AWS Direct Connect (DX) Connection Types | Overview.

AWS Direct Connect (DX) Connection Types - Overview.

Scope:

•        AWS Direct Connect Overview.
•        Direct Connect Connection Types (three main types),
•        Dedicated Connection,
•        Hosted Connection,
•        Hosted Virtual Interface (Hosted VIF),
•        Comparison Table,
•        Redundancy and HA Options,
•        Monitoring and Operations,
•        Best Practices.

AWS Direct Connect Overview

•  AWS Direct Connect (DX) provides dedicated, private network connectivity from twtech on-premises network or colocation facility to AWS.
•  AWS Direct Connect (DX):
• Reduces network costs, 
• Increases bandwidth throughput, 
• Provides a more consistent network experience compared to internet-based connections.
•  AWS Direct Connect (DX takes longer than a month to fully establish a new connection.

 AWS Direct Connect Connection Types (three main types):

     1.     Dedicated Connection
2.     Hosted Connection
3.     Hosted Virtual Interface (Hosted VIF)

NB:

•  Each type differs in:
• ownership, 
• capacity, 
• provisioning method, 
• use case.

 1. Dedicated Connection

Definition:

• A physical, dedicated fiber cross-connect between twtech network equipment and AWS at a DX location.

Provisioning:

• Requested directly from the AWS Management Console.
• Requires physical presence (or via colocation partner) in a Direct Connect location.
•         AWS provides a Letter of Authorization and Connecting Facility Assignment (LOA-CFA) to establish the cross-connect.

Capacity Options:

• 1 Gbps
• 10 Gbps
• 100 Gbps (in select locations)

Use Case:

• Large enterprises or data centers requiring high bandwidth and dedicated infrastructure.
• Organizations managing their own BGP sessions and VLANs directly.

Management:

• Fully controlled by the customer.
• Supports multiple virtual interfaces (VIFs) per connection.

Key Benefits:

• Lowest latency and most control.
• Highest throughput and performance stability.

 2. Hosted Connection

Definition:

• A virtualized, partner-provisioned connection between your network and AWS, created through an AWS Direct Connect Partner (DX Partner).

Provisioning:

• Ordered via the partner’s portal.
• AWS DX Partner provisions a portion of their physical port (Dedicated Connection) for your use.

Capacity Options:

• 50 Mbps to 10 Gbps (depending on partner offering).
•  Previously 50 Mbps to 500 Mbps, now supports up to 10 Gbps for newer partners.

Use Case:

• Customers who don’t have equipment at a DX location.
•  Faster deployment and lower cost entry point for private AWS connectivity.

Management:

• The partner owns the physical connection.
• Customer manages the virtual interface (VIF) and BGP session with AWS.

Key Benefits:

•  No need to manage physical infrastructure.
•  Scalable, flexible, and faster provisioning.

 3. Hosted Virtual Interface (Hosted VIF)

Definition:

• A logical virtual interface shared from a DX Partner’s existing connection to AWS. Unlike Hosted Connection, the VIF is shared, not a full logical link.

Provisioning:

• The partner creates and shares a VIF directly with your AWS account.
•  No LOA-CFA process — fully logical provisioning.

Capacity Options:

•  Typically fixed 50 Mbps to 500 Mbps (depends on partner).

Use Case:

• Ideal for small-scale or test environments needing private AWS access.
• Good for multi-tenant, low-throughput workloads.

Management:

• The DX Partner manages the physical port and overall connection.
•  Customer manages the VIF on their AWS side.

Key Benefits:

• Simplest to deploy.
• Quickest setup time.
• Low bandwidth entry option.

 Comparison Table

Feature	Dedicated Connection	Hosted Connection	Hosted VIF
Ownership	Customer.	Partner.	Partner
Provisioning	AWS Console + LOA-CFA.	Partner portal.	Partner-shared
Capacity	1 / 10 / 100 Gbps.	50 Mbps – 10 Gbps.	50 Mbps – 500 Mbps
BGP Session	Direct with AWS.	Direct with AWS.	Direct with AWS
Physical Setup	Required.	Not required.	Not required
Redundancy	Customer-managed.	Partner or Customer.	Partner
Use Case	High bandwidth, full control.	Midrange workloads, quick setup.	Low-cost, small-scale
VIF Support	Multiple per port.	1 per connection	1 per share
Typical Users	Enterprise, data centers.	Mid-size orgs, hybrid setups	Startups, PoC

Redundancy and HA Options For fault-tolerant connectivity + AWS recommendations:

• Two or more DX connections (preferably in different locations).
• Using Direct Connect Gateway (DXGW) for multi-Region VPC access.
• Implementing BGP failover with public internet VPN as backup.

Sample High Availability (HA) design:

• 2× Dedicated Connections (different AWS locations)
• Dual routers (on-prem)
• BGP multipath for load balancing
• CloudWatch monitoring and alarms

 Monitoring and Operations

Monitoring Tool	Purpose
CloudWatch	Monitors connection state, BGP status, throughput
AWS CLI / API	Automation and status checks
DX Connection Tests	End-to-end performance verification
AWS Health Dashboard	Regional DX maintenance and outage alerts

 Best Practices

• Always use redundant DX connections or DX + VPN hybrid for HA.
• Enable BGP MD5 authentication for sessions.
• Use Direct Connect Gateway for cross-Region scalability.
• Implement AWS CloudWatch Alarms for link state and BGP metrics.
• Review DX location diversity for true fault isolation.