Lumen Cloud Connect eLynk to Oracle FastConnect

Updated by Gavin Lai on Jan 27, 2022
Article Code: kb/1590

In this article:

Overview

The purpose of this document is to provide an end-to-end walk through for a customer setting up an eLynk to Oracle FastConnect for the first time via Lumen’s Cloud Connect. Information contained is provided to serve as a supplement to Oracle documentation linked throughout this document. Users should check the provided links to obtain the most up-to-date information and for more details pertaining to Oracle processes. This document is for Cloud Connect services connecting to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. (see diagram below).

cloudconnect-elynk-oracle

Audience

Users has ordered Lumen Cloud Connect to connect to their Oracle environment.

Prerequisites

Lumen Cloud Connect is ordered and access to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Portal with the right permission

What is Oracle FastConnect

Please refer to What is Oracle FastConnect knowledge article.

Lumen Cloud Connect eLynk to Oracle FastConnect

eLynk is a point to point Ehternet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) service connecting a customer location to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). The supported service ordered from Lumen is eLynk Cloud Connect service to Oracle and the service ordered from Oracle is FastConnect. This is referred as FastConnect with an Oracle Provider (partner) in Oracle documentation.

  • BGP is used to exchange routing information between Oracle and the customer premises network. BGP peering is between the customer premise equipment and the Oracle OCI environment.
  • Oracle assumes the customer already has connectivity between their premise location(s) and Lumen. The eLynk Cloud Connect service to Oracle will satisfy this assumption.
  • Lumen does not resell the Oracle FastConnect or OCI services. Customers must order FastConnect and OCI services directly from Oracle.
    There are two ways to connect to OCI, Private Virtual Circuit and Public Virtual Circuit.

Lumen Cloud Connect eLynk to Oracle FastConnect Private Virtual Circuit

cloudconnect-elynk-oracle-private
Source:Oracle Fast Connect OVerview

  • Customer must allocate IP addresses for the Private Virtual Circuit as required by Oracle.
  • Customer to allocate the Autonomous System Number (ASN) required by Oracle.
  • Customer must configure IP’s/ASN/BGP appropriately on their required layer 3 device at the premise and within their OCI environment via the Oracle Console.
  • BGP peering is between customer and Oracle. Lumen does not participate at layer 3 routing with this service type.

Lumen Cloud Connect eLynk to Oracle FastConnect Public Virtual Circuit

cloudconnect-elynk-oracle-public
Source:Oracle Fast Connect OVerview

  • eLynk Cloud Connect could be used to connect to Oracle Public Services as well by defining a Public Virtual Circuit in the Oracle Console.
  • For Public Peering customer is responsible for the following:
    • Any NAT configuration on the Customer Premises network/equipment.
    • Customer must have their own allocated/registered public IP Subnets that will be advertised via BGP peering. (note: Lumen does not assign public IP addresses to this layer 2 service)
    • Customer to obtain and provide public ASN number.
    • Oracle provides IP addresses to address the Public Virtual Circuit for BGP peers only.

Lumen Cloud Connect Roles and Responsibilities

Steps required to set up Orcalce FastConnect Connectivity End Customer Lumen Oracle
Set up connectivity to Oracle FastConnect location
Order Lumen Hosted Cloud Connect service(s) to OCI X
Create FastConnect Virtual Circuit via Oracle Console X
Provide the OCID to Lumen upon request X
Create eLynk Cloud Connect circuit per customer order X
Link the Cloud Connect to the customers OCID for FastConnect X
Update Virtual Circuit attributes via OCI Provider Portal X
Set up BGP peering between Lumen provided edge and Oracle edge device
Configure BGP Peering on Customer Layer 3 Device facing Oracle X
Configure Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) in the Oracle Console to allow subnets to forward traffic to the customer premises network via FastConnect X

Overview of procedures to configure Lumen Cloud Connect

  1. Customer requests Lumen Cloud Connect service
  2. Customer configures FastConnect in the Oracle Console
  3. Lumen provisions Cloud Connect to Oracle

Procedure to Configure Lumen Cloud Connect

Customer requests Lumen Cloud Connect service

  • To order Lumen Cloud Connect to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, contact your Lumen Account Representative
  • Information needed by Lumen to complete the connection:
    • Oracle service(s) you are connecting to:
      • Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) via a Private Virtual Circuit
      • Oracle Public Services like Object Storage via a Public Virtual Circuit
  • Determine the amount of bandwidth needed on the eLynk EVC to Oracle
    • Note: Maximum bandwidth per eLynk EVC is 3Gb.
    • Oracle sells either 10G or 1G virtual Circuits.
    • Oracle does not perform Rate limiting.
      • Example: If customer wants 3G of bandwidth they should order 10G port from Oracle, and 3G from Lumen.
    • Which Oracle Region and/or FastConnect location do you require connectivity to and if it is commercial or government.
  • What contractual term length is desired (1yr, 3yr, 5yr etc.)
  • Information needed by Lumen to complete the order/connection:
    • OCID (Oracle Cloud Identifier) (see below)
    • This is requested by the Lumen provisioning team once the order is submitted.
    • Customer obtains the OCID from the Oracle Console when the Virtual Circuit is created.

Creating the Oracle FastConnect to obtain an OCID

For latest information, please refer to FastConnect with an Oracle Provider, see summary below:
Customer performs the following tasks within the Oracle Console:

  • Log into OCI Console
  • Create a Virtual Cloud Network (VCN)*
  • Create a DRG and attach to VCN*
  • Create a FastConnect connection with the proper Virtual Circuit (private or public)
  • Enter Details
  • Document the Oracle Cloud ID (OCID) – Share this OCID with the Lumen Provisioning team upon their request
  • Update and Create a route rule to include customer premises subnets pointing to the DRG as the next hop
    Steps 2 and 3 are prerequisites for creating a FastConnect virtual circuit. Subsequent FastConnects can jump down to step 5.

Lumen provisions Cloud Connect to Oracle

  • Upon network order submission, Lumen will provision a Layer 2 eLynk Ethernet Virtual Circuit (EVC) to be terminated to the appropriate FastConnect location (Oracle Region) per the order.

  • Lumen will request the Oracle OCID from the customer to complete provisioning.

  • Upon completion of the provisioning, Lumen will provide the following information documenting what has been configured within the Oracle environment via the Oracle Provider Portal:

    • Order# / Circuit ID
    • Circuit ID in the “Reference Comment” field
    • The “Cross Connect Group or Cross Connect” details
    • The VLAN ID
    • Any scheduling information if a coordinated activation was requested
    • Instructions for contacting Lumen with questions or for any service activations issues

    Configuration of all required IP addressing and BGP routing on the customers layer 3 device at their premise location and within the Oracle Console will be the responsibility of the customer. The customer is also responsible for any/all NAT configurations required for Oracle public services.

    • On the Oracle Console, customer is able to see the state of the virtual circuit lifecycle state (provisioning or provisioned), the provider state (Active or Pending Provider), and the BGP state (Down).

Additional Oracle FastConnect and Lumen Cloud Connect Resources

Please refer to the What is Oracle FastConnect Knowledge Article and additional Lumen Cloud Connect to Oracle resources.
For further information on Lumen Cloud Connect, please refer to product readiness page

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