Maximizing Network Redundancy in Multi-Region Azure Setups with ExpressRoute and VPN Failover Strategies

Ensure seamless network redundancy in multi-region Azure environments by leveraging ExpressRoute circuits, Azure VMware Solution, and VPN backups. Optimize traffic flow with strategic routing weights and failover solutions to maintain high availability and performance across hybrid cloud deployments. Unique :

Mastering Network Redundancy in Multi-Region Azure Deployments

Ensuring network redundancy is crucial for hybrid and cloud workloads. It boosts availability, reliability, and performance across regions. Microsoft’s latest insights dive deep into multi-region designs connecting Azure VMware Solution (AVS), on-premises, and virtual networks.

What’s New: Multi-Region Redundancy Patterns

The focus is on multi-region architectures using Hub-and-Spoke or Azure Virtual WAN (vWAN) topologies. Each region’s Hub or Virtual Hub (VHub) links AVS via ExpressRoute circuits. These circuits cross-connect locally and remotely to guarantee failover.

“Proper planning and implementation of network redundancy are key to achieving high availability and sustaining operational continuity.”

Traffic routing preferences rely on weight settings to optimize network paths. Without careful weight assignment, traffic may take inefficient routes, increasing latency and reducing performance.

Major Updates: Four Key Solutions for Redundancy

ExpressRoute Circuits in Different Peering Locations

This method adds a second ExpressRoute circuit within the same metro area but at a different peering location. Global Reach links these circuits, enabling either active-active load balancing or failover with route prepending.

Removing weight settings here simplifies routing. Traffic follows the best path based on BGP prepends or ECMP load balancing.

ExpressRoute Direct for Multiple Circuits

ExpressRoute Direct allows multiple logical circuits from a single port pair. One circuit handles local traffic, while the other acts as failover to a remote region. This setup automatically reroutes traffic if a primary circuit fails.

“Easy to implement if you have ExpressRoute Direct… ideal for mission-critical applications, providing predictable throughput and bandwidth for backup.”

3. ExpressRoute Metro for Dual-Homed Connectivity

Metro ExpressRoute offers dual-homed connections to two peering locations in the same city. This boosts resiliency without adding extra circuits, though availability is currently limited to select regions.

4. VPN Backup to ExpressRoute

Deploying VPN tunnels as failover paths complements ExpressRoute circuits. Azure Route Server (ARS) in Hub-and-Spoke topologies enables seamless routing between VPN and ExpressRoute. However, VPN adds latency and may require multiple tunnels for high bandwidth.

What’s Important to Know: Routing and Failover Best Practices

Weight settings and BGP prepending are critical to avoid suboptimal routing. For example, assigning equal weights to AVS and on-premises connections can cause inefficient traffic paths.

Moreover, ExpressRoute gateways don’t support route transitivity between circuits, so cross-connecting circuits can cause routing failures. Instead, rely on carefully designed failover strategies.

In vWAN setups, the built-in routing service simplifies failover, but route prepending remains essential to ensure quick recovery and avoid VPN traffic sticking as primary.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft’s multi-region network redundancy strategies provide robust options for mission-critical workloads. Whether using multiple ExpressRoute circuits, ExpressRoute Direct, Metro configurations, or VPN backups, each approach balances cost, complexity, and resiliency.

Implementing these designs carefully ensures your hybrid cloud environment stays online and performs optimally, no matter what network hiccups occur.

Multi-region designs use Hub-and-Spoke or Azure Virtual WAN topologies for scalable redundancy.

Routing weights influence traffic to prefer local ExpressRoute circuits, avoiding suboptimal paths.

ExpressRoute Direct enables multiple circuits from a single port, supporting failover and active-active setups.

Metro ExpressRoute offers dual-homed connectivity within the same city for enhanced resiliency.

VPN gateways serve as cost-effective backup paths, integrated via Azure Route Server or built-in vWAN routing.

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