Skip to main content
Connect BGP + anycast subnetwork
Last update:

Connect BGP + anycast subnetwork

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

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

Working principle⁠

To build network connectivity using BGP + anycast subnetwork, you need 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 Cloud powered by VMware — EDGE;
  • for cloud servers — routing software deployed on the server.

When connecting between your BGP-enabled equipment and Selectel edge routers, BGP sessions are built from each pool for which unified addressing must be configured. Within one pool, two sessions are set up — a main session and a backup session.

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

Connect BGP + anycast subnet⁠

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

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

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

    • pools for which you need to configure unified addressing;
    • for each of the pools — the IP address from the dedicated subnet of that pool. These addresses will be used as BGP neighbor;
    • optional: if you have your own AS (autonomous system) — its number;
    • desired dimensionality of anycast subnet from /32 to /24.

  4. In the ticket created, wait for a Selectel employee to respond. He will clarify the details and give detailed instructions on how to further organize the connection.

An example of BGP connectivity using anycast subnetting through FortiGate firewalls is described in the blog article How to Configure a Redundant Network Layout Using BGP and Anycast Subnetting.