Previous section: Getting RackConnect support
Applies to: RackConnect v2.0
To build a hybrid hosting solution that leverages the security of dedicated servers with the flexibility and service offerings of the Rackspace Cloud, you need to use RackConnect to allow the two types of resources to communicate and work together. Contact your Dedicated Account Team to get your RackConnect deployment set up. If you are new to Rackspace, call us at 1 800 961 2888 to open a new dedicated hosting account and learn more about the capabilities of a hybrid implementation.
We are no longer deploying new RackConnect v2.0 environments. If you are interested in using RackConnect, contact your account manager for information about deploying RackConnect v3.0.
For a collection of recommendations for using RackConnect, see RackConnect best practices.
Associating your Cloud account with your RackConnect configuration#
Use the following steps to associate your Cloud account with your RackConnect configuration:
Ensure that your cloud account is linked to your dedicated account.
Log in to the MyRackspace Portal, and in the top navigation bar, click Select a Product > Dedicated Hosting. Then click Products > Rackspace Cloud > Cloud Accounts. From that screen, you can either link an existing account or sign up for a new account.
After you have linked an account, you can click the plus sign (+) at the right of the account’s row to associate the account with one of your RackConnect configurations. In most cases, you have only one RackConnect configuration.
After establishing the association, Rackspace begins the process of validating the provisioning region for both Cloud Servers and Cloud Files, checking that it matches the region (or data center location) of your dedicated environment. If there are any discrepancies, a RackConnect engineer works with you to resolve them. You can track the status of these steps by selecting the newly associated Cloud account in the RackConnect Management Interface (Network > RackConnect > yourCloudAccount) and selecting the Tasks tab.
Set up your network policies to define the access that you want to allow between your cloud servers, your dedicated environment, and the Internet. You can do this by selecting the Cloud account under the RackConnect Management Interface and selecting the Network Polices tab (Network > RackConnect > yourCloudAccount > Network Policies tab). You can also use one of the available network policy templates to get started.
Important: Do not create any servers in your Cloud account until you receive confirmation that your Cloud account is set up in our automation system and that your RackConnect configuration implementation is complete (if this is a new configuration). Any cloud servers created before these steps are complete will not be able to participate in your RackConnect configuration unless you save an image of them and rebuild them after the implementation process is complete. You should also verify that you have network policies in place to allow traffic to and from your cloud servers before creating new cloud servers.