Autonomous System Number (ASN)

An Autonomous System Number (ASN) uniquely identifies a network when it exchanges routing information over the internet. ASNs are used with Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), the routing protocol that allows networks to advertise IP prefixes and determine how traffic moves between providers and destinations.

In practical terms, an ASN tells external networks which routing domain originates or receives traffic. For customers ordering Internet Access with BGP, the ASN becomes a core part of the service configuration.

Why an ASN is required for Internet Access

Internet Access uses BGP when dynamic routing is needed between your network and Equinix. Because BGP requires an ASN on each side of a peering session, you must have an approved ASN before the Internet Access configuration can be completed. ASN options vary by deployment type. See ASN requirements and Local-AS support for details.

• If you want to use BGP with Internet Access, you must have an ASN.
• Use your own public ASN when your deployment supports customer-owned public ASNs and you want your network to maintain its own public routing identity.
• Use an Equinix-provided private ASN when required by your deployment type, or when you do not need your own public routing identity.
• Review the ASN requirements for your deployment before choosing an ASN option.

Private ASN versus Public ASN

The right option depends on how you plan to route your traffic and whether you need your own internet-facing routing identity.

Option	What it means	Typical use
Private ASN	An ASN used for private BGP relationships. It is not intended to identify your network as a public routing domain on the internet.	When you want a simpler setup and do not need to present your own ASN publicly.
Public ASN	An ASN registered to your organization through a Regional Internet Registry (RIR). It represents your network on the public internet.	When you want full routing control, public routing identity, or use cases such as multihoming.

Choosing an ASN

Equinix private ASN	Your own public ASN
For fastest and simplest onboarding path.	You already own a registered ASN.
You do not need your own ASN visible publicly.	You want your organization to keep its own routing identity.
You want Equinix to provide the ASN for the Internet Access connection.	You need more control over routing policy or internet presence.

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If your organization already uses a public ASN in production, onboarding that ASN can simplify routing and operational consistency. If you only need BGP for the Internet Access service and do not require a public identity, an Equinix private ASN is the simpler option.

Onboard your ASN

Before onboarding an ASN, make sure the following are in place:

• Access to the Customer Portal.
• Permission to manage or order Internet Access services.
• Decide whether to use your own public ASN or an Equinix private ASN.
• If using your own public ASN, you have access to the RIR record or internal ownership details needed to validate it.
• If using a customer public ASN with an Equinix-provided PA prefix, create the required IRR route/route6 objects that reference the customer ASN before advertising the prefix.
• If using customer-owned PI prefixes, ensure the required IRR route/route6 objects are in place. If you use RPKI, ensure the ROA authorizes the ASN that will originate the prefixes.
• Confirm that PA prefixes remain metro-bound and that PI prefixes can be announced from the selected metro or metros, as approved.

Option 1: Use Your Own Public ASN

Use this option if your organization already owns a public ASN and you want to use that ASN for the Internet Access service.

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To locate public ASN details, use the following methods to find the details of an existing public ASN:

1. Search using a public ASN lookup tool
   • Search by company name or public IP address.
   • The results will display your ASN and the RIR that manages it.
2. Log in to your RIR portal
   • If you already know your RIR, sign in to your registry account (ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, AFRINIC, or LACNIC) to view your assigned Internet resources.
3. Contact your network administrator or ISP
   • If your ASN is managed on your organization's behalf, they can provide your ASN and registration details.

1. Sign in to Customer Portal.

   • Go to ASN Registry tab in Equinix Internet Access.

   

2. Select Onboard Public ASN

3. Select a project to continue configuration.

   

4. Select the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) where your ASN is registered. This determines the geographic scope of ownership verification.

   

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   To identify the RIR that manages your ASN, use a public ASN lookup tool, such as RIPEstat or BGP.Tools, to search by ASN, company name, or public IP address. The results identify the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) that manages the ASN.

5. Enter your public ASN details exactly as registered to your organization.

   

6. Verify ASN ownership.

   • To confirm that your organization is authorized to use the public ASN, complete the ownership verification shown in the Customer Portal.
   • Follow the instructions for the selected RIR and provide the required verification details, such as the ASN registration information, organization name, and any confirmation token, authorization record, or registry/account evidence requested.
   • Ownership verification helps prevent an ASN from being onboarded by an organization that does not own or manage it.

   

7. Review and submit the onboarding request.

8. Wait for confirmation that the ASN is available for use with your Internet Access order.

   

9. Once approved, you can select the ASN during Internet Access service configuration.

   • If prompted, confirm that your organization owns the ASN or is authorized to use it.
   • Have the ASN number, organization ownership details, and any relevant registry or account information available before starting.

Option 2: Use an Equinix Private ASN

Use this option if you do not have your own public ASN or if you want Equinix to provide a private ASN for the Internet Access service.

1. Sign in to Customer Portal.

   • Go to ASN Registry tab in Equinix Internet Access.

   

2. Select Allocate Private ASN

3. Select a project to continue configuration.

   

4. Select the option to use an Equinix ASN.

5. Choose the metro location where the private ASN will be allocated. You are allowed to allocate up to 3 Private ASNs per Metro.

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   Manual metro provisioning: Some metros require manual upstream provider prefix advertisement authorization before the ASN can be fully provisioned for Internet Access. If you create a service in one of the metros that requires manual authorization, ASN provisioning may remain in a pending state until the regional team and upstream provider complete the required approval steps.

   

6. Select an ASN range.

   • Choose 16-bit (2-octet) if:

     • You require compatibility with legacy networking equipment.
     • Your BGP peers may not support 4-byte ASNs.
     • You are unsure which option to choose and require maximum compatibility.
     • Recommended for most customers with legacy environments.

   • Choose 32-bit (4-octet) if:

     • Your routers and BGP peers support 4-byte ASNs (RFC 6793).
     • You are deploying a modern network.
     • Your deployment requires a larger ASN pool.
     • Recommended for modern deployments where all networking equipment supports 4-byte ASNs.

   

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   If you're unsure whether your network supports 4-byte ASNs, check with your network administrator or choose 16-bit for maximum compatibility.

7. Wait for confirmation that the private ASN has been assigned.

   

8. After assignment, the Equinix-provided ASN can be used to complete your Internet Access setup.

   • Private ASN can also be assigned during the Internet Access ordering flow:

   

Configure Internet Access With An Onboarded ASN

Once the ASN is available, you can configure Internet Access using BGP. See Ordering Internet Access.

During the order, you will associate the ASN with the service so routing can be established between your network and Equinix.

If you onboard your own public ASN, make sure the information entered during Internet Access configuration matches the details approved during ASN onboarding. If you use an Equinix private ASN, enter the assigned ASN exactly as provided.

Managing ASN

You can view the details of your ASN in the ASN inventory. To open the details page, find the ASN you want to review and select View Details.

In the ASN details, you can see the ASN status:

• Pending — the ASN request is being processed. The ASN is not ready for use yet.
• Attached — the ASN is associated with an Internet Access service or order.
• Provisioned — the ASN has been successfully onboarded or allocated and is available for use with your Internet Access service.
• Provisioning Failed — the ASN could not be provisioned. Review the ASN details and open an Equinix Support case if the issue cannot be resolved.
• Deprovisioned — the ASN has been removed from active use and is no longer available for new Internet Access configurations.

Unused ASNs can be deleted from the ASN inventory.

Troubleshooting

If you have issues during ASN onboarding or are unsure which option to choose, contact Customer Support.

Issue	Likely cause	What to do
Public ASN onboarding fails or remains pending	The ASN ownership details entered in the portal do not match the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) record, or your organization has not completed the required ownership verification.	Confirm the ASN number, organization name, and RIR details in ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, AFRINIC, or LACNIC. Re-submit the ASN with matching details. If the details are correct but validation still fails, open a Support Case with evidence that your organization owns or is authorized to use the ASN.
Advertised prefixes are not accepted	Required IRR route/route6 objects are missing or do not authorize the ASN to originate the advertised prefixes, or an existing RPKI ROA is invalid.	Create or update the required IRR objects before advertising. If an RPKI ROA exists, make sure it authorizes the originating ASN and prefix; a ROA is recommended but not required. For customer-owned PI prefixes, make sure the ASN is authorized to originate the prefix. For Equinix-provided PA prefixes used with a customer public ASN, create the required IRR route objects referencing the customer ASN.
ASN provisioning remains pending for manual metros	The selected metro requires manual upstream provider prefix advertisement authorization before the ASN can be fully provisioned for the Internet Access service.	Wait for the regional team and upstream provider to complete the required manual authorization. If the ASN remains pending longer than expected, open a Support Case.
The selected ASN is not supported for the chosen Internet Access deployment	The selected Internet Access deployment type does not support the ASN option used in the order.	Review the ASN requirements for the selected deployment. Depending on the deployment type, you may need to use an Equinix-provided private ASN, or you may be able to use a customer-owned public ASN with the required IRR/RPKI configuration.
Private ASN allocation limit is reached	The maximum number of private ASNs has already been allocated for the selected metro.	Review the ASN inventory for the selected metro. Delete unused private ASNs from the three-dot menu to free allocation capacity, or select a different metro if appropriate.
BGP peer does not accept the assigned ASN	The customer router or peer device may not support 32-bit (4-octet) ASNs, or the router configuration does not match the ASN assigned in the portal.	Check whether the network equipment supports 4-byte ASNs. If compatibility is uncertain, choose a 16-bit private ASN where available. Verify that the local and peer ASN values on the customer router match the Internet Access configuration.
Onboarded ASN is not visible during Internet Access ordering	The ASN is not yet provisioned, or it was onboarded under a different project or account scope.	Go to the ASN Registry and confirm the ASN status is Provisioned. Also confirm that the Internet Access order is being created under the same project used for ASN onboarding.
BGP session stays in Idle or Active state	The local ASN, peer ASN, neighbor IP, or other BGP parameters on the customer router do not match the approved Internet Access configuration.	Compare the customer router configuration with the values shown in the Customer Portal. Correct the ASN and neighbor settings, then re-check the BGP session state. If the session still does not establish, collect router logs and open a Support Case.

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For help, contact Customer Support or your Equinix account team for onboarding assistance.

Understanding ASN requirements

If your Internet Access service uses BGP, you must configure an Autonomous System Number (ASN). You can either onboard your own public ASN or use an Equinix-provided private ASN.

A public ASN represents your organization's routing identity on the public internet and is typically used when you want full control over routing policies or already operate a public network. A private ASN is intended for private BGP relationships and does not provide a public routing identity. If you do not have a public ASN, you can use an Equinix-provided private ASN during onboarding.

Choosing between a public ASN or private ASN depends on your routing requirements, operational model, and whether you need your own public routing identity.

After an ASN is onboarded and verified, you can use the same ASN for multiple Internet Access connections within the metro, provided each service is configured with the appropriate BGP settings.

After an Internet Access service is provisioned and active, the ASN becomes part of the service's BGP configuration and cannot be changed in place. If you need to use a different ASN, contact Equinix Support or your Equinix account team to discuss available migration options.