Networking Guide

The data centers in which Direct Connect is available provide a Meet Me Room. The Meet Me Room within
the data center provides an area where network service providers and telecommunications companies can
physically connect to one another and customers, and exchange data without incurring local loop fees.
VMware connects the vCloud Air infrastructure equipment to the Meet Me Room so that customers can
choose which network service providers to partner with for the connection from their customer premises to
the data center location.
Order Direct Connect to vCloud Air
Order a direct network connection by using My VMware to specify the connection options you require.
You order Direct Connect as an add-on SKU to your current Dedicated Cloud or Virtual Private Cloud
subscription. The length of your Direct Connect subscription co-terms with your current subscription; for
example, if you have ordered a 12 month Dedicated Cloud subscription and you have 6 months remaining
for your subscription, your Direct Connect order will remain in effect for the remaining 6 months.
You are billed for your Direct Connect subscription monthly and Direct Connect monthly charges do not
include the costs or charges from your network service provider providing the connection from your
customer equipment to the vCloud Air data center location. The monthly port connection fee from VMware
includes the data center cross connect fee; although additional circuit fees can vary by NSP.
NOTE Customers who have the Dedicated Cloud service can set up redundancy for their direct network
connection by ordering two or more SKUs from My VMware. Ordering two or more connections allows you
to have redundant connections from the same gateway for vCloud Air to your premises or colocation center.
To provide redundancy, order multiple Direct Connect connections of the same or different speeds to
terminate at the same gateway or different gateways; however, you cannot use one Direct Connect
connection to terminate at multiple virtual data centers or gateways.
Prerequisites
Before ordering Direct Connect, you must meet the following prerequisites:
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You have the Account Administrator privilege in vCloud Air.
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You have determined the vCloud Air location to connect to using Direct Connect.
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You have selected a connection partner who has a presence in the vCloud Air data center for which you
want to connect.
NOTE You have the option to choose a “Direct Connect with Cross Connect,” on page 44 connection or
a “Direct Connect for Network Exchange,” on page 45 connection.
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Your connection partner has completed their portion of the connection from your customer cage or
customer premises to the connection partner's terminating device in the data center. See Figure 5-1 for a
description of the connection between your customer equipment and the connection partner's
terminating device.
Procedure
1 Log into your My VMware portal with your email address or customer number for your My VMware
account and enter your password.
Or
Log into vCloud Air with your email address and password. From the Dashboard, click Purchase More
Resources under Related Links.
Your My VMware portal appears.
2 Navigate to the Subscription Services.
VMware vCloud Air Networking Guide
50 VMware, Inc.