Key concepts
- A-side / Z-side: Every virtual circuit connects two endpoints. The A-side is your initiating port; the Z-side is the destination.
- VLANs: VLANs segment traffic on a port. Each virtual circuit uses selected VLANs to isolate and identify the connection.
- Bandwidth: You allocate bandwidth for each circuit. Ensure both ends have sufficient available capacity.
- Status lifecycle: Virtual circuits progress through Ordering, Pending/Provisioning, and Available/Active states.
Virtual circuit types
| Type | Layer | Description |
|---|---|---|
| E-Lines | Layer 2 | Private, point-to-point connections between two ports. Provides transparent Layer 2 connectivity for forwarding within the same network segment. Ideal for extending Layer 2 networks across geographic locations and data replication. |
| ELANs | Layer 2 | Multi-point e-line connections. |
| Cloud Links | Layer 2 | Private connectivity to cloud providers. See Cloud Links Overview |
| Cloud Router Connections | Layer 3 | Virtual circuits attached to the Cloud Router become part of a Layer 3 routing domain. Enables centralized routing and traffic management between all ports, cloud connections, and services. See Cloud Router Overview. |
| Direct Internet Access (DIA) | Layer 3 | Dedicated, uncontended links to the internet with guaranteed bandwidth. Includes integrated firewall, web filtering, and DDoS protection. Requires public IP address allocation. Ideal for critical applications and hosting public-facing services. See Create a DIA Connection. |