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Connect BGP + anycast subnet

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Connecting via BGP + anycast subnet is a service for organizing access to your infrastructure from the internet. Using a BGP + anycast subnet allows you to assign a single IP address to equipment in different pools and across different services.

This service is used to create a fault-tolerant architectural solution: if part of the equipment fails, traffic will be distributed among the remaining devices.

Operating principle

Building network connectivity using BGP + anycast subnet requires any equipment that supports the BGP dynamic routing protocol:

  • for dedicated servers — a firewall, a hosted router, or routing software deployed on the server;
  • for clouds powered by VMware — EDGE;
  • for cloud servers — routing software deployed on the server.

When you connect, BGP sessions are built from each pool for which you need to set up unified addressing, between your equipment that supports the BGP protocol and Selectel border routers. Within a single pool, two sessions are established — a primary and a backup one.

To build BGP sessions on your end, an IP address from the dedicated subnet of each pool is used, which will act as a BGP neighbor.

Connect BGP + anycast subnet

  1. Ensure that all equipment that will be used to create connectivity supports the BGP protocol.

  2. Ensure that each of the pools where you need to use unified addressing has a dedicated public network with a free address. If necessary, order a subnet of the required size.

  3. Create a ticket to connect the BGP + anycast subnet service. In the ticket, specify:

    • the pools for which you need to set up unified addressing;
    • for each pool — an IP address from the dedicated subnet of this pool. These addresses will be used as the BGP neighbor;
    • optionally: if you have your own AS (Autonomous System) — its number;
    • the desired size of the anycast subnet from /32 to /24.

  4. Wait for a response from a Selectel employee in the created ticket. They will clarify the details and provide detailed instructions for further connection organization.

An example of connecting via BGP using an anycast subnet through FortiGate firewalls is described in our blog article How to set up a redundant network scheme using the BGP protocol and an anycast subnet.