Connect to AWS

End users can create connections to AWS Direct Connect using either a Dot1q port or a QinQ port.

Layer 2 Connection to AWS Direct Connect

Step 1: Retrieve AWS Account Info

Locate your AWS Direct Connect account ID using the AWS Management console.

Step 2: Create Connection

These steps outline what you must do to create an AWS Direct Connect connection:
2a) Authenticate
import StepAuthenticate, { toc as StepAuthenticateTOC } from '@site/fabric/_step-authenticate.mdx'

2b) Get the Port information
Retrieve your allocated Equinix Fabric port information.

2c) Get Metros
Find all metros where Equinix Fabric is available to check if a connection can be established between the port selected earlier and your desired destination metro.

2d) Get Service Profile
Identify all service profiles available for a given metro or metros, and select the profile to which you wish to connect.

2e) Get ValidateAuthorizationKey
Verify whether your AWS Account Info can be used to create a connection to the seller profile selected earlier.

2f) Post Connections

	POST /ecx/v3/l2/connections
Method	POST
URL or Endpoint	/ecx/v3/l2/connections
Headers	Authorization, Content-Type
Query Parameters	Not applicable
Body Parameters	primaryName, primaryPortUUID, primaryVlanSTag, primaryVlanCTag, profileUUID, authorizationKey, speed, speedUnit, notifications [...], purchaseOrderNumber, sellerRegion, sellerMetroCode

The POST connections API creates a layer 2 connection between your port and the destination service profile. The authorization token and content-type are the only headers that are passed to this API and a response is received based on the values passed.

The following screenshots show a sample curl request to create a layer 2 AWS Direct Connect connection using a Dot1q and QinQ port and a sample JSON response for this API.

AWS Direct Connect connection using a Dot1q port

AWS Direct Connect connection using a QinQ port

The description of the body parameters is as follows:

Body Parameter Name	Mandatory	Type	Example	Applicable Values	Description
primaryName	Yes	string	JohnDoe_AWS_QinQ		User-defined name of the primary connection. Supply an alpha-numeric string, which can include hyphens and underscores ('-' & '_') as special characters (no other special characters are allowed). Max Length: 24 characters
primaryPortUUID	Yes	string	99991d3b-9750-7500-bae0-30ac1885197a		Unique Equinix-assigned ID of the buyer's primary port from where the connection originates.
primaryVlanSTag	Yes	integer	774	2 - 4094	S-Tag/Outer-Tag of the primary connection. Range: 2 - 4094
primaryVlanCTag	Yes	integer	775	2 - 4094	C-Tag/Inner-Tag of the primary connection on the Z side. Range: 2 - 4094
profileUUID	Yes	string	999552b-39b0-49ea-a232-005088dc9c86		Unique Equinix-assigned ID of the provider's service profile.
authorizationKey	Yes	string	123456789012		Authorization Key provided by AWS. For example, the account ID from AWS.
speed	Yes	integer	50		Speed/bandwidth to be allocated to the connection.
speedUnit	Yes	string	MB	MB	Unit of the speed/bandwidth to be allocated to the connection. Values: Either MB or GB.
notifications	Yes	array [string]	JohnDoe@example.com		A list of email addresses that are notified when there are any updates on this connection. Example: ["user@example.com", "user2@example.com"]
purchaseOrderNumber	Yes	string	0987654321		This optional field links the purchase order to the connection on Equinix. This link is reflected on the invoice.
sellerRegion	Yes	string	us-west-1		The region in which the seller port resides.
sellerMetroCode	Yes	string	SV		The metro code that denotes the connection’s destination (Z side). If sellerMetroCode is empty, thevalue defaults to themetro codeof the port.

The description of the response payload is as follows:

Field Name	Type	Example	Description
message	string	Connection Saved Successfully	Indicates the status of the API call.
primaryConnectionID	string	9999a8-0e07-44d0-944c-88a25d8d28f7	Returns the newly created connection ID.

When a connection is created, the connection transitions through various states within the Equinix and AWS infrastructure. These states can be monitored using the response attributes of the API GET Connections{uuid}. The "status" attribute indicates the connection status in Equinix and the "providerStatus" indicates the status in AWS.

Equinix States under /ecx/v3/l2/connections/{connId}		AWS States
"status" attribute values	"providerStatus" attribute values	AWS Direct Connect State	Description
PROVISIONING	NOT_AVAILABLE		Connection request has not been yet sent to AWS.
PROVISIONED	PENDING_APPROVAL	Ordering -> Requested	The connection awaits for acceptance. You will see a card stating "Accept Hosted Connection" on your Equinix Fabric portal dashboard.
PROVISIONED	PROVISIONING	Pending	Connection establishment in progress.
PROVISIONED	PROVISIONED	Pending -> Available	The connection has been accepted by the client. These status values will only be reflected after the below "Accept Connection" step is performed.

When an end user deletes a connection using the API DELETE Connections{uuid} the connection transitions through the following states within the Equinix infrastructure.

Equinix States under /ecx/v3/l2/connections/{connId}
"status" attribute values	"providerStatus" attribute values	Description
DEPROVISIONING	DEPROVISIONING	Connection disbandment in progress.
DEPROVISIONED	DEPROVISIONED	Connection deleted.

Step 3: Accept Connection

Accept the virtual connection using AWS Management Console, Equinix Portal, or the below API.

	PATCH l2/connections/{connid}
Method	PATCH
URL or Endpoint	/ecx/v3/l2/connections/{connId}
Headers	Authorization, Content-Type
Query Parameters	action
Body Parameters	AWS Access Keys (Access Key ID and Secret Access Key)

The PATCH connections API accepts or rejects a layer 2 connection for a given connection connID.

The following screenshots show a sample curl request to accept a layer 2 connection and its respective JSON response.

The description of the query and request payload is as follows:

Query Parameter Name	Mandatory	Type	Example	Applicable Values	Description
action	Yes	string	Approve	"Approve" "Reject"	The action to performon the connection.
connId	Yes	string	9999a8-0e07-44d0-944c-88a25d8d28f7		The unique identifier of the connection.

Body Parameter Name	Mandatory	Type	Example	Description
accessKey	Yes	string	AKIAGGJKJU7BC3QJKYQ	Special keys provided by AWS to authenticate API requests.
secretKey	Yes	string	CXGJW1lWbqENEqSkBAK	Special keys provided by AWS to authenticate API requests.

The description of the response payload is as follows:

Field Name	Type	Example	Description
message	string	updated connection successfully	The status message of the PATCH API call.
primaryConnectionID	string	primaryConnectionId: "9999a8-0e07-44d0-944c-88a25d8d28f7"	The primary connection ID of the connection that was accepted.