To set up an AWS Direct Connect connection, place an order through the AWS console to create a Direct Connect connection in a region where VMware Cloud on AWS is available.

Connection Types

AWS offers three types of Direct Connect connections:
Dedicated Connection

A dedicated connection provides a physical Ethernet port dedicated to a single customer that supports multiple private or public virtual interfaces (VIF) and 1 transit VIF.

To order a dedicated connection, ask a member of the AWS Direct Connect Partner Program to provision a circuit to an AWS Direct Connect location in the same region as your SDDC. Use your (customer-managed) AWS account to make this request. After the circuit has been provisioned, create a hosted private VIF to your SDDC using the account shown in the AWS Account ID field of the NSX Direct Connect page. In an SDDC that is a member of an SDDC group, you can create a Direct Connect Gateway (DXGW) in your account and connect a transit VIF to it from the DXGW. See Creating and Managing SDDC Deployment Groups with VMware Transit Connect.

Hosted Connection

A hosted connection is a circuit shared by multiple customers and provisioned to your AWS account by an AWS Direct Connect Partner. After the circuit has been provisioned, create a hosted private VIF to your SDDC using the account shown in the AWS Account ID field of the NSX Direct Connect page. If your hosted connection speed is 1Gbps or higher and the SDDC that is a member of an SDDC group, you also have the option to create a Direct Connect Gateway (DXGW) in your account, and connect a transit VIF to it from the DXGW. See Creating and Managing SDDC Deployment Groups with VMware Transit Connect.

Hosted VIF

A hosted VIF is similar to a hosted connection but only provides the ability to create a single VIF managed by a partner. The hosted private VIF must be created by the AWS Partner using the account number shown in the AWS Account ID field of the NSX Direct Connect page, rather than provisioned to your own AWS account.

For more information about using Direct Connect with VMware Cloud on AWS, see the VMware Designlet VMware Cloud on AWS SDDC Connectivity With Direct Connect Private VIF. For more information about connection types and how to set them up, see AWS Direct Connect Partners, Getting Started with AWS Direct Connect.