Cloud Interconnect

 DedicatedShared
Layer 3Direct PeeringCarrier Peering
Layer 2Dedicated InterconnectPartner Interconnect

Dedicated Interconnect

  • Provides direct physical connections between on-premises networks and Google’s networks
  • Enables transfer of large amount of data between on-premises and GCP
  • For using it we nee to provision a Cross Connect between on-premises router and Google Network in a common colocation facility
  • Dedicated Interconnect can be configured to provide a 99.9% or 99.999% SLA
  • In order to use Dedicated Interconnect, our own network has to physically meet Google’s network in a supported colocation facility

Partner Interconnect

  • Provides connectivity between on-premises network and Google network through a supported service provider
  • Recommended if our facility is geographically far away from a colocation facility or if our data transfer requirements don’t warrant a Dedicated Interconnect
  • Service provider has physical connectivity to GCP which is provided as a service to customers

Comparison of Interconnect options

  • IPsec VPN tunnel:
    • Encrypted tunnel to VPC through the public internet
    • 1.5 - 3 Gbps per tunnel
  • Dedicated Interconnect:
    • Dedicated, direct connections to VPC networks
    • 10 Gbps per link or 100 Gbps
  • Partner Interconnect:
    • Dedicated bandwidth connections to VPC network through a service provider
    • 50 Mbps - 10 Gbps per connection

Direct Peering

  • Provides a direct connection between our business network and Google’s network
  • With this connection we are able to exchange traffic using one the Google’s broad-reaching edge network location
  • Direct Peering is done by exchanged BGP routes between Google and peering entity
  • After the connection is in place, Direct Peering can be used to reach all the Google services and GCP products
  • Direct Peering does not have an SLA

Carrier Peering

  • Provides connectivity similar to Direct Peering through a supported partner
  • Carrier Peering does not have an SLA

Comparison between Direct and Carrier Peering

  • Direct Peering:
    • Dedicated, direct connection to Google’s network
    • Capacity of 10 Gbps
  • Carrier Peering:
    • Peering through a service provider to Google’s public network
    • Varies based on partner offering

Choosing a Connection

  • L2 (interconnect) vs L3 (peering)
  • Interconnect services:
    • Provide direct access to RFC1918 IPs in our VPC with SLA
  • Peering services:
    • Access to Google public IPs only without SLA