How to get values (like VLAN, BGP ASN, peer ip) for creating a Virtual Interface in AWS Direct Connect

To create a new Virtual Interface (VIF) in AWS Direct Connect, you'll need to obtain or determine several key pieces of information. Here's how to approach each of the required values:

1. VLAN: This must be a unique VLAN tag not already in use on your connection. If you have a hosted connection, your AWS Direct Connect Partner provides this value. For a dedicated connection, you can choose a unique number between 1 and 4094.

2. BGP ASN (Autonomous System Number): This should be the ASN of your on-premises or other cloud provider's router. It's not provided by AWS, but rather it's a value you or your network team should determine. Valid values are between 1 and 2147483647.

3. Your router peer IP: This is the IP address for your side of the BGP peering session. For a public VIF, you must specify a unique public IPv4 address that you own. For a private VIF, you can either specify your own private IP or let Amazon generate one for you.

4. Amazon router peer IP: For a public VIF, you need to specify this. For a private VIF, Amazon can generate this for you if you don't specify one.

5. BGP authentication key: This is an optional MD5 authentication key for the BGP session. You can create this yourself or leave it blank if you don't want to use BGP authentication.

Since you're connecting to another cloud, you should work with your network team or the other cloud provider to determine the correct values, especially for the BGP ASN and your router peer IP.

If you're still encountering "BGP status: down" issues, it's possible that there's a mismatch in the configuration between your router and the AWS side. In this case, it would be helpful to:

1. Double-check all the values you've entered.
2. Ensure that the other cloud provider has properly configured their end of the connection.
3. Verify that your router is correctly configured to establish the BGP session.

Remember, after creating a new VIF, you can download the router configuration file from the AWS console. This file contains the specific configuration details for your router, which can be very helpful in ensuring everything is set up correctly.

If problems persist, you may need to engage AWS support or your network team for further troubleshooting.
Sources
Hosted AWS Direct Connect virtual interfaces - AWS Direct Connect
Create an AWS Direct Connect public virtual interface - AWS Direct Connect
Configure an AWS Direct Connect Classic connection - AWS Direct Connect