Getting started with IBM Cloud Networking
When migrating your application to IBM Cloud for Skytap Solutions (ICSS), your primary Edge Networking solutions will be internet-based: For applications with a public endpoint, you can set up a static public IP address, or a dynamic public IP address with its own FQDN. For applications that need private, encrypted connections back to your on-premises location, ICSS recommends setting up a VPN.
ICSS’s built-in VPN service gives customers a streamlined option to establish a VPN tunnel between your environment in Skytap, and your on-premises deployment. ICSS’s VPN tunnels are encrypted and encapsulated, routed over the public internet.
Setting up a Site-to-Site VPN in ICSS
A VPN is like a bridge: both sides must be “facing each other” for traffic to flow. This means that each VPN endpoint must be configured the same way, with the same parameters. Before you begin, speak to your company’s IT department to find out which VPN parameters you’ll need to use for Skytap's side of the VPN.
Also like a bridge, VPNs are most reliable when distance being spanned is short, which means the two endpoints should be as close together as possible: You’ll want to set up the Skytap VPN endpoint in a region which is nearest to your corporate VPN endpoint. Choose the region in your Skytap account which is nearest to your corporate endpoint, and create the static public IP address for your new VPN.
Now you’re ready to create your VPN. Using the parameters you’ve agreed upon with your IT department, create the VPN endpoint in Skytap, and work with your company's IT department to set up a matching-configuration endpoint on your On-Premises VPN device. Once both endpoints are set up, make sure that you specify at least one remote subnet on the Skytap side (this is the on-prem network subnet that Skytap will be sending to and receiving from), and then be sure to test your VPN to confirm that it will properly establish a tunnel.
Once you’ve confirmed that your VPN can successfully establish Phase1 and Phase2 connectivity, connect your VPN to its intended the Skytap Environment(s), choose a server from each side of the WAN topology that need to talk to each other (one from Skytap and one from your on-premises network), and test the final end-to-end connectivity between each server.
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