Glossary
This help topic defines terminology related to the Megaport network and services.
802.1Q
IEEE 802.1Q is the networking standard that supports virtual LANs (VLANs) on an Ethernet network. The standard defines a system of VLAN tagging for Ethernet frames and the accompanying procedures to be used by bridges and switches in handling such frames. Also informally known as dot1q.
A-End
The start of the connection of the Port, MCR, or MVE.
Megaport connections need an A-End and a B-End. The connection starts with an A-End. Most often, the Port is the A-End. The B-End is the other end of the connection. It can be a Port, an Internet Exchange, a Marketplace connection, or a cloud service provider. See also B-End.
application program interface (API)
Application program interface (API) is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. An API specifies how software components should interact and APIs are used when programming graphical user interface (GUI) components. The Megaport API allows customers and partners to integrate directly into our platform for automation and service creation. See dev.megaport.com.
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) routing table contains a list of MAC address (Layer 2) to IP address (Layer 3) mappings.
autonomous mode
Autonomous mode is when wireless access points (AP) are configured to be standalone. They have no knowledge of other APs and must be managed individually or with a management platform such as Cisco DNA Center or Cisco Prime Infrastructure.
autonomous system (AS)
An autonomous system (AS) is a collection of connected Internet Protocol (IP) routing prefixes under the control of one or more network operators on behalf of a single administrative entity or domain.
autonomous system number (ASN)
ASN refers to autonomous system number and is a unique numerical ID allocated to each AS for use in BGP routing.
ASN Path Prepend
The number of times to add the local ASN to the BGP path to prioritize route advertisements. The ASN path length determines the route advertisement priority for outgoing BGP paths. The route with the shortest AS path has the highest preference, and it wins over any longer path advertisements. AS path prepending lengthens the path to lower the path priority. For example, 2 prepends the ASN to the existing AS path twice, creating an AS path length of 3.
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a secure cloud services platform, offering compute power, database storage, content delivery and other functionality to help businesses scale and grow.
AWS outposts
Amazon Web Services (AWS) provide fully managed on-premise services that run native AWS services. The outposts are hardware racks provided by AWS.
AWS outposts rack
An Amazon Web Services (AWS) outposts rack is an industry standard 42U rack. The rack contains switches, a network patch panel, a power shelf, and blank panels.
Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX)
AMX-IX is an internet exchange based in Amsterdam. See Internet Exchange (IX) for information about internet exchanges.
AWS Direct Connect
AWS (Amazon Web Services) Direct Connect is a network service that allows customers to establish a dedicated network connection between one of Amazon’s Direct Connect locations and the customer’s data center or colocation environment. Megaport is an AWS Direct Connect partner.
Azure
Azure is a Microsoft service. It is an open, flexible, enterprise-grade cloud computing platform accessed via Microsoft’s ExpressRoute service.
B-End
A Port, MCR, or MVE establishes the A-End of the connection and the B-End is the other end. The B-End can be a Port for a private VXC, an Internet Exchange, a Marketplace connection, or a cloud service provider.
Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)
The BFD protocol detects path failure between directly connected border gateway protocol (BGP) peers, allowing for a faster BGP routing re-convergence time. Enabling BFD on a Virtual Cross Connect (VXC) connection provides fast link failure detection and failover when connecting to services that support BFD on the remote peer.
billing market
When creating billing information for a customer, you must define their billing market. This is the market in which they operate and in which they will be billed. A customer may have more than one billing market.
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
BGP is a standardized routing protocol designed to exchange route and reachability information among autonomous systems (AS) on the internet.
BGP communities
BGP communities are a group of destinations that share a common property. The format is: As-number:community-value For example, 65534:100.
See also autonomous system (AS), autonomous system number (ASN) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
child tenant account
Child tenant customers work with a root tenant, or partner account. Child tenant accounts are also called managed accounts.
See also root tenant account.
classless inter-domain routing (CIDR)
Classless inter-domain routing (CIDR) is a method for allocating IP addresses and for IP routing. The Internet Engineering Task Force introduced CIDR in 1993 to replace the previous classful network addressing architecture on the Internet. Its goal was to slow the growth of routing tables on routers across the Internet, and to help slow the rapid exhaustion of IPv4 addresses.
See also IPv4.
cloud computing
A general term for the delivery of hosted services over the internet.
cloud onramp
Cloud onramps provide organizations with a consistent method to quickly and securely connect to the cloud.
colo
Abbreviation for co-location. The renting of space for housing computer equipment, usually in buildings specially designed to support a high density of computers and network connections, often called data centers, but also known as tele-houses or carrier hotel facilities.
container
A container is a package that contains all the elements required for your software to run. Containers are like a virtual operating system that allows your application to be run on any operating system.
container registry
A container registry is a repository, or collection of repositories, that are used to store and access container images. Container registries support container-based application development, often as part of DevOps processes. Container registries can connect directly to container orchestration platforms like Docker and Kubernetes.
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A content delivery network (CDN) is a system of distributed servers (network) that deliver webpages and other web content to a user based on the geographic locations of the user, the origin of the webpage and a content delivery server. Examples: Akamai, Cloudflare.
cloud service provider (CSP)
An organization that offers one or more components of cloud computing to businesses or individuals. Typical cloud services are Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), or Platform as a Service (PaaS).
CRC
Cyclic redundancy check. A type of error detection code used to detect transmission errors in data.
data center (DC)
A large group of networked computer servers typically used by organizations for remote storage, processing, or distribution of large amounts of data.
dark fiber (DF)
Dark fiber (DF) is optical fiber infrastructure that is not in use. It is considered as capacity that has been laid in addition to that required at the initial time of service provisioning for expansion, growth, or resale. It is no longer considered dark once signals are traversing it (lit).
demarc
The demarcation point (often abbreviated to demarc and also known as a network boundary point) is the physical point at which the Megaport network ends and the customer network begins. Generally, this is a floor/rack/port assignment for an optical port.
See also Letter of Authorization (LOA) for more details.
direct customer
Any direct Megaport customer that is not a member of the Megaport PartnerVantage program.
Domain Name System (DNS)
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical decentralized naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities.
dot1q
IEEE 802.1Q is the networking standard that supports virtual LANs (VLANs) on an Ethernet network. The standard defines a system of VLAN tagging for Ethernet frames and the accompanying procedures to be used by bridges and switches in handling such frames.
Direct Connect (DX)
A method to access Amazon Web Services (AWS) public/private peering.
dynamic routing gateway (DRG)
A dynamic routing gateway (DRG) acts as a virtual router between on-premise networks and virtual cloud networks (VCN).
elastic interconnection
A term that defines a connection that provides businesses the flexibility to vary connectivity service requirements based on demand. Megaport customers can provision an elastic interconnection for as short as a day or as long as they need, with speeds ranging from 1 Mbps to 10 Gbps.
endpoint
One end of an API communication channel that specifies the URI or URL of a server or service where you can access the resource. Includes any internet-enabled remote computing device that communicates with a TCP/IP network.
Enterprise customer
Enterprise customers work directly with Megaport ONE to set up their account and configure and manage services. Enterprise accounts are also called direct accounts.
ethernet local management interface (E-LMI)
An Ethernet layer operation, administration, and management (OAM) protocol defined by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) for Carrier Ethernet networks. It provides information that enables auto configuration of customer edge (CE) devices.
ExpressRoute (ER)
An Azure cloud integration option used to extend on-premises networks into the Microsoft cloud over a dedicated private connection. Megaport is a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute partner.
Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL)
EVPL allows for service multiplexing at the UNI (unlike EPL). This capability allows more than one EVC to be supported at the UNI where the EPL does not allow this. Second, an EVPL need not provide as much transparency of Service Frames as with an EPL (Definition: MEF).
fully qualified domain name (FQDN)
The complete domain name for a specific computer, or host, on the internet.
fast reroute (FRR)
A MPLS and IP resiliency technology to provide fast traffic recovery upon link or router failures for mission critical services. Upon any single link or node failures it is possible to recover impacted traffic in the order of tens of milliseconds.
generic attribute registration protocol (GARP)
A generic protocol used to exchange attribute information between two entities.
Google Cloud Interconnect (GCI)
Previously Google Carrier Interconnect.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
A suite of cloud computing services offered by Google.
Global Services Agreement (GSA)
See also Service Level Agreement (SLA) which is a component of the GSA.
Helm Chart
Helm is an application package manager that describes the structure of an application in a packaging format called charts. A Helm chart contains a bundle of the YAML configuration files needed to run an application, including dependencies and libraries.
high availability (HA)
When referencing computer systems, high availability means the ability to remain ‘on’ and functional for long periods of time without unshceduled down time.
hosted connection
Hosted connections are sourced from an AWS Direct Connect Partner that has a network link between themselves and AWS.
hybrid cloud
A cloud computing environment that uses a mix of on-premises, private cloud, and third-party public cloud services with orchestration between the two platforms.
indirect customer
Any Megaport customer that is managed by a member of the Megaport PartnerVantage program. Indirect customers work with partners to set up accounts, order services, and obtain billing and support.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Online services that abstract the user from the details of infrastructure, such as: physical computing resources, location, data partitioning, scaling, security, and backup. According to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), IaaS is the most basic cloud-service model for providers offering cloud computing infrastructure.
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
An organization that develops and promotes voluntary internet standards, in particular the standards that comprise the internet protocol suite (TCP/IP). IETF has no formal membership or membership requirements. All participants and managers are volunteers with their work usually funded by their employers or other sponsors.
Internet Protocol (IP)
The internet protocol is a set of rules that governs how data is sent over the internet. It directs information and breaks down large amounts of data into smaller packets.
Internet Protocol Security (IPsec)
A protocol suite for secure Internet Protocol (IP) communications that works by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet of a communication session.
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)
IPv4 is the fourth version of the Internet Protocol. IPv4 uses 32-bit Internet addresses.
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
IPv6 is the sixth version of the Internet Protocol. IPv6 uses 128-bit Internet addresses.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
A set of practices for IT Service Management (ITSM).
Internet Exchange (IX)
An Internet Exchange (known as IX or IXP for a given Internet Exchange point) is a physical infrastructure through which internet service providers (ISPs) and content delivery networks (CDNs) exchange internet traffic between their networks (autonomous systems). MegaIX is the Megaport IX product, and AMS-IX is the partner IX product offered in some geographies.
IX telemetry
IX Flow Telemetry is a generic industry term used for technology that allows measurement of network traffic between peers by user.
jitter
A variation in packet transit delay (RTT/RTD/PTD, latency) caused by queuing, contention and serialization effects on a path through the network.
Kubernetes
An open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
Kubernetes Cluster
A set of nodes that run containerized applications. A cluster contains a control plane and one or more compute machines, or nodes. The control plane is responsible for maintaining the desired state of the cluster, such as which applications are running and which container images they use. Nodes actually run the applications and workloads.
Layer 1 (L1)
Layer 1 of the OSI model conveys the bit stream (electrical impulse, light or radio signal) through the network at the electrical and mechanical level. It provides the hardware means of sending and receiving data on a carrier, including defining cables, cards, and physical aspects. A fiber optic cable/SFP terminations would be considered Layer 1, as well as the physical Port.
Layer 2 (L2)
Layer 2 of the OSI model is the data link layer. This provides node-to-node data transfer (a link between two directly connected nodes). Most Megaport Virtual Cross Connects (VXCs) operate at this layer. Layer 2 is divided into Media Access Control (MAC) layer (controls how devices in a network gain access to medium and permission to transmit), and Logical Link Control (LLC) layer (responsible for identifying network layer protocols and then encapsulating them and controls error checking and frame synchronization).
Layer 3 (L3)
Layer 3 of the OSI model is the network layer. It translates logical network address into physical machine address (IP addressing). Layer 3 routers analyze traffic based on address details and forward appropriately, requiring knowledge of the details generally exchanged in BGP sessions for routing table exchanges.
Letter of Authorization (LOA)
A document that customers need to present to their data center provider to establish the physical cross-connect from their data center services to their Port. The LOA is provided via the Megaport ONE Portal when a customer provisions a new Port.
link aggregation control protocol (LACP)
When you order a new Port that is 10 Gbps or higher, enabling the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) allows you to use it in a link aggregation group (LAG). We recommend that you enable LACP even if you only require a single Port at that time. This prevents service interruption if later you decide to enable LACP on the Port.
link aggregation group (LAG)
A LAG bundles physical ports to create a single data path, where the traffic load is distributed among the ports to increase overall connection reliability. This feature provides aggregate bandwidth, enhanced resiliency, and efficient use of resources. Other terms used to describe a LAG include port trunking, link bundling, and channel bonding.
link OAM
IEEE 802.3ah standard for the Operation, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) of Ethernet in access networks. The standard defines OAM link fault management (LFM). Ethernet OAM provides the tools that network management software and network managers can use to determine how a network of Ethernet links is functioning.
Looking Glass
The Megaport Cloud Router (MCR) Looking Glass provides single-screen visibility into traffic routing. This visibility helps you troubleshoot connections by showing the status of protocols and routing tables in the MCR.
LR
An optical interface standard for a small form-factor pluggable (SFP) that can deliver 10 Gbps over roughly 10km. Megaport’s standard for delivery of 10 Gbps ports. See LX for the 1 Gbps equivalent. Uses 1310nm wavelength.
label-switched path (LSP)
A path through an Multi-protocol Label Switching(MPLS) network.
See also Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
LX
An optical interface standard for a small form-factor pluggable (SFP) that can deliver 1 Gbps over roughly 10km. Megaport’s standard for delivery of 1 Gbps ports. See LR for the 10 Gbps equivalent. Uses 1310nm wavelength.
managed account
An account that receives Megaport services and support through a Megaport partner. The partner can customize the features in the Megaport ONE Portal to limit visibility and features for a managed account.
Maximum Ethernet Frame Size (MTU)
The maximum ethernet frame size, or Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU), is a measurement in bytes of the largest data packet a device can accept over an internet connection.
MD5
Sometimes known as an MD5 hash or BGP key. The MD5 algorithm is a widely used cryptographic function producing a string of 32 hexadecimal digits. This is used as a password or key between routers exchanging BGP information.
media access control (MAC) address
A unique 12 digit alphanumeric attribute used to identify a device on a network.
media access control (MAC) layer
The layer that controls access to the physical layer in local networks.
MEGAIX
MEGAIX Megaport’s internet exchange. See Megaport Internet Exchange for more information.
Megaport Cloud Router (MCR)
A managed virtual router service that establishes Layer 3 connectivity on the Megaport software-defined network (SDN).
Megaport Software-Designed Network (SDN)
Megaport’s neutral, software-defined network based global network comprising of cloud service providers, network service providers, and data center operators, accessed via the Megaport ONE Portal or API.
Megaport Virtual Edge (MVE)
Megaport Virtual Edge (MVE) is an on-demand, vendor-neutral Network Function Virtualization (NFV) service that enables branch-to-cloud connectivity on Megaport’s global software-defined network (SDN). MVE provides the edge-computing framework that hosts partner SD-WAN technology directly on Megaport’s global SDN. An MVE does not require a Port, but you can connect to one as needed.
Megaport Points of Presence (PoP)
Megaport has equipment in many data centres to which customers can connect. Installed Megaport equipment in a data centre indicates a Megaport point of presence.
meet-me room (MMR)
A place within a data center, colocation center, or carrier hotel, where telecommunications companies can physically connect to one another and exchange data without incurring local loop fees. Services provided across connections in an MMR can be voice circuits, data circuits, or internet protocol.
Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute
Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute lets customers extend their on-premises networks into the Microsoft cloud over a dedicated private connection. Megaport is a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute partner.
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
A type of data-carrying technique for high-performance telecommunications networks that directs data from one network node to the next based on short path labels rather than long network addresses, avoiding complex lookups in a routing table.
multicloud
The use of multiple cloud computing services in a single heterogeneous architecture. For example, an enterprise might use multiple cloud providers for infrastructure (IaaS) and software (SaaS) services. One of Megaport core value propositions is enabling multi-cloud connectivity.
multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires multiple steps to achieve sign-in to a system. The steps are usually a user-id and password, plus a one-time code, or biometric authentication.
Multiple Exit Discriminator (MED)
A Multiple Exit Discriminator (MED) is a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) path attribute that can influence a BGP peer to take a preferred route when the advertising autonomous system (AS) is the same for candidate routes and there are multiple entry points for that AS. A lower MED metric is preferred over a higher metric. MED is used by Megaport Cloud Router (MCR) and is enabled on a Virtual Cross Connect (VXC) connection. For details on setting the MED, see Configuring a preferred route.
multiple spanning tree protocol (MSTP)
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) is an algorithm that enables full connectivity to any Virtual LAN (VLAN) across an Integrated Area Network.
net neutrality
The principle that Megaport enables access to all service providers without favoring or blocking others.
network address translation (NAT)
Network Address Translation (NAT) is generally used for public and private NAT or inter-customer isolation. You can configure NAT for static or dynamic routing. For more information see How the MCR Performs NAT.
network access control (NAC)
A network security approach that tries to inify endpoint security technology, authentication, and network security enforcement.
network boundary point
See demarc
network-to-network interface (NNI)
An interface between two networks. Technically used as distinct from UNI to define an interface between provider networks but sometimes used interchangeably between provider and customer network handoffs.
next hop
The IP address of an adjacent router, or hop, in the remote network to which a packet will be sent.
onboarding letter
Each customer is provided with an onboarding letter. It provides information, such as Megaport’s company details and back account information, that enables the customer to set Megaport up as a vendor in their system.
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
A model that characterizes and standardizes the communication functions of a telecommunication or computing system. Most Megaport products are Layer 2 (or L2) with some of the OSI constructs pushing into Layer 3 (L3) where IP addressing information is exchanged, known as an L2/L3 service.
Oracle FastConnect
Oracle FastConnect allows customers to connect directly to their Oracle Cloud infrastructure using dedicated, private, high-bandwidth connections.
overlay network
A virtual network of nodes and logical links that are built on top of an existing network. The overlay network augments the underlay and provides traffic orchestration and the ability to enable business and security policies through a management console. The management console also provides visibility into the network.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Platform as a Service vendors offer a development environment to application developers. The provider typically develops toolkit and standards for development and channels for distribution and payment. In the PaaS models, cloud providers deliver a computing platform, typically including operating system, programming-language execution environment, database, and web server without the need to manage any of the underlying operating system or host architecture.
partner account
An account that directly manages the Megaport services, support, and billing for other accounts. The partner can customize the features in the Megaport ONE Portal to limit visibility and features for a managed account.
PartnerVantage
The Megaport Partner program.
peering
A process by which two internet networks connect and exchange traffic. This allows these two internet networks to directly exchange traffic between each other’s customers, without having to pay a third party to carry that traffic across the internet.
PLR
Packet loss rate/packet loss ratio.
Port
A Port is the high-speed Ethernet interface that connects to Megaport’s global software-defined network (SDN). Bandwidth options between Ports range from 1 Mbps to 10 Gbps. 100 Gbps is available in some locations.
port-based network acces control (PNAC)
Part of the IEEE 802.1 group of networking protocols which provide an authentication mechanism to devices that want to attach to a LAN or a WAN.
Port Diversity
Port diversity improves the robustness of your network by providing Port services on different physical devices at a single Megaport location. Ports are assigned to diversity zones. A diversity zone groups devices at the same location to ensure that services are provisioned on physically separate devices that always remain diverse.
Prefix filter
A prefix filter is a named list of IP networks. Each entry consists of an IPv4 or IPv6 classless inter-domain routing (CIDR) prefix or range of prefixes that you define and manage. A CIDR range means that you can filter several networks using a single routing entry. A prefix filter list can be applied to a BGP connection to selectively identify routes to advertise or receive from neighboring routers.
See also classless inter-domain routing (CIDR)
provider edge (PE) router
A router between one network service provider’s area and areas administered by other network providers.
PTD
Packet transfer delay (one-way latency measure).
Q-in-Q
802.1Q tunneling (also known as Q-in-Q or 802.1ad) is a technique used by OSI Layer 2 providers for customers. 802.1ad provides for both an inner and an outer tag whereby the outer (sometimes called S-tag for service provider) can be removed to expose the inner (C-tag or customer) tags that segment the data.
Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI)
RPKI is a public key infrastructure designed to secure the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). It provides proof of authority to use a given internet resource.
risers
Shafts through which cable baskets are routed. Also known as verticals, because they are usually vertical.
route server (RS)
A route server provides a mechanism for the establishment of BGP routing exchanges in an Internet Exchange (IX or IXP). It simplifies the process of maintaining many peering partners across a fabric and also contributes to the network visibility and manageability. Route servers are generally deployed in pairs to allow for maintenance windows and general redundancy to support IX stability. Some offer a Looking Glass (LG) functionality to view which peers maintain which routes and allow troubleshooting on network routing choices.
root tenant account
A root tenant account centralizes the control and management of multiple child tenant organizations through one Portal. Root tenant administrators can view top-level data for their child tenant customers and provision and manage services for any child tenant organization they administer.
RTT
Round-trip time (RTT) is the length of time taken by a data packet to be sent to a destination, including the time it takes for an acknowledgment of that packet to be received back at the origin time. Also known as ping time.
rack units (RU)
A unit of measurement mainly used to describe the height of rack-mounted computer equipment (especially servers and routers) and the racks into which they are fitted. One RU is 1.75 inches or 4.445 centimeters. For example, 42RU indicates a 1.87m height cabinet.
rapid spanning tree protocol (RSTP)
Rapid spanning tree protocol (RSTP) is an enhanced version of spanning tree protocol (STP). It adds faster convergence time, enhanced network stability and reduced downtime.
See also spanning tree protocol (STP).
Secure Shell (SSH)
The Secure Shell (SSH) protocol is a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network. This allows computers to securely communicate and share data. The most notable applications of SSH are remote login and command-line execution. SSH applications are based on a client–server architecture, connecting an SSH client instance with an SSH server. SSH relies on the use of two related keys - a public key and a a private key. Together they create a key pair which is used as the secure access credential.
secure software service edge (SASE)
A security framework combining security and network connectivity technologies into a single cloud-delivered platform to enable secure and fast cloud transformation.
service-level agreement (SLA)
Part of a standardized service contract where a service is formally defined. Particular aspects of the service scope, quality, and responsibilities are agreed between the service provider and the service user. Referred to as the GSA in Megaport terms (Global Services Agreement).
Service Level Reference
A unique identifying number for the Megaport Virtual Edge (MVE) used for billing purposes.
Service Key
A code that is given by one Megaport ONE account holder to another to connect two separate businesses together. Customers who have separate Megaport ONE accounts can connect their Ports to each other across the Megaport network, enabling business-to-business VXCs.
single-mode optical fiber (SMOF)
A fiber cable with only one mode of propagation: a single wavelength of light in the fiber core. Multi-mode optical fiber (MMOF) is less expensive but can only run shorter distances without signal degradation.
single sign-on (SSO)
Single sign-on (SSO) is a service that allows a user to use one set of credentials to sign on to many different applications and services.
Snowflake
Snowflake is a cloud data warehouse that can store and analyze all your data records in one place.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
In the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, cloud providers manage the infrastructure and platforms that run the applications and users gain access to client application software. SaaS is sometimes referred to as “on-demand software” and is usually priced on a pay-per-use basis or using a subscription fee.
software-defined cloud interconnect (SDCI)
Software-defined cloud interconnects (SDCI) provide private network connectivity between enterprises and public cloud service providers (CSP).
software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN)
A software approach to managing wide area networks.
spanning tree protocol (STP)
A network protocol used to prevent looping in network topology.
See also Rapid spanning tree protocol.
Tenant
An account that receives Megaport ONE services and support through a Megaport ONE partner, or root tenant. The partner can customize the features in the Megaport ONE Portal to limit visibility and features for a tenant account.
See also Child tenant account.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
A set of rules/protocols governing communications among all devices on the internet. More specifically, TCP/IP dictates how information should be packaged (packetized), sent, and received, as well as how to traverse connected networks to reach its ultimate destination.
transit
Commodity internet capacity. As distinct from IX routes, transit capacity is usually a paid service which indicates the general default route for internet traffic when routes are otherwise unknown at a settlement free peering exchange.
transit gateway
A transit gateway is a network transit hub that interconnects your virtual private clouds (VPCs) and on-premise networks.
Transit VXC
As part of the MVE provisioning, you create a Transit Virtual Cross Connect (VXC) to provide connectivity and to allow MVE to register and communicate with the SD-WAN overlay network.
underlay network
A physical infrastructure that provides traditional physical Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity between gateways, routes, switches, and so on in a network.
VantageHub
The one-stop partner relationship management (PRM) platform for Megaport PartnerVantage partners. VantageHub includes deal registration, partner enablement, partner marketing, and more.
VantageTransact
The PartnerVantage term for the Megaport ONE Portal.
virtual border router (VBR)
A virtual border router (VBR) is a peering router that allows two internet networks to connect and exchange traffic.
virtual cloud network (VCN)
A system that has devices, virtual machines, servers, and data centers linked and controlled using wireless technology and software.
virtual interface (VIF)
When an application virtualizes or abstracts a network interface it is called a virtual network interface.
virtual LAN (VLAN)
A partitioned and isolated computer network at the data link layer (OSI Layer 2) on a single physical interface (for example, a Port) used to subdivide a network. LAN is an abbreviation of local area network.
virtualized network functions (VNFs)
Services responsible for handling specific network functions running in virtual machines on top of networking infrastructure.
virtual network interface card (vNIC)
A vNIC is a virtual network interface that is based on the physical network interface cards of a host.
virtual private cloud (VPC)
A configurable pool of shared resources allocated within a public cloud. The VPC provides a degree of isolation between the users of the public cloud.
Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS)
A way to provide Ethernet-based multipoint to multipoint communication over IP or MPLS networks. It allows geographically dispersed sites to share an Ethernet broadcast domain by connecting sites through pseudo-wires.
virtual private network (VPN)
Extends a private network across a public network or internet. It enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. VPNs can provide functionality, security and/or network management benefits to the user.
Virtual Cross Connect (VXC)
VXCs are direct Layer 2 Ethernet circuits providing private, flexible, and on-demand connections between any of the locations on the Megaport network with 1 Mbps to 10 Gbps of capacity. Connections of up to 20 Gbps are also available between 100 Gbps Ports within the same metro.
vManage
vManage is a dashboard provided by Cisco that is used to manage, configure, and monitor enterprise network operations.
XCON or XC
Abbreviation for Cross Connect. A connection scheme between cabling runs, subsystems, and equipment using patch cords or jumpers that attach to networking equipment.