Dedicated Instance Partner Connect
The Partner Connect option enables businesses to more easily extend their operations to Webex Calling — Dedicated Instance, which features a private connection at the customer’s location.
Introduction
Webex Calling now provides users with the option of using a dedicated cloud instance, which is founded on the architecture of Cisco Unified Communications Manager. Customers benefit from cloud innovation and an improved experience thanks to Dedicated Instance’s integration with Webex Calling and its use of Webex platform services.
The following are components of the Dedicated Instance add-on for Webex Calling:
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Cisco Unified Communications Manager
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Cisco Unified IM and Presence
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Cisco Unified Unity Connection
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Cisco Expressway
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Cisco Emergency Responder (Americas region only)
The Dedicated Instance service is almost always provided to the customer over a private connection that is established to their location. This paper provides information regarding the Partner Connect option, which customers can utilize in conjunction with Webex to extend their company to Webex Calling – Dedicated Instance.
Before you go ahead and send in the peering request for Partner Connect, check to see if the Dedicated Instance service has already been activated in that specific region.
Partner Connect
Through the use of the Partner Connect paradigm, partners are able to aggregate all of the customer networks and then extend the connectivity to their own Webex Calling Dedicated Instance.
Figure 1: Model of Partner Connectivity
Within the context of a paradigm known as Partner Connect, the partner makes use of direct connection or ECX while interacting with Webex in order to establish the following:
- Structure of Management and Operations Provided by Partner
- permission to use the Dedicated Instance Application Management Interface
- Access to their customers’ applications is provided through Management Applications, such as Domain Managers.
- Framework for the Aggregation of Customers Provided by the Partner
- Collect customer networks and extend each client’s connection to their individual Dedicated Instances.
- The Supplemental Services Framework Provided by Partner
- Software that is hosted in the cloud and provides and administers services for customers
Partner Connect Options
The following section provides an overview of the two different connectivity choices that Partners have while using Webex for Dedicated Instance.
Direct: The connectivity is provided through direct physical connections that are made between Cisco and the partner at a facility that has been designated by Equinix. In accordance with the Cisco routing policy, sessions for Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) are configured across all of these connections. Direct connectivity facilities are currently offered at Equinix Data Centers located in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia-Pacific and Japan.
Equinix Cloud Exchange FabricTM: Exchange connection enables partners to virtually interface with Cisco if they are located in any Equinix data center around the world and enabled with Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric (Equinix FabricTM). This is possible only if the data center is equipped with Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric. If the partner already has a physical connection to Equinix Fabric (which has been negotiated between the partner and Equinix), then all they need to do to make virtual connections is use a portal or invoke Cloud Exchange APIs. In a similar manner, BGP sessions and VRFs, which are Equinix Fabric virtual connections, are configured across the connection.
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Direct (Cross Connect) |
Equinix Cloud Exchange |
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Two points in each geographic region. |
30+ points in the Americas and EMEAR. APJ is targeted for Q1CY2020. |
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Americas = Dallas, Tx & San Jose, CA – or – EMEA = London, UK & Amsterdam, NL – or – ALJ – Tokyo, JP & Singapore, SG – or – AUS = Sydney, AU & Melbourne, AU – or – EU = Frankfurt, GE & Amsterdam, NL |
Available at any Equinix ECX-powered location. |
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Only charge is for physical connection; no additional charges per customer or virtual connections. |
Charge for physical connection and each virtual connection. A virtual connection is required for each customer. |
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1 G or 10 G connection bandwidth. |
Bandwidth options for 200 MB to 10 GB. |
IP Addressing and ASN
The following specifications apply to the IP Addressing and ASN that are needed for the Webex Calling Dedicated Instance.
- /31 or /30 for any publicly accessible physical connection link.
- 4 Subnets are assigned to each Geo directly.
- 4 Subnets are allotted to each Geo on the Equinix Fabric.
- Between Cisco and the partner, a public ASN is used for BGP routing.
- /16 Networks for each Geographic Region for Partner UC Application Management
Note that the partner’s equipment needs to be able to provide Layer 3 sub-interfaces with dot1q tagging so that VRF separation can take place. Although the given subnets are allowed to be shared across all VRFs, they are required to be distinct for each physical link. It is required that public addressing of the connection subnets and public ASN be used since it assures that each of the partners providing the service has a unique network configuration. These link subnets won’t be routed anywhere outside the service they belong to.
Customer Aggregation Framework
Partners compile customer networks and then extend those networks to the relevant Dedicated Instance for each partner. Partners can make plans to use one or more of the following options in whatever combination they see fit.
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MPLS |
SD-WAN |
VPN |
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Please take into account that the following list of customer network aggregation choices for partners is not exhaustive.
Customer Network Activation
While opening a TAC case or engaging their PSM, the partner is required to supply a Dot1Q tag in order for the new customer to be operationalized. After that, the PSM will communicate with TAC so that they can create a ticket and monitor the situation. There will be a total of ten business days devoted to the completion of the link in the Webex datacenters.
Important Notes:
- In order for partners to take advantage of partner connect and increase the amount of Webex Calling and Meetings traffic that their clients experience, the partners will need to run a NAT server and establish an additional connection with the use of a Dot1Q tag.
- Without purchasing the Dedicated Instance add-on, the Partner Connect model cannot be utilized for Webex Calling and Meetings in any capacity.