Introduction
Typically, connecting AWS VPCs to Azure vNets requires multiple private lines and equipment installed into your data center, or a data center that offers private connectivity to both Azure and AWS. Accessing both AWS and Azure from your on-premises data centers usually requires standing up leased lines from your premises to each of your cloud environments (DirectConnect and ExpressRoute) and managing the routing yourself. This method means long-term contracts and, depending on your location, may also introduce more latency than it's worth, since all of the data moves through your facility on its journey between the clouds.
With Pureport's Multicloud Fabric, you can quickly and easily connect two clouds together via native private connectivity. This Solution Brief focuses on granting access to resources inside an Azure vNet and an AWS VPC via DirectConnect and ExpressRoute. By using the AWS Direct Connect Gateway to connect the AWS VPC to your Pureport connection, you can extend connectivity to VPCs in remote regions across the globe with a single Pureport DirectConnect. Similarly, by using a single Azure ExpressRoute, you can access any Azure Region within the North America geopolitical region.
Geographical Considerations
When planning your deployment, consider the geographical distance between your two cloud environments to minimize latency. While each cloud provider has many overlapping regions, the actual names of these regions may vary. For example, Azure's East US and East US 2 regions are both located in Virginia, while the AWS region us-east-1 is in Virginia and us-east-2 region is located in Ohio.
You should also consider which Pureport location is closest to each region. This table describes the best combinations of cloud regions and Pureport POPs, based on location.
Pureport Location | Azure Regions | AWS Regions |
|---|---|---|
Ashburn / Washington DC | East US, East US 2 | us-east-1, N. Virginia |
Seattle | West US 2, Washington | us-west-2, Oregon |
San Jose / Silicon Valley | West US, California | us-west-1, N. California |
Chicago | North Central US, Illinois | us-east-2, Ohio |
Dallas | South Central US, Texas | us-east-1, N. Virginia |
Prerequisites
Before you begin, you will need:
- An AWS account with an active VPC
- A Microsoft Azure account with an active vNet
- A basic understanding of how the Pureport platform connects clouds and sites
Putting it Together
To complete connectivity between an Azure vNet and your AWS VPCs, you will need to perform the following steps:
- Create a Pureport Network (see the Creating a Network article).
- Connect your Pureport Network to your Azure vNet:
- Connect your Pureport Network to your AWS VPC:
- Ensure that:
- The route for your Azure vNet has been propagated to the AWS VPC's routing table.
- The route for your AWS VPC has propagated into the Azure ExpressRoute route table.
If not, review steps 2 and 3 to ensure that the Azure ExpressRoute and AWS Direct Connect connections are both up and peered.
Set the needed security/access rules within each cloud provider to allow the desired network traffic.