To connect your VMware Cloud on AWS SDDC to your on-premises data center or another remote network, you can create a VPN that uses the public Internet, a VPN that uses AWS Direct Connect, or just use AWS Direct Connect alone.
You can also take advantage of SDDC groups to use VMware Transit Connect and an AWS Direct Connect Gateway to provide centralized connectivity between a group of
VMware Cloud on AWS SDDCs, including an on-premises SDDC. See
Creating and Managing SDDC Deployment Groups.
- AWS Direct Connect (DX)
- AWS Direct Connect is a service provided by AWS that creates a high-speed, low latency connection between your on-premises data center and AWS services. When you configure AWS Direct Connect, VPNs can route traffic over DX instead of the public Internet. Because DX implements Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing, use of an L3VPN for the management network is optional when you configure DX. DX traffic is not encrypted. If you want to encrypt that traffic, configure an IPsec VPN that uses DX and a private IP address.
- Layer 3 (L3) VPN
- A layer 3 VPN provides a secure connection between your on-premises data center and your VMware Cloud on AWS SDDC over the public Internet or AWS Direct Connect. These IPsec VPNs can be either route-based or policy-based. For the on-premises endpoint, you can use any device that supports the settings listed in the IPsec VPN Settings Reference.
- Layer 2 (L2) VPN
- A layer 2 VPN provides an extended, or stretched, network with a single IP address space that spans your on-premises data center and your SDDC and enables hot or cold migration of on-premises workloads to the SDDC. You can create only a single L2VPN tunnel in any SDDC. The on-premises end of the tunnel requires NSX. If you are not already using NSX in your on-premises data center, you can download a standalone NSX Edge appliance to provide the required functionality. An L2 VPN can connect your on-premises data center to the SDDC over the public Internet or AWS Direct Connect.
- VMware HCX
- VMware HCX, a multi-cloud app mobility solution, is provided free to all SDDCs and facilitates migration of workload VMs to and from your on-premises data center to your SDDC. For more information about installing, configuring, and using HCX, see the Hybrid Migration with HCX Checklist.