Issue
Connecting to ServiceNow Instance via Equinix Cloud Exchange
Release
N/A
Resolution
Procedure
ServiceNow has 2 redundant connections at each Equinix-enabled DC (see Additional Information section).
To provide better redundancy we recommend to request from Equinix 2 virtual connections per DC, which makes total 4 connection for DC pair where production and subproduction instances are hosted.
To implement different load-balancing scenarios over those connections customer can use BGP tools such as AS-PATH prepend and LocalPreference.
General procedure to request a connection:
- Customer logs into Equinix portal and clicks the Create Connection button
- Customer fills out the connection request by selecting the ports on their side and entering in details such as BGP info.
- Customer selects local (to them) port and remote location.
- Customer inputs Connection name, then selects a VLAN ID. (The VLAN does not need to match ServiceNow's VLAN ID!)
- Customer inputs their BGP ASN and IP subnet that will be used for connection.
- Optional: "Available from remote locations" means that the customer doesn't have to be in the same facility as ServiceNow
- Customer creates CS case on ServiceNow support portal with request to turn-up Equinix connection created on Step 2. One CS case can be used for several Equinix connections if those are requested at the same time on Equinix portal.
- ServiceNow engineer will contact client via CS case for further details about circuit/BGP turn-up
Notes:
1. Public AS and public IP addressing must be used (for connection itself and for advertised prefixes)
2. BFD is not supported. For faster convergence customer can lower keepalive/holdtime timers on their side.
3. In case one or more Equinix connection is down (physical circuit/BGP peer) traffic is forwarded using other Equinix connections following configured BGP policy. If all Equinix connections are down, ServiceNow Internet connections will be used as a last resort (in case same prefixes are advertised over public Internet).
4. Customer should run redundancy tests after turn-up of all needed virtual connections to make sure load-balancing works as expected in any scenario (like primary/secondary). Firewall/BGP policy configuration to implement those scenarios is solely on customer’s side. ServiceNow doesn’t do any custom configuration on those connections.