Create a Single Virtual Device

Single Virtual Device Video

Creating virtual devices is a simple process in Network Edge. This topic shows how to create a single virtual device.

Sign in to Equinix Fabric.
From the Network Edge menu, select Create Virtual Device.
Select the vendor package you want to deploy and click Select and Continue.
In the Select Device Type section, click Single Device.
Click Begin Creating Edge Devices.
In the Select Metro section, click a location.
In the Select Billing Account section, select a billing account from the Your accounts in this metro drop-down menu.

Note: Metro selection is linked to your billing account country. For example, if you select Silicon Valley for deployment metro, your will need to have a billing account in the United States. If you need to deploy the VNF to a different metro such as Tokyo, you need to create a billing account in Japan.

If you do not have a billing account for the selected metro, a message will display.

Create a billing account by clicking Go to Account Management > Create New Billing Account. You can continue without selecting an account, but you won’t be able to create your device. For more information, see Billing Account Management.

Click Next: Device Details.
In the Device Configuration section, click Equinix-Configured or Self-Configured.

Important: Self-Configured device gives more flexibility in terms of device configuration and management, as you have full access to VNF image. Equinix-Configured devices are fully managed by Equinix to provide an easy out-of-box experience. However, available functions and features are limited and controlled by Equinix. For more information, please refer to Equinix-Configured Devices vs. Self-Configured Devices.

In the Licensing section, select Subscription or Bring Your Own License. If you chose Bring Your Own License, enter the License Token in the License File (BYOL) field.

Note: All VNFs except F5 NGINX Plus come with the Bring Your Own License (BYOL) option. Some VNFs are offered with the subscription option, but those are mainly Equinix-Configured. F5 NGINX Plus is offered with subscription license with Self-Configured option. For more information, see Network Edge License Types.

Select the Device Resources, the Software Package, and the Version.
In the Virtual Device Details section, enter:

Device Name – used as device name in the Fabric Portal.
Primary Device Host Name – used as host name prefix in the VNF.

Click to see the naming rules.

In the Interfaces drop-down menu, either keep the default number of interfaces available on the VNF or add more interfaces if additional interfaces are available for the VNF. Also, you can automatically map WAN/SSH interfaces to the next available interface, or manually select a specific interface for WAN/SSH use. WAN/SSH interface provides Internet access.
In the Device Status Notifications box, enter email addresses of anyone who should receive email notifications regarding device status. Up to five addresses can be added.
(Optional) In the Optional Details box, enter the Purchase Order Number and Order Reference/Identifier.
In the Term Length drop-down menu, select a term length.
Click Next: Additional Services to add additional services.

Click Add Users to configure user names for SSH and Web-Console access. For Self-configured devices, you need to configure SSH Public Keys to perform password-less authentication. For more information, see Network Edge Device Access.
(Optional) RSA Public Keys – Enter an existing RSA Public Key, or click Add New RSA Public Key to generate a new one. See Network Edge Device Access for more information about generating an RSA public key.
Diverse Compute from an Existing Single Device – If you already have another single device and you want this new device to exist in a different plane, click Select Diverse From and select the existing device.
Add Access IP Addresses – Select an access control list (ACL) template. This template will be applied to the gateway interface connected to the WAN/SSH interface of your VNF. ACL templates control communication from the Internet.

Note: By default, the communication required for initial bootstrap (DNS, NTP, License Server communication, SD-WAN controller communication, etc.) is allowed to properly configure the initial VNF configuration. Additional protocols such as SSH need to be intentionally permitted using an ACL template (Custom ACL). If you need to create a template to apply to your device, click Create Access Control List Template. See Configure Access Controls on Virtual Devices for more information.

Additional Internet Bandwidth – Add between 25 and 5000 additional Mbps of internet bandwidth (for a fee). 15 Mbps of Internet Bandwidth is included free in the package by default.

Click Next: Review.
In the Terms & Conditions box, click Review and Accept Order Terms.
Select I have read and understand these terms and click Accept.

Click Create Virtual Device.

Warning: Your device will be assigned an external IP address for reachability. If you change the configuration, you could experience connectivity issues.

Order Confirmation

Once a device is ordered, you can check your Network Edge order status and notifications in the Equinix Customer Portal. Access the Equinix Customer Portal by clicking the menu icon in the top left corner of your screen.

Go to Operations, click Notification Center, and select Order Notifications.

Use the Product Type filter to select Network Edge. This filter option should provide all the order notifications for Network Edge. Use the different filter options (IBX, Notification Type, Date Range, or custom keyword) to see your specific list of orders.

Click the arrow at the far left of each line item view the order details.