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ExpressRoute Form

Azure ExpressRoute Quest…

1. Requirements from the Customer

Because ExpressRoute involves a third-party connectivity provider, the customer must provide specific logistical and circuit details:

Circuit Specifications

  • Service Provider Name: The customer must identify the provider carrying the circuit (e.g., Equinix, Megaport, AT&T).

  • Peering Location: The physical location (City/State/Country) where the provider connects to the Azure edge.

  • SKU Customization: While Rhapsody defaults to a Metered data plan and a Local SKU, the customer must specify if they require a Standard or Premium SKU for cross-region connectivity.

  • Bandwidth: Rhapsody typically defaults this to 200Mbps , but the customer should confirm if this meets their needs.

Network Configuration & BGP

  • BGP Session Details: The customer must verify the Autonomous System Number (ASN), IP addressing, and shared keys required to establish Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) sessions.

  • Redundancy: The customer needs to ensure their provider has activated both the primary and secondary paths for high availability.

  • Route Propagation: The customer must confirm that their network is advertising and receiving the correct IP prefixes over BGP without overlapping with existing Azure routes .

2. What This Process Does

The ExpressRoute setup creates a "private fast lane" for data, requiring tight synchronization between the customer, the service provider, and Rhapsody.

  • Establishes Dedicated Connectivity: Creates a physical cross-connect that ensures traffic to Azure resources does not travel over the public internet.

  • Enables Dynamic Routing: Uses BGP to automatically exchange routing information between the customer's on-premises network and Rhapsody’s Azure VNets.

  • Ensures Enterprise-Grade Reliability: Configures dual redundant connections (Primary and Secondary) to allow for seamless failover if one link goes down .

  • Provides Performance Monitoring: The document establishes a troubleshooting framework to verify "handoff" logs from providers and ensure that custom Route Servers or User Defined Routes (UDRs) are not overriding the ExpressRoute path .