required fields are configured for each component.

The following components are currently supported:

Solution / Function	Components
General	Drag-and-drop Network Design Canvas Design auto save Design access control with IAM Metro-based price estimation with local currency Price-summary download (PDF) - Metro-based
Network Edge	All VNF vendors All deployment types (single, redundant, and cluster deployments) Non-Redundant Virtual Connection to Cloud Service Providers Non-Redundant Virtual Connection to Network Service Providers Device Link Groups Bring Your Own Connections (BYOC) Port to Device Connections
Equinix Fabric	Remote Port (Single Port) to My Cage in an Equinix IBX

To access Solution Builder, select Build Solutions on the Solution Builder menu.

The Solution diagram list displays all of the diagrams you have created. The Solution Diagram List displays when you have one or more design.

Click to edit, duplicate, or delete any of the diagrams in your list.

Note: If your organization is migrated to the Identity and Access Management experience, you can create and duplicate solution design in a project you are currently in. You cannot move or copy your design to other projects.

Use the Search field to look for specific solution design by diagram name or creator name.

Create a Diagram

Click Create New Diagram to start creating a new design. The project selector displays to associate your new design to your exiting project.

Note: If your organization is migrated to the Identity and Access Management experience, you can create and duplicate solution design in a project you are currently in. You cannot move or copy your design to other projects.
In the Solution Details box, change the default name for your design (Untitled).

Click the X to close the box.

The workspace in Solution Builder is the backdrop on which you can drag and drop your network resources.

	Resources Select the resources you want to add to your diagram.
	Workspace Drag your resources to your workspace.
	Pricing Click Show pricing to view a pricing summary for your solution.
	Share Click Share to share your design with another user and allow other users to collaborate on your diagram.
	Download Download solution design and pricing (.pdf) – Download a pricing summary of your design complete with a diagram of your design. Download solution design (.png) – Download an image of your design.

Add a Service Provider to Your Diagram

Start by clicking Connections in the Network Resources section.

Click Service Providers to see all the available service providers. Click Load More and scroll through the list or enter the service provider name in the search field to find your preferred service provider. Drag your preferred service provider to the diagram workspace. The status for the service provider will indicate that it is Pending Configuration.

Click or double-click the component box to configure component options. Follow the steps in the right panel to select a service profile and metro location.

For detailed information about configuration, see the Device Configuration documentation for your service provider.

Once your configuration is completed, your design is automatically saved.

Note: Solution Builder has an auto-save function to automatically save components and designs after the options are configured. It also saves design solutions when you navigate away from the Solution Builder to other portal functions. A saved icon displays with the last saved time and date.

After you’ve configured your service provider, click Main Menu to return to the Network Resources section.

Add a Device to Your Diagram

Click Virtual Devices and drag Single Device to your diagram.

The status of the device will indicate that it is Pending Configuration.

Click to configure. Follow the steps in the right panel.

Note: Be sure to configure all options in the device configuration including Virtual Device Name, Vendor, Device Model, Device Metro, Term Length, Device Configuration, Licensing, Device Resources, Software Package, and Software Version to start calculating price estimate.

For detailed information about device configuration, see Create a Single Virtual Device.

Connect Your Device to Your Service Provider

Use your cursor to connect your device to your service provider.

You will automatically be prompted to configure your connection. Follow the steps in the right panel. You must configure your Connection Name and select Connection Bandwidth to have accurate pricing for the entire design.

High Availability Deployment Option Support

In addition to a single virtual device, redundant device and a cluster device type are available in the Solution Builder. For more information about Cluster Device deployment, see Architecting for Resiliency.

Add Redundant Device

In Network Resources, select Virtual Device and then drag and drop Cluster Device.

The Redundant Device type forms Active-Active configurations of two virtual device with the same configuration options. To configure options for a redundant device, double-click the object or click after selecting the object. Enter Virtual Device Name and other configuration options. Selected attributes are applied to both redundant devices except Metro location.

Note: For Virtual Device Name, “-Secondary” is appended to the Secondary Device name automatically to distinguish the primary and secondary device.

Add Cluster Device

In Network Resources, select Virtual Device and then drag and drop Cluster Device.

To learn more about Cluster Device deployment, see Architecting for Resiliency.

The Cluster Device type forms Active-Standby configurations of two virtual device with exactly the same configuration options. In order to configure options for a cluster device, double-click the object or click after selecting the object. Enter Cluster Name, Virtual Device Name, and other configuration options.

Note: For Virtual Device Name, “-Node 0” and “-Node 1” are appended to the name automatically to distinguish the primary and secondary device.

Check the redundancy type as well as cluster name in the Device Details section of the pricing summary.

Device Link Group

The Device Link Network Edge service creates a Layer 2 connection between two or more Network Edge Virtual Devices. This service is used to simply connect multiple network devices in the same or different metros, and to create service chaining between different types of network devices such as router and firewalls within the same metro. Device Link Group (DLG) is now supported in the Solution Builder as a resource. For more information about device link groups, see Device Link.

Note: DLG allows multiple devices connected with a Layer 2 connection. A single DLG does not provide any connectivity redundancy. In order to have a redundant connection, another DLG should be created and connected to another interface of the virtual device.

Add Device Link Group

In Network Resources, select and then drag Device Link Group. In order to calculate pricing for the DLG, your design needs to have at least two devices with metro information.
Use your cursor to draw a line between the dots of your devices to the DLG resource. You cannot connect a device to DLG if the device metro is not selected.
Double-click DLG object or click after selecting the object. The following options need to be selected before completing DLG pricing:
- If the DLG is for Point-to-Point (connecting devices in two metro locations), connection bandwidth needs to be selected for those two metros. Pricing will be based on the originating metro (A-side).
- If the DLG is connecting more than two metros, you can select a single bandwidth speed for all links, or change bandwidth speed for individual links by selecting the Individual Connection Bandwidth option. Price for the DLG link is displayed with local currency of the Metro where device is located.
- There is no cost to link multiple devices in the same Metro.
- Additional taxes and fees may apply, depending on the Metro.
To remove a device from the DLG, click the DLG link icon and then click the trash icon. Click Remove in the Removing Network Resource box after confirming.

Bring Your Own Connection

You can Bring Your Own Connection (BYOC) to connect your device to a Network Service Provider (NSP) in Network Edge. To learn more about the BYOC feature, see Bring Your Own Connection – Remote Fabric Port. BYOC is available in the Solution Builder to provide a pricing estimate when you are bringing your own connection.

Add BYOC

In Network Resources, select Connections, then select BYOC Bring Your Own Connection and drag and drop the BYOC object to the canvas.
In order to calculate the BYOC price estimate, Solution Builder will ask for the following options:
- Network Service Provider Name
- Port/IBX Data Center Location – Select the IBX where your NSP’s equipment is located. This information can be obtained from yourNSP. If your NSP is in a different Metro than your virtual device, additional charges may occur.
- Port Speed – Select the Port bandwidth. There is a one-time charge in addition to the Monthly Recurring Charge, listed in the bandwidth card
Use your cursor to draw a line between dots of your devices to the BYOC resource. You need to select a bandwidth for the connection between those resources to complete.

Pricing Summary

The Price Summary itemizes the charges (both Monthly Recurring Charges and One-Time Charges) for the solution you created in your diagram. Pricing is based on the selected resources and its configuration options. All components must be configured to calculate accurate pricing for the entire design.

Click Show pricing summary to view the breakdown of charges.

The Pricing Summary provides two viewing modes.

View Mode	Description
Location View	Location View groups objects (virtual devices, connections, and services) based on Metro location. Resource price estimate is calculated in local currency for a given metro. You can expand each Metro in the view to understand the price estimate for itemized components and details of the options selected. All price estimates are calculated based on list price with the virtual device term length discount. DLG and BYOC are grouped into each Metro based on its originating Metro location. Use Resource View to compare price estimates for connections in the specific DLG at group level.
Resource View	Resource View groups objects based on object type. Resource View makes it easy to understand how many virtual devices, virtual connections, and Network Edge services (such as DLG and BYOC) are in the design with prices. Since this is not grouped based on Metro location, you may see different currency for each object.

View Mode

Description

Location View

Location View groups objects (virtual devices, connections, and services) based on Metro location. Resource price estimate is calculated in local currency for a given metro. You can expand each Metro in the view to understand the price estimate for itemized components and details of the options selected. All price estimates are calculated based on list price with the virtual device term length discount. DLG and BYOC are grouped into each Metro based on its originating Metro location. Use Resource View to compare price estimates for connections in the specific DLG at group level.

Resource View

Resource View groups objects based on object type. Resource View makes it easy to understand how many virtual devices, virtual connections, and Network Edge services (such as DLG and BYOC) are in the design with prices. Since this is not grouped based on Metro location, you may see different currency for each object.

Click Download and select Download solution design and pricing (.pdf) to download a PDF of the pricing summary that includes a diagram of your solution.

Important: The PDF file generated using the Solution Builder includes a price estimate only for the products and services selected. Prices are shown in the currency local to the metro selected. This is not a legally binding quote and pricing is subject to change at any time.

Share Your Solution

Share and Edit in Solution Builder

After creating your solution diagram, you can share it with other users. The following functions are available in Solution Builder:

The owner of the solution can share the design with another user by providing the collaborator’s email address.
The owner of the solution can define view and edit privileges for collaborators on shared designs.
The collaborator(s) receive email notifications after a design has been shared, indicating that a new design is waiting in the Solution Builder. The collaborator will need to sign in to Network Edge to access the design.
Only one collaborator can edit a design at a time. When the design is open and being edited, all other potential collaborators are locked out.

Click Share to open the Share Solution panel. Enter one or more email addresses to share. Multiple email addresses can be entered with a comma. The owner needs to provide at least one email address to share.

Set the level of privileges (View / Edit) those users can take.

Both the inventory table and the panel will display a list of users who have access to the solution. If you need to edit privileges for a particular user, this can be done in the Share Solution panel.