# Ordering a Fabric Port

Equinix Fabric ports are available in various configurations including standard and metro ports, another party’s cage/third party ports, and extended ports, depending on where customers are located in relation to the physical Equinix Fabric equipment.

## Prerequisites[​](#prerequisites "Direct link to Prerequisites")

To order an Equinix Fabric port, you must have:

* One of the following [Roles](https://docs.equinix.com/iam/roles-permissions/iam-roles-permission-reference.md): `Fabric Port Manager`, `Fabric Manager`, or `Fabric Service Provider`.

* If you are ordering ports that connect to your own cage, you need `Network Ports Ordering` [colocation permissions](https://docs.equinix.com/iam/colocation-access-control/managing-user-permissions.md) for your specific cage.

* If you are ordering ports that connect to another party's cage or a Building Meet-Me Room, you need:

  * `Remote Network Products` [colocation permissions](https://docs.equinix.com/iam/colocation-access-control/managing-user-permissions.md) for the specific region (AMER, EMEA, or APAC) in which you want to place a port order.

  * One of the following:

    * A PDF Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the third party in whose cage you want the port delivered.
    * An approved Digital LOA token issued by the third party in whose cage you want the port delivered.

* If you are a **Reseller** ordering a port for your end-customer, you need the `Fabric Partner Resource Manager` role. End-customer users are not allowed to place Fabric Port orders.

## Start Your Order[​](#start-your-order "Direct link to Start Your Order")

To order a Fabric port:

1. Sign in to the [Customer Portal](https://portal.equinix.com) > *Fabric Dashboard*.

2. From the *Ports* menu, select **Order an Equinix Fabric Port**.

   ![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-initiate-f7d92964760aab425cb7696cd1ac680b.png)

3. Select a project that your new port is assigned to.

   ![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-select-project-91421bffe379684b74d3629e249a44e9.png)

   For more information about Projects, see [Managing Projects](https://docs.equinix.com/iam/resources/projects-manage.md).

## Customer Demarcation and Port Details[​](#customer-demarcation-and-port-details "Direct link to Customer Demarcation and Port Details")

On the *Customer Demarcation* page, configure the demarcation point and port details, depending on where you want to provision your port.

1. In *Choose where to connect*, select one of:

   * **My Cage in an Equinix IBX** – You have your own equipment in an Equinix data center.
   * **Another Party's Cage** – You are ordering a remote port and connecting via another party. Delivering a Fabric port to another party's cage requires a PDF LOA or a Digital LOA token issued by the third party.
   * **A Building Meet-Me Room (BMMR)** – You are using a neutral cage to connect to others. If an Equinix technician installs the final connection, you must upload a PDF LOA from the BMMR provider. If your personnel install the final connection, Equinix provides the LOA to you.

   ![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-choose-where-to-connect-357c495334ea640aaf5d2d387c56b117.png)

2. In the *Port Type* section, select port type:

   * Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) – EVPL ports allow for creating multiple connections, segmenting the traffic based on the VLAN tags.
   * Ethernet Private Line (EPL) – An untagged port that allows a transparent flow of traffic. An EPL port allows for one connection and there is no separation of traffic.

3. In the *Redundancy Type* section, choose a redundancy option:

   * **Single Port** – Order a single port. Available for both EVPL and EPL port types. In the *Enable LAG* section, choose either **Yes** or **No**. If you enable LAG, choose the number of ports from the drop-down, max 8.

     ![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-single-port-708f970251e4830831f39af5f29ba038.png)

   * **Redundant Ports** – Order a pair of redundant ports. Available for EVPL ports. You can choose to either create two new ports as a high availability redundant pair or to create a single port, and pair it with an existing port to form a high availability pair.

     ![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-redundant-ports-70d546d615aed4c2699ff812c32fd838.png)

4. In the *Location and Account* section, select an IBX data center where you want a Fabric port and a billing account for ordering in the selected location. Click **Create Billing Account** to create a new billing account that you can use to place your order.

Depending on the demarcation point you choose, complete the following steps.

### My Cage in an Equinix IBX[​](#my-cage-in-an-equinix-ibx "Direct link to My Cage in an Equinix IBX")

If you are using your cage, select the cage, cabinet, and patch panel. By default your options are filtered by the billing account. If you want to select different billing & cage accounts, deselect *Show the patch panels associated with this Billing Account only*. Select a different cage account for which you have access and then select the demarcation point.

1. Click **Add Patch Panel Details**.

   ![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-add-patch-panel-details-e135c5b7cfa4f76882baf8a28d8e6a9a.png)

2. In the *Patch Panel Configuration* panel, select the cage, cabinet, patch panel, and port information for your new port. If you know the patch panel number, enter it in the search field to autofill the form.

   If you are ordering a redundant pair of ports, repeat the process for the secondary port.

   ![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-patch-panel-configuration-59cce3c2be73b8e88ecf90adda700a55.png)

3. Click **Save Patch Panel Details**.

4. Review you port selections.

   ![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-my-cage-91d0d849e985c4e3bff7eaf7e784ed07.png)

5. Click **Next** to go to [Port Configuration](#port-configuration).

### Another Party's Cage[​](#another-partys-cage "Direct link to Another Party's Cage")

Delivering a Fabric port to another party's cage requires a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the third party that owns the cage. Choose how you want to provide your LOA:

**Option 1: Upload a PDF LOA**

1. In the LOA section, drag your file to upload, or click **Browse**.
2. Make sure your LOA is on the cage owner's company letterhead and specifies the tie-down information (IBX, cage, cabinet, patch panel, and port). The uploaded PDF file is validated to verify the selected data center location. Ensure that the location selected in the Location dropdown matches the data center location specified in the LOA.
3. Click **Next**.

![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-upload-PDF-LOA-e179b97ec0310adee204dbe4af64051a.png)

**Option 2: Use a Digital LOA Token**

1. In the LOA section, select **Use Digital LOA**.
2. Select your approved Digital LOA token. The list shows only tokens for the IBX you selected in **Location**.
3. When the token is validated, the authorized tie-down details (IBX, cage, cabinet, patch panel, and port) are populated and become read-only. Review them to confirm they are correct. Click **Next** to go to [Port Configuration](#port-configuration).

![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-digital-LOA-25566ef4564a4cca5c2f3f8ffc022826.png)

> **Tip**
>
> To learn how to create or issue a Digital LOA, see [Issue a Digital Letter of Authorization](https://docs.equinix.com/digital-loa/xc-loa-create.md).

> **Warning**
>
> You may not proceed if the token is not found, expired, revoked, already used, or does not match the selected IBX. Select a valid token, or upload a PDF LOA instead.

> **Note**
>
> A Digital LOA token is tied to your order when you submit it and cannot be reused for another order.

### A Building Meet-Me Room (BMMR)[​](#a-building-meet-me-room-bmmr "Direct link to A Building Meet-Me Room (BMMR)")

If you are using a *Building Meet Me Room (BMMR)*, select who will install the final connection in the Building Meet Me Room.

* **Equinix** - An Equinix technician performs the port installation in the BMMR. This option requires providing a Letter of Authorization (LOA). The uploaded PDF file is validated to verify the selected data center location. Ensure that the location selected in the *Location* drop-down matches the data center location specified in the LOA.

* **Self** - Your personnel performs the installation of the port.

![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-bmmr-bf30e8bbd30e892caf11c48e57ae56de.png)

Click **Next** to go to [Port Configuration](#port-configuration).

## Port Configuration[​](#port-configuration "Direct link to Port Configuration")

On the *Port Configuration* page:

1. Select a *Package*.

   * **Standard** - Pay a monthly recurring charge for the port. Each connection is billed individually and separately.

   * **Unlimited** - Pay a monthly recurring charge for the port and unlimited number of point-to-point local connections.

   * **Unlimited Plus** - Pay a monthly recurring charge for the port and unlimited point-to-point local and remote connections. Available in Europe, Canada, and the US. Contact your Equinix sales representative to order this port type.

   For more details, see [Connection Packages](https://docs.equinix.com/fabric/pricing-billing/fabric-billing-pricing.md#virtual-connections-vc-pricing).

   > **Note**
   >
   > Available connection packages depend on where you connect your port:
   >
   > * My Cage in an Equinix IBX – Standard, Unlimited, and Unlimited Plus.
   > * Another Party's Cage – Standard and Unlimited.
   > * Building Meet-Me Room (BMMR) – Standard only.

   For more details, see [Connection Packages](https://docs.equinix.com/fabric/pricing-billing/fabric-billing-pricing.md#virtual-connections-vc-pricing).

2. Select the physical interface *Port Speed*: **1 Gbps**, **10 Gbps**, or **100 Gbps**. The monthly recurring charge and one-time install price are shown for each port speed. Prices are based on a contracted term and early termination fees may apply.

   The port interface type is automatically selected based on your chosen port speed.

3. Select the *Encapsulation Frame Type*.

   * **Dot1q** - For Dot1q ports, TPID is fixed at `0x8100` and cannot be changed.
   * **QinQ** - For QinQ ports, TPID defaults to `0x8100`, and can be optionally changed to `0x88A8`.

4. Select which Equinix Fabric redundancy plane you want to provision the port on.

   * **Primary** - The port is provisioned on Fabric's "A" chassis group.
   * **Secondary** - The port is provisioned on Fabric's "B" chassis group.

   For more information, see [Port Redundancy](https://docs.equinix.com/fabric/resilience-redundancy/for-ports.md).

5. The IBX data center where your port is provisioned is automatically selected based on your chosen configuration. This may differ from the IBX data center where your demarcation point is located if there's no capacity on the Fabric switch in that location.

6. Click **Next**.

![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-port-configuration-93d23c259529494b4b5579748b1b5d2a.png)

## Review and Submit Order[​](#review-and-submit-order "Direct link to Review and Submit Order")

On the *Review Order and Additional Information* page:

1. In the *Pricing Information* section, select *I agree* to acknowledge the pricing disclaimer.

2. Review information in the *Customer Demarcation*, *Patch Panel Details*, and *Port Configurations* sections.

3. In the *Contact Information* section, review contact details for technical inquiries. Click **Change Technical Contact** to update the information.

4. In the *Purchase Order* section:

   * Enter a purchase order number, or click *Select Purchase Order Number* to choose from the pool of eligible purchase order numbers.

     * A purchase order (PO) number is not required by default. If your billing account requires a PO, you must enter a valid PO number.
     * If your billing account requires a PO and you cannot provide one, click Submit a Purchase Order exemption form.

   * Provide customer reference identifier that will help you identify this order on your invoice.

5. Click **Order Fabric Port**.

![](https://docs.equinix.com/assets/images/new-order-review-0ac01568fb3a9b7cf666c2594f0d3d88.png)