The Workspace allows you to associate multiple VDCs with each other, via a LAN, with an existing Cross Connect or you can also create a connection instantly. For more information about how to create a connection instantly using the + option, see Create a Cross Connect.
Before connecting the VDCs to the Cross Connect, we recommend referring to the Prerequisites to ensure you meet all the requirements.
To connect VDCs via the Workspace, follow these steps:
Log in to DCD with your username and password.
Click on the VDC that you want to connect with other VDCs by means of a Cross Connect.
Drag a Cross Connect element from the Palette to the Workspace.
Connect the Cross Connect element to a private LAN to establish a connection. Ensure the IP addresses in use meet the requirements. For more information, see Prerequisites and Limitations.
Select the Cross Connect element in the Workspace.
From the drop-down list in the Inspector pane, select an existing connection to associate your VDC with it. The list displays the connections that belong to the same region and are under the same contract and also new Cross Connects that are not assigned to any VDC. You can also click + to instantly create a new connection to associate a new connection with the VDC.
Make further changes to your data center, if necessary. This is optional.
Provision your changes.
Result: The selected VDC is now added to the Cross Connect and is connected with all VDCs that belong to this connection. The following example shows how two separate VDCs in the same location are connected via a single Cross Connect.
A Cross Connect is necessary if you are seeking to establish a connection between your VDCs that belong to the same region.
Prerequisites: Ensure that you have appropriate permissions to create a Cross Connect. For more information, see Prerequisites.
To create a Cross Connect, follow these steps:
1. Log in to DCD with your username and password.
2. Follow either of these options to create a Cross Connect:
From the DCD menu, click Network to open the drop-down menu and select Cross Connect. Select + Create in the Manage Cross Connects window.
Alternatively, you can also drag-and-drop the Cross Connect element to the Workspace. Click + to create a Cross Connect.
3. Enter the following details:
Name: Enter a name for the Cross Connect.
Description: Enter additional information about the Cross Connect. This is optional.
4. Click Create Cross Connect to create.
Result: The desired Cross Connect is created. You can modify the name and description and the changes are saved automatically. Upon creating, associate LANs and connect VDCs to it to create a full-fledged operational system.
You can configure a Cross Connect via the DCD and associate it with multiple VDCs to establish a connection between them via a private LAN.
Contract owners and administrators can create, access, manage, and use Cross Connect without additional permissions. However, non-admin users need relevant access to create and manage Cross Connect. For more information, see Set Up User Privileges for Cross Connect.
Before you connect data centers, ensure they:
belong to the same region and contract. Prior to connecting, remember to provision your data centers.
have the same IP address range.
Ensure that the IP address is tied to only one instance.
The LANs to be used for the connection should be private LANs. The private NICs to be connected should have unique IP addresses that belong to the same IP range.
The following links redirect you to the relevant pages.
We recommend upgrading your existing version of the Cross Connect to its latest version. The latest version of the feature comes with additional capabilities that will allow you to connect all VDCs in the same region.
Note: Remember that upgrading the feature may result in a downtime of less than five minutes and you may also encounter a network drop during this time.
You can either upgrade a Cross Connect from the Inspector pane or via the Manage Cross Connects window.
To upgrade from the Inspector pane, follow these steps:
1. Log in to DCD with your username and password.
2. Select the VDC, which is connected to other VDCs via the Cross Connect, from the list.
3. Choose the Cross Connect element on the Workspace to view its properties in the Inspector pane.
4. Click Upgrade.
To upgrade, follow these steps:
1. Log in to DCD with your username and password.
2. Go to the menu, and click Management > Cross Connect.
4. Click Upgrade.
Result: A notification is displayed when the upgrade process is complete.
You can disassociate a LAN from the Cross Connect if you no longer want them to be connected. Before deleting a Cross Connect, ensure you have removed all the associated VDCs.
To remove a VDC from a Cross Connect, follow these steps:
Log in to DCD with your username and password.
Open the required data center.
In the Workspace, select the required Cross Connect element.
In the Inspector pane, set Connect with to Unconnected.
Provision your changes.
Result: The connection between the selected VDC and the Cross Connect will be deleted.
Users need appropriate privileges to use, modify, and share a Cross Connect. Without necessary privileges, users have a read-only access and cannot provision changes. You can grant appropriate privileges via the User Manager.
To allow users to create Cross Connects, follow these steps:
Log in to with your username and password.
In the DCD menu, select Management > Users & Groups under Users.
Select Groups tab in the User Manager window.
Select the appropriate group to assign relevant privileges.
In the Privileges tab, select the Create Cross Connects checkbox to allow the group members to create and use Cross Connects.
Note: You can remove the privileges from the group by clearing the Create Cross Connects checkbox.
Result: Appropriate privilege is granted to the group and the users in the respective group.
If you no longer need a Cross Connect, you can easily remove it via the Manage Cross Connects window, provided it is disconnected from all LANs in the connected data centers.
To delete a Cross Connect, follow these steps:
Log in to with your username and password.
Go to the menu, and click Network > Cross Connect.
Select the required Cross Connect in the Manage Cross Connects window.
Ensure that you first disssociate the following from the Cross Connect:
any LANs associated with it. You will find the list of LANs in the Connected LANs tab.
any VDCs linked with it. The Connectable Data Centers lists the VDCs.
Click Delete to proceed with deletion.
Click OK in the Delete Cross Connect dialog to confirm your action.
Result: The selected Cross Connect will be deleted.
3. Select the specific Cross Connect in the Manage Cross Connects window. Cross Connects that are pending an upgrade are highlighted with an icon.
Learn how to set User privileges for Cross Connect.
Learn how to create a Cross Connect.
Learn how to manage a Cross Connect.
Learn how to associate VDCs with a Cross Connect.
Learn how to remove the associated VDCs.
Learn how to delete a Cross Connect.
Learn how to upgrade an existing version of the Cross Connect to its latest version.
After creating a Cross Connect, you can manage it via the Manage Cross Connects window.
To manage or edit a Cross Connect, follow these steps:
1. Log in to DCD with your username and password.
2. Go to the menu, and click Network > Cross Connect.
3. Select the required Cross Connect in the Manage Cross Connects window. You will see the following tabs:
You will see the list of LANs connected to the chosen Cross Connect. Click Open to navigate to the VDC associated with the Cross Connect and view the connection details.
You may not see a list for newly created connections if no VDCs are linked to it.
You will see the list of all VDCs that can be associated with the newly established connection.
If you have already associated a Cross Connect with a VDC, the list only displays those particular to the selected VDC region. For example, if you associate a Cross Connect with a VDC in Frankfurt, then the list shows only those VDCs within Frankfurt.
You can view information about the creator and the creation date and time of a specific Cross Connect. In addition, you will find the name of the owner who owns the connection and details about modifications, if any. Apart from the details, you are allowed to assign permissions to a group or users and allow them to modify or share the connection.
You will see a list of groups if you have already assigned valid permissions to a group. For more information, see Prerequisites. You can modify their permissions or assign privileges to a new group. To allow a group to modify or share a connection, follow these steps:
Click + Add Group to assign relevant permissions to a group.
Select a specific group from the list.
Select the following checkboxes to grant appropriate permissions:
Edit: To allow the group to make modifications to the respective Cross Connect.
Share: To allow the group to share the respective Cross Connect.
Note: To revoke permissions assigned to a group, click Remove Group. The higlighted group is deleted and permissions are removed.
You will see a list of users if you have already assigned valid permissions to a user. For more information, see Prerequisites. You can modify their permissions or assign privileges appropriately. To allow a user to modify or share a connection, follow these steps:
Click + Add User to assign relevant permissions to a user.
Choose a specific user.
Select the following checkboxes to grant appropriate permissions:
Edit: To allow the user to make modifications to the respective Cross Connect.
Share: To allow the user to share the respective Cross Connect.
Note: To revoke permissions assigned to a user, click Remove User. The higlighted group is deleted and permissions are removed.
Result: The changes are saved automatically.
To grant modify and share permissions to the group members, follow these steps:
Log in to DCD with your username and password.
In the DCD menu, select Management > Users & Groups under Users.
Select Groups tab in the User Manager window.
Select the appropriate group to assign relevant permissions.
In the Resources of Group tab, click Grant Access, and select a VDC from the list to grant appropriate permissions to the group:
Edit: Select the checkbox to allow the users in the group to modify the selected Cross Connect.
Share: Select the checkbox to allow the users in the group to share the Cross Connect.
Note: You can remove the permissions you consented to a group by selecting Revoke Access.
Result: Appropriate permissions are granted to the group and the users in the respective group.