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Megaport ONE Documentation
Google MCR Connections

Creating MCR Connections to Google Cloud Services

Megaport ONE makes it easy to provision fast, secure, and private connections between a customer’s data center and Google Cloud Platform.

Partner Interconnect

Partner Interconnect accesses the private address space (RFC 1918).

As part of the Google Cloud Interconnect (GCI) Partner program, Megaport ONE provides users with dedicated access to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and enables customers to create private connections between their remote network environments and their Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) deployments.

The benefits of creating GCI Partner Connections with Megaport ONE include:

  • Enhanced security and higher network performance
  • Connectivity reach beyond Google’s existing network locations
  • Scalable connectivity for those who do not require the full bandwidth of Google’s Dedicated Interconnect
  • Savings on egress traffic costs from the customer’s VPC network to their on-premises network
  • API integration between Megaport ONE and Google Cloud which simplifies the provisioning of connections for a fast and seamless experience
  • Layer 3 routing capabilities without having a physical router located in a data center

When connecting to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) through Partner Interconnect with Megaport ONE, the Virtual Cross Connect (VXC) forms the Layer 2 component of the connection and Layer 3 BGP is established directly between the customer and GCP. Through Partner Interconnect, a customer can access VMs (Virtual Machines) built within a VPC.

Creating a VXC to the Google Cloud Platform

Before you begin, create a Megaport Cloud Router (MCR). If you don’t have an MCR, create one following the procedures in Creating an MCR.

To deploy a VXC to Google Cloud Platform

  1. Log in to your Google Cloud Console and create a pairing key.

  2. From the main menu in the Console, select Hybrid Connectivity > Interconnect.
    Google interconnect

  3. Click Get Started.

  4. Select Partner Interconnect and click Continue.
    Partner interconnect

  5. Click I already have a service provider.
    Service provider interconnect

  6. Configure your attachment. Provide these attachment details:

    • Redundancy – Select a redundancy option. You can create redundant attachments or a single attachment. For details on redundancy, see Diversity in Google Connections.

    • Network – Select the VPC network you want the VPC to connect.

    • Region – Select the region where your attachment will connect.

    • Cloud Router – Select a Cloud Router to associate with this attachment. You can only select a Cloud Router in the VPC network and region that you selected with an ASN of 16550. If you don’t have an existing Cloud Router, create one with an ASN of 16550. For redundancy, each VLAN attachment must be associated with a unique Cloud Router. Google automatically adds an interface and a BGP peer on the Cloud Router.

    • VLAN attachment name – Enter the VLAN attachment name using lowercase letters only.

    • Description (optional) – Enter a description for the attachment.

    • Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) – To use a 1500-byte MTU, the VPC network using the attachment must have an MTU set to 1500. In addition, the on-premises VMs and routers must have an MTU set to 1500. If your network has the default MTU of 1460, leave the field at 1440.
      Service provider interconnect

  7. Click Create.
    A pairing key appears.

  8. Copy the pairing key and click OK.
    Google pairing key

To create a VXC to Google Cloud in the Megaport ONE Portal

  1. In the Megaport ONE Portal, choose Networking > Services.
  2. Select the MCR you want to use.
  3. Click Actions and choose Add Connection.
  4. Choose Cloud Virtual Cross Connect as the Connection Type.
  5. Specify Google Cloud as the Cloud Provider.

  6. Specify the Google Configuration details:

    • Google Partner Pairing Key – Copy the pairing key from the Google Cloud console and paste it here.
      The relevant Google targets appear in the Google Locations drop-down list based on the region of your GCI Partner connection.
    • Available Google Ports – Choose your chosen target location for your first connection. Google Configuration details

  7. Specify these VXC Configuration details:

    • Connection Name – Enter an easily identifiable name for this connection.
    • Rate Limit – Choose the same rate you selected for your Google port speed.
      VXC Configuration details

  8. Specify the Billing Details:

    • Service Level Reference (optional) – Specify a unique identifying number for the VXC to be used for billing purposes, such as a cost center number or a unique customer ID. The service level reference number appears for each service under the Product section of the invoice. You can also edit this field for an existing service.

      Note

      Partner-managed accounts can apply a Partner Deal to a service.

    • Promo Code – If you have a promo code, enter it and click Add Code.

  9. Click Create Connection.

  10. Review the connection details and click Confirm to deploy the connection.
    The Megaport system takes about five minutes to deploy and configure the required peering types.

After placing the order, wait a few minutes until the VXC status changes from a red dot to green. Green indicates Layer 2 connectivity has been established.
Layer 2 connectivity

This completes your Layer 2 VXC deployment.

After the VXC is established in the Megaport ONE Portal, you need to accept the attachment in the Google Cloud Console and configure BGP. Google provides you with a private IP address to configure BGP.

Note

The Google ASN will always be 16550.

For details, see the Google documentation on Google Partner Interconnects.

To activate and accept the connection

  1. In the Google Console, return to the attachment you just created. The attachment status should be Activation needed. If the status shows Pending partner, refresh your screen or wait a couple of minutes until it changes to Activation needed.

  2. Click Activate.
    Google asks you to accept the connection.

  3. Click Accept and wait about a minute.
    The status updates to BGP configuration needed.

To configure BGP

  1. In the Google Console, click Configure BGP.
    Configure BGP

  2. By default, the ASN assigned to the MCR is 133937. Leave the default peer ASN or enter a private ASN. Assign an MCR peer

  3. Click Save and Continue.

Wait a few minutes for the BGP peer to establish and then verify the BGP configuration.

To verify the BGP configuration

  1. In the Megaport ONE Portal, select the VXC.

  2. Select the A-End Configuration tab.

The BGP State for the VXC should be Enabled.

  1. Select the B-End Configuration tab and verify the BGP State.

  2. In the Google Cloud Console, view the VLAN attachment. The status should be BGP Up.

For details, see the Google documentation on Viewing Router Status and Advertised Routes.

Last update: 2023-05-16