AWS Direct Connect

Skip the guesswork and stand up a predictable link to AWS with a clear sequence. Start by choosing a Direct Connect location near your data center or colocation site and pick a port speed that matches your traffic profile (1/10/100 Gbps). Request the connection in the AWS console to obtain the LOA-CFA, then hand it to your colocation provider to install the cross-connect. When the light turns up, create your virtual interfaces, assign 802.1Q tags, and bring up BGP with the AWS side using your chosen ASN and IPs. The console lets you download vendor-ready router snippets (Cisco, Juniper, Arista, etc.) so you can paste configs, set MD5 keys, and verify routes fast. If you need more capacity, build a LAG and add ports without changing your design.

For private workloads in your VPCs, attach a Private VIF to a Direct Connect gateway, then associate it with a Virtual Private Gateway or Transit Gateway. This pattern scales cleanly across multiple accounts and regions without extra tunnels. Segment traffic by creating separate VIFs per environment (prod, staging) and manage route advertisement with TGW/VGW propagation and filtering. Design for resilience by placing two independent connections in different facilities or meet-me rooms; let BGP handle failover, and keep a Site-to-Site VPN as a backup path if you need encryption or an additional safety net. Use CloudWatch and the console to watch link state, BGP status, and traffic, and create alarms to catch drift or saturation before it bites. more