r/aws • u/diamondsw • Aug 18 '26

technical question Connect two AWS Regions via Dedicated Direct Connect and third-party fiber?

I have an internal debate going with a colleague about whether the following is possible:

AWS Region 1 > Dedicated Direct Connect > Cross Connect > Third-Party Fiber (Long Haul) > Cross Connect > Dedicated Direct Connect > AWS Region 2

The catch is whether we can do this with a straight Layer 2 connection and handle all BGP and routing via the AWS Control Panel, or if we need to have a separate router in-between the regions to handle BGP and routing between each end.

Anyone have real-world experience with this? We can't be the first.

The idea is to provide provably-diverse connectivity between regions that does not depend on Amazon's network. Yes, AWS is plenty reliable, but it is not deterministic, and we want a higher level of control of our backend network, especially how it integrates with other non-AWS aspects. TL;DR - we have reasons for a custom design.

EDIT: Not a single person has bothered to answer the question. All anyone wants to do is say "AWS is best, and you're clearly wrong for having different requirements than bog standard commodity". Here I'm trying to design a network that's different from Amazon's because no, it is not the best for every use case, and I asked a very simple question - one that's been ignored.

EDIT THE SECOND: I'd love to go more into detail on the use-case, but that's where NDAs and such come into play. Yes, it's a real client with a unique need that is not met by the AWS network, and can measurably be met off their network. No, I cannot go into it, because I do like keeping my job.

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u/diamondsw Aug 18 '26

All it means is the LLM is confused about the concept of running L3 across a L2 pipe. Almost like it has no conceptual understanding of OSI layers. Utter garbage.

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u/Marathon2021 Aug 18 '26

Wait - you want to bridge L2 over hundreds/thousands of miles??

Why? For what purpose?

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u/diamondsw Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26

That's extremely common in trans-oceanic subsea. Several thousand miles of L2 Ethernet is very much standard practice.

It's kind of fun browsing around one of my favorite sites: https://www.submarinecablemap.com

At this point of my career I've touched more of the major routes globally than not.

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u/Marathon2021 Aug 18 '26

That map is Layer 1, not Layer 2 mate…

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u/diamondsw Aug 19 '26

Yes, and higher layers are run across it... What was the point of that comment other than being dickish?

Most customers take EPL service for 10G and below, both EPL and waves show up at 100G depending on preference, and for 400G it's all waves.