feat(interlink): doc

Author: RoRoJ

network/interlink/concepts.mdx

@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ InterLink is currently in [Private Beta](https://www.scaleway.com/en/betas/), an
 
 The default rule blocks any and all routes from being propagated over InterLink. Attaching an allowed routes list (aka **routing policy**) allows you to define the ranges of routes that should be whitelisted. When creating an allowed routes list, you specify one or many IP ranges representing the outgoing routes to announce from the Scaleway VPC, and one or many IP ranges representing the incoming route announcements to accept from the external infrastructure. 
 
-Each InterLink can have one allowed routes list attached to it, but a single allowed routes list can be attached to multiple InterLinks, if desired. When [route propagation](#route-propagation) is activated, the route ranges defined in the allowed routes list are whitelisted, and traffic can flow across the InterLink along these routes.
+Each InterLink can have one allowed routes list attached to it, but a single allowed routes list can be attached to multiple InterLinks, if desired. When [route propagation](#route-propagation) is activated, the route ranges defined in the allowed routes list are whitelisted, and traffic can flow across the InterLink along these routes. [Learn more about routing across an InterLink](/network/interlink/reference-content/overview/#routing-across-an-interLink)
 
-You may also know allowed routes lists under the germs "routing policy", or "route filters".
+You may also know allowed routes lists under the terms "routing policy", or "route filters".
 
 ## Attached VPC
 
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ Currently, InterLink is available in **hosted** version only. This means that yo
 
 <Lightbox src="scaleway-interlink-diag-simple.webp" alt="A diagram shows how a Scaleway VPC, to the left, can be attached to an InterLink, which then connects to external customer infrastructure." />
 
+For more information on how InterLink works, see our [detailed overview](/network/ipam/reference-content/overview/).
+
 ## Location
 
 A location, aka a **P**oint **o**f **P**resence (PoP), is a physical location where you can establish an InterLink connection between your on-premises infrastructure and the Scaleway network. Locations are facilitated by partners.
@@ -54,7 +56,7 @@ A pairing key is a unique identifier used to establish and authenticate an Inter
 
 A partner is a third party service provider that facilitates a hosted InterLink connection between a client's on-premises infrastructure, and their Scaleway infrastructure. Current partners include [Free Pro](https://pro.free.fr/), with more coming soon.
 
-Partners are generally companies specialized in data transit, with their own fibers at data connection points. To establish an InterLink connection via a partner, generally you must be client of that partner, e.g. with your infrastructure in their datacenter, or on your own premises using the partner as a network provider.
+Partners are generally companies specialized in data transit, with their own fibers at data connection points. To establish an InterLink connection via a partner, generally you must be client of that partner, e.g. with your infrastructure in their datacenter, or on your own premises using the partner as a network provider. See our information on [hosted InterLinks](/network/interlink/reference-content/overview/#hosted-interlinks) for more information.
 
 ## PoP
 
@@ -66,7 +68,7 @@ When creating an InterLink, you must specify a [region](/network/vpc/concepts/#r
 
 ## Route propagation
 
-Route propagation can be activated or deactivated at any given time on an InterLink. When activated, the Scaleway VPC and external infrastructure dynamically exchange and update information about their routes. Route propagation must be activated to allow traffic to flow over the InterLink. When deactivated, all pre-learned/announced routes are removed from the VPC's route table, and traffic cannot flow. Note that even with route propagation activated, the default rule blocks all route announcements: you must use an [allowed routes list](#allowed-routes-list) to specify the route ranges to whitelist.
+Route propagation can be activated or deactivated at any given time on an InterLink. When activated, the Scaleway VPC and external infrastructure dynamically exchange and update information about their routes. Route propagation must be activated to allow traffic to flow over the InterLink. When deactivated, all pre-learned/announced routes are removed from the VPC's route table, and traffic cannot flow. Note that even with route propagation activated, the default rule blocks all route announcements: you must use an [allowed routes list](#allowed-routes-list) to specify the route ranges to whitelist. [Learn more about routing across an InterLink](/network/interlink/reference-content/overview/#routing-across-an-interLink)
 
 ## Routing policy
 

network/interlink/reference-content/assets/scaleway-interlink-diag-simple.webp

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ You can use the [Attach a VPC](https://www.scaleway.com/en/developers/api/interl
 
 ### 3. Attach allowed routes list (routing policy)
 
-By default, all routes across an InterLink are blocked by default. You must create and attach an [allowed routes list](/network/interlink/concepts/#allowed-routes-list) aka routing policy, to set IP prefix filters for the routes you want to whitelist. This facilitates traffic flow across the InterLink.
+InterLink uses [**B**order **G**ateway **P**rotocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Gateway_Protocol) to exchange routing information between the customer’s infrastructure and the Scaleway VPC. Each side advertises IP prefixes for its own internal subnets and resources, to allow the other side to dynamically learn and update its internal routes, facilitating efficient traffic flow. However, by default, **all routes across an InterLink are blocked** . You must create and attach an [allowed routes list](/network/interlink/concepts/#allowed-routes-list) aka routing policy, to set IP prefix filters for the route advertisements you want to whitelist. This facilitates traffic flow across the InterLink.
 
 You can [create](https://www.scaleway.com/en/developers/api/interlink/#path-routing-policies-create-a-routing-policy) and [attach](https://www.scaleway.com/en/developers/api/interlink/#path-links-attach-a-routing-policy) allowed routes lists via the API.
 

network/interlink/reference-content/assets/scaleway-interlink-diag-tech.webp

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+---
+meta:
+  title: InterLink - technical overview
+  description: Dive deeper into understanding Scaleway's InterLink product, with technical diagrams, explanations and more.
+  noindex: true
+content:
+  h1: InterLink - technical overview
+  paragraph: Dive deeper into understanding Scaleway's InterLink product, with technical diagrams, explanations and more.
+  noindex: true
+tags: interlink pop infrastructure diagram technical overview
+categories: 
+  - interlink
+  - network
+dates:
+  validation: 2024-10-24
+  posted: 2024-10-24
+---
+
+<Message type="important">
+InterLink is currently in [Private Beta](https://www.scaleway.com/en/betas/), and only available to selected testers.
+</Message>
+
+InterLink is Scaleway's product to let you create a secure, private connection between your external infrastructure, and your Scaleway VPC. This allows you to direct your traffic safely from your Scaleway infrastructure to your on-premises infrastructure, away from the public internet. Compared to a typical internet-based VPN, an InterLink is more reliable, more secure and offers lower latency.
+
+At its simplest level, InterLink can be understood as a configurable connection between your own infrastructure, and your Scaleway VPC. You can configure details such as available bandwidth, and the routes allowed between the two peers:
+
+<Lightbox src="scaleway-interlink-diag-simple.webp" alt="A diagram shows how a Scaleway VPC, to the left, can be attached to an InterLink, which then connects to external customer infrastructure." />
+
+## Types of InterLink
+
+Scaleway plans to offer three types of InterLink, though currently only the **hosted** type is available.
+
+### Hosted InterLinks
+
+A hosted InterLink is provisioned via a [partner](/network/interlink/concepts/#partner). Partners are telcos or network providers that have been pre-selected by Scaleway. They provide a shareable port on their router, with a certain amount of bandwidth, at a [PoP](/network/interlink/concepts/#location) (location) where both Scaleway and the partner's networks are present. The available bandwidth is shared between multiple customers: each gets a specified amount when creating their InterLink.
+
+By choosing a hosted InterLink, you can re-use existing connectivity between a PoP where both you and the partner are present, and the Scaleway network. Layer 2 isolation to your Scaleway VPC is preserved, with guaranteed bandwidth (100Mbps - 25Gbps) across the InterLink.
+
+The diagram below shows the architecture of a hosted InterLink. Note that three possibilities are available on the customer side:
+- The partner's router connects to the customer's router (itself connected to the customer's on-premises infrastructure) via a **M**eet **M**e **R**oom at a PoP where both networks are present.
+- The partner's router connects directly to the customer's on-premises infrastructure via a last-mile connection facilitated by the partner.
+- The customer's infrastructure is hosted in the partner's datacenter, and connects to the partner's router directly.
+
+<Lightbox src="scaleway-interlink-diag-tech.webp" alt="Diagram of Scaleway’s network architecture for connecting customer infrastructure via a partner using a hosted InterLink. On the left, Scaleway’s PAR region includes a VPC with an InterLink and vRouter connected to the PAR backbone. This links to a Point of Presence (PoP) in Paris (TH2), where both Scaleway and partner routers are located. The partner’s infrastructure connects the Paris PoP to a customer or partner PoP, such as in Marseille. The customer PoP has a partner router and a customer router connected through an MMR (Meet-Me Room). The setup supports either on-premises customer infrastructure via last-mile connection or hosted customer infrastructure in the partner’s data center" />
+
+### Dedicated InterLink
+
+A dedicated InterLink is provisioned, where the customer gets sole use of a single InterLink port on Scaleway's router, with the entire bandwidth of that port. This type of InterLink is not yet available at Scaleway - [contact a sales representative](https://www.scaleway.com/en/contact-sales/) to register your interest.
+
+### Shared InterLink
+
+A shared InterLink is provisioned, where the customer's port is one of multiple InterLinks using a certain port on Scaleway's router, sharing its bandwidth. This type of InterLink is not yet available at Scaleway - [contact a sales representative](https://www.scaleway.com/en/contact-sales/) to register your interest.
+
+## Provisioning an InterLink
+
+Provisioning an InterLink is a multi-step process. As only hosted InterLinks (via partners) are currently available, specific action is required from both from Scaleway, the customer, and from the selected partner in order to successfully complete the provisioning process. See our dedicated page on [provisioning an InterLink](/network/interlink/reference-content/provisioning/) for full details.
+
+## Attaching a VPC
+
+When you initially create the InterLink, it is not associated with a specific VPC, only with given a Scaleway region. Attaching it to a VPC within the specified region is essential to complete the connection on the Scaleway side. You can only attach a VPC once the provisioning process is complete, and the InterLink has `Active` status. See the [configuration](/network/interlink/reference-content/configuring/) page for more information.
+
+## Routing across an InterLink
+
+InterLink uses [**B**order **G**ateway **P**rotocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Gateway_Protocol) to exchange routing information between the customer’s network and the Scaleway VPC. 
+
+Each side advertises IP prefixes for its own internal subnets and resources, to allow the other side to dynamically learn and update its internal routes. This facilitates efficient traffic flow across the link towards these destinations, providing that [allowed routes](#allowed-routes-list) and [route propagation](#route-propagation) have been correctly set up.
+
+In fact, each InterLink has two BGP sessions: one for IPv4 and one for IPv6. Each session handles the exchange of IP prefixes for its respective IP version. The separation of these sessions ensures that IPv4 and IPv6 traffic can be managed independently, and provides compatibility with networks that may only support one of the IP versions. 
+
+When both BGP sessions are up, the InterLink has `Active` status. If one BGP session is up, and the other down, the status moves to `Limited Connectivity`. If both BGP sessions are down, the status is marked as `Down`. See the page on [InterLink statuses](/network/interlink/reference-content/statuses) for full information.
+
+### Allowed routes list
+
+By default, **all route announcements from both sides are blocked** by InterLink. This is part of a safety-net mechanism to allow customers to efficiently and safely control traffic flow across the link. You must create and attach an [allowed routes list](/network/interlink/concepts/#allowed-routes-list) (aka routing policy), to specify the IP prefix announcements to whitelist from each sid. This is step one of two in allowing traffic to flow across the InterLink. See the [configuration](/network/interlink/reference-content/configuring/) page for more information on allowed routes lists. 
+
+### Route propagation
+
+Even after attaching an allowed route list, traffic cannot flow across your InterLink until you **activate route propagation**. This is the second part of the safety-net mechanism enabling you to fine-tune the traffic that flows across your InterLink. Route propagation can be activated or deactivated whenever you want. When it is deactivated, no traffic can flow across the InterLink. See the [configuration](/network/interlink/reference-content/configuring/) page for more information on route propagation. 
+
+
+
+
+